Tire information and decision.

[mattsplat72]

I am in need of some good tires.

My rims are 245/45/17's I want to stretch them a bit to clear arches and am currently running Falken RT615's

I want to get some new tires and want to move away from the Falkens. I live in the northwest and deal with alot of standing water and leaves. Car wont see much snow and ice. I tend to drive it only on nice days, but shit does happen. I do alot of mountain driving and high speed cornering. So I need a good handling tire . Any Ideas? Need more information? I just need suggestion and personal experiences thanks .


Mods please move to fitment thread if needed.

 

[te72]

I'm running the Nitto NT05 for my warm weather tire right now, and I rather like it. Cheap on discounttiredirect.com yet just as sticky as the Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3's that I had on an old Miata. Honestly, they'll hold just about anything you can throw at them, and handle rain pretty good too. However they're a short lived tire, with a tread rating of 200... I can't say I'd recommend them for snow, unless you're used to driving the RT615's in snow. If so, you could probably get by with the Nittos.

 

[mattsplat72]

My friend Marc has a set of tires on his GTR. I believe they are BFgoodrich they have a flame like pattern on them, I cannot remember the name though

 

[jrot]

i tell you what man i got some of the continental DWS and was a bit skeptical...i love them...they are the best tire for the money i think....i had the khumo ecsta and they were terrible...glad i made the switch....only bad part is they will pick up and hold onto rocks so i occasionally have to pick them out...but i do have a gravel driveway....my $0.02...and im in missouri so pretty similar conditions to you only more snow and ice maybe....

 

[Poodles]

Stretch is going to depend on brand quite a bit, for instance BFGoodrich tends to have a sidewall that bulges out a bit compared to say kumho's that tend to be more straight. It's going to be hit or miss when you're that close.

Kumho SPT's are a dry/wet tire, but not ideal for snow, which is what you're asking about. I'd read up on tirerack's or discounttire's website with reviews to see what people say as most brands will have tires that will work for you, but it's down to price and wear...

 

[mattsplat72]

Yeah, I said the car won't be seeing Snow and Ice, I have a Tacoma for that. I am looking for a good wet/ dry tire that can take corners

 

[jrot]

then i would go with the continental extreme contact D/W....

 

[te72]

Yeah, I said the car won't be seeing Snow and Ice, I have a Tacoma for that. I am looking for a good wet/ dry tire that can take corners

Did you mention a budget? If so I apologize for missing that info, but if you're looking for a tire that grips extremely well in dry or wet, I won't hesitate for a second to recommend the Goodyear GS-D3. Expensive, but they work DAMN WELL.

then i would go with the continental extreme contact D/W....

You happen to have the DW or DWS? I have the DWS on my car, they're alright so far, but I've hardly put enough miles on them to judge.

 

[shaeff]

I'm running 255/40/r17 Dunlop Direzza z1 Star Specs on my e36 M3, and they're by far the best street tire I've had the pleasure of driving. They stick like GLUE. At the point where the car used to start to squeal around my favorite corners with the crappy tires that came on it (225/40/r17 Nexen N3000's LOL) yeah, I was going quick, but with the SS it's a whole new story.

Most of the competitive autox BMW guys are using them and adore them. They take track abuse quite well, too. They completely transformed my car. Until something better comes out, (and even if) I'll be running these tires. If you're driving past the limits of the SSs on the street, you have a death wish. Period.

 

[jrot]

yes i do in fact run the DWS on my 89T....i log about 100mi a day 5 days a week just to work and back....im up in MO and have lots of rain....and traveling on twisty country roads....i love them...if youve not put on a ton of miles i think you will like them more and more as time goes by....the only down side is its a bit harder to break them loose than what i had before...but im not really that kind of guy anyway.....im curious to see how they do in ice snow ect....but the wet/dry part is fantastic.....and at a great price

 

[mattsplat72]

Thanks for the Input.

TE72 I am looking to spend under 200 a tire.

 

[Cz.]

I've heard a lot of good things about the direzzas. There's also a new Azeni tire now, the RT-615K, apparently it's supposed to be better in the wet.

 

[mattsplat72]

I am looking at the 615k series as well. I noticed that you are living in the BIG wet as well. I do alot of driving up to baker in the summer and over the cascade loop . I want to be able to hit the 5 this winter on clear days and not worry if I get caught in the rain on the way home. a few years ago I got caught in Seattle after the NW Toy run in that snow storm that dumped feet , yeah that sucked.

 

[hvyman]

Potenza re-11.

 

[te72]

If you're driving past the limits of the SSs on the street, you have a death wish. Period.

That's some high praise right there... kinda how I feel about the GSD3 and NT05's.

...the only down side is its a bit harder to break them loose than what i had before...but im not really that kind of guy anyway.....im curious to see how they do in ice snow ect....but the wet/dry part is fantastic.....and at a great price

Eh, they're not hard to break loose in a turn (255/40/17 on 8" width), but they hold quite nicely for a more or less stock won-jay in a straight line. That's not why I bought them though, I bought them to deal with the snow. Hopefully they hold up as well as the old Goodyear Tripletreads I had. Price is hard to argue with, and they make a lot of sizes. So far, so good for a year round tire to keep on the car during wet seasons.

Thanks for the Input.

TE72 I am looking to spend under 200 a tire.

Well shit, that puts the GSD3 out then, at least for your size. Like I said, pricey, but worth it IMO. If I were in your shoes, I'd probably go with the Direzza SS's, I was on the fence about these (price is right and reviews are great) but they don't make them quite big enough. 265's just always seemed... odd to me. Can't honestly say why though haha... Anyway, this might help:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=EP

Considering your budget, the SS is the highest rated tire on this survey.

Potenza re-11.

Might as well put R-compounds on the thing... too bad they're pricey little bastards.