Need Comments On Tire Replacement

[KevinH1990]

I found a nail in my left rear tire. It is about an inch from the sidewall, so the tire place I brought it to has recommended against patching it.

I currently have Yokohama AVS ES100's on the front and Toyo Proxes T1-R's on the rear. The front tires were installed by the previous owner in July 03 and have 22,000 miles on them. I installed the rears about a year ago and they have 10,000 miles on them.

I think I have three options:

1. Buy one new Toyo Proxes T1-R at a cost of $137. (Edge Racing)
2. Buy two new Toyo Proxes T1-R at a cost of $274.
3. Buy four new Sumitomo HTR Z II at a cost of $308. (Tire Rack)

All prices are without shipping and installation.

I'm leaning toward option 3. I would prefer to have a matched set of tires and folks seem to think the Sumitomo is a good mix of performance and economy.

Option one is the least costly, but I'm a little concerned about having two tires with different amounts of wear on the same axle.

I drive my car about 10,000 miles a year in all weather except ice and snow. I haven't done any track days with it, but I'd like to do that someday. Price is an important consideration, but I'm willing to spend more than the minimum.

Am I thinking correctly about this? Any other options?