Help me choose some tires!

"WRXasaurus" (wrxasaurus) 07/29/2016 at 20:21 • Filed to: Tires, WRX, Subaru, Tirerack

0

16

Hello again everyone. I come to you with a simple yet divise question. What tires should I choose for my lovely 2006 WRX Sedan. I have finally chosen my !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! from tirerack and now am searching for some good rubber to have installed.

These should look great on my Aspen White WRX.

Now I know there are a bunch of factors in deciding what tire to select so here is some of my criteria:

They need to have good wear life.

Handle decently in the rain.

Have a somewhat complaint ride and not be overly loud.

Be able to handle maybe one Autocross a year (fingers crossed for 2017).

Now I have some choices that I have come up with but I want to hear from you, especially those who have had first hand experience with them. And once again I am open to all suggestions. So here are my contenders.

These are the current leaders at the moment from what I have read in reviews and on various forums.

I have no formed opinions of these beside they are always used in comparisons with the others.

I have read that these wear quickly and are overly loud.

And here is undoubtedly everyone’s favorite tire but they are more expensive and I am worried I won’t be happy with the wear life.

So what say you People of the Republic of Oppositelock?

daender > WRXasaurus 07/29/2016 at 20:45

0

The DW tire is an amazing comfy and quiet tire for something that can grip surprisingly well. It’s no ZII or RE-71R but it’s makes for a great cruiser and DD tire that likes to have fun every once in a while.

JRapp: now as good as new again > WRXasaurus 07/29/2016 at 21:02

0

I’ll start by saying that I have nothing useful to contribute as I have no experience with any of these, just a couple thoughts:

215s seem awful narrow, but may help with hydroplaning.

I’ve always viewed Hankook as an off-brand.

Continentals always get great reviews.

Haven’t used Michelins in a couple of decades because of price.

Bridgestone make great snow tires.

Beyond these options, I’ve like the last few Kumho Ecstas I’ve had on a couple different cars but they are a heavier tire so may not be great for track. Yokohamas that came on my current car were crap - loud and slippery. Pirelli P Zeros grip well but wear fast and were a bit on the noisier side. Good Year Eagle GTs wear just as fast and don’t grip as well in the wet.

bmil128 > WRXasaurus 07/29/2016 at 21:08

0

If only doing an occasional autocross you may also want to look at the Pilot Sport AS/3. I have an Audi S4 and autocrossed on them 4 times, I may have accelerated the wear on them (3/32" at 21k miles) doing that as well but the S4 is a heavy car too. They are quiet and grip is good. I currently have the Pilot Super Sports for daily use, and I just got a spare set of wheels and put Potenza RE11s on them for autocross and maybe some track days.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > WRXasaurus 07/29/2016 at 21:40

0

The continental is probably the best all around value. Very good performance, but not the best though it should wear most evenly and last the longest.

The Bridgestone will probably wear out faster than you want, 20k miles wouldn’t surprise me. They sometimes wear funny. But the performance should be quite good.

The Hankook is what you said, and personally I’ve found their wet performance to be lacking. Edges tend to wear out quickly. Dry performance is excellent for the price.

The Michelin is an excellent tire. The standard. The M3 (it almost hurts to say that!). The S-class (phew, that’s better!). But they’ve worn quickly and unevenly in the past. Though I think they’ve done a good job rectifying that in the last few years. They still don’t last terribly long however compared to the continentals. And obviously, they’re expensive.

My choice would be continental. I run DWS’s on my E55.

boxrocket > WRXasaurus 07/29/2016 at 21:51

1

Get the Bridgestones.

WRXasaurus > boxrocket 07/29/2016 at 22:12

0

Can you give me more of a reason then that?

Needmoargarage > WRXasaurus 07/29/2016 at 22:40

0

So of these, I currently have 3 of the 4 on my vehicles...but different cars so comparison is tough. If you are fine spending the money, the Pilot Super Sports are the best. That’s what I have on my ‘07 Sti. Good feel, decent wear, great for street and light track duty. I have the ExtremeContact DW on another car. Great wet and dry grip, but I don’t love the turn in feel. However, it’s a great tire for street driving IMO. The Bridgestones are a pretty good all around tire. I’ve been happy with them. Can’t say much about the Hankook...a lot of people recommended them for my old Miata but I never gave them a try. I wonder why they are so cheap.

Also, your tires are extremely cheap. I’m jelly

boxrocket > WRXasaurus 07/29/2016 at 23:00

0

Not really. I’ve had good experience with Bridgestones, and they were first listed. None of these are bad tires.

Statistically, the Hankooks are your best option, because they have only a slightly lower alleged treadwear rating than the Continentals but a higher speed rating, but at a significantly lower cost, so more-frequent replacement isn’t as financially burdensome, and for the cost of a set of 4 of the Bridgestones or Hankooks, you could get another Hankook. The Michelin has the same overall score as the Continentals from owners, so its higher price isn’t necessarily justified.

Tread-design-wise, the Hankooks and Bridgestones look most wet- friendly, though likely noisier, but given their intended use, that doesn’t really matter.

In the end, the best way to find out is to buy a set of each and test them in the same conditions, and see which ones you like best. I personally tend to prefer Yokohama, but have had good experiences with Dunlop, Firestone, Bridgestone, Pirelli, General, Kumho, Nexen, and Sumitomo tires on various daily drivers. I have had so many nasty surprises and bad experiences with Michelins such that I wouldn’t willingly put Michelins on my vehicle given an equivalent alternative.

WRXasaurus > Needmoargarage 07/29/2016 at 23:54

0

Thats why I’m sticking with 17s, that and I have no reason to up them to 18s or beyond.

dogisbadob > WRXasaurus 07/30/2016 at 14:27

0

Max performance tires aren’t going to last very long, especially with autocross use. Of course, the Hankooks are so cheap it’s ok if they don’t last as long; you could almost buy two sets of them for the price of the Pilots. There’s also the Sumitomo HTR Z3 for only $70 each, and a treadwear rating of 300.

You may want to consider high performance summer tires, which will probably be quieter and last longer, while still offering some good performance. The Dunlop DZ102 has a treadwear rating of 460, by far the highest of any performance summer tire. The Kumho PS31 has a treadwear rating of 400, and is only $66.

There’s also the ultra high performance all-season category. Not s good as a max performance tire, but much longer treadlife.

nafsucof > WRXasaurus 07/30/2016 at 14:28

0

Friend has them on his frs loves them. Not really an Autocross tire but will hold up. Poor mans pss.

SirDrivesAlot (now with hybrid powerrrr) > WRXasaurus 07/30/2016 at 14:32

0

I have a set of the DW’s on my car now (which need to be replaced- almost down to the warning bars....) and would buy them again-except Conti no longer makes them in my size (205/50/16). So now looking into the DWS06 as a potential replacement. They have been great tyres,but a little noisy in the last 3rd of their life.

BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather > WRXasaurus 07/30/2016 at 14:32

0

What about the Yokohama Advan Sport? I’ve heard great things about them, and it was the tire I was gonna go with before I decided to Baja the Beetle.

Under_Score > WRXasaurus 07/30/2016 at 15:06

0

THAT’S THE BRAND WITH THE S! Thank you!! I’ve been wondering for YEARS what brand that was, as I’ve seen that rim brand on a lot of older Toyotas.

jdrgoat - Ponticrack? > WRXasaurus 07/31/2016 at 21:50

0

The Pole Position S-04 were the first tires I ever drove on a track. With my GTO, and factory size 245/45-17 rubber, I though that they were just great. I know it was my first time out, but they felt awesome for me. I don’t remember them having a short life, either, but I did start with them already used.

The Bridgestones get my vote.

Audistein > boxrocket 10/07/2016 at 07:49

0

Wear ratings can only be used to compare tires from the same manufacturer. Different manufacturers do their wear ratings differently so comparing them between manufacturers isn’t usually accurate.

Theoretically, a 200 will last twice as long as a 100 and it’s all proportional though.