Cool Need help with tire set up
 

I just purchased my first Scion FRS and I am dissatisfied with wheels that came with it. I bought it used so it already has mods done such as it’s lowered on coils. Right now I’m on 225/35 and the wheel I believe is 20”. I went to a shop today and guy suggests 18x8.5 with 225/40/18. He’s offering me new tires and wheels (rotiform) for 1250. Should I accept this deal? Is this a good set up?
Thanks
www.walmartone.com

looks on the cheap end in terms of tire prices. do you have the invoice or what tires he's getting you? along with what wheels?

Just get 17x7.5 or 17x8 wheels you really like with 215/45-17 Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 tires.

People way overwheel and overtire their FR-S for looks and make the ride quality and handling worse than it can be ... keep that unsprung weight down as low as possible for a daily driver and the ride quality goes way up! A 205/45-17 or 215/45-17 Firehawk Indy 500 has way more grip than needed dry or wet along with better than stock ride quality, and with a good 17" aftermarket wheel will drop ~ 4lbm off stock wheel/tire weight. Now if you see cold and snow and need a tire to do that as well, then Firehawk Indy 500 is not recommended. If you live in a cold /snow climate you really should be running dedicated summer and winter tire sets anyways.

I've never had a better daily driver tire than the Firehawk Indy 500s... much prefer them over the Continental Extremecontact DWs and they should be comparable to the Extremecontact Sports in the dry (but better in the wet) for less money.

For $1300 you can get a set of Enkei TS-V wheels + a set of 215/45-17 Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 tires...

keep in mind though that the indy 500's are summer-only tires and cannot be used in below-freezing temperatures. they will have a severe lack of traction, and the rubber compound can crack and fall apart.

All Season tires are just fine if you don't intend to go rallying in the snow. Most states in the north prepare and plow roads pretty quickly. Not everyone has room or budget for a second set of wheels/tires.

OP, tires are the most important mod people make without realizing it. Getting the right tires is extremely important, but also very situational. The tires quoted above are not what I would recommend for you if you live in NY year round (being from the Hudson Valley area myself). An afternoons worth of research (I suggest tirerack.com) will get you set on the best tires for your situation.

Also lol, someone put 20s on a FRS.

Just realize if you go with allseasons you are basically taking the middle road and not excelling at anything unlike a summer + winter tire combo (which both excell in their performance envelope). Well allseasons do excell at one thing usually, and that it being able to last a lot of miles compared to summer or winter dedicated tires. Allseason will not have the heat resistance (more for on track/autocross use) or dry and wet handling ability of a good summer tire nor will it have the cold resistance and snow/ice performance of a dedicated winter tire. If the FR-S is your one and only a daily driver and you just care more about tire mileage and having it competent enough year round over getting everything out of the chassis both in terms of feel and performance, then good allseasons will work. If you demand more and are a driving enthusiast that puts handling and feel above all else, then allseasons fall short and summer tires are a must (along with dedicated winter tires if needed).

The FR-S is not your average vehicle in terms of how it handles and feels to drive... it's a thoroughbred sports car, not something 'sporty' based off a regular passenger vehicle/hatchback chassis. It will extract everthing it can out of allseasons no problem because of its exquisite chassis, but allseasons will limit it's performance and driver connection to the road compared to dedicated summers... If it will be driven in winter/cold conditions then you have to make the choice of allseasons year round or a set of summer and winter tires (if needed.) If not going to be driven in winter/cold conditions, then going with summer tires would really improve how the FR-S feels to drive.

Like was said by Spuds, tires are the single most important thing - they determines how the car reacts and handles as they are the interface between the road and the car. So the environment the vehicle will be driven in needs to factor in choosing what to go with along with driver performance expectation of the vehicle.

I have a few basic questions.

Is your car a daily driver?

Do you plan on driving your car year around in NY?

Do you have plans to autocross or track the car very often?

Can you afford (want to spend for) two sets of tires for that car?

+1 for indy 500's. Have had them on my car for about a year in 225/45r17 on a 17x8. Didn't get cold enough/snow this year for me to even take em off! I do have a spare set of winters ready to throw on when needed too. Anyway, they provide plenty of grip for the street, work exceptionally well in the wet for a summer tire, but if you're autocrossing, I find you'll start to out-drive them after a few events. Probably a good idea to set aside some cash for some dedicated autocross/track tires if you plan on doing that.