Tire advice needed...

[audidudi@delphi.com (Jeffrey J. Goggin)]

This morning, having just finished washing my Ur-Q, I fired it up for a
short drive to blow all the water out of all the nooks and crannies ...
about a mile from home, I heard a loud thump from the right rear wheel.  It
turned out that I ran over a 5" long piece of rebar and it drove itself
though the tire where the tread meets the sidewall.  Oh, well ... at least I
was able to get the car home before it went flat (especially since the spare
was at home in the garage, alongside the jack and toolbag)!.

So, here's my dilemma: Do I buy two new 215/45-17 Dunlop SP-8000s to go with
the best two of the three I have left (they probably have another 5-10k left
on them) or do I replace all four, perhaps with another brand and possibly
another size?

In theory, this car should use 215/40-17s since the overall diameter with
this size is closer to that with the OEM 215/50-15s than it is with 215/45s
... however, I see that Nitto makes a 225/40-17, which works out pretty well
size-wise.  Does anyone have any experience with the Nitto NT501 EXIT GT
(what a name ... they have to be good, right?) or Nitto tires in general?

Please respond ASAP since I'll need to take care of this tomorrow morning so
as not to screw up the plans for my weekend outing...
   
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