howdy all.
Looking to replace tyres on my 380 GT wheels.
The tyres on there atm are KHUMO, 215/55/17...
I have an option of getting reasonably cheap bridgestone supercat 225/50/17's, will these fit well? will the performance go down a huge amount?

Cheers in advance

SUpercat is a cheap offshoot of Bridgestone. Go for a reputable manufacturer. Bridgestone, Yokohama, Goodyear, Dunlop, Falken, Khumo, Pirelli, Continental, Michelin. If you are after good grip then spending below 200 dollars per tyre is not always good (if ever) unless the tyre is on sale is from high performance or Ultra high performance segment. You also should know your budget and if you can't stretch to higher end then save some more money. If you are really up against it then lowest you should spend is 150 per tyre.

I'd strongly recommend NOT deviating from original tyre size as it makes speedo read differently. Overall diameter changes and suddenly your car travels more or less distance per wheel revolution. Have a look at your tire placard, see the tyre sizes written there and stick to them. Unless of course you are changing to a larger rim :) Whereupon you need to use a tire size calculator to work out the closest possible tyre size. You only have a 3% leeway.

Not sure of the tire placard for a 380... rims are on a sportswagon.
Im not saying your wrong but how is supercat a cheap offshoot? Surely they wouldnt put the tire under their name unless they knew it was good enough? Reading reviews they arent too bad at all.
The tires are unused but a year old... I can get them for $100 a pop.

To keep close to factory rolling diameter, go for a 225/50/R17, for a better look, cheaper tyre, and still legal (throws the speedo out by like 2-3km/h) go for 225/45/R17.

Either way, stick with Kuhmo. If they are too expensive in your area have Tempe Tyres is Sydney ship them over, they only charge $150/corner in 225/45/17 for KU31's.

Give Mike a call.....he will sort you out,but,those size are the right upsize any way...

mike as in murph?

215/55R17s are only 4mm smaller than stock (215/60R16)... I would stick to that size if you can. 225/50R17s would work too, but are about 8mm smaller.


Im not saying your wrong but how is supercat a cheap offshoot? Surely they wouldnt put the tire under their name unless they knew it was good enough?
It's not under their name at all - there's no mention of Bridgestone anywhere on the tyre itself. Which is why it's a cheap offshoot.

mike as in murph?


yep.....

Call Murph as he is an AMC member and will really look after you

In short, the 225 x 50 x 17 is what the VRX series had, this is what your car would have had if it had come out with 17's from the factory, this will retain all the required aspects of the ratings etc etc.

The Kuhmo are awesome tyres but if you are able to get the Supercats for $100 each, then it is really up to you, if these you will be happy with, they are a reasonable all round family car tyre, I would not drive in a "spirited" manner with these at all but if only a daily car they are a reasonable and safe tyre.

You can get them from NSW but then again watch what the freight price is (although I have heard they are also good in that department) but if only a few $$ between Mike and Tempe Tyres, no harm then in supporting a local business lol

Tempe Tyres is Sydney ship them over, they only charge $150/corner in 225/45/17 for KU31's.

Tempe tyres? The kumho rep that comes to my work says that they stopped dealing with that joint (i think that's the place I'm not sure might be somewhere else) but they apparently caused a lot of stink for practically giving them away.

on a different note I will say that you couldn't go wrong with the ku 31s, theyr a nice tyre and you will get more out of it than most other brands *cough* bridgestone *cough*.

Im not saying your wrong but how is supercat a cheap offshoot? Surely they wouldnt put the tire under their name unless they knew it was good enough?

You'd be quite suprised. A lot of major tyre company's actually own, design and produce smaller brands of tyres as what you would call a side business (bridgestone-supercat, Goodyear-Kelly and kumho with the marshal brand). All it is is just a cheaper brand for the people who cannot afford 150 a POP on major brands.

The problem is they are usually produced with a hard compound which means dangerous levels of traction loss.

I'm with that guy ^^ if you can get kuhmo ku31s for 150 a corner and can afford them do so, I've personally only had problems with cheap offshoots for example the sonars (a resold nankang according to the fine print on the brand itself) Is a hard compound which has average grip in teh dry and half that in the wet. Or Triangle brand tyres (not sure who they're by) but they're much more expensive and are a super hard compound (thousands of kms not showing any wear) which are currently on the rear of my car. These days in the rain if im not going fast enough through a roundabout (thus pulling the rear and encouraging the wheels to spin forwards rather than slide) i lose traction as if having pulled the handbrake and have my rear end overtake me.

and i really did test this in so much as going as slow as 20 and as much as 40 and losing control going straight through the roundabout or doing 50-60 and not losing control.
Moral of my story: for the love of god get better tyres with good reviews if you can afford it, it may save your and your loved ones lives.

I would definately recommend the KU31 in size 225/50/17.

Great tyre and from around $150 each if you shop around.

Thanks for the input guys.
Since the 225/50/17's are stock on the vrx im sure they would fit well on 380 GT wheels.
Ill be calling murph later today to see if I can get khumo ku31's for $150 a pop or close to.

Lets just say I have some funding ^^ haha

I got Bridgestone Potenza Adrenalin 225/50/17s from Murph a few months ago, very happy with them.
But they were a little more exxy than the Kumhos at $229 a corner.
Worth the extra I reckon if your budget can stretch that far.
Talk to Murph, he knows his stuff and will recommend the right tyre for you and your budget.

Sounds good - but I dont think my budget can stretch that far.
What is the place murph works at? bridgestone somewhere right? :P

Sounds good - but I dont think my budget can stretch that far.
What is the place murph works at? bridgestone somewhere right? :P


Beaurepairs in Noarlunga

Thanks maggie.
Gave him a call,
will be able to get some good tyres at a good price, but are slightly too large for the wheel (well, legally speaking)

I have a chance to get four supercats that are 225/50 which is the standard size for the wheels, at a very good price! According to murph they will be sufficient in both performance and life for what I plan to do with them. (Normal driving and one or two hill runs with you lads)

I will hopefully pick them up tomorrow and get them fitted thursday ^^