Just bought a set of Toyo Proxes4 tires. The tire guy said siping is the way to go for better stopping and acceleration. Does it make a big difference? Is it worth the extra money? Are there any cons to slicing your tires up?
Tire siping. Worth the extra $40??
- Thread starter Dunckel
- Start date
One thing to keep in mind is sipes change the heat distribution in a performance tire.
I wouldn't suggest doing this to a street driven tire, as Grim says, it kicks the crap out mileage.
I wouldn't suggest doing this to a street driven tire, as Grim says, it kicks the crap out mileage.
You expect mileage out of tires on a Supra?
Honestly, I feel that the extra $40 for a minimal gain only in wet performance is worth it. But if you have money to burn? Your choice.
Honestly, I feel that the extra $40 for a minimal gain only in wet performance is worth it. But if you have money to burn? Your choice.
Remember I'm the guy that daily drives on VictoRacerV700's...
Mileage is not my goal, but for some others it matters.
Mileage is not my goal, but for some others it matters.
it will also help with the road noise from the tire...
but it's not worth it IMHO as that $40 could have been spent towards better tires.
They do it to a lot of offroading tires to quiet them and to make them stick to slick rocks better...
SC: nice to see someone know WTF they're talking about when it comes to Kumho's. They make the best tires for the price that I've found, and I know quite a few autocrossing vette owners that swear by em..
but it's not worth it IMHO as that $40 could have been spent towards better tires.
They do it to a lot of offroading tires to quiet them and to make them stick to slick rocks better...
SC: nice to see someone know WTF they're talking about when it comes to Kumho's. They make the best tires for the price that I've found, and I know quite a few autocrossing vette owners that swear by em..
I don't understand why you would need to sipe a tire like those toyos. I mean I could see on a race tire where you needed some channels for water removal, but other than that, it doesn't seem like there's much of a point to it. I think the tire guy is just trying to rip you off.
I mean aren't the proxes4 all season tires anyway?
I mean aren't the proxes4 all season tires anyway?
I wouldn't go so far to say he's trying to rip him off. He probably would see some benefit.
But it's a high margin, high profit service, so they do push it.
But it's a high margin, high profit service, so they do push it.
siping isn't fun to do, at least when I watched them do it on a tire...
if they screw up they can cut too deep as well. IIRC it also VOIDS the manufacturer's warranty on the tires....
if they screw up they can cut too deep as well. IIRC it also VOIDS the manufacturer's warranty on the tires....
I just don't see the need to add extra grooves in a tire like that. It already has a lot of grooves that were designed in there. So what is he going to do cut the tread blocks down even more and make the tires a lot sloppier?
http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/tireSiping.dos
Seems like a gain in wet traction at the expense of dry traction to me. Especially when you consider that ultra-high-performance tires have larger tread blocks with fewer ridges. Hell, even my top of the line BFG tires designed for maximum dry traction do just fine in the rain.
Seems like a gain in wet traction at the expense of dry traction to me. Especially when you consider that ultra-high-performance tires have larger tread blocks with fewer ridges. Hell, even my top of the line BFG tires designed for maximum dry traction do just fine in the rain.
the guy is talking about making tiny slits in the tread blocks, not cutting additional full-sized grooves/channels, right?
siping is the tiny grooves which aid in extracting water for improved ice traction. a perfect example of great siping is Blizzaks. i had a set on the Impreza... BEAUTIFUL. there was alot of tread squirm though.
separating the blocks will reduce their rigidity and allow them to flex/squirm more. and as mentioned before, that motion will turn into heat. and excessive heat will cycle the compound quicker and itll lose its stick sooner.
however, if you were to trade the Siping for shaving, youd have one bad-ass set of road tires!
siping is the tiny grooves which aid in extracting water for improved ice traction. a perfect example of great siping is Blizzaks. i had a set on the Impreza... BEAUTIFUL. there was alot of tread squirm though.
separating the blocks will reduce their rigidity and allow them to flex/squirm more. and as mentioned before, that motion will turn into heat. and excessive heat will cycle the compound quicker and itll lose its stick sooner.
however, if you were to trade the Siping for shaving, youd have one bad-ass set of road tires!
Correcto mundo.flubyux2 said:
I have had a pair of Kumho tires before, (previous car) though not the ones SC advertised. They were the Ecsta Supras. (They came with the wheels) I didn't like them because it was virtually impossible to get any traction in wet weather, and wore out after only 10k-13k miles iirc. So for the supra, I purchased a set of Toyo Proxes4s 225/50R16s. They were a much better tire than the Kuhmoes (sp?) imho. They provided better grip and lasted longer. I had my original set for almost 4 years and 25k miles. So I decided to go with them again. As far as putting the extra $40 towards a better set of tires, not if I want to stay with Toyo. The next step up is the new Toyo T1-R, for an additional $150. I like Toyo. They have a good reputation, and have proven themselves to be a good tire. Though I am sure someone can find something bad to say about them. I believe you get what you pay for, most of the time. One question I have too is, if siping is such a good thing, as advertised, why doesn't the manufacturer sell the tire "pre-siped"?
Sorry for the rant, it happens when I'm tired. I tend to go off course and just start typing what I think.....Like now.
Edit: Thanks for the replies guys. Trying to gain as much info as I can from people that know more than myself. I am appreciative.
tires are pre-siped, that's why there isn't just one large tread block...
hard to explain, it's REALLY easy to see on an all terrain tire. As they wear down the siping goes away so they lose traction and get noisier...
hard to explain, it's REALLY easy to see on an all terrain tire. As they wear down the siping goes away so they lose traction and get noisier...