What's everyone running for tires?

[player1up]

I'm trying to decide on tires and want to make an educated decision.

Research is proving a bit daunting because I'm not sure how to handle a review for a tire and cross reference that with real world performance as it relates to the Consulier.

If I go by straight up numbers from TireRack, I'd be getting the BFGoodrich g-force sport comp-2's ( summer tire ) or the General G-max AS-03's ( all season tire ).
I was looking at the Kumho 4x's ( performed well by the numbers as well ) as I've had good experiences with Kumho's in the past.

The issue is that the reviews are all over the place and I'm positive that reading a review of someone that had " insert some tire name here "'s on their rustang and how well or poorly they handled is not going to help me.

So, what did you pick and why?

[Rrider]

Summer tires minimum imo.. for more fun one of the 140 tread wear intermediates. The car's weight should help with lifespan. I was looking at the Federal RS-R's but Falken, Hankook Yokohama Toyo and others do intermediates also.

[GLHNSLHT2]

the g-force sports rock. I run them on my Tona in 205/60 15's and they corner great and have awesome braking and accel traction. They last decent too. Friend runs them on his Turbo mini too. They DO NOT DO SNOW though I've gotten caught in light snow with them on and they might as well be plastic slicks.

[Johnny]

You going with 15's or larger?
Want something for street, race, or combo?
front smaller than the back?

I went cheap until I decided what I wanted to do. (Falken Ziex ZE912)….but these
really stick. I was surprised. Great street tire.

- - - Updated - - -

By next spring I also am going to ask the same question on what race (autocross) tires to get.

[supercrackerbox]

the g-force sports rock. I run them on my Tona in 205/60 15's and they corner great and have awesome braking and accel traction. They last decent too. Friend runs them on his Turbo mini too. They DO NOT DO SNOW though I've gotten caught in light snow with them on and they might as well be plastic slicks.

I had the opportunity to try the G-Force Sports back to back on my Daytona against the Bridgestone Potenza G-019 Grids, and in my opinion the G-Force is complete crap by comparison. This was done over several weeks, including rain, dry heat, and with copious amounts of hard interstate cloverleaf on-ramp abuse. The Bridgestone was better in every aspect. I've never found a BFGoodrich tire that I liked. My Charger, my GLHS, my old '86 Daytona CS, and my old roomate's Thunderbird TurboCoupe all had BFGoodriches, and I never liked any of them. Bridgestone/Firestone all the way.

[tommyturbo]

I've got Potenza G-019 Grids on my SHO and they are super loud, but they feel great. Turn in is razor sharp, stick great. Just wish they were quieter.

[supercrackerbox]

Hmmm, I never noticed them to be noisy at all, but then again I do have a somewhat loud exhaust on the Daytona.

[Johnny]

I am thinking...Kumho Ecsta V710 road race tires.

[contraption22]

The G force Sport Comp 2 Seems to be the best bang for the buck performance street tire out there in every review I have read. You can go cheaper and get less, you can pay more and get not much better.

In my mind, there is no such thing as an all-season performance tire. You don't wear sneakers in the snow. You don't wear snow boots to go jogging. Anything that tries to bridge the gap does nothing well.

[Johnny]

G force Sport Comp 2

Not a selection in 15's though.

Right, depends on what the car is used for and since these are not winter cars, summer performance tires is the ticket.
I want something to drive to the autocross on, race, and drive back. Not having to change tires while there.
These cars being light should not put much wear on them while traveling.

[contraption22]

No 15" Comp Sports? That bites.

[Johnny]

Many tires are only one or two 15's listed and most not at all.

[thedon809]

I have bfg sport comp 2's on my 300m and they are great. I have Dunlop direzza ZII on my omni and they are incredible.

[player1up]

Great responses!
I'm leaning toward a summer tire as I live in FL, but wanted to get the full story as it does get pretty rainy here from time to time. I don't plan on getting it out in the rain a whole lot but it can come out of nowhere around here.
I've got a set of 17" rims that I'll be running when I get them cleaned up and painted or powder coated.
I'm running the Kumho's right now on the 15's and they handle well. Responsive turning, predictable traction, and decent wet traction as well.
The tires on the new wheels are 205/40/17 and look correct as far as size vs wheel opening are concerned so I'll be sticking with that size on all 4 corners. A 215/40 isn't wider enough to make a difference and the only tires that are available in a 225/40/17 size are autocross tires. I'd have to go to a 225/45/17 and those are only 1" wider ( depending on brand ) but are .8" taller than the 205/40/17
Speaking of size vs brand, I've noticed that the detailed specs on the tires ( even the same size tire ) vary a bit depending on the brand of tire.
For example: This is for a 205/40/17 tire
Kumho 4x:
Tread width: 7.7"
Section width: 8.3"
General G-max:
Tread width: 7.2"
Section width 8.4"
BFgoodrich sport comp:
Tread width: 8.3
Section width: 8.4

Not that it makes a huge difference, but just thought it was interesting.
I guess I'm looking for a sticky street tire that's got decent rain manors.
Not too concerned with longevity I suppose.
I would describe my driving style as "spirited". Aggressive driving on the street is asking for trouble, but let just say that the wife keeps looking for the "oh $hit" handle in the Consulier and I drive harder when I'm by myself

Noise isn't really a factor as I'm not sure I'd hear any tire noise over the fuel pump and turbo just over my shoulder

Johnny, Aaron is running the same Falken's you have and he said the same thing, surprisingly sticky for an inexpensive tire.
Here in FL, the Consulier will see year 'round action. No such thing as a summer car
As for the autocross tires...how much do you plan on spending? lol


Seems like we've got a few votes for the g-force comp 2s for the ultra high performance summer tire class and the potenza G-019s for the ultra high performance all season class

It's important that we keep class to class comparison in mind ( so we're not comparing a summer tire to an all season tire or track tire )

I did notice that Ron's car ( red targa that was on ebay ) has Nitto's on the rear and General's on the front... it was at the car show in Winter park over last weekend...right next to his blue raptor

[Rrider]

I think the stuff in that 140 treadwear range is better for a do-it-all tire than a v710 or similar. Plus the intermediate market is competitive so you can score some of them for less than $100 each! The stickier stuff is double or more in cost.

[Shadowv4l]

I thought you couldn't compare tread wear numbers between different tire manufacturers. This always makes things tough. On a side note BFG's are awesome, Yokohama S-drives work well as a cheaper alternative.

[supercrackerbox]

I guess I'm looking for a sticky street tire that's got decent rain manors.
Not too concerned with longevity I suppose.

For that, I recommend the Firehawk Wide Ovals. I have those on my Charger, and they handle heavy rain like it's nothing, even on roads that are notorious for hydroplaning. As for dry grip? I've taken the above mentioned cloverleaf at over 70mph (the Daytona will do 60 at best with the Bridgestones). The only suspention mods are the LRE lowering springs; tires are 205/50/16 on pumper wheels. They've updated the tread design since I bought mine, but the reviews say they're as good or better.

[turboshadow]

If you want some real stick look at
Kumho xs
BFG rivals
Bridgestone RE11
Hancook RS3

[player1up]

I think the stuff in that 140 treadwear range is better for a do-it-all tire than a v710 or similar. Plus the intermediate market is competitive so you can score some of them for less than $100 each! The stickier stuff is double or more in cost.

Please define "intermediate". I'm a little confused or at least need a little more context, thanks

I thought you couldn't compare tread wear numbers between different tire manufacturers. This always makes things tough. ....

I've heard that too. It's like deciding on what tire to buy based on the commercial you like best. Tread wear should only be compared between different tires from the same manufacturer, even then, it only gives you a "this tire will last longer than that tire" rating that we extrapolate into " A tire that wears quicker must be softer, thus stickier " . But even that doesn't seem to be all that definitive either...

I see tires that have a treadwear of 360 ( for example ) and a traction rating of A...then a tire with a treadwear of 380 that has traction of AA...
The AA tells me that the 380 tire has better traction than the 360 tire but the 360 wont last as long..AND there is nothing about actual compounds used in the tire....talk about confusing!!

It's no wonder why people buy cheap tires... no way to tell them apart other than tread pattern


Thus the reason for this post

[francois]

If you want some real stick look at
Kumho xs
BFG rivals
Bridgestone RE11
Hankook RS3

Word!
Add the Dunlop Direzza ZII into that equation too.

Seriously, with that kind of car, I would try to get the best tire technology that is available right now for a decent price. What would you aim low when you have a performance car?
White walls might look cool for a type of person but really?
Around 140 in the treadwear arear is the norm for a performance tires. Whatever it means it shure is stickier then a 3xx tires.

I had the XS and the ZII and they offer good performance in the rain. Nothing like an unshaved Toyo RA-1 but will hold the road. Mind you, at some point, you will loose that traction when threads go down.