best tire replacement for 14" Vios steelies

**crazy_boy** · February 21st, 2012 05:23 PM

mga sir,

need to replace the 2 front tires of our 1.3 Vios. stock tire size is 175/65/14 i think. what would be the best bang for the buck tire can you suggest?

i have read a lot of good reviews for the Kumho Ecsta. however, searching Komho USA website shows no Ecsta for that size.

also, where should i put the better set of tires? front or back?

thanks!

**vinj** · February 21st, 2012 05:38 PM

You can try consider an minor upsize to 185/65R14 or 195/60R14. It'll give your Vios a little more footprint and wont affect performance and your FC too much. I personally find the stock 175/65R14s quite small.

Try the Yokohoma A-Drives.

We're using Kumho Solus (185/65 R14) on one of our older cars however this is mainly for easy city driving extra car purposes so i cant comment on its overall performance. The sidewall thickness is noticeably thinner then the Yokohoma or Bridgestones we had before but at its price and performance so far is okay given we don't drive those cars too hard and i prefer Kumho over the cheap Chinese tires.

**crazy_boy** · February 21st, 2012 05:55 PM

Originally Posted by vinj

You can try consider an minor upsize to 185/65R14 or 195/60R14. It'll give your Vios a little more footprint and wont affect performance and your FC too much. I personally find the stock 175/65R14s quite small.

Try the Yokohoma A-Drives.

We're using Kumho Solus (185/65 R14) on one of our older cars however this is mainly for easy city driving extra car purposes so i cant comment on its overall performance. The sidewall thickness is noticeably thinner then the Yokohoma or Bridgestones we had before but at its price and performance so far is okay given we don't drive those cars too hard and i prefer Kumho over the cheap Chinese tires.

will also consider upgrading to 185/65/14. however, this will require me to replace all 5 tires. right now, the 2 rear tires are still at 70(?)%.

there are 2 models of Solus in Kumho's line. which of the 2 are you using?

i also try to stay away from China tires for the moment.

BTW, car is used in city driving 90% of the time.

**number001** · February 21st, 2012 05:56 PM

Since we are talking about Vios steelies, I notice taxi operators replacing the worn out factory tires with some really cheap tires from Vietnam or China (WAN LI), etc...

For your personal use, just put Yokoham A drive (made in the Philippines). Yokos are the most widely available even in odd sizes. There's also Goodyear with it sGT3 but those are no good anyway.

I presume that your rear tires still have significant rubber remaining. So I suggest put it in front and put the new pair at the back. Vios is a front wheel drive. You don't want your back tires to have no grip at all lest you spin out or worse esp in the rain.

**vinj** · February 21st, 2012 06:55 PM

Originally Posted by crazy_boy

will also consider upgrading to 185/65/14. however, this will require me to replace all 5 tires. right now, the 2 rear tires are still at 70(?)%.

there are 2 models of Solus in Kumho's line. which of the 2 are you using?

i also try to stay away from China tires for the moment.

BTW, car is used in city driving 90% of the time.

The KH15 model. Changing your two front tires to 185/65R14 and retaining the stock tires at the back until they wear out should not be a problem. I have the same set-up on our old Sentra since i'm still wearing out the 175/65R14 tires at the rear (which incidentally was inherited from a Vios we upgraded to 15s). You can keep your spare tire as-is since this will only be used in case you get a flat.

If you can up the budget for the Yokohoma A-drives, go for it over the Kumhos.

**crazy_boy** · February 21st, 2012 10:17 PM

Originally Posted by number001

Since we are talking about Vios steelies, I notice taxi operators replacing the worn out factory tires with some really cheap tires from Vietnam or China (WAN LI), etc...

For your personal use, just put Yokoham A drive (made in the Philippines). Yokos are the most widely available even in odd sizes. There's also Goodyear with it sGT3 but those are no good anyway.

I presume that your rear tires still have significant rubber remaining. So I suggest put it in front and put the new pair at the back. Vios is a front wheel drive. You don't want your back tires to have no grip at all lest you spin out or worse esp in the rain.

Originally Posted by vinj

The KH15 model. Changing your two front tires to 185/65R14 and retaining the stock tires at the back until they wear out should not be a problem. I have the same set-up on our old Sentra since i'm still wearing out the 175/65R14 tires at the rear (which incidentally was inherited from a Vios we upgraded to 15s). You can keep your spare tire as-is since this will only be used in case you get a flat.

If you can up the budget for the Yokohoma A-drives, go for it over the Kumhos.

ok sir, will go to S&R and check the prices of Kumho and A-drive. will also upgrade to 185s. since it will be wider, i guess this will make the car more stable?

as for the spare, i will just leave it as is then.

**vinj** · February 22nd, 2012 09:10 AM

Yup, it will make the car more stable with the 185s. With the 195/55R15s we placed on the Vios, it was a noticeable difference in high speed stability on the highway.

**crazy_boy** · February 24th, 2012 10:47 AM

just an update.

already went to S&R, and the price of the Yokohama A-Drive 185/65/r14 is 3249.49

will check other shops for their prices.

**marion2** · February 24th, 2012 06:37 PM

My Plan for my 1.3E would be 205/45/r16 is it OK if I slammed a 16 inches rims? (Yaris Mags)

**vinj** · February 27th, 2012 09:06 AM

Originally Posted by crazy_boy

just an update.

already went to S&R, and the price of the Yokohama A-Drive 185/65/r14 is 3249.49

will check other shops for their prices.

That's a fair price; not the cheapest but given S&R comes with balancing (alignment?) and free puncture repair, okay na. Kumhos go for around 2.5 to 2.7K outside i think.

Originally Posted by marion2

My Plan for my 1.3E would be 205/45/r16 is it OK if I slammed a 16 inches rims? (Yaris Mags)

That size seems okay. The increase is not too big to cause any problems; per tire size caluculator, its around 1.3% larger only as against the stock size.