what brand and style tire are YOU using?, lets compare notes Options

[presure2]

hey all,
looking @ buying a new set of sneakers (tires..lol) for the car, and, im thinking about trying a diffrent tire than what i have been.
I've been using Falken ZIEX 502's then 512's, since i got aftermarket rims..with decent results. for ~89$ a tire, they were ok.
however, once they get some miles on them, they are aweful in the rain. the car hydroplanes all over the place.
and with the extra power of the 5sfte, traction is DEFINETLY an issue, ANY time i get on it in 1st or 2nd.
so, im wondering what all you guys are using for tires, especially you swapped guys!
brand, style, size, list it all!
if you just bought them with the rims, that dont count.
how many miles you get out of a set would be good if you know that as well.
i get about 20-25k out of a set of the falkens.
TIA

[CelicaZR]

I'm using Falken Azenis RT215 atm.
I love them
Very sticky when warmed up
But yea the tread life is not that great.
These are like semi-slick.
You should be able to get better traction with these tires.



This post has been edited by CelicaZR: Jul 10, 2006 - 7:28 AM

[jdg371]

Kumho Ecsta SPT - sticky when warmed up. And great in the rain.. I use to have some General tires on my 14s.. oh god... I was spinning the tires and hydroplaning!

Not sure how they would react with your car.. since my 6GC has 1/3 of your power.. Lol!

[beastman]

Im BFgoodrich KDW 2's and i love them. Their a little bit of a more costly tire but the traction is excellent. Those tires come stock on all SRT-4's, FYI. So i would think they have good grip since the SRT-4 has some good hp numbers.

[LewFX]

Dunlop FM Sport 901s...love em in the rain

[playr158]

Im BFgoodrich KDW 2's and i love them. Their a little bit of a more costly tire but the traction is excellent. Those tires come stock on all SRT-4's, FYI. So i would think they have good grip since the SRT-4 has some good hp numbers.

i second the use of KDW2 i've autocrossed on a set and loved them they have GREAT h20 handling and resistance to hydroplaning...my friend has them on his F150 lighting and in the pooring rain he still catches traction with them...

[elvasoshexai]

Toyo Proxes-4?
maybe even Toyo T1-S/T1-R

i dunno.. i kinda like toyo tires... lol

There's a guy here that uses R-compound tires for all his cars. even for daily driving

[Kadett]

Toyo Proxes T1-R 225/35/18

Use it for every day driving. Now driven 3000 km's with it, with 2000 on the swap.

No issues when launching on dry surface
Some wheelspin in first gear in the wet. None in 2nd gear (up to 5500 rpm)

Great tyres. As well in cornering as for the drag. The only downside (from what I heared, not experienced it myself) is the lifetime. People say they are worn out in about 6-7k miles. Because of the soft compound rubber thats used. But that was on MR2 and Supra forums with cars up to 500bhp so....

[bindertch]

I have Falken ZIEX 512's 215x55x16 and they have a really sloppy sidewall. Almost makes me want to go back to the stock steel rims with Firestone's. When I bought my 7GC rims they had Yokohama Advan's and even almost bald they had decent grip and more solid sidewalls.

This post has been edited by bindertch: Jul 10, 2006 - 12:59 PM

[lagos]

Im BFgoodrich KDW 2's and i love them. Their a little bit of a more costly tire but the traction is excellent. Those tires come stock on all SRT-4's, FYI. So i would think they have good grip since the SRT-4 has some good hp numbers.

ive never tried those, but thats the set i would really like to try out next. i think they come stock with srt4s and STIs, so thats got to tell you something good.


ive been having some pretty good luck with my kumho asx (belive it or not). they seem to have great traction in 225-45-17s and have a better wear rating then the falkens you are on now.

[CilverSeliST205]

Yokohama Parada Spec-2 (Ultra High Performance Summer)
+Very good grip on dry compared to my pervious yoko's AVE ES100
+Excellent grip on wet surface
-possibly the worst grip ever when it gets colder out/snow/ice (i know its summer tire but still)
- Little noisy (doesnt bother me)
+Coolest tread pattern out there
+Holds well in corners (just well tho)
+Wayyy more comfortable than AVE ES100 (same size sidewall too)
Dont know about tread wear since i had them for less than 2 months

Check out http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresult...ay.jsp?type=UHP

Maybe it will help make up your mind

[jgreening]

I have avon "performance all seasons" right now (which is kind of an oxymoron). They were great for the ct26 but with the upgraded turbo they are a joke. I am going to get some good summer tires after I burn a little more tread off.

As for the Avons, this is what I would say:

Dry traction - 4/10 (9/10 for an allseason)
Road noise - 6/10
Wear - 10/10 (damn it, I can't make these things wear out!)
wet / snow handling - 9/10

I have also had Conti-Extreme Contact Allseasons with just the ct-26. I would rate those as follows:

Dry traction - 3/10 (8/10 for allseasons)
Road noise - 9/10
Wear - 7/10
wet / snow handling - 8/10

Manny, my advice is to read the reviews of tires on the Tire Rack Website. You can really get a feel for how each tire performs after reviewing about 20 reviews. Keep in mind that you should pay particular attention to reviewers who have cars that are similar to yours.

[boosted_K2]

The following is copied from the last time this question was asked:

Tires I'm using/ Previously used:

Comp Tires:

Hoosier AS04/AS03 - you pay for traction, not longevity... the best there is for autocross, but dont expect to get more than a 1/2 a season on them if you race frequently, if you only do a few you might stretch them a full season. Front: 205/55/14 Rear: 225/55/14 MR2na

Kumho V710s - just purchased, havent ran on yet. I hear they are comparable to the hoosiers (slightly less sticky) but last over 2X as long... these are the perfect tires for the budget autoxer, if you are a newbie autoxer and looking to save even more money than go with the Victoracer, these are a few steps up from the victos. Front: 205/55/14 Rear: 225/55/14 MR2na

Kumho VictoRacer - Used these on my friends GS classed Saturn SC2, great great budget autox tire, versitle and can be used in the wet too. perfect for beginners and you can get over 2 seasons on them. 205/55/15 all around Saturn SC2


Comp. Street Class Tires:

Falken Azenis RT-615 - Only used them for a very limited ammount of time, head and shoulders better than your standard high performance street tire, handles the wet MUCH better than the previous RT-215s, but they seem to have lost a little of the dry traction, however still much better than the comparable yokos or toyos. They just need to start making more sizes of these. 205/40/16 all around MR2t

Hankook Ventus Z-212 - Just purchased and putting a few miles on them right now. These are what I plan on running this year for any bad weather events or events where i dont want to take the R-compounds. From what I have heard is these tires are excellent for heavier cars (EVO, WRX, STI, etc..) or cars with big wheels. The sidewalls are a little soft compared to the azenis so you have to keep them pumped to get the best traction. Overall I am happy with them so far, a little messing around in an abandoned parking lot proved what i had heard about the sidewalls, as i would take sharp turns and quick switchbacks it tended to understeer more than the azenis did, roll over was more than falkens but nothing to be worried about. after putting some more air in the tires the car became a little more neutral, though it still errored on the side of understeering. These also have GREAT wet traction for a street comp tire. 195/60/14 all around (width seems under rated, side by side with my Kumho 711s these look wider) MR2na

High Performance Street Tires:

Yoko AVS ES100 - Good performance street tire, a little better life expectancy than the Comp street tires, but not quite in the same class as the Kooks or the Falkens though... not a tire for someone who wants to be competitive in a street tire class, but works great if you just want to go to have fun. 205/45/16 all around MR2t

Kumho Ecsta Supra 712 - Great cheap tire if you get a package deal on some wheels/tires, I've had a set that has lasted me 3 season of summer driving + they have 4 autox events on them, one got a bubble in the sidewall last summer so I am going to take it to discount tire to get it replaced, they look like they still have another season or 2 on them. 205/40/17 97 Celica ST / 2000 Celica GTS

All Seasons:

Continental ContiSports - average all season tire, has real soft sidewalls and great traction in snow and rain, actually pretty decent in icey conditions as well. Poor traction in dry however. These are the tires that came on my Cobalt. 195/60/15 Cobalt

Kumho Ecsta 711s - i really like these for all seasons, very cheap, good treadlife and good wet traction for just driving around, no complaints. Front: 205/55/15 Rear: 225/55/15 MR2na


and now for new updates:

Ive now ran about a 1/2 season on my kumho V710s and i can honestly say i like them better than my hoosiers, ive found them to very predictable and for the price cannot be beat.

Ive also ran a good ammount on my hankooks and like them alot, again i just wish these tires were made in more sizes as i am stuck running 195s on both front and back, and on 14" wheels the sidewall adds too much spring to an already stock suspension, however a smaller series tire these tires would be very very good. they are also priced well. I still feel i made the correct choice going 195 'kooks all around over the 205 RT-615s.


Manny, I'd suggest the Hankooks to you for sure as long as they sell them in an appropriate size.

[presure2]

thanks for the replies so far guys, keep em coming.
im really wanting somthing that will last longer than the falkens,(they last me about 20-25k)but with more traction too.
price at this point is really no issue, ive been looking at the michelin pilot sport A/S, which run around ~180$ EA.
my biggest problem with the falkens is the handling once you get some miles on them.
in the rain, at anything over 10-15k on them, the tires are just absolute junk.

[hellsyphon]

Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3 are probably the most amazing tires I've ever had. They are grippy as hell dry or wet and I've never hydroplaned or lost traction with these all the way to the end of its treadlife. Treadlife is ok at best tho as I almost got ~40k out of them before I replaced them, but thats with a car with less than half your power. Theres a deal on em at tirerack right now and you might be able to get them for cheap. Only other tires I've had experience with are Michelin Pilot Sport PS2's and they are damn fine tires. A little softer and more comfy than GSD3's with about the same treadlife, but nonetheless fine tires.

*edit* I've heard nothing but good reviews about those BFgoodrich g-force T/A KDW2s and their treadlife is supposed to be pretty good too.

This post has been edited by hellsyphon: Jul 10, 2006 - 3:29 PM

[ShadowFX]

Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3 are probably the most amazing tires I've ever had. They are grippy as hell dry or wet and I've never hydroplaned or lost traction with these all the way to the end of its treadlife. Treadlife is ok at best tho as I almost got ~40k out of them before I replaced them, but thats with a car with less than half your power. Theres a deal on em at tirerack right now and you might be able to get them for cheap.

I'll second this regarding the Goodyear Eagle F1s. I had these on my old rims, traction was unbelievable. Once I got my new rims, which came with Nankang NS2's, traction went out the window compared to the Goodyears. Once these Nankangs wear, I'm defintiely considering getting another set of Eagle F1's.

This post has been edited by ShadowFX: Jul 11, 2006 - 8:53 PM

[Kadett]

im really wanting somthing that will last longer than the falkens,(they last me about 20-25k)but with more traction too.

Isnt that the problem every manufactuer has in Race Tournaments/Championships. If you want traction it costs lifetime. If you want lifetime it will cost traction. 20-25k miles while boosting is very nice. I dont expect to get more then 10-15k miles on these Toyo's (only front, and only if I dont swap them front/back back front

[devilsden97]

my initial suggestino were falkens, but i know u have them, and personally dont like them. I say got with

Toyo Proxi S4's

[presure2]

well guys i think ive settled on these,
Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 225/45/17

they say about 40k on these tires is not out of the ordinary, and im SURE theyll have more traction than the falkens, especially with the extra meat from the 225s

[devilsden97]

those tires also go for $200 a pop