Lets Talk Tires.

[Dirtleg]

Okay so 10-15 years ago it seemed I knew everything about every tire on the market. My attention has been elsewhere for the last 6-7 years and now I'm trying to get a handle on what tires to get once I replace the stock P-Zeros. Not sure when that will happen but I like to plan these things well in advance. I've had my eye on the BFG rivals but am not sure I can handle the tread wear in daily life.

My driving style is 85% highway 15% aggressive twisties. I want something that will reward me properly 15% of the time but not punish me the other 85%.

Michelins are typically good but I am lost in the sheer number of different versions of the pilot. What is good for what?

It's also been my experience that certain brands get really rough riding as they wear. Example Nitto, Pirelli, Cooper from my experience all seem to be unbearable long before the tread is worn out.

Does Goodyear even make a decent tire anymore? Completely lost touch with their offerings. Bad experience with the Eagle GS-C 20 years ago haven't been back. Might this be a good time?

Had Toyo T1Rs on a BMW a few years back. Seemed like an okay tire but wore quickly (Staggered setup may of been part of this reason)

So yeah I guess I'm rambling now.

Who runs what and what works well?

Thanks for the input.

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[jayman33]

Best all around tire is Michelin PSS, T1R's we noticed get slick and greasy very fast. Toyo R888's and the BFG Rivals are amazing for dry traction but I've never tested them in the rain so I can give you an honest answer. I actually like Hankook tires for the price, they don't wear super quick, decent grip and do well in the rain.

I apologize if I offend people but I personally think Nitto tires are garbage, the Invo's are decent however, anything under 50 degrees any Nitto is like being on ice skates.

 

[MELLOWYELLOW06]

T1S are pretty good from Toyo.

Hankook Ventus are good too

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

I'd go with Milestar MS932XP's.

 

[Grimace427]

Best all around tire is Michelin PSS, T1R's we noticed get slick and greasy very fast. Toyo R888's and the BFG Rivals are amazing for dry traction but I've never tested them in the rain so I can give you an honest answer. I actually like Hankook tires for the price, they don't wear super quick, decent grip and do well in the rain.

I apologize if I offend people but I personally think Nitto tires are garbage, the Invo's are decent however, anything under 50 degrees any Nitto is like being on ice skates.

I agree with everything here including Nitto.

Michelin Pilot Sports are definitely the best all-around performance tires. Cheaper options are Continental DW and BFG Comp 2.

 

[Swoope]

if you are not tracking your car, extreme performance summer tires (rivals and such) are a waste of money..

as someone who does track time. i just put a set of mich pss on my rx8. did a track weekend and they were shockingly good for a 300 treadwear tire. while they might not have had quite the ultimate gripe of my previous extreme performance summer tires (stones 01r or star specs) but it was real close, dont think you can go wrong with that tire...

beers

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

I agree with everything here including Nitto.

Michelin Pilot Sports are definitely the best all-around performance tires. Cheaper options are Continental DW and BFG Comp 2.

Hoosier DOT slicks.

 

[Sixer]

here's a quite comprehensive Tire Rack survey setup for 235 50 18 tires:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=MP

 

[Norm Peterson]

My driving style is 85% highway 15% aggressive twisties. I want something that will reward me properly 15% of the time but not punish me the other 85%.

Michelins are typically good but I am lost in the sheer number of different versions of the pilot. What is good for what?

You can't go wrong with the Michelin Pilot Super Sports for about three seasons out of the year. As temperatures fall through about 45°F, they do start giving away grip, but at least it doesn't seem to be a sudden transition from sticky to hockey-puck.

I have a set of 285/35's mounted on 18x11 wheels at all four corners as my "track tire setup". If any wheel and tire combination was going to give a poor ride, that would probably make the list. But unless I crank the damping way up and search out bad concrete expansion-jointed roads the ride isn't bad at all. On narrower wheels - say 10" - you should expect an even better ride.

Tread wear rates are surprisingly low - after five track days plus at least a couple thousand street miles I've still got at least 7/32" tread everywhere, and I'm driving hard enough on the track to get them to talk to me in the turns.

To say that their wet weather behavior is confidence-inspiring is a bit of an understatement. Rather than try to explain this in words, here's a video from a pretty wet session with them. IIRC, speeds ranged from around 40 mph in the turn after the bridge to 110 or a bit more down the main straight. Into the 90's on a no-traffic lap approaching the bridge, for a hint of how good the wet braking is.

Turn the volume up to get some sense of how much throttle I was either using (or perhaps prevented from using). There were no, as in zero, seat pucker moments. Not even where you might think there should have been one. As rain tires, I'm extremely impressed with them.

[ame]


Norm

 

[DarkSubRosa]

I've always had good experiences with Bridgestone Potenza's, be it the old S02's, S03's, RE-11's and RE050.

 

[TurboAg]

Michelin PSS...end of thread

 

[NewSchool]

I've run the Nitto Invo on my S197 and I really like them as far as comfort and dry weather handling. They look great too! But they do tend to get a little iffy in the cold wet weather. I just don't drive my Mustang in the cold wet weather much but most don't have that option for their daily drivers.

 

[Barrel]

Anyone have experience with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s? Worth it over the PSS's?

 

[Grimace427]

Anyone have experience with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s? Worth it over the PSS's?

For hero laps in a magazine comparison, yes definitely a better choice over the PSS. For anything else? Not really. Not to mention the fewer tire size choices.

 

[908ssp]

I've run the Nitto Invo on my S197 and I really like them as far as comfort and dry weather handling. They look great too! But they do tend to get a little iffy in the cold wet weather. I just don't drive my Mustang in the cold wet weather much but most don't have that option for their daily drivers.

I had good results from Invos on the street. In rain they were fine and I don't drive the Mustang in the winter.

A big issue is size avalabilty. I checked a bunch of the tires being recommended and they just don't have the right sizes for me. I want 275/35 front 315/35 rear minimum.

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