Summer Tires 2011

[tantal]

I recommend avoiding Kumhos for DD cars. I have used a set of 5 RE050A's and have nothing but great things to say about this tire - for the Leg GT. It is not as stiff as the 040 I have on my RX8, but it suits the LGT pretty well. The Michelin PS2 is probably the best overall summer tire today but if you are willing to live with a harsher ride then both wet and dry grip are better with the RE-11; afaik there isn't a better wet tire available. There are others in this class as well.

 

These are all pricey tires though. If you are willing to trade away some performance, I would select from the DW, the contisport 3, the contisport 2, the Toyo T1R, Dunlop SP Sport Maxx. The tirerack has excellent info on all of these except the toyo.

 

I think that most people should just buy the RE050A (not the PP) or the PS2. The latter will be a little stiffer, and you'll notice the advantages and disadvantages of that if you would drive them back to back on the same car.

 

I am sticking with the PS2 on my RX8, the 050A on my LGT, and the RE-11 on my miata. =)

[tantal]

Supposedly XS hates water. Do they hate winter too?

 

Krzys

 

Dude, any summer tire hates winter.

 

You are better off running the cheapest farking dedicated snow tire than any all season tire you can buy. Summer tires - they just are dangerous below 40 degrees or so, depending on the tire. AND once run in these temps you will compromise their performance and ultimate life when it does warm up.

 

People are either ignorant or idiots that run summer rubber in the winter. Read up at tirerack.

[tantal]

These surveys and user reviews are almost never good information - read the comments. 95 % of the time they are the equivalent of "freakin awesome tire YO" These stats are useless (most people are comparing their new rubber to 50k mi old rubber, and dont know shit about tires to begin with).

 

The useful information is in the "Tests" sections. Read the test results, carefully.

 

 

I don't think I could bring myself to accept the General Exclaim UHP tire. It's cheap and light but it looks like that is due to a cheap build and weak sidewalls.

 

Here are the tirerack.com stats on the Hankook:

Results based on 312 submissions of our online tire survey.

http://www.tirerack.com/images/reviews/SurveyTabs.gif Surveyed Averages893%7.98.18.38.48.88.3N/AN/AN/A8.78.47.91,366,440

Would You Buy This Tire Again?

Most said: "Probably" (Average of 7.9 out of 10)

 

 

Here are the tirerack.com stats on the BFGoodrich:

 

Results based on 1348 submissions of our online tire survey.

http://www.tirerack.com/images/reviews/SurveyTabs.gif Surveyed Averages890%7.88.38.48.99.18.9N/AN/AN/A7.66.47.812,395,587

Would You Buy This Tire Again?

Most said: "Probably" (Average of 7.8 out of 10)

 

It's interesting that owners of both tires don't seem too enthusiastic based on the "would you buy this tire again" responses of 7.8 and 7.9

[Claw]

Just a note - KDW2's are loud. I don't notice any difference in noise between KDW2's and my Nokian Hakka's.

 

I've got RE760's on there for the summer and I find them pretty good in dry/wet conditions. I don't autox the car though.

 

On my S2k, I've got Star Specs. Don't find them noisy at all, and the car gets autox'ed, and they're pretty grippy.

[Legend]

Ruling out: 24+lb tires including star specs, sportmaxx tt, R0760, and 6 others

 

That still leaves more than a dozen tires less than $180/each.

 

Ruling out UTQG 260 or less (eliminates a few but none recommended in this thread)

 

Still quite a few tires left.. will use survey results..

 

Ruling out Survey results 7.2 or less (gone are the DZ101, HTZII, SportSP1, and S.Drive)

 

5 tires remain: KDW2's, Parada Spec 2's, Hankook V12, ExtremeContact DW,, and Exclaim UHP's.

 

Again... I'm coming to the conclusion that it is the 21lb. ExtremeContact DW for me. The 21lb. Exclaim seems too cheap and the KDW2's, Hankooks, and Parada's are all 2lbs heavier per corner than the ExtremeContact DW. Plus, the ExtremeContact is rated higher than any of those in surveys and in the tests. I can't find a tire with better specs (for me), survey results, and test results under $180 each. These are $152.

[seiyafan]

is you wear out the S on the DWS, it would look like the DW

[Th3Franz]

Ruling out: 24+lb tires including star specs, sportmaxx tt, R0760, and 6 others

 

That still leaves more than a dozen tires less than $180/each.

 

Ruling out UTQG 260 or less (eliminates a few but none recommended in this thread)

 

Still quite a few tires left.. will use survey results..

 

Ruling out Survey results 7.2 or less (gone are the DZ101, HTZII, SportSP1, and S.Drive)

 

5 tires remain: KDW2's, Parada Spec 2's, Hankook V12, ExtremeContact DW,, and Exclaim UHP's.

 

Again... I'm coming to the conclusion that it is the 21lb. ExtremeContact DW for me. The 21lb. Exclaim seems too cheap and the KDW2's, Hankooks, and Parada's are all 2lbs heavier per corner than the ExtremeContact DW. Plus, the ExtremeContact is rated higher than any of those in surveys and in the tests. I can't find a tire with better specs (for me), survey results, and test results under $180 each. These are $152.

 

why do you care so much about tire weight?

The Continental is lighter, but doesn't have the cornering capability of the heavier tires

[whitetiger]

 

Ruling out UTQG 260 or less (eliminates a few but none recommended in this thread)

 

 

 

 

why? all the best summer tires have a rating of 200 or less. the lower the number usually means the stickier the tire.

[Legend]

why do you care so much about tire weight?

The Continental is lighter, but doesn't have the cornering capability of the heavier tires

 

It comes down to the dragstrip vs. the track. I know I'll hit the dragstrip 2-4 times this year but may only track once if that. 21lbs vs. 25lbs per corner (16 pounds rotating mass) is a pretty big weight difference that has to show up in runs down the dragstrip. I don't know how much of a difference it makes, however.

[Legend]

why? all the best summer tires have a rating of 200 or less. the lower the number usually means the stickier the tire.

 

I want 25k miles and at least 10 runs down the dragstrip. I'm willing to sacrifice some stickiness for longevity.

 

Still I haven't made up my mind though... tough to turn down a brand new set of really good sticky tires..

[Legend]

I asked an acquaintance of mine, who is quite established in drag racing about going with lighter vs. heavier tires. Specifically, going with the 23-25 lb tires (like the hankooks, star specs, KDW's, etc.) versus the lighter 21lb tires like the ExtremeContact. This guy is an expert not just with Subaru's, but across several platforms and he moderates a few web forums. Bottom line, I trust him. He is a guru. Here is what he had to say:

 

"Light weight tires are important in drag racing,

especially for your 60' times, but will help all

across the board.

Due to gearing the heavier tires will "appear much

heavier to the engine" when in low gear, since the

rate of acceleration is quite high during that

initial acceleration. In effect the extra inertia

makes the engine think the whole car is heavier, and

as you shift up through the gears this effect drops

off but never goes away.

 

One of the ways I set the record for the stock turbo

is I put the shortest lightest tire on the car I

could find. The smaller rolling diameter in effect

lowered my over all gear ratio for better low end

acceleration and the small rotating diameter and

weight helped both acceleration directly due to

reduced rotating inertia, but also the lower center

of gravity reduces weight transfer on acceleration

helping to keep the front tires hooked up.

 

People see a tenth or so difference in ET when the

move from the 16 inch wheels to the larger diameter

wheels and tires. Most of that is due to the change

in rotating inertia of the larger heavier wheels and

tires.

 

I looked for both the lightest tire and the tire that

had the highest revs/mile (smallest circumference) in

the tire rack listings. By going to that smaller

circumference I changed my effective rear gearing

from the stock 3.90 differential to the equivalent of

a 4.36 rear ratio. It made quite a difference in low

end acceleration. I went to the extreme, the car

looked a bit silly on the small tires but it came off

the line like it had 60 more hp than it really did.

 

If drag race numbers are important to your tire

choice, get the lightest, shortest tire you can put

on the car that has an appropriate load rating/tread

size. Also note in the tire rack listings that for

similar nominal tire sizes the useable tread width

varies from manufacture to manufacture."

[scoobyscoodle]

If you are so concerned about 2-3lbs per tire for the strip, I gotta ask, why the 18's? Even dropping to 17's will more than negate the couple pound difference in the rubber. That being said I strongly recommend the v12 evo's for the criteria you've given, nicely mannered tire, good grip, good wear, great value. I've ran those and the star specs and the star specs are in another league, a much better league. My next set I'll probably go back to star specs or try the hankook rs3's

[Legend]

If you are so concerned about 2-3lbs per tire for the strip, I gotta ask, why the 18's?

 

Good question, for sure. My 18" summer 5Zigen's came on the car when I bought it. I like them a lot and they look great. But you're right.. they hurt me at the dragstrip. No official decision made...thanks for your input!

 

As soon as my Blizzak LM-60's die on my 17" ALT winter wheels I'll be taking that setup to the dragstrip at least once.. could be another year or two though.

[fahr_side]

My PS2 are about done and I'm looking for a replacement. I love the PS2 but it's too expensive for how it lasts. Traction and handling were fine for me but I need something that either lasts longer for the same price, or wears as fast but costs less.

 

CSC3 doesn't seem to handle as well and is damn near as expensive.

RS2 will probably wear faster but is much cheaper.

595RSR is similar price to RS2 and probably wears even quicker.

ExtremeContact DW is unavailable here.

RE11 is also unobtainium.

StarSpec is a little pricey here and in any case very noisy.

PS3 is said to be a step down in performance and only the Thai production is available here.

PS2 has gone up in price since I bought the last set and of course won't last any longer.

Ecsta XS is affordable but is said to be very loud.

 

Really don't know which way to go now... really wish Michelin could either drop the price or make the PS2 last longer!

[Legend]

Still haven't decided, but Continental is sweetening their stake... Flip Ultra HD video camera ([ame=http://www.amazon.com/Flip-UltraHD-Video-Camera-Generation/dp/B0040702HK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1297785658&sr=8-2]value $169-$199[/ame]) free with a set.

 

Probably not enough alone to sway me but figure I'll take it if I decide to go with the ExtremeContact's. Posted in case anyone else is following this thread and leaning towards the Conti's.

 

http://web1.netdrivenwebs.com/DesktopModules/CouponManagementModule/promo/3929120110131-continental-promotion.jpg

 

Form: http://web1.netdrivenwebs.com/desktopmodules/couponmanagementmodule/promo/pdfs/97670continental_01312011_flip_redemption_form.pdf

[TheOneDoubleN]

I used the conti dw's. They are soft, quiet, and have sloppy sidewalls and poor steering precision. Went back to my toyo proxes 4 after I burned through the conti's in the canyons. The contis are not meant for aggressive driving, they're marketed to people that "think" they push their tires hard. I was running up at 45f 43r daily driving and the sidewalls still sucked. Continental is offering all these promos for their tires because they're not selling. Good tires don't need gimmicks to sell.

 

Also for the op, the parameters you've narrowed down for your tire and its cost are practically impossible. A tire that works great for drag racing is not going to give you 25k miles of wear. You're dreaming with the cost too.

[Legend]

Starting to think PS2's now. At Discount Tire (probably where I'll buy 'em), the ExtremeContact is $188 and the PS2 is $212. Nearly the same weight and only $100 difference on a ~$1k purchase. Less than that, really, since Michelin currently has a $70 mail-in rebate.

[christurismohk]

ExtremeContact DW 235/40/18 was $171 at discounttiredirect.com last week. They jacked up the price couple of days ago.....

[Legend]

So I'm thinking about the new Michelin Pilot Super Sport. Looks promising..

 

A review from Motor Morph

 

I'll quote a tirerack rep from this iwsti thread:

 

I just attended a meeting/training here at the tire rack led by some Michelin management/engineers. The purpose of this meeting was to introduce a new tire they are very excited about. What I learned about this new tire has made me very excited.

 

The PS2 has been a benchmarket tire for years. Used OE for many different high end cars such as Porsches, Dodge Viper, ZR1 Corvette and many more. When this tire came out it was at the top of dry/wet traction and offered good ride comfort and noise levels.

 

The Pilot Super Sport - Will be the replacement to the PS2. So what makes this tire so special? While we will continue to categorize this as a MAX performance tire this new tire will give close to Extreme tire dry performance. The wet performance will also be greatly increased when compared to the PS2 and I believe will be on of the best wet tires out at this time. Some of the tire rack staff were invited Dubai to test these tires on Porsches at the Track. Tough life huh?

 

See Full Test Reports here for the Dubai testing.

 

Ok so here is where it gets crazy.So this tire while improving Dry handling/Grip and Wet traction. The tire has a better wear rating. This tire has a 300 UTQG tread wear rating where the PS2 was 220. This tire will come with a 30k mileage warranty which is basically unheard of for these type of tires. Special restrictions would apply to vehicles with staggered tire fitments. The tire is also 10% lighter. Oh and by the way it will be cheaper in price when compared against the PS2. This tire will be launched in April and come in Subaru STI friendly fitments. I am looking forward to testing this tire here at the tire rack this spring and will post my thoughts when I have completed the testing.

[fahr_side]

Sadly, I cannot wait until April. I also cannot believe our distributor will actually sell this tire below the price of the PS2... or even have it before summer... friggin' lazy gougers...

[G35C_WRX_MX5_MR2]

I'm surprized nobody mentioned the Bridgestone RE-11. I thought these were the best Extreme performance summer tire? Great for every day and the autocross or track use too. I have the predecessor the RE01R and they are just incredible. They feel like a full race tire that I used to run for autocrosses.

The only negative is they are expensive.

[fahr_side]

The only negative is they are expensive.

... and they don't last very long either...

[G35C_WRX_MX5_MR2]

Which is why they stick like glue!

I've got over 10K on mine and they aren't 1/2 worn . I'll probably get at least 20K out of them. I don't abuse them though. They are soft so if you're hard on them they will wear quickly.

These are so much better than any other tire I've had such as the Michelin SX, SX2, Kuhmo MX, Kumho SPT

[Marcazi]

So, I really like everything about the conti DW's, but they aren't the prettiest summer tire I have ever seen!

[TJS]

I realize most people are talking summer tires here, but up here in Winnipeg, an Ultra High Performance All-Season is a really good option. I don't track my car, but I spend time on the highway and enjoy a good backroad, so rain performance is important, and with a UHP A/S I can get em on early and take em off late.

 

I ran the Sumitomo HTR A/S P01's last year on my Impreza. They had just come out and there wasn't a lot of info on them, but TireRack told me, "We haven't officially tested them yet, but they look and feel really good." So I took a chance. For my money, they're fantastic tires. The V and H rated version did really well when TireRack released their test results against tires that were all more expensive. The W didn't do quite as well, but again was up against significantly more expensive tires. For the type of driving I do, when my SpecB's summers wear out these will be at or near the top of my list.