Well I am going to be purchasing some wheels in the very near future. I am new to the whole high perf summer tire arena (all seasons are also an option), so I am looking for some input. What tires would you recommend / or what tires to avoid? The wheels will either be 17"x7" or 17"x7.5". What size tire would be ideal for these rim sizes? The main criteria I am looking at are cost, dry traction and wet traction. Snow/Ice traction (for all seasons) doesnt matter since they wont see winter. The majority of the use will be spirited DD, although I would like to try to make an autox and a rallyx this year (why all seasons are an option).
if you want really good tires (i mean really really good) get michelin pilot sport ps2's i had them on my maxima and they are my most favorite tires. there summer tires but damn good ones at that. just to give you an idea, touring cars use them, i know for a fact that the touring acura tsx's do they're clima cooled to stay the same temp. during the 1st lap through the last lap hard rubber everything you could imagine. michelin FTW http://www.michelinman.com/tires/ultra-high-performance-sport/pilot-sport-ps2/
I run Hankook RS2. Awesome in wet (many autox-ers use these as rain tires), very good in the dry (a bit less dry grip compared to the best dry street tires - re01r, ad07, rt615). Pretty cheap too.
my 215/45r17s are stretched a bit on my 8" wide wheels. but I think would fit nicely on 7.5s. if you're running 7s, I'd step down to a 205 treadwidth. I like my Kumho Ecstas (I forget which is which, but I have the cheapest). they're no AutoX tire, but better than any All-season tire I've ever driven on! and they have a sweet looking tread pattern! and well under $100 a tire. btw.....dibs on your old wheels :yumyum:
hehe... I am still really attached to those wheels. I have been thinking about mounting up some winterforces on them for rallyx use (keep new wheels safe) and then my dad can use them on his L (so he doesnt die in the winter :eek4 we will see. I agree. These tires are awesome. I would jump on these w/o a second look but it seems like when you are buying them for 17"s they get considerably more expensive.
Martin, you should buy my victoracers for track tires...they would be perfect for your car. Otherwise, the Ecsta MX Kumho's on my brothers fox perform pretty damn well...I've seen them on some pretty fast STi's at a couple autox's a few years back. And if you remember the tires on my car, I think Dunlop finally replaced them with a better model, but I don't know if they have them in a smaller size. Might want to look into it on tire rack. Basically a DOT-approved shaved R-compound tire.
These are what I run as well in the summer. Great all-around grip for a street tire and will also provide you a chance to be somewhat competitive if you want to autocross the car. They will also last a bit longer than the rt615 which to me was the deciding factor for buying them.
I am not looking for a flat out race tire. The main purpose is daily driving, with perhaps some autox on the side. They dont have the RS2 on tirerack... I will have to look into this further.
Well, thats my point. Get a spare set of 15 inch wheels, if you don't already have any, throw on the victoracers at the track and then buy some daily driving/rally tires for driving around on. YOU WIN TWICE!
^except i need to buy 2 new sets of tires and a set of rims. That is not possible. How pricey are the Kooks? They dont have them on tire rack, and everwhere else seems to be extra expensive.
$103/tire @ Edge Racing for 225/45-17. You pretty much won't be able to find a better price than that. http://www.edgeracing.com/tires/2254517/
Anyone had any luck with the BFGoodrich g-force T/A KDW with the new tread pattern? I believe the SRT-4's had them stock.
Thanks for the link! these tires look aweful tempting. any clue if they come in a 215/45/17? I dont think the 225s will fit on a 17"x7". nevermind they come in a whole slew of sizes. 215/45/17 will be slightly bigger (1.7% slow on speedo) and will rub more on my mud flaps (205/50/16s rub slightly while turning hard) 215/40/17s will be smaller (1.8% fast on speedo) but should shave enough off where they wont rub on the flaps. the shipped cost is within $4. go small or go big?
http://www.hankooktireusa.com/product/Z212.pdf 225/45-17 are approved for 7" rim. 215/45-17 have lower traction rating for some reason (A vs AA). Also 225 could be pretty wide, I know 225 in 16" are wider than many other 225/x-16 tires, so make sure you research if those will rub on your car or not.
Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1. I'm getting a set of those for the spring. Better wet than the Falken, about the same as the R2.
+1 These tires aren't cheap, but they kick ass. Best wet traction I've ever experienced and as good dry as you're going to get short of tires designed to be specific to competition (by that I include the autocross tires which are clearly designed for autocross like the 615). Be aware thoughthat there's a world of difference between the Pilot Sport PS2 and the Pilot Sport Cup. The "Cup" was deigned as a spec tire for a class of racing, and is actually a lower performance tire than the PS2 in most (parhaps all) regards, while being more expensive.
PS2 is a great tire. Big, fat chunks on the outer wall, lots of void area for rain channeling on the inner. Its gotta be good if Ferrari uses them on their new(er?) cars.
except yours are for 16" wheels, and martin's getting 17s. and yours are really too tall to fit in any subaru wheel well very effectively, certainly not in a lowered car. I would still like to buy them, but need to get the new suspension on to see if I'll have room (have the parts.....but.....ugh)
Martin, I ran the 215/45/17 Hankook RS2s on 17x7 wheels and they were great. They lasted two summers, which I thought was pretty good for a tire with a 200 treadwear rating. They got a little noisy towards the end, but what tire doesn't? For bang for the buck, you can't get much better. IMO the small difference in traction between a 215 and a 225 series tire is offset by the gearing advantage (due to the difference in outer circumference. See the Miata tire calculator to play around with sizing) and lighter weight of the narrower tire. For a street car, I think the narrower tire is the better bet. You aren't giving up a whole lot and you're gaining in a couple of areas.
