Technique

It's been a while since I've seen a good discussion about the new tires out there... We've got the P Zero Nero, the Proxes 4, and some other new tires... I'd like to put the ratings for these tires into the following categories:

On a scale of 1 to 10:
Wet Handling
Dry Handling
Looks
Tread Pattern
Noise (when new)
Noise (after moderate wear)


Any other categories to add?

Also, I don't think anyone should post for tires if they have never owned them. (My friend said they were good isn't going to cut it here...)

Also, I realize this is very subjective, but I don't care, I want to see everyone's opinions, especially for some of the newer tires I have not had a chance to see reviews for and so forth, plus I care about real world testing, especially on a CL...


I'll start it off:

Toyo Proxies T1-S
Wet Handling - 9.5
Dry Handling - 9.6
Looks - 9.9
Tread Pattern - 9.9
Noise (when new) - 8.5
Noise (after moderate wear) - 7.0 (loud)

Pirelli P-Zero Nero
Wet Handling - 9.1
Dry Handling - 9.0
Looks - 9.5
Tread Pattern - 9.5
Noise (when new) - 9.0
Noise (after moderate wear) - 9.0

thedream21479

How about longevity? Sticky tires nowadays don't necessarily melt away in one summer of hard driving! Also, the Yokohama AVSES100 and AVS sports should belong!

Technique

Agreed, we'll add longetivity/tire wear to the list...

Toyo T1-S - Pretty good, I'd say average for a high performance tire of 10-15k miles of use

Pirelli P-Zero Nero - Pretty good, I'd say above average for a high performance tire of 15-20k miles of use

UNCTYPE-S

how about some pics to go with this

Jayw/clS03

Falken Azenis ST115
Good tires
very quiet as new, and through moderate wear.
W/O rotating and hard driving (occasional hard canyon running, high speed turns, and peeling out) have lasted me about 12K but i need new tires now -bald-
-good wet traction
-good dry traction, but not that great for the track
-stylish looking tires

I'm currently on stock rims so i need 215-225/50/17 so i don't have a lot of options for high performance tires unless i got 215-225/45/17 but then i would have to raise my car up and i dont' want to. The only tires with the sizes i want are Toyo Proxes T1S or Pirelli P7000 or Bridgestone Potenza RE050 or the ST115's again (all their tread deterioration rates are still above 280 which aren't that bad). So tire opinions would be really great

darrinb

do the t1-s stick better than the s03's??

thedream21479

They will REALLY stick better with the S03...the stock V-Rated, skinny-as-hell Michelin's are NOT sticky...they are really horrible (as far as high performance is concerned) and squeal when cornering hard... Pretty much any Z, W, or Y rated tire would be an improvement in handling. You can have all the coilovers, swaybars, bushings, stut bars, and the best driver in the world, but all that is completely nullified by having a tire that is weak.


By the way, the Falken Azenis are good tires, but the Falken GR-Beta FK451's are MUCH sticker, albeit much noiser and only have a 280 tread rating.

azian21485

get the real azenis...falken azenis sport (i believe it's rt115?)...new model will be coming out next year with different sizes...i believe they'll have some that'll fit the 2nd gen nicely now...and an improvement over the older model supposedly (even though i didn't know a street tire could get any better than this)

azenis are wide (the 205 has a larger contact patch than some 215's and even some 225s) , very square, and stiff sidewalls..what more can you ask for =)

http://www.vulcantire.com/azenis_rt615_t.htm

no street tire could compare to the previous model except for the khumo mx...but they have to be shaved and heated to start working effectively

autox street touring class national championship..i believe off the top of my head 3 of top ten were on khumo mx and 7of top ten were on azenis

also, the inside of the fk451 has a compound similar to the azenis sport..shave them down the 4/32 (i believe..i'll double check that...edit: fixed) tread and you'll hit the compound....that's what subaru owners do since azenis don't come in their size...i believe stx national champion was running this setup...not sure though

current model azenis sport come in a 225/45/17

Technique

I think he was asking if the Toyo T1-S stick better than the S-03 tires....

I think they are right about the same, although the T1-S might be slightly stickier, but you will pay for that with increased tire noise... But for all intensive purposes, I think the S-03 and T1-S are about the same... Anyone here owned both and want to comment?

RUF87

Have not had both, but I love the T1-S because they are the lightest high performance tire I've found. Check the S-03s, but I believe they are 4lbs+ heavier each, about 16lbs+ of unsprung weight per wheel. That's a lot especially since the weight is further from the center of the wheel.

Ruf

Technique

Yes, that is a lot of extra weight... The T1-S is perfect in every way except they get very noisy when the tread wears down... That's my chief complaint about them... I guess you can't have all the performance of a race tire with the smoothness and quietness of a touring tire... I wonder what the best compromise tire is? I actually don't care about smoothness, just noise, because on road-trips the noise is the most annoying...

NSX-Tuner

How about Michelin Pilot Sport PS2s? They are very sticky in the dry and still very good in the wet.

Technique

What's the difference with the PS2 and just the Pilot Sport?

NSX-Tuner

The PS2s are completely different. They are stickier than the old Pilot Sports and are much better in the wet.

Technique

Hmmmmm, maybe I'll give them a try... I wonder how loud they are compared with other similar tires?

NSX-Tuner

They are a lot quieter than the old Pilot Sports but just a little more noisier than the Pilot Sport A/Ss.

For more info: Pilot® Sport PS2™

Technique

So where's the cheapest place to buy them from?

NSX-Tuner

You can try Discount Tires, but you might find even a better price else where. But be warned, these aren't cheap tires. Expect to pay between $175 to $210 per tire, plus mounting/balancing.

Technique

Ya, $185 on tire rack... Sorta pricey I guess, but I pay about $160 each for toyos, so extra $100 ain't that much I guess...

I'm actually on the east coast in the DC area now, so no discount tires around here...

evilstorm

i love my yoko av4s's...err i think thats the name...we will see how they wear now.

moomaster_99

I think the main difference is what you need the tire for.....I know the T1-S is an awesome tire....and they do heat up much better than the S-03(usually resulting in reduced wear). The T1-S is a pure summer tire with some wet traction...the S-03 is the pretty much the same, but a superior wet traction tire.

Light tires also usually = less sidewall strength (ie more prone to damage rims).
Comparing quality brands though....not the cheap shit Chinese stuff.

VeeralS05

I have Toyo Proxes on my 19's and I think they handle great! I'm very happy with them they stick to the road like glue...even when driving through water, I've almost hydroplaned countless amounts of times w/ these tires but never have i lost control with them on. Even though the hit the water hard it still sticks on the pavement. I suggest getting the Toyo's, I'll be able to tell you about the Pirella PZero Nero. I'm getting those tires put o my stock Type-S rims.

moomaster_99

P0 Nero dont belong in the same category as S-03s/T1-s/Michelin Pilot Sport...the comparable Pirelli is P0 Asymmetrical or Rosso Asymmetrical

Technique

Ya, I had 2 sets of T1-S proxies, and I currently have the P-Zero Neros... My ONLY hesitation about getting the Toyos again is the road noise... Once they start to wear, they get VERY loud... The neros were much quieter, but not as sticky... I think the T1-S are the stickiest tires, I love them, if only they didn't wear so loudly...

Technique

MOO!!!!!!!!! Whassup bro?

Anyway, you really think the S-03 is significantly better in the wet than the T1-S? I was always very impressed with the T1-S in the rain... The silica compound is key, plus it has a great tread pattern for wet weather...

NiteQwill

What about the Sumitomo HTR ZII? They are pretty damn sticky tires, the only gripe is that they require a few miles to warm up and become very loud when they wear down. My last car only got 17-20K out of the tires. The tread pattern is aggressive and the wet traction is very superior. Not the lightest of tires, but the sidwall is very stiff and prevents a lot of flexing during hard cornering.

On a scale of 1 to 10:
Wet Handling 8
Dry Handling 9
Looks 10
Tread Pattern 10
Noise (when new) 4
Noise (after moderate wear) 7

Technique

Any opinions on the Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3?

dms1

I have the Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 in 225/40-18 size and I am very happy with them.

Tirerack's tests showed these Goodyear's to be better than the S03's and almost as good as the Pilot Sport PS2. The S03's had much poorer performance in the wet than either the F1 GS-D3 or the PS2's. The big advantage of the Goodyear compared to the PS2 was a lot lower cost (nearly $100 each cheaper when I was looking) and a superior wear rating. I have over 20K miles on them and still have 7 to 8/16" tread left. At this rate these tires should last 50-60K, remarkable for an ultra high performance summer tire.

The Goodyear F1 GS-D3's have excellent grip, fantastic performance in the rain and are very quiet on the highway. I have not noticed any increase in noise as the miles have worn on.

The Toyo T1-S was my 2nd choice.

moomaster_99

Same old stuff....yeah I think the S-03s are kick ass in the rain...much better than the T1-S....they're just not as sticky. Bang for the buck for driving round all year in the Bay....I would have to say its the S-03.

Where you been man!?!?! Last I heard you moved back East......

Technique

Ya, still in the DC area, although I come out to the bay area every few months for work, which is nice...

I got 54k miles on my Type S, it's still running perfect... I am going to wait to replace my tires until after winter (cause it snows here and I won't be driving my car that much and I don't want to expose new tires to sub-zero temperatures)... so when March/April rolls around I'll get 4 new tires...

What are you up to? still in SV?

moomaster_99

Not anymore....they offered me a severance package a couple of years ago....SQA wasnt my cup of tea...so I took it.


Just between jobs right now....working in customer service for a tire warehouse...