Best Tires?? Recommendations!!

[mtch]

Originally Posted by Frodo

What are the consequence of driving such tires when it's cold? Is it dangerous? If so, is that still true even if you're not "pushing" your car anywhere towards its limits, traction-wise? Is it detrimental to the tires? Just curious.

I was wondering about this very issue just last week. I'm thinking of replacing the all seasons with summer rubber and wonder if cold temps damage the tire or simply degrade performance.

Like you, I drive when it's cold, but not if there's any precip or salt on the roads

[RandallNeighbour]

I'm no tire expert, but I did find that my ultra high performance summer tires flatspot badly in cold weather (40 degrees and colder) and feel like wagon wheels for the first few miles after taking the car out of the garage. The Kumhos were the worst in this regard. Sumitomos were better, and Michelin PS2's much much better.

Wheel spin, especially on wet roads when its cold, is prevalent with many ultra high performance summer tires.

I don't think the temperature drop hurts the tires in any way... they just don't perform well. But I could be all wrong on that.

[Cloudsurfer]

If you're talking about running R Compounds on the street, I'd be more concerned with accumulating too many heat cycles in them before before they wear. Those tires are designed to last a few track days, not several thousand miles with hundreds of heating cycles.

And yes, most compounds used in any dry performance tire do not work well when cold, hence the significant grip tradeoff when the temps come down.

Patrick

[renzop]

Real R compounds (Hoosier R6 or Kumho v710) are not gonna make it on the street for four reasons:

1) With only circumferential grooves thay look like slicks to most cops who will write you up regardless of the fact that they are DOT tires.

2) They tend to be poor at resisting sidewall damage. Just a stone thrown up can slice those suckers wide open

3) They will heat cycle top stones pretty quickly.

4) No resistance to standing water aquaplaning. Regardless of your beautiful SoCal weather, a little rain falls into every life.

A more practical R-like street tire is the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup or the Pirelli P-Zero Corsa. These tires sacrifice almost everything for pure grip (price, longevity, comfort and noise).

Another possibility is the Toyo RA1 - a great track tire with enough groove and heat

However, I would caution you against this quest for ultimate grip. You may think you want a race car with race tires but the sacrifices will quickly make the driving experience old.

Good luck,
Alan

[Lil bastard]

Flat spotting on modern tires is much myth. Unless your tires are steel belted, it's not much of a concern. With modern high-tech cords such as Kevlar and the increasing use of silica compounds and such, any flat spotting will disappear as soon as the tires are rolling and heat up.

[blinkwatt]

Originally Posted by Lil bastard

Flat spotting on modern tires is much myth. Unless your tires are steel belted, it's not much of a concern. With modern high-tech cords such as Kevlar and the increasing use of silica compounds and such, any flat spotting will disappear as soon as the tires are rolling and heat up.

I dont think thats a myth.

Lately my Boxster is only getting driven once a week max,sad yes I know. But when I'm hoping in it it has to be flat spots that causing the shimmying in the steering,because it goes away within 3-5 miles of driving.

That's only when it sits for a week or more though that it's bad like that.

As for tires,I really recommend P Zero Rossos. I didn't realize how good they were until lost them. They were a little bit sticker then the S-03s I used to have,where the S-03s would start to break the Rosses stuck on a little more,but it seemed like the Rossos gave without any sign though while the S-03s would give signs of the grip breaking.

Don't buy BF Goodrich(don't know the model) if you want sporty,I have them now and they are only good for driving on from a-b,I won't be recommending these to anyone besides soccer moms.

Have you looked into Falken Azeni Rt-615s?
http://www.vulcantire.com/azenis_rt615_t.htm

They are great tires but don't last long.

[ocdbilly]

I did a lot of research and chose Potenza RE960AS Pole Position. I also live in Charleston, SC, and you never know when it might rain. FYI, I have tried a few times to get the back end out a little on turns in the rain, but have not been able to. Probably just a little cautious

[Lil bastard]

Originally Posted by blinkwatt

I dont think thats a myth.

Lately my Boxster is only getting driven once a week max,sad yes I know. But when I'm hoping in it it has to be flat spots that causing the shimmying in the steering,because it goes away within 3-5 miles of driving.

That's only when it sits for a week or more though that it's bad like that.

As for tires,I really recommend P Zero Rossos. I didn't realize how good they were until lost them. They were a little bit sticker then the S-03s I used to have,where the S-03s would start to break the Rosses stuck on a little more,but it seemed like the Rossos gave without any sign though while the S-03s would give signs of the grip breaking.

Don't buy BF Goodrich(don't know the model) if you want sporty,I have them now and they are only good for driving on from a-b,I won't be recommending these to anyone besides soccer moms.

Have you looked into Falken Azeni Rt-615s?
http://www.vulcantire.com/azenis_rt615_t.htm

They are great tires but don't last long.

I'm not saying they don't flat-spot, but it's not a permanent condition. Drive the car and the symptoms go away. If not, and you're on Pirellis, you have other issues.

I agree with you on the pirellis, I think they're much maligned on this forum ! They're really very good tires. I WILL replace my current set with the same next spring. They're spendy, and not the longest lasting, but having experienced Ironstones... er... Bridgestones, Dunlops, Continentals and Goodyears, I have to say that the perellis outperform them all (subjective of course).

One interesting tire is the Cooper. We replaced the conti's on my wife's car with a Cooper Touring Tire and nothing but positives to say regarding price, wear, Dry/Wet traction, etc They make a Hi-perf tire and considering the price difference, I may (emphasis on may) give them a shot.

[23109VC]

maybe I'll jus stick with the Pzeros that are there, or upgrade to PS2s.

i don't want "track" tires for the street.

[vincesf]

You can't go wrong with either the PZero's or PS2's. The PS2 is a comfortable riding tire, a little less responsive than some other choices, a little more costly, but by many is considered the standard for comparison.
vincesf

[mgagne]

Tire noise from my Pilots is obnoxious. Any recomendations for a tire that causes less road noise?

[rob76turbo]

3rd set on three different cars. They have great grip, last a decent amount of miles (for performance tires) and are good in the rain. Oh...and they are very reasonably priced.

[Samson]

Originally Posted by mgagne

Tire noise from my Pilots is obnoxious. Any recomendations for a tire that causes less road noise?

I currently run Dunlop SP Sport Maxx. No, they aren't the top tire when it comes to response or ultimate grip, but they are a great compromise. They are quiet (at least when compared to the Pilot Sports that came off), comfortable, and still are sticky enough to let you have some fun.

My only issue with them is that they develop flat spots if they sit for a few days. It goes away in 10 or so miles on the highway, but still a bit annoying.

If you want something a bit more focused and grippy, I have Kumho SPTs on my other car, and they are decently quiet. Then again, they're on a Lexus, so it's hard to compare.

[vincesf]

By and large Porsche is more frequently equipping new Boxsters with Bridgestone Potenza RE050A tires, cheaper to replace than the PS2's and longer tire life, as they have a stiffer sidewall which is really advantageous for the Boxster. I had the Michelins on my '06 and found that they were a good tire, but replaced them with Bridgestones. Fortunately my '08 with 19" wheels came with the Bridgestones, and enjoy the crisper turn in. You may wish to check the Bridgestone Pole Position tires, as they are rated even higher, but make sure they are suitable for your needs. Some reviews can be read at:
http://www.tirerack.com/survey/SurveyComments.jsp?additionalComments=Y&commentStatus=P&tireMake=Bridgestone&tireModel=Potenza+RE050A+Pole+Position
vincesf