Summer tire suggestions

"CPT Speedbump" (cpt-speedbump) 01/22/2014 at 15:45 • Filed to: None

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I've not yet looked into it much, but - My 2006 350Z is getting new rubbers on all 4 corners as a late Christmas gift. I was thinking Falken, but as I said, havn't looked much. I like tossing her sideways sometimes (open diff for now, but LSD soon hopefully) , but she is a daily driven car (in nice weather/when the winter car decides to stop working momentarily), and I hope to find some auto X events to attend ( !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! made me want to do so even more -.-). What tires would my fellow OPPOnaughts suggest? If you want more information, feel free to ask :)

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willkinton247 > CPT Speedbump 01/22/2014 at 15:48

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Hooosiers bro, yokohama bro, Hoooosiers
You going to the track day bro?

AM3R > CPT Speedbump 01/22/2014 at 15:48

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I've been tossing around the idea of getting Hankook V12's for my E90. Pretty cheap and they are nicely reviewed on forums and on tire rack.

HammerheadFistpunch > CPT Speedbump 01/22/2014 at 15:49

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There are lots of different considerations but I would rank them like so:

1. budget -you are going to burn these up pretty quick, how much tire can you afford

2. Style - For autocross I would recommend outright grip over feel if you have to choose between the two, there are lots of good reviews online that can tell you which tire is best for which. For high speed work, I would absolutely choose feel and heat resistance as my #1 choices until I got good.

3. Tires are a great start, but don't forget about alignment, its an autocrossers best friend/worst enemy, you may find a certain tire isn't performing well for you until you change the alignment then...boom, its working great.

This article is a good place to start

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > CPT Speedbump 01/22/2014 at 15:50

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I've been very pleased with the Michelin Pilot Super Sports during my daily drive, on long back road drives, at a couple track days, and also in wet weather.

There are better track tires, but I'm not sure if there's a better all-rounder high performance summer tire.

If you look at the cars that that these come as OEM, you'll see many agree.

CPT Speedbump > willkinton247 01/22/2014 at 15:50

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I got some Hoosiers for the track day bro! I drive a Miata, its number one, its the best!! lol, good times :P But I think Hoosiers wouldn't be as good for daily driving sadly ;)

CPT Speedbump > AM3R 01/22/2014 at 15:52

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Will look into them, anythings better then my bald front's and Walmart brand rears ;)

CAR_IS_MI > CPT Speedbump 01/22/2014 at 15:53

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Nitto Tires

YSI-what can brown do for you > CPT Speedbump 01/22/2014 at 15:54

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I was considering Hankook RS3 cause I like to autocross, but apparantly their tread life is. . . not so great.

The best choice for you is definitely Michelin Pilot Super Sports. They last for 30K+ and they are great in the wet, not to mention quiet. Apparently Costco sells Michelin(for 70 dollars off) and they mount and balance the tire for free. I will end up getting a set of 245/40R17 for less then my 215/45R17 all seasons are worth(before mounting).

Textured Soy Protein > CPT Speedbump 01/22/2014 at 15:55

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Aside from R-Compound tires (racing tires that are DOT-legal but not able to use in stock tire racing classes), there are two main categories, and I'm going to use the Tire Rack's names for them.

Extreme Performance - The most aggressive tires that are legal for street tire classes. Still kinda resemble R-compounds. Rough ride, noisy, low tread life, possibly questionable wet weather handling.

Max Performance - Not quite as high limits in dry handling, but more balanced with wet grip, ride quality & tread life.

So...depending on which of those categories sounds more appealing to you, can make suggestions accordingly.

CPT Speedbump > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 01/22/2014 at 15:55

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They would also gooo with the Michelin man coin I bought recently..

dogisbadob > CPT Speedbump 01/22/2014 at 15:59

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Size? Budget? Climate? (does it rain a lot, dry, etc)

Of course, the Pilot Super Sports if cost no object

If it is, then Conti's Extreme Contact DW

CPT Speedbump > dogisbadob 01/22/2014 at 16:04

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Size: 18x8.0Offset: +30mmWeight: 24.4Tire: 225/45/18

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Size: 18x8.5Offset: +33mmWeight: 25.8Tire: 245/45/18 Not much rain here, usually dry in Colorado, except for a lot of snow in winter (but like I said, I have a winter car)

CPT Speedbump > dogisbadob 01/22/2014 at 16:04

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price, we'll see what the gift giver is willing to spend :P

Tyler's SVT Focus Hates Him > CPT Speedbump 01/22/2014 at 16:07

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I too have V12's on my car and they've been nothing but fantastic. There's a bunch of grip in the dry, they're quiet, actually pretty comfortable, and work just as well in the wet. If you're going for a budget performance tire the V12's are probably you're best bet. They're cheap, too, most sizes are under $150/tire.

HammerheadFistpunch > dogisbadob 01/22/2014 at 16:07

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i really liked my Conti dws, good tires

deekster_caddy > dogisbadob 01/22/2014 at 16:19

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Pilot SuperSports are great, can sometimes be gotten on sale. Conti extreme contacts are also great, typically don't last quite as long but cost less too.

dogisbadob > CPT Speedbump 01/22/2014 at 16:20

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well, the 245/45-18 part is all I needed haha :p

The good news is that those two tires are available in your size

CPT Speedbump > dogisbadob 01/22/2014 at 16:26

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Alright, lol, and thank you :)

Meatcoma > CPT Speedbump 01/22/2014 at 16:26

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Must be nice to have an option...

I have one option for front and rear from TireRack - Pirelli PZero

Most other Tire places don't even carry tires for the RS.

CPT Speedbump > Meatcoma 01/22/2014 at 16:32

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That sucks D: On a side note, I really want to drive a RS just to see how it is :)

NaturallyAspirated > CPT Speedbump 01/22/2014 at 16:33

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My brother put Yokohama S.drives on his Pontiac GTP Comp G and loves them. They grip like crazy. I was going to put a set on my Miata before it was destroyed.

CPT Speedbump > NaturallyAspirated 01/22/2014 at 16:37

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destroyed? D: RIP Miata :/

NaturallyAspirated > CPT Speedbump 01/22/2014 at 16:39

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Yup, it was rear ended by an unlicensed driver in a Suburban. Ended up with the driver's side wheelbase being shorter than the passengers side.

AM3R > Tyler's SVT Focus Hates Him 01/22/2014 at 16:42

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Only complaint I've heard is some people saying they don't last as long as others, care to elaborate? Some people are saying they last really long and some are saying they don't last at all, especially if you drive spirited

Stupidru > CPT Speedbump 01/22/2014 at 16:46

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Best summer racing tires: Direzza ZII (cons: they have very stiff sidewalls and they're noisy. Good luck getting more than 20k miles out of them)

Best summer racing/rain/comfort/quiet tire: Pilot Super Sport (cons: not as grippy as the D-ZIIs, and they're spendy but you do get a 30k mile treadlife warranty)

Best summer tire on a budget: Ventus V12 or Conti DW (cons: floppy sidewalls, noisy when low on tread, they get greasy when they're hot)

Stupidru > YSI-what can brown do for you 01/22/2014 at 16:47

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I have some 245/40/17 PSS for sale. 8k daily driver tires, because race car was broken.

You're right though, they are extremely comfy, quiet, and great in the rain

CPT Speedbump > NaturallyAspirated 01/22/2014 at 16:48

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Oh no D: you get something else fun to replace it?

YSI-what can brown do for you > Stupidru 01/22/2014 at 16:50

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How much for the tires? If it is a good price, I might consider buying them now. Without wheels to put them on.

BKRM3 > AM3R 01/22/2014 at 16:51

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I had them on my 335. They were fine on the street and on a dry track. On a wet track (about 1.5 dreadful days of rain at Summit Point Raceway) they were god-awful, even after getting heat into them. One of the rears also wore out insanely quickly compared to all the others. I did zero burnouts, although I did plenty of my usual jackass-level acceleration. I know the 335 has an "open" diff, but the BMW e-diff nonsense does use individual wheel braking to redistribute torque. Anyway, it shouldn't have been THAT bad (the Bridgestones I had before the V12s were evenly worn). Check this out - this was after a single summer (and only 2 track days):

NaturallyAspirated > CPT Speedbump 01/22/2014 at 16:52

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I replaced it with my current '98 Subaru wagon, which is fun for a wagon, and much more practical for a DD, but not nearly as much fun as the Miata. I really need to move someplace with a garage and more parking before I get a second car. I really want to pick up a Datsun S30 to restomod at some point.

Stupidru > YSI-what can brown do for you 01/22/2014 at 16:55

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I have no idea what they're worth, but I'd put them around $500-$600 or $1000 with the wheels

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthr…

BKRM3 > CPT Speedbump 01/22/2014 at 16:56

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I agree with Dave's suggestion of the PSS. I've really enjoyed my set and have even tracked them (although they aren't my primary track tire - for that I use the Yokohama AD08). They're great in the wet and dry. If you get them realllly hot on the track they do get too greasy for my liking, but that won't be a problem at an auto-x.

AM3R > BKRM3 01/22/2014 at 16:57

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Yeah I've read a lot about uneven wear, especially if you track or autocross. That's definitely something to look out for, but for the price it's great performance

BKRM3 > AM3R 01/22/2014 at 17:02

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They're not thaaaaaaat cheap. For a square set of 255/35/18 (I'm guessing that's the size you might use!) Tire Rack says a set of Michelin PSS is $940 and a set of V12s is $724. For two hundred bucks more the Michelin is a no-brainer. They'll perform better and last longer (first-hand experience there - the PSS is my DD/summer tire).

AM3R > BKRM3 01/22/2014 at 17:06

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Spot on with that guess :) And yeah I myself would shell out for the PSS' but coming from the awful runflats on my E90 I'm almost fine with anything now haha

BKRM3 > AM3R 01/22/2014 at 17:12

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Oh my god you can say that again. Those runflats are the absolute worst! I wish I would've taken them off the day I bought my 335, but I didn't know any better then =)

Tyler's SVT Focus Hates Him > AM3R 01/22/2014 at 17:14

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Tire degradation is kind of a weak spot of the V12's depending on the car, they have a pretty low treadwear rating (280 IIRC) to begin with, and since a lot of the people who buy them autocross their cars you get a wide range of tread life numbers. It seems like the guys with RWD cars are the ones complaining the most, so keep that in mind for your E90.

In my case I'm looking at a treadlife of around 30-35k miles without any trackdays or autocross: the guy I bought my car from put around 10k miles on them before I bought it, I've put 8k on them myself, and I probably have around 15-20k miles left on the tires if I had to guess. Seems like most people get around 30-40k out of a set, which isn't exactly great, but for the price is actually not bad at all, especially with the performance of the tire.

AM3R > Tyler's SVT Focus Hates Him 01/22/2014 at 17:16

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Sounds about right, most E90 guys I know are saying 20-25k if I autocross regularly.

CPT Speedbump > NaturallyAspirated 01/22/2014 at 17:17

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restomod you say?...we could get along.. I wannttt a LS in my Z33...then I want a Older Z to drop the VQ35DE in ;)

Textured Soy Protein > CPT Speedbump 01/22/2014 at 17:38

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I looked up tires to fit your car. Some cheaper options, both of which I had on my old Mazdaspeed 6 are the Sumitomo HTR Z III and Continental ExtremeContact DW.

HTR Z III had sharper turn-in and maybe slightly higher dry limits.

Continental DW had softer turn-in feel; but was quiter and smoother riding, was better in the wet, and lasted longer.

There's also the Bridgestone S-04 which looks to be in the same general ballpark of price. From what I've read about them they probably are in between the HTR Z III and DW in terms of noise & ride comfort, with sharper turn-in than the DW.

YSI-what can brown do for you > Stupidru 01/22/2014 at 17:42

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I might consider if you haven't sold it or decided not to sell it in a few months. Good luck with the sale though!

Meatcoma > CPT Speedbump 01/24/2014 at 08:19

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RS is just the sporty v6, you want to test drive the SS, but then you would probably want one. I had to go with the mpg since I drive 110m a day.

ed. Should also post a pic of your 350, my son actually wants one.

CPT Speedbump > Meatcoma 01/24/2014 at 10:57

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I'll post one here, its just a stock (for now ;)) bass model (aka, it needs a LSD, witch will be its first upgrade I'm hoping, other then new tires)