Tire Recomendations for Florida
 

Hey, I have a '12 TL w/ Tech that I bought 2 years ago with 245/50/17 KUMHO ECSTA 4X II's already installed, they've been pretty meh. It's time for new tires so I've been reading a lot of what is already posted here but I'm not finding a lot of info for people in warmer climates, I'm in Indialantic, FL. I drive pretty aggressively so without changing from the stock tire size, the only Summer option available is a Pirelli that is $300 per tire and well out of my price range. I talked to a tire shop who recommended maybe changing from the stock 245/50/17 to a 255/45/17 and doing BF Goodrich g-Force Sport COMP-2's if I want summer tires but I'm not too sure about changing sizes, the spedo would be about 3 MPH off. If I decide to stay stock I'm basically between the PIRELLI CINTURATO P7 ALL SEASON PLUS or the CONTINENTAL EXTREMECONTACT DWS 06; can anyone offer a recommendation given that I'm going to be in Florida? Would I notice "that" much of a difference in cornering and grip between a high performance all season and a summer tire? Also worth noting that I only put about 6k-7k miles a year on the car. Thank you in advance for the help!

49 views and no comments, guess this is a tougher one than I thought!

You won't be satisfied with the DWS06 in FL if you drive hard and love to have fun. I have the DWS06 on my 3G TL and accord and they work great esp in winter conditions but the Summer only version is better. I have the Continental Extreme Contact Summer Tires (new version of the DW) on my 4G TL and love them! As long as the temperatures stay above 40F you'll be fine to drive! VERY STICKY (so much so that you'll end up hearing tires pick up rocks/debris on dirty roads) and the treadwear is great with a 30K mile warranty.

Same with pilot sport 4S, a bit better than the super sports but you'll have to wait for tires to be above 40F! Not sure if they come in 17" but it might be worth upgrading to a used set of factory 18"s (can be found for 200-300 bux) and putting summer tires on it.

Thanks for the reply! The DW's sound like what I want but they don't have them in the stock size, I'd have to go with a slightly different size or get new wheels. I really appreciate your input though.

Just wanted to update that I ended up getting some Continental Extremecontact Sports in 255/45/17 since they don't make them, or really any other affordable summer tire, in the stock 245/50/17. Looks like there will be a 2.34% speed variance which is acceptable to me. I should be getting them put on tomorrow, I'll update again once they're on.

Ok, I got the tires put on today and wanted to create a post that gave a good comparison between the stock size tires (245/50/17) and the 255/45/17. I'm doing this because when I searched for opinions about changing tire sizes on the stock wheels I couldn't find much info and there aren't many choices for 245/50/17, especially if you want a summerr tire. First, let me say the Continental Extremecontact Sports are great, much stickier than the Khumo's I'm replacing, also quieter and the ride is firm but not too firm; I haven't had them on long enough to make a recommendation but first impressions are great. Here are some pics for size comparison:

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...1531bd3c2e.jpg
Old tires
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...a7b7757610.jpg
Old tires
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...8817439fe0.jpg
Old tires
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...f67be51bb3.jpg
New tires
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...4e5ded6254.jpg
New tires
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...583a7531a.jpeg
New tires

Good choice.I got the DW's way back and swap them out for Winters.

I was going to suggest something very hefty and knobby in case you need to traverse across the Everglades.:wish:
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...c79df4d9b5.jpg

Bridgestone Blizzaks WS-80.

/ thread

:biggrin:

Haha, even then I'd still probably need a new

Thanks, I knew they would be better than the Khumo's that were on the car when I bought it but holy shit, the cornering grip is phenomenal.

be sure to give them 500 miles to wear in and check pressures reguarly! I've found 36-37 PSI HOT works well for my style according to the car's TPMS on board. Usually filled to 33-34PSI Cold.

Thanks for the advice, I actually hadn't considered a break in period but after reading your comment and doing a little research it definitely seems like it's something I need to do.

Yeah mine didn't feel 100% confident for the first 2-3 days on the highway but after 500 miles they were much better! I have to drive 120 miles roundtrip some days so it's easy to tell the differences over such a long drive.

Good to know, how many miles do you have them now? How's the tread life?

Too late to get a reply in before your purchase, but I think the Pilot Sport A/S 3's are a fantastic tire in any condition. I'm on my 3rd set.

Hey, thanks for the info. I was only interested in getting summer tires since I'm in Florida but the Pilot Sport A/S 3's do look good if I needed a A/S tire. I did look at the Michelin Pilot 4S's which is a summer tire and looked great but they have pretty limited sizes in 17" and are about $55 more a tire.

I managed to get to 32K before hitting the wear bars on my front set of tires. That's without any rotations so the rears are in great shape! I kept them a bit overinflated so they did wear faster in the center. Proper inflation would have had them to 35K miles easily on the fronts without rotations. Ended up being about 2 years of daily driving for the fronts. (Continental extreme contact sport)

With that said your results may vary! Some folks think that they will get the same tire life and performance when it's really "spring" weather and not summer weather. 90F FL days make these tires shine since it's much easier to keep heat in them and grip up. But if you are in a cooler place the compound won't get hot and pile-able and wear faster, be louder, etc.

Just remember that 40F is the cutoff! Any cooler and you have to allow them to warm and to be at 40F+ for a few hours before rolling on the tire.