tlvtec07

Hi everyone i have a 07 tl that will need new tires this spring....i am wondering what are the best tires for the car money to quality ratio....car is mint so i am willing to spend good $ for the best tires....ride quality is important and low profile...i only want summer tires because i do not drive this car in the winter due to the great weather in new england and the awful amount of road salt they use...want this gem to last me....i want a aggressive tire that will last....so let me know what u guys have on your cars and what u think about them ....t.y in advance

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

you cant have your cake and eat it too.
Summer tires do not last long at all.
maybe, MAYBe if you're conservative; at least 15k miles.

So far; Ive tried the Nitto NT05
and I am currently running the Dunlop Direzza Star Spec Z1's

i am running them on stock rims; but using a wider tire size. 255/40/17

the NT05's were my first summers IVE EVER HAD.
needless to say; I did not take care of them.
was not properly inflated at times; and i ran them till they were bald.
when new; it was an awesome tire!
be sure to warm them up first before doing any sort of shenanigans.....if not warmed up; no traction.
I didnt do any sort of testing with them. I wish I had.


with my Dunlops; they seem to heat up faster or doesnt need that long of a cycle before i get optimum traction.
I should do some brake testing with these

zachlone

Conti DW?

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

subpar summer compared to the two i listed above.

I hate cars

A VERY good summer only tire is the Nitto NT05. It's reasonalby inexpensive and doesn't require much heat to work well. Ride is ok for a tire in that class, steering is razor sharp. They're reasonably quiet. Grip is better than 99% of the summer tires out there and they won't get greasy or chunk when you track the car. They come with only 6/32nds of tread depth and I typically get 15,000 miles out of them which is a few years for me. When they break free such as in a corner, they let go slowly so it's very easy to recover from a slide. They're predictable which is very important. They don't squeal easy but I've found they let out just a little sound right before they break away. They like lower air pressures, traction seems to go away quickly past 36psi hot.

On the other hand, I'm about to try out the Hankook PS3 tires. They come with more tread than the NT05s but have a lower 140 treadwear rating. I have no first hand experience with them but from many accounts they're as close to an R compound as you're going to get in a street legal tire. All out traction is supposed to be the best of every maximum performance summer tire. I hear they don't need as much heat as the NT05 which is very important for a street tire. If it's always under it's optimum temperature it's not going to have good traction and it's "potential" doesn't really matter.

But yeah, for a VERY good street tire that does everything well, the NT05 is hard to beat. For the absolute best traction (I can't comment about turn-in and ride comfort), the PS3. I'm guessing overall life will be somewhat similar since one is softer but has more tread. One is harder but starts with less tread.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^i had difficulties with heating my NT05 up..
could it be because I didnt maintain them properly?

we have about the same climate..with texas being the hotter of the two states.
but also, I dont remember too much about the tire since it was like 2 years ago.

I'm enjoying the Direzza Star Spec Z1's tho.

I hate cars

I forgot to mention the Star Specs. Definitely in the top 3 street tires. You should do some measured 60-0 stops so we can compare. I'm also looking forward to trying the PS3s since I have so much data on the NT05s already.

Getting to optimal temp is huge, I've learned that the hard way. My car is a tail happy SOB when the tires are cold. You definitely need a tire that will work at the temps you encounter. Maybe that's why mine liked a lower pressure, it created more heat. I don't mind a tire that requires a little heat, but not much more than a little spirited driving will provide. On the track it's fine but on the street you never know what's going to happen at any given time.

i_love_cars

iTrader: (1)

If you get any significant rain and need wet traction, you will struggle with NT05 and Direzza. I've never had much luck with either of them in the rain.

For outright dry handling on the street, NT05's are hard to beat though given the cost.

For the street with a daily driver that wants performance and wet traction, you can't go wrong with the Hankook ventus v12 evo. They just won't be quite as sticky as the NT05's, but will be almost identical in grip to the Direzza.

I wouldn't bother looking much past NT05, Direzza star spec, or the ventus v12's.

I hate cars

Was it a problem with hydroplaning or just traction in the wet?

I had great luck with the NT05 in the rain. Very good traction below the hydroplaning threshold. It might struggle in standing water but we get very little standing water around here so I can't comment. They do ok on the freeway in the rain. As long as the rubber is in contact with the road, wet traction is good.

The PS3 is supposedly good in the rain as well but no first hand experience.

I almost forgot, the PS3s in the 255/40/17 size are only $150.

TWiSDiT

iTrader: (4)

Im currently on the hankook v12's and ride quality/handling is very smooth and quiet. Wet traction is awesome

poormans_tl69

im so glad someone opened up a thread about this today... im looking for tires for my new wheels. looking into the hankook v12, reviews arent bad at all. going to look into the brands mentioned above.

I hate cars

I would trust reviews for things like noise and such, assuming they've run the tire for a few thousand miles. However, when it comes to performance, I don't listen to 99% of the reviews out there. If I'm looking for a tire with the absolute best traction in dry conditions I'm going to some of the other car forums, the guys that regularly track their cars and if you're lucky you can find people who don't change tires for the street. That's how I found the PS3 tires I mentioned above.

The problem is, people go by emotions when it comes to measuring performance. They will drive on the tire for 10 minutes, take a few on ramps well below the tire's limit, and write a detailed performance review.

That's why I look for guys who have tracked the cars and seen the reduction in track times or the guys like me who measure g force and stopping distance on the street. Sometimes a tire with really sharp turn-in can make the driver think it has better traction; there are all kinds of ways a quicker tire can feel slower and a slower tire feel faster.

poormans_tl69

yes your absolutely right. i found out today that its not easy buying tires. everyone has a different opinion on them. especially these vendors.

4drviper

@ IHC.
michelin makes PS3
hankook makes RS-3 lol

summer tire mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm if only they were good in rain as dws/motivo..... i'd be all over them

also Nexen N9000 is probably the cheapest out there with softest sidewall. if you don't mind soft sidewall i'd say it's cheap... yea cheap but still good summer

I hate cars

Thanks! I need to get more sleep lol. The RS3 is what I meant, should be a huge difference over the PS3.

shrykhar

... are being replaced with the Direzza ZII, and they're not something I'd recommend for ride quality either. If you really need something from the nutty end of the summer tire scale (low treadwear, high grip) the new Bridgestone RE11A is softer and quieter.

Unless you drive VERY aggressively and/or autocross, I'd go a small step down and get the Conti DW or Hankook V12s. Or Pilot Super Sports if you're willing to pay for them.

4drviper

the RS3 gets mixed reviews depending on style,

people say when you wiggle your ass out (let's ignore people who wants to say FF don't slide) , it just grips itself back in even before you "counter steer"(actually zero counter steer but still)

also softer sidewall than most summer/semi-slicks.


and wet grip is terrible lolol

looking forward to your review

TheDingo

these threads are dumb as shit. everyone has an opinion so you're going to be even more confused than before you posted. just research and decide what is in your budget first then go from there.

lil12002

IHC, Where did you find this price at?

I hate cars

I accidentally said PS3 instead of RS3. No way you will ever find the PS3 at that price.

lil12002

IHC, I just looked and they are 155 on tire rack! 5 more bucks aint alot, how many miles do you think i can get on them?

Tannon

Im getting ES 2.2 Varrstoen wheels and will probably get a minor stretch. What summer tires do you guys recommend for stretching? Thanks

I hate cars

I recommend no summer tire for stretching.

sonny@tirerack

Though there is not one tire that is going to perform the highest in every category, the tire that likely most closely fits what you have described is the Michelin Pilot Super Sport. For ride comfort and daily driving, the Direzza ZII, Hankook RS3 and Bridgestone RE11A are all a bit aggressive. They will certainly provide better dry handling, but at the sacrifice of ride quality, longevity and noise comfort.

tweeder82o

This I will never understand, when you buy tires they show you what the customer ratings are...

of all of the fancy pants science that went into developing the tires, your best marketing is the last guy who bought them and their feelings on a scale of 1-10?

I mean, short of divulging your secret rubber compound recipe, share some hard data! Be it percentage of the certain rubber used in the compound, track data... etc. Or at least have a universal scale from which to rank the tires.

Discount tire: "good better best" what is that?!? the last time I used good, better, and best to describe something was in elementary school when we first learned how to use those adjectives.



On another note, I saw that tirerack.com has the these "test results"; haven't really looked into them. How are their testing and their results?

tweeder82o

http://www.caranddriver.com/comparis...mparison-tests

http://www.caranddriver.com/comparis...mparison-tests

http://www.caranddriver.com/comparis...omparison-test

I hate cars

I fully agree. I don't mind the customer rating system for road noise but letting customers determine which performance tire performs the best is scary. I was reading reviews of the RS3 and there was one horribly negative review. I looked at the details and it was a minivan that was not driven hard. The customer put the wrong type of tire on the wrong type of car and gave it a poor review. That's in addition to the fact that most performance reviews are based on feelings, not data and its human nature to think your brand new toy is awesome at first.

mY sLOW UA6

I liked my Yokohama s drives

Butter type-s

I'm currently using hankook v12's and they are really good. They are my first summer tire and can't really compared to any other brand, but I purchased them after my tire guy recommended them to me, keep in mind this are on my stock rim and I drive the car everyday even in snow, and to be honest they were good in the snow. I recently saw that the hankook v12's are in the top 5 summer tires in Consumer report magazine. For me it was a great buy.

brianch

Want to get the best tires that are great for daily use?

Get the Michilen Pilot Super Sports.

Expensive but it can keep up with the RS3s and Direzzas and still work in heavy rain. I can tell you that Direzzas and RS3s are not good in the rain - especially if there are puddles (shat my pants many times)

Just read the tire comparisons and you will see. The Michilen Pilot Super Sports are the best overall tire.

pohljm

^^^ HAHAHA good luck with that! no way that the PSS are even on the same lap as the cars running the RS3 and stars.

tweeder82o

same lap?

I think brianch and the OP are talking about daily use tires. I find this category harder to shop for. Sure, you'd want sweet dry tires like RS3 and Stars to run a good lap. But then sometimes,on your way to the grocery store, it rains but you still want to have fun driving. And then there's the how quickly your tires wear out and the comfort and noise to deal with.

That's what a good everyday tire tries to balance.

No one-trick-ponies

I hate cars

Why is it all of the Hondas come out to spin their wheels when it's raining. I guess all of the cars that will do it on dry pavement stay inside.

I can't comment on the RS3s in the rain but people said the NT05s were bad in the rain and traction is outstanding in the rain. I won't believe good or bad till I try them.

Me personally I want great traction for safety as much as going fast. If one tire will stop 10' quicker than the other from 60mph, that's huge when you're trying to avoid rear ending someone.

4drviper

my acquaintances commented RS-3 is decent in rain halfway through tread life. then it becomes a hovercraft

NTSPEEDTL

iTrader: (1)

I'm having a headache after reading all these comments.lolz

brianch

I love replying to people like you. I have had RS3s and Direzzas in the past and after driving on the track with a friends BMW with the new Super Sports I can safely say it was just as quick.

Please do your research before commenting.
http://www.caranddriver.com/comparis...omparison-test

http://www.pdfdownload.org/pdf2html/...pdf&images=yes


So you tell me. As a daily driver tire that can handle occasional track use which is better? The super sports or the direzzas and rs3s? The Super Sport lapped better in the dry and ESPECIALLY in the wet (where daily drivability counts)


And here is something else to consider. TREADWEAR

How long the tire lasts. You care about that right? Its a nice bonus to have a tire that lasts long right?

Michilen Pilot Super Sports 300AA
Yokohama Advan AD08 180AA
Hankook RS3 140AA
Dunlop Star Spec Z1 200AA

You tell me. So the Super Sports last longer, go faster in the dry in the wet... Hmm.. Not on the same lap? Sure.

Don't get me wrong I love the Direzzas and RS3s.

I had Direzza Star Specs in my rsx track car and I loved them. They had overheating and chunking issues. Switched to RS3s. Wow. Very nice. A little bit edgy at high speeds but the grip was great. BUT it didn't last very long. Lasted me 2 track events. Now I am looking at buying the Direzza IIs (new version of star spec z1s)

For my TL I am for sure going to get the Michilen Pilot Super Sports

They perform very well in the dry and they are safe in the wet. And they have great treadwear for an extreme performance tire.

You have to realize you are talking down on the tires that come factory with the Ferrari 458 Italia

And before you judge the source. This test was done by Tire Rack and Car and Driver.


Nothing like good old facts.

I hate cars

Whoa, you left out some critical facts that severly bias the tire you wanted to win. Are we picking and choosing which "facts" we post?

The RS3s had the quickest dry stopping and tied for the highest dry skidpad number. The RS3s have the highest outright grip and are the second cheapest in the test. I think this is information people might like to know.

The differences in the auto-x can be attributed to the car itself, the tires can change the handling balance so I'm going to say assuming the car was optimized to the tires the outcome would be different. For all we know, the stock suspension in that Bimmer might not have been up to the task of the additional grip provided by the RS3s. It could have been hitting the bumpstops during transitions which would hurt it's times.


The RS3 beat the Michelins by 4 feet in dry braking. The Michelins beat the RS3 in wet braking by 4 feet so let's not be biased here. If 4 feet makes it terrible in the rain compared to the Michelin, the Michelin is terrible in the dry.

Treadwear is different from manufacturer to manufacturer. Use it to compare tires from the same manufacturer but it's just a rough guide when you compare between brands.

Now why did they choose the Michelin for Ferrari and such? Because it had to have decent tread life, it had to be good in the rain, it had to be quiet enough, it was a decent all around tire for a car that's sold all over the world in many different climates whose owners just might be driving in advese conditions a lot. Because Ferrari decided to use it does not make it the best tire ever.

Let's not forget this test was sponsored...

What the RS3 does do and it does the best is stopping and turning. That's what we do on the street. That's what helps avoid accidents and increases the fun factor. You're not going to be driving at 10/10ths on the street, you just need a tire with great grip and the RS3 has the highest grip according to that test.

I see just a few wet days a year. It rarely hits freezing. I drive 3 miles round trip to work. This tire fits my needs perfectly with the highest grip available in a street tire, it will last me several years, it's not the best but it's fine in the rain, there's no reason for me to not try this tire out.

tweeder82o

the obvious and logical solution is then to get 4 different tires (1 stars, 1 rs3, 1 ss, and 1 nitto) and put them on each of the wheels

paperboy42190

iTrader: (7)

i hate cars is right, so many opinionated reviews, and everyone just goes by what they hear from friends. I personally like michelin tires because they are great for everyday use and occasional spirited driving. Now, if I wanted to do occasional tracking I would go with something slightly more grippy like RS3, but honestly on the streets most people dont/cant drive fast enough to tell the difference between most of these max performance summer tires.

brianch

Sure you guys daily drive your cars with RS3s then.

I've spun out so many times in my RS3s in heavy rain its not even funny. I've spun out and got within 2 feet of a truck. After that I realized running RS3s or Direzzas during the wet season is not the best idea. The Super Sports can actually be driven in heavy rain. They have real tread. Just look at the tread designs.

I can tell you one thing for sure. The RS3s do not last that long and neither do the Direzzas.

The Super Sports are an impressive tire. They have very good dry and wet performance and you don't have to shit your pants when you see a puddle. The treadlife on them is much better then the Direzzas and RS3s. If you don't believe my experience just google and do your own research.

I based the opinion based off my own experience

The TL is not a track car folks. Its a godamn 4 door sedan based off the Accord. You guys get way ahead of yourselves on the forum. Unless you track your TL on the weekends I'm not sure why you would get the Direzzas or RS3s.

If you want to put it that way and you want the best performance tire for the TL just get the AD08s. Forget the Direzzas and RS3s.


The OP lives in new England and wants a aggressive tire that will last. It does rain in new england..

As a daily driver performance tire I would never choose the Direzzas and RS3s or AD08s over the Super Sport.

As a track/autox tire I wouldn't hesitate to use the Super Sports but I'd likely still choose the Direzzas or AD08s. But realistically I'd just run R Comps if you are serious about tracking.


We aren't looking for the best performance tire for the track. The OP never mentioned ANYTHING about tracking.


I will re quote my post
Until you have daily driven both the RS3s and Direzzas I don't think you should comment.

I still have barely any tread left in my rsx on the Direzzas. I would not hesitate to buy again. I'm actually looking to order the new Direzza IIs as I still prefer the Direzzas over the RS3 on the track.

For my TL though.. There is no point in getting a extreme performance tire designed for autoX and track and occasional street use. I daily drive the TL to the grocery store and to the movie theater. I might bring the TL to the track like twice a year... The Super Sports are a much better option for the daily driver who wants a high performance tire.

Do you ride on Direzzas or RS3s? Because I can tell you. With the music off the tires are hell loud. The comfort is also very minimal.

The Super Sports are quieter and more comfortable - better hydroplane performance - very comparable dry and wet grip to the Direzza and RS3 (even lapped faster in both). The Michilens also last longer than the Direzzas and RS3s by a considerable amount.