Best Tires

[kyoo]

Opinions on this?

Right now I'm using Dunlop Star Specs for summer tires and Conti ExtremeContact DWS for all seasons.. I actutally just got the contis though, so I haven't tested them out yet.

[Nachtsturm]

Originally Posted by kyoo Opinions on this? Right now I'm using Dunlop Star Specs for summer tires and Conti ExtremeContact DWS for all seasons.. I actutally just got the contis though, so I haven't tested them out yet.

Thats about the best on both accounts, well done.

[kyoo]

Originally Posted by Nachtsturm Thats about the best on both accounts, well done.

nice, thanks for the quick response

[dizzin9]

extremecontact dw?

[kyoo]

Originally Posted by dizzin9 extremecontact dw?

I got the DWS, it's the all season version. ratings look quite good overall -

Consumer Survey Results By Category

[cesaros]

Originally Posted by dizzin9 extremecontact dw?

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=extremecontact+dws

seriously...

[labikesrcool]

Originally Posted by cesaros Let me google that for you seriously...

i had no clue that there was such a thing as lmgtfy.com that made my day. haha.

[dizzin9]

Originally Posted by cesaros Let me google that for you seriously...

omg u noob i mean what about continental extremecontact dw max performance SUMMER tires - the ones I HAVE right now?

Continental ExtremeContact DW

[kyoo]

lolol to all

how are the regular DWs? any reason you chose those over some of the extreme summer perf tires?

[dizzin9]

the brand, reviews, price, weight, wear rating, looks, and availability. very happy with my purchase.

[kyoo]

Originally Posted by dizzin9 the brand, reviews, price, weight, wear rating, looks, and availability. very happy with my purchase.

gotcha - i mean compared to the extreme summer tires though, they probably give up a little in terms of grip right? just by what the site says. i only use my summer tires in the dry for autocrossing anyway, i switch back to the all seasons for 99% of the rest of the time anyway, so i don't really worry too much about being in the rain or whatever. still i hear the star specs are quite good in the rain too, or at least the wet i mean

Extreme Performance Summer
You want extreme dry street performance and are willing to trade some comfort and hydroplaning resistance to get it.

Max Performance Summer
You want an unsurpassed blend of dry and wet street traction and handling and only the finest will do.

[dizzin9]

ok well for autox u want an extreme perf summer. on the street, conti dw is a better option.

[Eskareon]

For the money, you can't beat Z1s. I wore through 50% of mine in about... 3 months. That's my fault, though it was absolutely worth it. I've had them for about 7 months now and they are about 3/32. As long as I keep it out of the rain, I'll be good for another... month. Ish.

If money isn't an issue, I've heard great things about the AD08s - better grip all around, much better treadlife, lower wet grip.

For wet handling, if that's a concern, RE-11s seem to be the best.

Where do you live? Not sure why you'd want all-seasons. You can have fantastic wet grip with summers. For extended periods of snow, you should get snow tires and forget about it.

[kyoo]

Originally Posted by Eskareon For the money, you can't beat Z1s. I wore through 50% of mine in about... 3 months. That's my fault, though it was absolutely worth it. I've had them for about 7 months now and they are about 3/32. As long as I keep it out of the rain, I'll be good for another... month. Ish. If money isn't an issue, I've heard great things about the AD08s - better grip all around, much better treadlife, lower wet grip. For wet handling, if that's a concern, RE-11s seem to be the best. Where do you live? Not sure why you'd want all-seasons. You can have fantastic wet grip with summers. For extended periods of snow, you should get snow tires and forget about it.

i'm in IL - i basically use the summers only for autocross (to "save" them) and all seasons at all other times. the dws's are great in the snow and i never drive hard on the street (except in a straight line). this way i can save the summers for when i really need them

[karl-hungus]

Originally Posted by dizzin9 extremecontact dw?

they've got the highest rating on tirerack for 225/45 18 summer shoes. can't wait for the tax return.

[Nliiitend1]

Nitto NT-05s and Kumho XSs are also very very grippy tires, and quite affordable.

The new Hankook R-S3 is supposed to be the tits as well, but I've yet to try them out.

[kyoo]

Originally Posted by pat failman they've got the highest rating on tirerack for 225/45 18 summer shoes. can't wait for the tax return.

for max performance summers, not extremes though

[Tomas]

There is some threat on a tire review posted by a dude not too long ago and the Hankook V12 tires did pretty well. I think the V12 and a Goodyear tire came 1st and 2nd. Don't think the v12 are too expensive either.

[Nliiitend1]

V12s are not in the same class as Star Specs, NT-05s, XSs, R-S2/3s etc...

[karl-hungus]

Originally Posted by kyoo for max performance summers, not extremes though

check again. dw's have the highest reviewer avg rating for any summer (max, extreme, etc).

Tire Search Results

[Nliiitend1]

Originally Posted by pat failman check again. dw's have the highest reviewer avg rating for any summer (max, extreme, etc). Tire Search Results

Right, but that still doesn't mean they're *better*.

Reviewers' ratings have limited (albeit still present) usefulness IMO when comparing different tires. The "reviewers" have rarely tried both or all the different tires you're tirying to compare,and everything is extremely subjective.

Furthermore, I believe kyoo was saying not that there were extremes with higher "reviewers' ratings" but that the DWs are simply not in the "Extreme Summer Performance" class...

[skawt01]

So how are the Continental tires doing on noise?

The 2010 MS3 Dunlops are freakin loud and already showing wear under 4k miles. I get that they're sticky and wear out fast, fair enough. So I'm lookin at the Continental ExtremeContact DWS vs the Toyo Proxes 4 - ratings are sooo close (I dun googled it all by myself!). I want it all: all season grip, low road noise, low wear rate, etc. What to do?

[ms3brendan]

For the winter I suggest 16" steelies and dedicated snow tires (I think I have Arctic Max something). it's a cheap setup and you drive on snow and it literally just feels like you're driving on dirt or something.. Hardly any slippage. You're passing 4x4 trucks on a snowey highway in the winter.

[I<3Groceries]

I just bought a set of Dunlop SP Signatures. Very average and modest tire for a sporty car. But, not bad for an all-season.
I'm coming from a set of Nitto NT05s, which were amazing tires. But, I'm sick of buying tires every year, so I had to go with some all-seasons. The NT05s lasted like 12K miles.

[xfeejayx]

I got General Exclaim UHP (on 17s), they're pretty good tires, and wear very well. At least 5K on them since I got the car (previous owner?) and still 9/32 remaining on them. And the price is f'n great, $97 for 17s

I just got a bubble in one cuz of a big ass pothole and went in to trade them for a set of Hancook V12, but can get a new UHP installed for $100, so going that route.

[Nliiitend1]

I tend to subscribe to the idea that if you drive a car in snow (especially a relatively high-performance car like the MS3), you ought to have two sets of dedicated tires.

All-seasons don't do ANYTHING really well.

[jtspells]

Some are not that bad, the Falken 912's i have on my car have seen and done well at a few auto-x's (not as good as summer max) and got me through 2 winters with no major issues (till some one hit me.)
Overall they are great daily's and good grip i have about 6/32nds left on the tires and thats about 24k miles and in 225-45-18's they were $117 ea.
Falken ZE-912 (UHP) Tires for Sale Online - Vulcan Tire Sales

I would definitely get them again for daily work just in the 40 side wall this time though

[kyoo]

Originally Posted by skawt01 So how are the Continental tires doing on noise? The 2010 MS3 Dunlops are freakin loud and already showing wear under 4k miles. I get that they're sticky and wear out fast, fair enough. So I'm lookin at the Continental ExtremeContact DWS vs the Toyo Proxes 4 - ratings are sooo close (I dun googled it all by myself!). I want it all: all season grip, low road noise, low wear rate, etc. What to do?

Not bad at all - I've been driving around in them today, and they are quite good in terms of ride comfort and noise. they've also got a 540 treadwear rating and seem to be quite good in the snow as well. I think this truly is an "all-season" tire. There's a slight vagueness around the center of the steering wheel now, probably due to the design of the tire. Overall I'd say these best the re960as as an all season tire.

After getting the car taken care of today it turns out something went weird in the alignment - where before i was running around -1.8 degrees negative in the front with 0 toe, checking today i was running -.8 degrees in the front and massive amounts of toe (????). Not sure how this happened since the alignment was less than a year ago, but I guess that's what destroyed my bridgestone potenza re960as.

Winter Testing at the Arctic Circle: Ultra High Performance All-Season

Raising the Bar - Testing New Ultra High Performance All-Season Tires

Obviously no all season tire is going to best a summer tire in the dry or a winter tire in the snow, but I think overall this tire is great for what I'm using it for - one set of wheels and tires to use regularly, and my summer wheels and tires in the basement for autocrossing.

Originally Posted by Nliiitend1 I tend to subscribe to the idea that if you drive a car in snow (especially a relatively high-performance car like the MS3), you ought to have two sets of dedicated tires. All-seasons don't do ANYTHING really well.

I think I'd modify that to say all-seasons don't do anything really GREAT. but the DWS are quite good in the rain and the snow, and I don't mind in terms of summer performance since I've got another set of tires. I posted links in the post I made above this one testing it in the dry, wet, and snow. It's really not bad as an all-season tire, though no one should confuse it with a summer or snow tire.

[kyoo]

Here's a good article I found:

Affordable Summer Tires - C&D test 08/09 - M3 Forum 2011 2010 BMW M3 2009 BMW M3 BMW E90 M3 E92

[xcoldricex]

r888

Originally Posted by Nliiitend1 I tend to subscribe to the idea that if you drive a car in snow (especially a relatively high-performance car like the MS3), you ought to have two sets of dedicated tires. All-seasons don't do ANYTHING really well.

yes, listen to him.

[kyoo]

Originally Posted by xcoldricex r888 yes, listen to him.

I think as all-seasons get better and better this idea is going to change - it's never going to be as sticky as a summer or as good in the snow as a winter but the DWS is really impressive as an overall tire

[Nliiitend1]

It's all relative, of course.

As all-seasons get "better and better," so do winter tires and summer tires.

An all-season tire is NEVER going to be as good as two dedicated sets.

[kyoo]

Originally Posted by Nliiitend1 It's all relative, of course. As all-seasons get "better and better," so do winter tires and summer tires. An all-season tire is NEVER going to be as good as two dedicated sets.

Oh def, I agree. But I'd rather have a set of summer and a set of all-seasons than a set of summer, winter, and all-seasons. I don't do any sort of high performance driving, or at least cornering, on the street that requires me to have anything other than a set of all seasons that'll have good wet and snow traction.

[Nliiitend1]

Well that certainly depends on how much snow you see...

Having lived in the Midwest (Chicago area) for many years, I learned that I would much rather rock one of the more performance-oriented winter tires than an all-season in the winter.

The further you get to the southern area of the "snow belt" the less important it is to have such a philosophy. For example, if I lived in Kentucky or southern Missouri, I'd probably consider using all-seasons as my "winter" setup.

[kyoo]

Originally Posted by Nliiitend1 Well that certainly depends on how much snow you see... Having lived in the Midwest (Chicago area) for many years, I learned that I would much rather rock one of the more performance-oriented winter tires than an all-season in the winter. The further you get to the southern area of the "snow belt" the less important it is to have such a philosophy. For example, if I lived in Kentucky or southern Missouri, I'd probably consider using all-seasons as my "winter" setup.

That's actually where I'm from. My experience has been quite good with all-seasons. I'm not trying to drive fast or turn fast or anything like that on the street, and especially, especially in the snow. When I drive regularly the re906as were fine - and these all seasons blow those out of the water in terms of driving in the snow. I'm not trying to do a snow rally, just want to get from point a to point b when it snows.

[xcoldricex]

what is the point of having a set of all seasons when you have a set of summer and winter tires....?

are you going to change your tires every morning it snows?

[kyoo]

Originally Posted by xcoldricex what is the point of having a set of all seasons when you have a set of summer and winter tires....? are you going to change your tires every morning it snows?

so you can use the summer tires for when you actually need more grip??

[Nliiitend1]

Originally Posted by kyoo That's actually where I'm from. My experience has been quite good with all-seasons. I'm not trying to drive fast or turn fast or anything like that on the street, and especially, especially in the snow. When I drive regularly the re906as were fine - and these all seasons blow those out of the water in terms of driving in the snow. I'm not trying to do a snow rally, just want to get from point a to point b when it snows.

It's not about driving fast or driving slow, or even "just getting around."

It's about having enough proper traction in an emergency situation to prevent an accident (like when some asshat pulls out in front of you). With proper snow tires, you can damn near drive like there isn't snow on the ground.

Now, I know these aren't the all-seasons that you're talking about specifically, but I have a hard time believing that those particular tires are that much of an exception to these rules:

YouTube - Tire Rack Tire Test - All-Season vs. Winter Tires

YouTube - Tire Rack Tire Test - All-Season vs. Winter Tires

YouTube - Tire Rack Tire Test - Winter/Snow vs. All-Season vs. Summer Tires on Ice

YouTube - Tire Rack Tire Test - Winter/Snow vs. All-Season vs. Summer Tires on Ice

[pinetar]

Do we need 4 snows in the winter or just 2 up front?

[kyoo]

Originally Posted by Nliiitend1 It's not about driving fast or driving slow, or even "just getting around." It's about having enough proper traction in an emergency situation to prevent an accident (like when some asshat pulls out in front of you). With proper snow tires, you can damn near drive like there isn't snow on the ground. Now, I know these aren't the all-seasons that you're talking about specifically, but I have a hard time believing that those particular tires are that much of an exception to these rules: YouTube - Tire Rack Tire Test - All-Season vs. Winter Tires YouTube - Tire Rack Tire Test - Winter/Snow vs. All-Season vs. Summer Tires on Ice

thanks for all the input -

this is the vid i posted before looking at the all seasons (with the dws) in the snow -

YouTube - Tire Rack - Winter Testing at the Arctic Circle: Ultra High Performance All-Season Tires

YouTube - Tire Rack - Winter Testing at the Arctic Circle: Ultra High Performance All-Season Tires

of course, they won't compared with a full on winter tire. but i genuinely think these tires will do the job just fine. my family runs all season tires on all of our "regular" cars (we've had civics, corollas, subaru outback, impreza etc.) I've never had a problem in the snow running on all seasons with these cars, and those all seasons weren't even as good as the ones I've got on the evo now.

Originally Posted by pinetar Do we need 4 snows in the winter or just 2 up front?

you have to do all four for awd cars but even for fwd i'd imagine it'd be best to do all four - more grip in the front and less grip in the back = more fishtailing in the snow?