Kizashi Club

very nice. I am @ 30mpg or 7.6l/100km but i am also "trying" most of the time. sometimes i drive a little faster on the highway and every now and then i rev it a little but i find it not easy to keep it @ 30mpg . I use "euro95" and 2 times a year a full tank of "shell V-power"

Yesterday morning on my way to work I burned a gigantic hole in my tan seat between my legs.
Boy is it ugly LOL.





54,166

Thank you




54,966

It appears that both gas mileage and power delivery are improving; last tank Mobil premium 28.4MPG.

I think it's starting to get broken in....

Cheap new WalMart-sourced Radar Dimax AS-8 Tires 225/50ZR17 98W BSW due to arrive at any moment. We'll see (bit shorter than the 215/55 XIces on the car now; hope the wee 'ratio reduction' improves acceleration).



55,439

Crazy-time; new tires going on today (wife even ordered this morning "Doesn't mean you can go driving around everywhere").

Yeah, new tires to ruin......





55,546

I was not expecting the significant change in character of my 2013 AWD SE Kizashi from simply changing its tires.
But it DID change, and I am happy to report that the change is an improvement from both its stock (17x6.5" wheels and 215/55 tires) configuration, and its latest same-size snow-tired (on my 17x7.5" light Enkeis) iteration.

Wow.

The new 225/50 W-speed-rated Radars are a bit shorter, and it's obvious their sidewalls are stiffer. Now, loading them up happens with great precision, and lets the suspension do most of the work.
The car feels much like my '12 GTS, but slightly softer, with more available articulation. Grip is vast quantities is still present.
Braking feel has also radically benefited from the rubber swap, and 'precision' again is the word best describing the feel, especially when braking during cornering.

Still experimenting with air pressure. Pavement grip is perhaps ideal as set, but on unpaved I can get the front to push a bit.
Nowhere near the secure bite from those Michelin snows.
Fun, though, because it slides at will.

Currently utterly impressed; more testing required




55,843

First and foremost, I respect your postings and Kizashi heritage.

But for someone to drive as aggressive as you with the road conditions you describe, why chance a off-brand tire like Omni's Radar? You spare no expense in the fuel quality department, I'd not skimp on something as important as tires.

Just my two cents...you know the saying, opinions are like ***holes.

Retirement changes how and where ones dollars get allocated I image.

Good question.

I'm not retired (yet, dammit), now working 18 miles from the house at a Chrysler / Dodge / Hyundai (which I DO NOT sell) / Jeep dealer.
it's a dinky old-school ballons-type place, and my manager is a riot.

So I'm working.
For about 2/3 of what I was making before.
So I got some money.

BUT, the wife (wisely) said "Why don't you put the original stock wheels with their summer tires back on it?"
My rebuttal: "But they are only 17x6.5"s, and each corner weighs 53lb, while the most my Enkei corners will add up to is 41lb. And those 17"s are 7.5" wide!"

So I said I'd just buy some cheap used Craigslist specials for a $200 cap.
Then I started really searching, and found Walmart had these Radars on sale, and I found reviews from around the world testifying to their goodness.
So I bought them and am impressed by their performance. So far.......

And, frankly, my 'style' ruins tires quickly, grinding off both inner and outer tread blocks.
And Kizashis eat tires. And dirt roads punch holes in them.

Tires are the only part of my car I want touching the ground. But the car doesn't know their brand, or cost.

WESHOOT2 wrote: And Kizashis eat tires.

Yep, unfortunately, that's no lie. My current (third) set of Kumhos' inner tread is already just about shot while the outters are damn near new. Rotated this set religiously and it just doesn't matter. I want the ride-the-rails handling the car offers and that's the trade off. Alignment is spot on spec (had it checked after second rotation) and I just did the 4th, last, rotation. Next set is going to be cheap and to hell with rotating, waste of energy. I am now in the camp that you've been in all along...buy them cheap, put them on, abuse them, repeat. While I don't traverse the same terrain as you, your testing limits will far exceed my daily criteria. I'll be looking at your continual reports regarding your $50 tires.