Another tire option - Federal Tires???

[QWK SVT]

I know, I know... Yet another tire thread...

It seems no one has picked up on these tires yet, but Federal Tire makes a performance tire in the right sizes for us (235-50-18 and 255-55-18). The 595 has a pretty aggressive tread pattern. Here's a picture of the tire:
http://webbuilder2.asiannet.com/ftp/1410/595.gif

It seems the tires are rated well by other users (found mostly on import forums), though it's a little tough to find information on them. As a cheaper option, I'm thinking about these. The only problem I see is the fronts are W-speed rated, whereas the rears are V-rated. Otherwise, load rating seems good, as do the other specs.

Their website seems a little goofy, but that may be the taiwan:
http://www.federaltire.com

Pricing from customwheelsdirect.com (http://www.customwheelsdirect.com/tires_brand/Federal.php)would makes these seem to good to be true (but that statement alone tends to scare me :rolleyes:)...

Anyone have any opinions on these tires?

The website seems to not be working properly, but the specs are as follows:
235-50-18
Rating: 101W XL
Max Load: 1610lbs
Max Cold PSI: 44
UTQG: 260/AA/A

255-55-18
Rating: 105V
Max Load: 2035lbs
Max Cold PSI: 36
UTQG: 240/A/A

[Eric-Blk2004]

I want that little dude from an avatar on my soul

[jd319]

Any info on how these tires perform in rain and/or snow?

[QWK SVT]

The tires seem to be pretty well received by the import crowd (particularly the Subaru fans), but I haven't found anone using them on a larger, heavier vehicle. The rears are supposed to be SUV tires, so I would think they should hold up to the weight of the MM, but I'm hoping someone that knows tires could chime in...

As they are supposed to be a high performance summer tire, I would say snow is out of the question... Really, if you're going to drive in snow for any length, I would highly recommend dedicated snow tires (for an MM or otherwise)... It seems that wet weather performance is pretty good, based on a few reviews...

Here's a snippet I found searching another forum:

they had a few readers each write a page about their thoughts on the tires, both SS595 and SS535
the reviewers include:
- an Impreza GT (turbo that is) owner, had P-zero, now SS595
- an Impreza RX (1.8L) owner, had stock tire, now SS535
- a Civic owner, had S-02 and RE-711, now SS535
- an Impreza GT owner, had S-02 and FK451 (i have no idea what that is), now SS595
- someone testing a Mazda Premacy (like a minivan), trying SS595
(read: i'm pretty sure they call the S-02PP's S-02, as it's considered the best wet tire, and i don't think the regular S-02's can be bought at retail stores and such)
i'm not gonna translate everything they wrote, but the following are the main points:
1) they all seem to agree that the sidewall is a little soft, but one commented that by playing with the tire pressure he was able to get it to the feel he wanted
2) what really surprised them was how well the tire perform in wet, almost on par with S-02PP
3) in terms of comfort, two people pointed out that it's pretty much the same as the P-zero and slightly better than S-02PP
4) and most of them think it's a great buy consider the performance you get with what you pay, and would consider buying Federal tires again
(disclaimer: i don't work for any tire company or magazine, just translating the article for you guys... the magazine is the Sept. '01 issue of SpecR, for those who are curious)

Source: http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=132094

[QWK SVT]

I want that little dude from an avatar on my soul

This is what would happen if Mr. Sparkle sold tires...
http://www.diskishini.ru/pic/shini/Federal/federal-logo.jpg

[Eric-Blk2004]

Mista Sparklerlah!

[UncleLar]

I just im'd my son about the federals,I'll let you know what he has to say,he's into fast imports.
So far he says Michelin Pilot Sports are usually the hot set up but he doesn't know if they're available in MM sizes.He's a canyon carver on 2 wheels and 4 so he's pretty knowledgeable and fussy about tires,etc.

[magindat]

The weight rating is definitely there for the rears. At those prices, they're worth a try. At those tread ratings, you're gonna replace them often anyways!!!

[SC Cheesehead]

The weight rating is definitely there for the rears. At those prices, they're worth a try. At those tread ratings, you're gonna replace them often anyways!!!

Rich,

Agreed! Should be sticky little buggers, but with a 260 wear rating a guy would be lucky to get 10-12K miles out of a set, normal driving.

SCCH

[ckadiddle]

If the price is half as much but twice as often, I still might consider them to help spread out the tire cost a bit.

[magindat]

If the price is half as much but twice as often, I still might consider them to help spread out the tire cost a bit.

Agreed, and the benefit would be ridiculous grip!!!