phatboyc

When I take an off ramp at 80km (50mph) my front tire squeals. I'm guessing the noise is from them sliding a bit. Is this normal? I'm afraid of pushing harder in case the front end loses more grip. I'm disappointed because I have been inside my friends '91 Honda Civic stock except for 15" rims and summer tires. On the same ramp at higher speed the Civic did not emit any tire noise.

I'm hoping this is because of the OEM Dunlop SP Sport Max tires are not the best out there. But then again, so far they are highly rated on TireRack. I have heard of summer tires making noise but not losing much grip. While for others the noise means the adherence limit of the tire. I'm wondering which of these characteristic this tire has? Any experienced based comments out there?

al503

The squeeling is a good thing for most owners as it gives them a warning that the limit is approaching.
IS350: ~3500-3600 lbs
91 Civic: Guessing 2000-2200 lbs

Huge difference in weight also.

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

civics are actually around 2400, but yea the weight difference matters a lot

ff_

Lots of variables at work here. Like your current tire pressure, how worn the tires are, suspension setup (is your car lowered?) and your driving style through the curve (i.e. whether you're overloading the suspension going into the corner, etc). I don't know that the Dunlops are the stickiest perf tire out there (probably not even close) either. Given all the probable variables, and add in the weight of this car, and you're looking at less than stellar cornering ability. The good thing is, you can hear the tires losing grip, and you know that you're very close to the limits of adhesion. That's a warning to not push it any harder.

Mike_TX

A tad off-topic perhaps, but I noticed the cars I drove as demos had the Dunlops, but my car came with Bridgestone Potenza RE050's. Is it the Sport Pkg. cars that have the Dunlops, or ..... ?

onihc

iTrader: (1)

I just found out this Sunday that Sports package came with Bridgestones.

HaveBlue

Maybe you were on paint while cornering that time. Some tires squeal, some grind, some just let loose. You'd have to see how fast the two cars can go through that corner and compare for a real assessment.

threeputt

My sport package has the Dunlop tires, no complaints so far.

golfproatl

I was on a lot yesterday. Half had the Dunlops and half had the Bridgetone. None had the Sports Package. Total of about 12 is's.

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

dunlops or bridgestone will come on 18" randomly

Mike_TX

Okay, I was kinda wondering if that was it.

The Bridgestones seem okay so far, and Tire Rack readers rate them highly except for wear (treadwear rating is 140!). Only other negative comment is that they're noisy. Since mine are new, they seem okay, but I expect them to get a lot noisier as they get some miles on them.

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

That's pretty consistent with other Scion/Toyota/Lexus cars. Two different manufacturers and luck of the draw in what you get on your car. I'm sure there's a reason for this that makes sense in Japan, but when you are buying the car you don't know what you'll get until you see YOUR car.

AFA the tires making noise - every manufacturer is different. Some make noise a long way from the real limits, others don't make whimper until you are right at the edge of breakaway. There's really only one way to find out.

The other thing - weight is a huge factor. My Scion tC with much wider wheels and tires, Tein suspension, and Hotchkis f&r sways will out corner my Supra by about 6% on entry and mid-corner speed. It's also about 400 lbs lighter. It will not exit with the same authority though. You'd be amazed at what that Civic will do if it is set up right.

The IS is not a super performance platform for curvy roads. Too heavy, too softly suspended, and too narrow tires limit its ability to be really quick on a direction change. It weighs slightly more than a Nextel Cup car (3500 lb minimum), and you can see how much tire they stuff under those things. You'd probably need 315s on all four corners to get the IS around a road course quickly unless you put the car on a serious diet.

jcreech

The stock tires are soft and well...horrible. Not extrememly horrible but they shouldnt last you too long. I cant wait to get different tires on. I bet if you were to have some ps2 or some other nice tires that turn would be much easier and less noisy.

Mike_TX

For the record, when I mentioned noise in my post, I was talking about road noise, not squeal when turning.

I have 245/45-18 Goodyear RSA's on two other cars, and those suckers are the loudest (road noise) tires I've had in years. Good tires in terms of traction and wet running, but loud. Gimme some good quiet tires!

al503

I got my wheels and I'm working on making sure the tire sizes I want for the fronts (255/35/18) will work. A ~3500+ lb car should have more than 225's up front IMHO. As soon as I confirm fitment, I'll be getting the ps2's and post a report on handling, noise, stiffness, etc.