Summer Tire Recommendation

[Jolbaru_LGT]

So, I've got the Indy 500's for my summer tire and they're burnt out. I'm wondering what anyone would recommend? My driving is kinda safe, but I do enjoy an occasional off ramp drift, etc. But I don't beat on the car (280,000 miles) or autocross or anything. I've got dedicated snow tires, but I recently moved from WI to IL and I see a lot more rain than snow. While I did enjoy the Indy 500's I'm not opposed to other brands. Thanks!

[seanyb505]

Do you want best or budget? My immediate thoughts

- bestest - Michelin ps4s. Summer, incredible performance. Pricey. 

- don't need best but still want a good tire - Michelin as4s. If you're concerned about all seasons, try to get a ride on some. Very good tire unless you're doing track days. They won't replace the dedicated snows, but they'll work decently enough in the bookends of winter

Budget - toss up between conti dws06 and bfg comp 2as. They hold a little more than most touring tires. Bfg has ugly shoulder tread blocks. 

Hankook and Yokohama probably have cheaper options that are more reputable than Chinese stuff. But, how important is the first 5 feet of your car in a panic stop?

 

This is my approach to tires, I don't really get outside that box so my opinion is limited. 

[Jolbaru_LGT]

I guess Best is what I'm looking at? Can't really put a price on nice tires, right? It's the most important thing on a car. Now, would the Pilot Sport 4S be good in the rain? 
I'm looking for 3 season, early spring to late fall. I don't think I'll ever not have snow tires. But when there's a cold downpour, I don't want them to get all squirrley/spooky. The Indy 500's I had a blast with until they got kinda baldish. Now I found myself just grandma driving because I couldn't afford to bald them out and replace them. Fun tires, sure, But I'm not made of money to just trash them and replace them every season. But with that being said; I do like to have a little fun every now and then. Until I can afford to replace the engine with a built one and track race it, it's going to be a high mileage DD. So, safe driving with the option of dusting a BMW/'Vette/911/STI every now and then. 
Hope that helps?

[seanyb505]

Try to find someone with a set of Michelin all season 4s installed. (They're available as a c8 oem tire if that helps direct you). When you say a 3 season tire, they're pretty high up the top of that list. 

I ran the ps4s predecessor and thought I don't want to be driving this fast on the street, in my only car. But, they were hockey pucks in ice. I think the ps4s would be fine in most warm wet situations. They're probably better than the Michelin super sport in winter precipitation, but also probably still not good compared to a dedicated winter tire. 

I ran the as4s through 2-3 winters in upstate SC. Lots of 40° rain, and one 3-4 inch snow. I would have bought them again but supply chain limited my options last year. I went back to the continental, having done several years on that tire too. After both Michelins, I can definitely tell the continental is an all season that warrants the eye rolls from tire snobs and the "no season" crowd. 

Straight line wise I don't think the as4s would let you down. Though the ps4s would definitely perform better laterally if that's how you go about dusting cars above your weight class. At the expense of colder weather performance and wear. 

 

Edit: Thinking through it a little more, perhaps this frame of reference helps. I've been on track in super cars with the ps4s and street driven plenty ranging from the c8 to huge bmw m cars to Ecoboost mustangs. Knowing how hard I pushed  my stock suspension legacy on the super sports, I know I'd never drive as fast or hard on the way to work M-F compared to what those tires could handle. Those exotics are unbelievable on the ps4s, or any cream of the crop uhp tire really. The more frequent track rats will definitely have a better feel for good and bad tires that they have experienced. I'm a relative newby but I still feel like I can tell the difference in the conti and Michelin all seasons. 

Fun fact: one of the as4s launch events included wrxs in New Orleans. They wore enkei raijins at my recommendation. 

Edited March 20, 2023 by seanyb505

[Pleides]

Modern high performance all season tires like the Michelin AS4 can pull higher G-forces around a corner than an UHP summer tire per Tire Rack's categorization of tires and only barely lose on stopping distance. I'm in a similar boat right now.

If you're OK with a lesser summer tire, the General G-Max RS has a great set of rebates right now if you check that out on Tire Rack. The Goodyear Eagle Exhilarate is also on sale right now and it's an all-season performance tire. It's around the same price on Tire Rack after rebates. Michelin also has a $110 rebate on PS4S so I'll be grabbing those this week.

 

I'm coming from a set of Falken FK510 that have suffered underinflation damage and some dry rot (guess who overused silicon-based tire shine... oops) so they need to go. Absolutely zero complaints with them for the time I had them. I swear the Michelin AS3+ I had before had a higher grip limit though.

Edited March 20, 2023 by Pleides

[Pleides]

2 hours ago, Jolbaru_LGT said:

I guess Best is what I'm looking at? Can't really put a price on nice tires, right? It's the most important thing on a car. Now, would the Pilot Sport 4S be good in the rain? 
I'm looking for 3 season, early spring to late fall. I don't think I'll ever not have snow tires. But when there's a cold downpour, I don't want them to get all squirrley/spooky. The Indy 500's I had a blast with until they got kinda baldish. Now I found myself just grandma driving because I couldn't afford to bald them out and replace them. Fun tires, sure, But I'm not made of money to just trash them and replace them every season. But with that being said; I do like to have a little fun every now and then. Until I can afford to replace the engine with a built one and track race it, it's going to be a high mileage DD. So, safe driving with the option of dusting a BMW/'Vette/911/STI every now and then. 
Hope that helps?

Super high-performance summer tires are better in the rain than any other category of tire. They stop quicker and they can corner with more G-force without slipping. 

[Jolbaru_LGT]

1 hour ago, Pleides said:

Super high-performance summer tires are better in the rain than any other category of tire. They stop quicker and they can corner with more G-force without slipping. 

The worn out Indy 500s were kinda freaky in the rain. I hydroplaned a few times enough to warrant wanting new tires. But I should have expected that, as they were almost slicks. 
Im fine with super high performance on this car. I think it’s going to be more of a weekend racer, now that I’m getting an old Lexus es300 for a DD. which that one has newer all season tires on it. 

[Febreze Mee]

On 3/20/2023 at 11:56 AM, Pleides said:

Michelin also has a $110 rebate on PS4S so I'll be grabbing those this week.

Yay!

 

On 3/20/2023 at 2:00 PM, Jolbaru_LGT said:

I’m getting an old Lexus es300 for a DD.

I had a 98' ES300 for my first car. It was optioned out with leather, heated seats, 6-disc CD changer, sunroof, gold badging, and for some reason it had the chrome 10-spokes that came as an option on the LS400 of that same era. It was a very clean and comfortable ride. Unfortunately, I didn't appreciate it as much bc it wasn't the RSX or Civic that I wanted. However, I still took good care of it and kept the black paint clean!

On-topic: My suggestion would also be PS4Ss —surprise! I'm a whore for them and have been through a few sets on my wagon. 
 

If I had a blank check, I would wish to try on a set of A052s or Potenza RE-05Ds.

[Pleides]

On 3/20/2023 at 5:00 PM, Jolbaru_LGT said:

The worn out Indy 500s were kinda freaky in the rain. I hydroplaned a few times enough to warrant wanting new tires. But I should have expected that, as they were almost slicks. 
Im fine with super high performance on this car. I think it’s going to be more of a weekend racer, now that I’m getting an old Lexus es300 for a DD. which that one has newer all season tires on it. 

Indy 500s are notoriously weak in their category in the rain. My Falken FK510s were phenomenal in the rain, and we get a decent amount of it here in Oregon! Low tread definitely won't help there.

[GearJamr]

+1 for the PS4Ss.  I've had mine for a couple years and they are very good in the rain.  Even better in the dry.  I swap out for winter tires too, and the PS4s are barely worn.  

[tysparks81]

I purchased a set of new ps4's at the end of last season.  Drove to one track event, had some fun at the track event, and drove home.  Highly recommend them.  I was on BFG Sportscomp 2's prior to the ps4's.  IMO there is a night and day difference in how good the ps4's are and how well they perform in dry & wet weather.  The Sportscomp 2's held up ok and were a good tire for the price, but you can't go wrong with the ps4's.

The sportscomp 2's only lasted 3 summer seasons for me so tread life wasn't great on them imo.  I'm hoping to get better tread life out of the ps4's

[Pleides]

I got my PS4S on yesterday. Wow, amazing steering feel right off center and insane levels of grip. My Falkens definitely didn't hold the grip around corners like these do! They might actually be a bit louder than the Falkens? Hard to say, but I do really quite like these on this car. 

[Febreze Mee]

Don't send it too hard before all of that release agent is off of the tire. So glad to hear you got them! Looking forward to the next drive!

[tysparks81]

7 hours ago, Pleides said:

I got my PS4S on yesterday. Wow, amazing steering feel right off center and insane levels of grip. My Falkens definitely didn't hold the grip around corners like these do! They might actually be a bit louder than the Falkens? Hard to say, but I do really quite like these on this car. 

Wait till the weather warms up and you can really warm up the tire

[Pleides]

2 hours ago, tysparks81 said:

Wait till the weather warms up and you can really warm up the tire

Yesterday was pretty toasty compared to today where we got a glimmer of snow in the morning. Climate change and the weather in Oregon definitely is pretty wacky nowadays. Driving around at mundane speeds in the rain and I don't think I can seriously feel much of a difference between my old tires apart from the fact that these are louder and initial steering effort is heavier. I'm very excited for some warmer weather though!

[NORULZleggy]

I would drop the cash on PS4S or a step down. If inflation has hit you pockets hard, find a set if Ling Lang tires . Had them on my 06 EVO and they put in WORK. Now I say that because of the AWD system. They are a decent tire for the money. they will do what you need. 

[Max Capacity]

You can find reviews on tirerack.com and other tire sites.

You can also get discounts on tires at Costco and BJ's if you are a member.  But you should know that if you are a member.

[Jolbaru_LGT]

11 minutes ago, Max Capacity said:

You can find reviews on tirerack.com and other tire sites.

You can also get discounts on tires at Costco and BJ's if you are a member.  But you should know that if you are a member.

I am a Costco member. Good advice 

[Max Capacity]

Your welcome. I know we sometimes forget. I did find BJ's had a good price when my 86' F150 needed tires. Goodyear Wranglers were $70.00 a few years back.

[VespaGTS]

I’ve been very happy with my Nokian Z-Line 3 season tires. Hard to beat the price. Not full summer tires but very good A/S tires and great in the wet. $115 delivered so hard to beat. 
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Nokian-zLine-A-S-225-45R17-94W-XL-AS-High-Performance-Tire/938181860

or

https://www.nokiantires.com/all-season-tires/nokian-tyres-zline-a-s/
 

[Jolbaru_LGT]

On 3/24/2023 at 1:24 PM, Max Capacity said:

Your welcome. I know we sometimes forget. I did find BJ's had a good price when my 86' F150 needed tires. Goodyear Wranglers were $70.00 a few years back.

There aren’t any BJs near me. Lol. That didn’t sound right But seriously, all the prices for SS4S’s are pretty much the same anywhere I look.

[motorbreath]

I have these on my 5th gen and another car,

https://generaltire.com/tires/performance/g-max-rs

decent price with decent performance, but I have not tried them on a track.

[Jolbaru_LGT]

I’m still deciding. I know PS4S’s are pretty top of the line. But, I’m not sure I can justify the price. I see those tires on Porsches and other high end cars and SUVs and idk, they could be overkill… I’d feel SOL if something happened to my car. 
Guess I’m leaning towards another set of Indy 500s or General GMax RS.

[m sprank]

Keep in mind that some national chains like Discount/Americas Tire will match Costco's price.  Even if not a Costco member. 

[pleiadesfella]

6 hours ago, Jolbaru_LGT said:

I’m still deciding. I know PS4S’s are pretty top of the line. But, I’m not sure I can justify the price. I see those tires on Porsches and other high end cars and SUVs and idk, they could be overkill… I’d feel SOL if something happened to my car. 
Guess I’m leaning towards another set of Indy 500s or General GMax RS.

heh, you're in the same boat I was a couple of months ago. I ended up getting a set of bridgestone potenza re-71rs from costco since they had a crazy deal going on back then (they were the cheapest tire available in the size I needed somehow). most user reviews for this tire say that they're "autocross only" but this is untrue, I use them on my spec b which is currently my daily and I love them. I switched to these from a set of really worn (and oversize) indy 500s, and it was a night and day difference. despite being a high performance tire, they were very comfortable even on our terrible freeways, and are very smooth and grippy around corners. they're not too noisy, just a slight tapping sound at freeway speeds (my bridgestone blizzak winters on the other hand sound like a whole woodpecker in the car at above 60mph).

unfortunately, I didn't have the chance to push them in the rain. it's been raining here the whole week and I did end up on my favorite backroad the other day but I was stuck behind a cr-v going the speed limit the whole time . however, most reviews for the re-71rs also say that they're superb in the rain, and I wouldn't doubt this even for a second. just beware that these are a 200tw tire, so you'll go through a set faster than indy 500s and ps4s. I don't do as much driving as other members here, so these tires will definitely last me a long time but they might not for you.

the only michelins I ever had were a set of winter tires which I only used for a month before I lost them (long story about that one lol), so I can't say for sure that the bridgestones are better or worse in any category than the pilot sports. in fact these are the first new tires I ever got that weren't winter tires, so that might be skewing my judgment a bit. but I'm for sure happy with them