Tires - what are you running? opinions/rants/raves.

[CHAOS]

I'm sure everyone here is aware that tires are not cheap and they have specific duties/purposes... that being said... whats on your car? do you like it? why?

personally i have pirelli pzero m+s on the car right now 225/45/17 and they are decent... they werent all that great in the snow but im sure 345 ftlbs didnt help that... ill hopefully be upgrading to a more aggressive summer tire or maybe even a competition tire eventually... and next winter im going to get dedicated winter tires/wheels...

whats ur setup?

[grimm]

I got dunlop M3's on my stock wheels, they were great in the snow (not that there was much) My summer rims have falken azenis rt-215's but they only last about 1 season or 2 if you don't beat on them. Probably going to get a set of the 615's for this summer.

[TTsupra911]

Currently I am rocking a set of Falken Ziex Ze 512 225/45/17. A high performance all season tire. I went with these because I needed an all season to get through winter and have a decent tread life to be able to withstand me driving back and forth to work.

Last summer I had a set of Falken RT-615's 225/45/17 that I used as my street tire and also as my auto-x tire. I absolutly love these tires and recommend them to anyone looking for tires. They provided decent straight line grip from a dig, but they come into their own in the corners. They where also fairly safe in the rain. I had no problems hydroplanning or anything when driving the turnpike in downpours. You will see a huge difference in the way the car handles through the corners just by putting the RT-615's on your car. I actually miss being able to take corners quicker then what I am now due to the softer side wall. I picked up another set of RT-615's for this auto-x season in 225/50/16 which will see occasional street time when I fell like finding the local twisties.

[JET02WRX]

I am running the Falken Azenis ST115 in the summer and Michelin Alpins in the winter. I am happy with both. The Falkens are a step or two down from a 'high performance' tire but a step or two up from a plain old street tire. They are on the softer side with a pretty quiet ride. The Alpins are noisy due to the mud/snow tread, but have done me well in the snow.

**EDIT** also one of the main reasons i chose the Falkens was because they are one of the few 225/45/17 tires that fit on a lowered wagon without rolling the fenders!

[sisforsurfing]

Good thread idea! I'm now on Dunlop Wintersport M3's for winter, which I've had a great experience with so far. I had to drive forty minutes in the one big snowstorm we had a few weeks ago and they were totally confidence inspiring. No comments on treadwear as I've only had them on for around 8k.

I had Toyo Proxes4 (all-season) for last year, but I'll finally be upgrading to a summer tire... can't decide between the Falken RT-615's that everyone seems to love and something like BFG g-force KDW.


edit; I'm between the Falken RT-615's, Kumho Ecsta MX, and BFG G-force KDW for this summer. There are so many reviews, the Falkens and Kumho's seeming to be similar with the BFG's a little more expensive and better in the rain. Anyone with any experience with the Kumho's or BFG's?

[grimm]

Originally Posted by sisforsurfing

summer tire... can't decide between the Falken RT-615's that everyone seems to love and something like BFG g-force KDW.

never had any experience with the g-force but onec you go falken it's really hard to go to a different tire, I haven't found anything that compares to the 215's. talk about confident cornering, they are scary sticky in an AWD car. Turns that you almost know you'll understeer thu are a thing of the past. i'm hoping the 615's maintain a lot of the performance but give me more tread life.

[CarbonIS]

right now I am running Dunlop Winter Sports 3D 225/45/R17 and they are Amazing in the snow and ice, and are fine for cold weather handling. They start feeling gummy above around 55 degrees, but that is to be expected. They also handle amazing in the rain.

I am putting my summer tires on today or tomorrow and I am running BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KDW2's in 225/40/ZR18 on Rays 57F. I haven't had any experience on them yet, but I heard and read that they are great on both dry and wet surfaces. I will edit this post once I get some experience with them.

[twizhimself]

Ive got 235x40 Yokohama AVS ES100's on my summer wheels...they are great all around tires..just not in the snow...i proved that 2 weeks ago

[Broken5hift]

ive always loved nitto 450's and 555's

[Honest_Bob]

I ran my Hankook W404 snow tires for their second winter. They are holding up way better than expected. I have to have a good 20k miles on them now and they are just starting to show wear. They make driving in snow a good experience. I expect to get another 1.5 - 2 winters out of them.

I had a set of 225 Hankook RS2's on for a breif period of time (came used on a set of rims I bought) that I really liked. I'll be picking up a new set of them after paying off some debt. I was really impressed with them, but all I have to compare them to are the half bald RE92's I'm currently running.

[WRXD]

I have dunlop Winterfore M3s on my stock wheels for winter. Only had them on since Feb, but great in the snow and no noticable treadwear yet.

Now I have on my summer Yokohama ES100s that are nice as far as handling but not very comfortable for long trips- stiff and noisy. They were on my wheels when I bought them. However they are getting really low so I am gonna have to get another set of summers soon.

[TTsupra911]

Originally Posted by sisforsurfing

edit; I'm between the Falken RT-615's, Kumho Ecsta MX, and BFG G-force KDW for this summer. There are so many reviews, the Falkens and Kumho's seeming to be similar with the BFG's a little more expensive and better in the rain. Anyone with any experience with the Kumho's or BFG's?

Personally I would recommend the RT-615 over the KDW2 anyday of the week. Both are decent straight line tires, but the RT-615 will leave the KDW2 car lengths behind in the corners. The KDW2 came stock on the SRT in a 205/50/17 which I believe might be some of my issue with the tire. Like I said before though, I will stand behind the RT-615

[RyanG]

<-- Nitto whore . Currently have the NeoGens. hate them.. really hate them.
dry weather handling isnt that spectacular. Next up is Yoko AO48's. since the car really doesnt get driven much and when it does I beat the piss out of it those will work perfect

[Honest_Bob]

Originally Posted by AREA1320

<-- Nitto whore . Currently have the NeoGens. hate them.. really hate them.
dry weather handling isnt that spectacular. Next up is Yoko AO48's. since the car really doesnt get driven much and when it does I beat the piss out of it those will work perfect

Cars with blown trannys dont need tires.

[STI_wagon]

I'm on kumho ASX 225/45/17's. I'm thining about getting the Kumho Ecsta MX for summer

[WKderF]

Well nobody has mentioned it thus far - but bridgestone RE92s SUCK.

after ditching the stock tires, I went to a Nitto NT555. Excelent dry weather handling with very minimal sidewall flex. The car really felt planted. I liked this tire.

My next tire was the BFGoodrich G-force T/A KDW2s (the flame looking tread) Despite excelent reviews fom tirerack, I just dont lke this tire as much as the Nitto. IMO the BFG felt softer & bouncier, even though they were the same size as the Nitto tires described above. the BFGs are sticky in spring & sumer, id say a tad bit more than the nittos, but in turns i just prefer the Nittos.

My next tire Will be a set of pirelli Pzeros. no idea on how i will like them or not, they are just coming with my new wheels so we shal wait & see.


In the winter I use Winterforce studdable tires. I dont use the studs, but they kick as nontheless. great traction in the snow, ok on ice, and generally good with slush & mixed random messy weather.

[gpzjack]

Winter... Stock rims with stock Advans


For summer i went cheap....Nankan NS2 235/40/18 ...so far they seem pretty decent. I even had to drive in the snow with them last week and they were ok.

[Buster]

Originally Posted by WKderF

Well nobody has mentioned it thus far - but bridgestone RE92s SUCK.

after ditching the stock tires, I went to a Nitto NT555. Excelent dry weather handling with very minimal sidewall flex. The car really felt planted. I liked this tire.

My next tire was the BFGoodrich G-force T/A KDW2s (the flame looking tread) Despite excelent reviews fom tirerack, I just dont lke this tire as much as the Nitto. IMO the BFG felt softer & bouncier, even though they were the same size as the Nitto tires described above. the BFGs are sticky in spring & sumer, id say a tad bit more than the nittos, but in turns i just prefer the Nittos.

My next tire Will be a set of pirelli Pzeros. no idea on how i will like them or not, they are just coming with my new wheels so we shal wait & see.


In the winter I use Winterforce studdable tires. I dont use the studs, but they kick as nontheless. great traction in the snow, ok on ice, and generally good with slush & mixed random messy weather.

Fred you are a doosh! lol. In the big scheme of things yes, the RE92s do suck. But as an average slightly above normal performing tire they actually are great. I had no problems with my first set. And when I borrowed Susies from the Legacy it was still fine in the snow and a little sloshy at high speed.

Now on my Rotas I had a set of Bridgestone Potenza RE070s 225/45/17. Stock STi tire. overall an awesome tire when you compare to the previous tires that came on my rims. I threw those tires into as many hard/fast turns as possible and nver heard a squeal, but in the rain under boost they sucked and when they were cold they sucked. Key to the tire... learn to drive.

Previous Tire
Wanli crappos...nuff said. no traction, lots of noise.

Winter tire
Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice 205/55/16, Absolutly love this tire. Cuts through the snow and stops like its not there. Honestly, works as well if not better than a blizzak but costs less and has a high speed rating and good wear.

Summer Tire
Dunlop Direzza DZ101 225/50/16, Doesnt perform like the RE070 but still holds quite well, a little noisy in cornering but if you trust the tire and not the noise you wont be dissapointed. High treadwear though. Looks beastly!

Personal Favorite
Nitto Neogen. Had them on my Spec-V and they were ****ing awesome! cheap tire tons of performance to back it up. Would totally reccomend them to anyone.

[012.5RS]

im running 215/45R17 nitto neo gens for summer. I think they're decent but not great handling. I bought them for when i lower my car cause i was told theyre really good on treadwear on lowered cars. got 225/50R16 blizzak lm22's for winter. they're quaktastic!

[D Money]

I have Falken Azenis RT615's and I love them. Nice and sticky!