Best Tires?? Recommendations!!

[Ofishbein]

Originally Posted by Samson

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.

Wow - very interesting. I experienced just the opposite. I had Dunlop SP Sport Maxx and the racket was driving me crazy. I switched to Pilot Sport 2s and they are much quieter - and stickier. I wonder if there could something else that causes the noise? The Dunlops tended to flat spot after sitting and required getting them warmed up for a few miles to quiet them down some, but at their best they were still far noisier than the PS2s.

[Samson]

Huh, that is interesting. What sizes are you running? 205/50 17 and 255/40 17 on my car.

The Pilot Sports to which I was referring were the OE 2001 tires (7 years old and 12k miles!), so perhaps there is a notable difference between those and the newer PS2s when it comes to noise.

All of that said, I think I'll go for some type of Pilot Sport next time around.

[Ofishbein]

Samson,

I am running 245/40/18 and 275/35/18 on 8.5x18 and 10x18 custom made CCWs. Admittedly my Dunlops were stock 225 and 265 on 7.5 and 9 turbo twists so maybe that was some of it.

Your location isn't specific but I am in So Cal so temps never go too low. If you are in a colder environment that may play a part.

[944boy]

I went with Sumitomo HTRZ III's on the new 18's that I got. I am more than pleased with them. It rains a lot here and I have a race car so I didn't need DOT-R's. I wanted good rain traction, good wear, and cheap. I think I found a perfect balance of those. They are pretty quiet, too. I drive around 20K miles a year so I don't feel like going through $3,000 in tires a year. $600 a year is more like it.
They stick better than Pilot Sport cups.... but that's only because I could never get any heat in them. Max temp was like 45 and I even saw some snow (scary!)

If I was back in SoCal and not commuting 70 miles a day I would go with Kumho XS or Azenis 615.

[eightsandaces]

Sumatomo tires would be a lot better if they came in round.....

[schnellman]

I put on a set of Sumitomo HTRZ III's about 1,000 miles ago and couldn't be happier. Solid traction and very quiet.

[makler]

The stock tire for my 02 is a Michelin Pilot sport N. I think they only make a N2 now. My rear tires are 245/40/17 and the N2's run about $280 a piece. The Pilot Sport PS2 are a bit less expensive ($250 +/-). I dont know what the tread life is supposed to be on the N2's but the PS2's are summer tires - 10K. For me, I dont drive terribly agressive, so I bought the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S plus. These are all season tires and are new from Michelin. They were about $220 a piece. What I liked about them is the tread life is 45K. I have not noticed much noise difference, but with the top down most of the time here in Florida, I probably wouldnt. The traction for my kind of driving is fine. The guy at Tire Kingdom reccomended getting sumitomo's, but since I was only getting the rear, I wanted them to match the front Michelins. Just my 2 cents.