Tire reviews needed
 

It's time for new tires. I've been researching for weeks. I've read all the reviews on sites like tirerack and so forth, but I don't know these people. For all I know, they're just a bunch of commuters who wouldn't know the difference between a good tire and a chinese discounted.

Since I don't plan on tracking the car any time soon, I'm willing to sacrifice a small amount of performance for longevity.

The problem I'm having with reviews is tire life. Since UTOG ratings are wishy washy and inaccurate, I can't rely on that too much. I would prefer to hear the reviews directly from this community.

I'll be going with 225/45 18 on stock wheels. I'm well aware that everyone recommends the Hankook V12's, the Continental DWS, and for great grip the star specs.

What other tires have you guys tried?

There are so many, it gets to be overwhelming.

I need some solid, first hand experience from you guys who have been through several sets of tires already.

Any help is greatly appreciated. I've been at this for awhile and I'm starting to get fried.

I know you've already mentioned them, but I'm about 6k miles on my Hankook Ventus V12's

They run their "$60 rebate" often, and that's a good incentive. But honestly, I don't know of a better tire for the price. I drive on some of the worst roads in the America and they are holding up just fine. They drive well, as well.

Good Luck!

Thanks man.

I never noticed before, but great avatar! Daft punk fucking rules!!

Anytime man! They definitely aren't the best tires in the world, but when you're running brand new dealership cheapies and you put these on..it was a night and day difference. I love noticeable differences that I don't even have to look for.

And ya, the avatar is tit :) Thanks

my 6 has the V12's and my reg 3 has the DWS's, if i were to auto x them the 3 would shit all over the 6 because of the DWS's. i hate my V12's, soft sidewalls and no grip.

dont even waste your time with this thread, pull the trigger on the DWS's and dont look back. i honestly cant see myself buying another tire other then them ever again.

lol im at 6 k on the stock dunlops and my fronts are prolly at about 50%. what do you guys think about falcons?

Their sidewalls are the obvious downfall, as many have mentioned. I don't feel like the grip is that terrible however.

And Dash did mention he wasn't planning on tracking them, I find them to be perfectly suitable for DD usage.

Cooper Zeon 2XS

10k so far and love them. They are more quiet then the Bridgestones and handle just as well.

The downside is in the winter they are ROCKS and good luck driving in any sort of snow.


Mind you these are budget tires and are a good bang for the buck. Next time i am going with nitto 555R because i don't care about tread wear anymore.

I've had the OEM Bridgestones (great grip, poor life), P Zero AS even ran them at the track as a noob, great grip, poor life, $$), Fuzion Vri (comfy, poor life, very cheap, not bad for around town only), Goodyear GT2 (good grip, short life, odd wear), Sumitomo HTR Z3 (my track tire), and Continental DWS (great around town comfort, decent grip, decent $$, and best tire life of anything I've used so far. And they are great in the snow if you need that. Based on your described use, I'd recommend the DWS.

Good luck with your choice!

Thanks for all the helpful replies.

I was looking at the Nitto 555's, but someone from this forum said that they were junk in the rain.

I live in so cal. No snow. Some rain. Mostly sunny. I'm heading out to go talk to some shops one on one and see if they'll hook up a good deal.

I have Falken Ze912s, so far so good. Have decent grip and they seem to be holding up well. I've only had them for about 3k miles, but haven't had issues with them yet. I live where the roads are super shitty too.

I had some cooper Zeons before. They'll last a long while, but i'm not 100% sold on their grip.

currently running extreme contact DWS on two of my vehicles....love them

very grippy for an all season....so far awesome in rain too....no snow yet so no comment there

no noise that i noticed....a bit softer feeling than my previous set of dunlop sp sport sigs....but they were loud and rough...so not really complaining there

How does 225/40 look vs. 225/45 on stock suspension?

If I go with the 40's, won't there be a nasty gap between the tire and fender?

Hahaha

Check out this deal. http://www.conti-online.com/generato...on_form_en.pdf

Buy 4 continental tires for $499 or more and get a free Magellan GPS unit after the mail in rebate.

I planned on spending about that much anyway and I could use a decent GPS unit. WIN!!

About half an inch overall difference either way from stock; so +.25 inches wheel gap with 40, -.25 inches wheel gap 45.

I'm most likely going with the 45's. I can't risk a big wheel gap. That shit is ghetto.

It may be ghetto, but you'd be surprised at the price difference.

I really like my NT05s! Was expecting about 12-14k life but am currently at 20K but they are almost done. Pretty sure im gonna get another set.

Decided on the continentals.

I'm getting a great package deal tomorrow. Tires mounted and balanced, free tire rotations, free flat repairs, tire road hazard warranty, and the GPS unit rebate for $775 out the door. He also said he'll give me an alignment (if needed) for $50 bucks.

After all the shopping around I've done, this is the best deal possible in my area.

I'm pretty sure people are not being honest when they say they're getting tires for like $550 out the door. Unless you're buying chinese tires, I just don't see how that's possible.

Thanks again for the replies. Can't wait til this is done. I've had fucking tires working their way into my dreams.

im running 225/40

dont know if you cant tell but

http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/1715/1004461n.jpg

old pics

but stock suspension

Thanks for the Falcon...

That looks like it fills the gap pretty well. Now, I'm a bit concerned that the 45's might rub in the back. Hmmmm...

Gonna have to wait and see. I'll have them do one tire first to check clearance.

That commercial is funny. The black dude with the cockatoo kills me.

BF goodrich g-Force sports are what I use for daily. They are a UHP all-season as grippy as the stock tires with good sidewall stiffness but are a little noisy. Cost about $150 ea in 235/40r18. Expect to get 35-40k out of the set. Will probably get another set once these are done.


Zigatapatalka

225/40 is smaller diameter than the stock 215/45. Just sayin.

I have almost 20,000 miles on a set of Bridgestone Potenza 760 sports. Love these tires! they have plenty of meat left for at least another 15,000 miles. A friend of mine is on his second set of them on a WRX and he loves them too. When it comes time to replace, I see no reason not to go with these again.

Just my $.02

The...
 

Continental DWS in 225 45 18 ... Good choice. Also, free Garmin Navigation until 10/15/2011. UTQG rating - 540AA - 45k to 50k miles.

Goodyear Eagle GTs would be a close second for me. UTQG rating 440AA- 40k to 45k miles.

Both are decent all year round street tires (at least they are here)...

fuck those UTOG ratings. i had a pair of eagle GTs, rotated them regularly, and they lasted 20k. bullshit!

i am currently running fierce instinct 215/45/18 that are pretty much knock offs of the eagle GTs. they're made in the us, have lasted me 20k already and have another 5-10 k to go, and were only $99/tire when i got 'em.

i know the OP made his decision, but more reviews for how tires fare on our cars is great for the knowledge base. i had tires creeping into my dreams when i was researching this last set, too.

@Dash08- let us know if those 225/45s rub in the back. i'm considering that size on my next set.

Good choice, I just picked up a pair of DWS also, was wanting the DW but got a great deal on the DWS. Very nice tire, can't beat it for the money. Also warranty on treadlife for 50k, I was sold on this. Got a 4 1/2 star out of 5 on tirerack and discount tire.

I got the 225/45's on a 7.5 wheel and no rubbing on the back but close. Have not had any passengers in the back yet. Maybe over a speedbump it would with the extra weight.

Mine are wearing evenly (at 9/32 now), are super in all weather conditions. Am getting great use out of them.

But, I may be easier on tires than most.

i wasn't too hard on mine either. i will say, though, that they drove really well and were superfuckingawesome in the wet.

Damn im too late!!!

I bought DWS before due to all the reccomendations too. No joke after 1 month I drove 7 and 1/2 hours one way just to get away from them. Sidewalls are made of gummy bears. Fantastic traction and quiet but even at 40psi they would squirm like a monther with any kind of quick transition. Ruined the responsivness of the car. I would never buy them again for a sports car.

^huh...havent heard any negatives yet on the dws

i have an auto cross event coming up in 3 weeks....going to 40 psi....will let you know how they do

dash, i was going to offer my input but you already decided... so fuck you.

Suck it up and post it anyway. It will only help future members who are researching tires.

well, i'm no tire connoisseur, but i gots goodyear eagle gts. grip has been good for me... even on the week it snowed / iced like a mofo. rain? good. dry? good. just has worn quickly, i think. maybe i put more miles on it than i realize.

430 out the door is what i paid. I had to mount and ballance them myself but i was at a stealership at the time.

you got an alright deal, good luck with the tires.

hmmmm...nobody likes the NT05s????

goodyear eagle GT's. I CANNOT believe how good these tires are, especially for all seasons. 400 treadware too. I've been on these tires for 3 years

Do they stick better than Star Specs?

Love em, but not baller enough to daily on a set. They are a very competent road course tire.


Zigatapatalka

Doubtful. Star specs are sticky and have a soft compound. If you track a lot or run them hard, you'll burn through them in no time.

I know the tread wear ratings are flawed, but still, you're looking at a difference of 200 to 400.

There's bound to be quite a difference.

Reason i know is because rodrigo hasn't had his star specs very long and they're already almost done. Granted, he drives hard, but man did he rip those up fast.

The NT05s are a great tire, but I wouldn't ever sugguest any autocross/track-day tire to someone who's looking for relatively good treadlife (as the OP has stated).

To me, that rules out the NT-05s, Kumho XS, AD08s, Star Specs, RE-11, and pretty much everything in that class of tire...

I paid $548.00 total after $60 rebate for the V12's. America's Tire will price match (tax included) any price online +$20 per corner for installation/disposal fees. $130-140 depending on the size:
Tire Details - Discount Tire Direct

on my third consecutive set of Goodyear Eagle GT 215/45ZR18 and i love them they grip decent unless im in first second or early third. they are very responsive and take hard turns, i dont know how that equals to track grip tho, but for dd i love them and i got 400hp + on them

so what/where is this place? i ask cuz my tires are bald and i'm also in need of new tires in the socal area

Discount tire in Lakewood off of Bellflower and Del Amo.

They actually have 2 promotions going. The GPS unit rebate and an MLS jersey rebate.

I'm getting them both. I'm not really into soccer, but the San Jose Earthquakes jersey looks pretty good. You can choose any team.

Can't comment on the tires yet. Just put them on today.

They look pretty beefy on the car. A little taller than I'd hoped. I hit a dip during a hard left turn and they rubbed in the back.

I'm thinking I should have went with the 40's rather than the 45's. Probably too late now.

I run BF Goodrich G-Force Sports on my S13, 225/40/18 and I love them.
They handle great!!! Can't tell you about how they last since the car is a weekend/play car.

When my RE050's go out, i'm gonna switch them onto the MS3.

Well, after driving on the new tires this evening, I'm disappointed.

The tires are tall. These 45's look more like 50's. I've lost a considerable amount of steering response and the wheel has way too much play. Feels like I'm driving an SUV. Also, with only one passenger, these tires are rubbing in the back through dips.

I've heard so many people say the stock gen1 Bridgestones are junk, but after tonight, I'm thinking otherwise.

Luckily, after some research, Discount tire centers offer a 30 day customer satisfaction guarantee. So, I'll be exchanging these for a different set.

Now, I'm a little concerned about some of the opinions expressed around here. I'm beginning to wonder if half of you guys know what the hell is going on. I realize I may be jumping the gun, but these tires are a drastic difference from the stockers and not in a good way. Those of you with the DWS 45's, can you honestly relate to anything I've said here??


I do not recommend 225/45 18 Continental DWS extreme contact tires. Besides making the car feel totally different, they just look kind of big and goofy.

I won't be driving the car this weekend to preserve as much tread as possible. Hopefully that will make the exchange smoother.

The search continues.

^^^^This!! To sum it up.

This, total upgrade from the stock tires.

Heard good things about General Exclaim UHP tires too. Ran with a guy who used em with great effectiveness in the canyons. Was faster than just about everybody in his NA 3 sedan (just not me fortunately)

Just like other online reviews, you have to consider the reviewer as well.


Zigatapatalka

could it be an issue with the 45's being too tall and giving a mushy side wall?

i am running the 40's and i couldnt be happier

huh....like i said i will run some tire chalk at my event to show yall how the sidewalls are fairing

sorry dash....really feel bad they didnt work out for you....that is the good thing about their return policy though

Every single issue with your new tires that you stated you had a problem with is pretty much directly tied to the fact that you're switching from a very high performance summer tire to an all-season (i.e., you're making a compromise).

People talk all kinds of shit about the RE050A, but it really isn't a bad tire. It just costs too much for what you get, so most people move on to sub-$200/tire ultra high performance or extreme performance offerings.

I have a dedicated set of winter tires/wheels so personally, I wouldn't ever really consider putting any type ("high performance" or not) of all-season tires on my MS3. It's just too much of a compromise for me. Of course, most people don't consume tires like I do either (I'm on my 4th set of summer rubber for this car), so take it for what it's worth...

:dunno:

thats what i wondered too...i went from the re's to the sp sport sigs and saw loss....im comparing the dws to the sport sigs and they are both high performance all seasons...maybe that is why i was more insulated to a major change....since all i did was change in the same catagory

Waiting for the guy at the shop to call me back.

I'm gonna see if i can get the Continental extreme contact DW. Those are a dedicated summer tire and should offer better performance. Should be close to the same price as the DWS. Maybe a tad more.

I'm going back on my statement of willing to sacrifice performance for longevity. That's bullshit. i bought this car for it's blistering acceleration and agile, responsive handling. I have lost some of that and I already want it back.

No more compromises. It's all or nothing.

Okay, so it looks like I'll be able to get these replaced. Not today, but probably monday.

If I have to go with an all season, it will be the Goodyear eagle GT's. Otherwise, i have the guy looking for the Continental DW's.

What a learning experience this has been.

Lesson kids. If you want stock performance or better, stick with summer tires.

I had the same experience with those tires in 215/45/17 on my SVT Focus: completely changed the car for the worse. Unfortunately I missed this thread, as I've made a point to say this in every other tire feedback thread I've come across so far.

Go for the summer tires and don't look back. Sticky rubber and stiff sidewalls or bust.

Check out the sidewalls on the DW tires before you have them installed. Compare them to the DWS or another "performance" all-season tire. If they are anywhere near as soft, look elsewhere.

Glad to read Discount has taken care of you so far. I have purchased from their internet business a few times with good results.

yo!

pic below
http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/8301/photo0300l.jpg

couldnt get chalk but didnt need it...these are 225/40 at 40 psi...this is a front tire and was the worst of the 2....this was after 6 runs....tread got chewed up a bit but honestly not nearly as much sidewall roll as others were having (i think not many people were running more air)

the rears were prefect spot on

on the fronts i should have probably went up to 43-44 psi...but im really happy with how they preformed...put down the second fastest time for the speed's behind jamie barone and his pu pu (who kicked my as by 2 seconds)

hope this helps

so what did you end up doing

i have been running the hankook v12's the past few summers and they seem pretty good, but I'm about to switch to some kumho ecsta 4x's. i've decided i'm just going to run an all season rather than switch from summers to winters and back. don't really drive my car all out all the time so it's not a big deal to me.

I went with the Hankook V12's in 225/40. I wanted a slightly shorter sidewall for more rigidity and room for lowering. They're very good tires. The Continental DW's are on back order.

Be careful, man. you sacrifice a lot of steering response with all seasons. If it's anything like I experienced with the Continental DWS', your car will have more wheel play than a city bus. It feels weird and totally changes the characteristics of the car.

If you are going to go with all seasons, i recommend buying from a big tire chain like America's tire or Discount tire center. The reason being that they will give you a 30 day customer satisfaction guarantee. If for any reason, you're not completely satisfied with your purchase, you can exchange them for another set.

Can't do that if you buy them online. Then you're stuck with them, even if you hate them. America's tire will also price match online prices.

hancook ventus V12. I put them on my SVT Focus when they first came out. I paid $100 ea. (215/45/17 so slightly cheaper). From the BFG G force sports they replaced, they stuck much better, were almost as quiet on the highway as my dad's michelins he had on his subaru outback. I tracked the car a little and they handled great! Since I bought them 4 months before I traded to the MS3 I can't judge longevity but with all the suspension mods I had no wear still. Only negative is they didn't like wet roads at all.

But for the money they are as good as it gets. I am going to buy them next spring for my MS3