Best Tire thread

[RCWells]

I am going to be buying a new set of tires in the not too distant future. I want to know what tires you guys are running and how they perform in:

1. wet
2. dry
3. road noise
4. wear

What is the best tire for the money available right now?

I am not sure if I will go with a 215 or a 225. I would prefer a 225 if they will fit w/out rubbing issues. (I have 16x7, ET 38 i think).

Dunlop Direzzas, anybody have them or know about them firsthand? I have heard so many conflicting opinions on the ES100s, and I don't want a noisy tire.

So post up. Thanks

[permit]

ES100s do get rather noisy when they start to wear. For these, you get what you pay for. Good street tire, but I'm sure they don't do well at auto-x or the track. They wear VERY fast, I may have gotten 10k miles out of mine (or 10 months of driving). Driving in the rain with these is fun, if you like throwing out your back end and spinning the tires.

Just got Falken Ziex', seemed like a great deal for $58. Can't give much of a review right now though.

Edit: this could become more of a sticky than just a thread of you shopping for tires. It would be really useful; we seem to have a wide range of tires on our e30s, so getting a lot of reviews wouldn't be a problem.

[RCWells]

Unfortunately, you confirm more of what I have heard about the Es100s. I drive fairly aggressively, though I don't get to auto-x or track the car. I want something with high lateral limits, but not noisy. The Kuhmos I have now are suprisingly decent tires, but I know there are better tires out there. I had the Bridgestone RE750s and they were good, but not necessarily better than the Kuhmos (as much as it pains me to say that).

[nickmp0wer]

I have been looking at tires for a while and it looks like the goodyear eagle f1 is the best out there although i have heard they chunk when taken to the track which im going to look into before i buy some.

[e30 gangsta]

i honeslty like the new hancooks. 200 treadwear and they cut water better than the azenis.

[cheades]

The Kuhmo MX is a great tire also, haven't had any issues with them and they are great in the autox rain or shine. Pretty cheap per tire also.

e30 gangsta - I looked at the Hankooks but they seem to be coming out in limited sizes so far.

[e30sd]

r-s2 Z212's come in 225/45/16 at 87 a pop from discount tire. do it.

[RCWells]

What is the rs2?

I appreciate your input guys, but can you be more specific with your information as related to the following:

1.wet performance
2.dry performance
3.road noise
4.wear resistance

Thanks

[e30sd]

http://discounttiredirect.com/direct/findTireDetail.do?sw=false&cs=225&pc=11864&rd=16&ar=45

Ventus R-S2 Z212

i dont have any personal experience, but reading reviews on sccaf and bfc, they look great for the $$.

what I DO have experience with, i'll share.

Bridgestone S-03 225/45R16

1. wet performance was decent
2. dry performance was astounding
3. road noise was nil, till i corded them out
4. wear resistance was crap, corded them in 9k.

excellent no holds barred tire, but i couldnt justify spending 160ish per tire every couple of months lol.

Contintental ContiSport Contacts
225/50R16

picked these up as takeoffs, they come stock on pcars etc.

1. wet performance imo better than the s-03's
2. dry performance was good, just enough feedback to know when you're reaching the limit.
3. no road noise
4. excellent wear characteristics compared to the s-03

like i said, i found a used tire place that had a regular stock of these, i cheaped out after the bstones, these were like 150 a set with 70% tread. i must have ran through 3 or so sets. i wouldnt recommend this size if you're buying new, cause they're a bit taller than the 45's, but they were a kickass tire.

Falken Ziex Ze-512's 225/50R15

1. wet performance is decent
2. dry performance, was pleasantly surprised. it actually does decent.
3. they do make a little bump in the night
4. they're 30k mile tires lol

got these for the k1's i picked up as an interim tire, the new azenis doesnt come out in 225 for a while, plus waiting for the t-1r etc so i figured i'd grab these for cheap. that's what they are, cheap tires. so far i've ran 2 DE's, an autox, and 5k miles on the street. and actually, i've been somewhat surprised with their performance. they do suffer from a soft sidewall, so they like somewhat higher than normal pressures at the track. but grip wise they aren't too shabby. i noticed a little greasyness at the end of sessions at the last DE i did, but for all seasons, they aint too shabby. i DID have to get em balanced twice, maybe i got a crappy set, i dont know.

[rwh11385]

Im with Pasha. I'd like to try some RS2s. Hear good things.

Azenis are awesome. Two track weekends and a month of driving, and they still kick ass in the rain.

I look forward to Ziex 512s daily driving tires as well.


ES100s aren't what we hyped them to be.

[RCWells]

That was helpful Pasha. So what's with the Azenis? Anyone with personal experience care to break them down?

[rwh11385]

Azenis

1. Good. I think really good. Better than ES100.
2. Awesome.
3. I don't notice. But I don't see why ES100s are loud either. But haven't ridden on them for long, so not much wear.
4. Two track weekends and look great.

If they get hot (like on track), they can get greasy. But for street driving, you'll R3V out of lack of talent before getting these greasy.

I'd go with Ziex 512s. Best value to me. Definately.
Or try the RS2s.

[e30sd]

rcwells,

just wanted to know what spacer setup you're running. if you do want to run 225's, you'll need probably a 10 mm spacer, and maybe a minute fender roll.

[rwh11385]

rcwells, I'll put it this way:

225-50-15 Falken Ziex 512 for $270 shipped from vulcan, or BAN.


I got 8mm spacers btw. ;) please someone take them.

[e30sd]

he's got 16's janknious