Hey guys, turns out my tires did not get a proper alignment last time mini put them on added to that my "spirited driving" and my nice Toyo Proxes TR-1 are done for , They ran me up a nice bill for my last 4 at about 195$ per tire and Id like to know if i can find a tire that gives me GREAT HANDLING > GOOD Durability > for a BETTER price,


Ive searched the forums and honestly its a mess of information and i cant seem to find out what would be best, the 3 types i come across the most are Falken fk452 - Yokohama S drive - General exclaims UHP but honestly im open to anything for my 16inch rims, as long as Handling - Durability and Price are there. I usualy go for summer tires as I have no choice but to have snow tires for our glorious white winters up here in canada.

Please help !

 

I have been running General Exclaim UHP's (205/50/16) for a year on my 07 MCS, which recently truned 15K miles. I am very happy with these tires. I rotate them every 3-4K, and they are showing relatively little wear after this non-neglible mileage. I do not track the car or do competitive driving, but my street driving style could be considered "exuberant". Because of their long-wearing (ie, harder) compound, the Exclaims will not be the ultimate grippy tire - other performance tires with softer compounds will exceed the Exclaims in absolute grip if that is what you are seeking. However, for normal spirited but sane street use, I find the Exclaims an excellent mix of comfort, durability, good dry grip and outstanding wet grip. In terms of value-for-dollar, they are a terrific buy.

 

Depending on what size you would like to go with... I would suggest looking at like the new Goodyear Eagle GT's ($94 in 205/55/16 @ tirerack or $93 in 205/50/16 @ tirerack) or the Kuhmo Ecsta MX ($91 in 205/55/16 @ tirerack). I have had experience with the Kuhmo and they are nice and sticky and they also ride fairly smooth, since they've only been run in the summer (and should only be run in the summer) with a few track day's they have already lasted 2 summers with probably one more in them. Even though the Goodyears are new, I've seen some track reviews of them and they seem to preform very nicely. Working in the tire sales biz, the only thing I've seen with the UHP's is that, when they get older they start to make some noise, and since you have dedicated winter... why not get something a little more sticky and a stiffer sidewall than the UHP's which are an all-season. The Fk-452's aren't a bad choice either, the only bad thing I've heard of with these is for some reason they seem a little slick once they get wet, but that could also have been because they were on a Jetta... Just my 2 cents on tires.

 

Out of those, the FK452s will give you the best amount of grip and it'll wear extremely well. I even went on two HPDE with them in my A4 and it held up pretty good, considering how heavy the Audi is.

 

I haven't driven on Yokohama S Drives or Generals, but I can tell you that you will be pretty impressed on how the Falken FK452's perform. The tire will handle very close to the T1-R, but will be much smoother and quieter of a ride. I recommend them for the price.

Leo Barrios
leo@edgeracing.com
800-489-5353 x211
http://www.edgeracing.com

 

Hey Seaz, I just went through a similar search and as a fellow Canuck, I wanted an all season that would work well with zippy day to day driving.
I ended up going with the BF Goodrich G-Force Supersport UHP a/s.
They are fantastic so far in summer use. MUCH quieter than runflats, and what I believe is better performance. I've taken some seriously quick offramps and lane changes in the past couple of weeks and the wheels don't even chirp! Ride quality is firm but again softer than runflats and the turn in remains very respectable. They can be had at a fairly reasonable price.

http://www.sportcompactcarweb.com/te...ort/index.html

Good luck!!!

 

I ran S-Drives on my Honda Fit and was very impressed; good grip in wet and dry, excellent wear. The downsides of the tire were noise and ride comfort. Construction was first rate (made in Japan).

I ran the Falkens on my Subie Legacy and found them to be very loud and choppy and they wore really quick. But then again the Legacy weighs a lot more than the Mini. Grip was impressive.

I ordered the General's today and will be mounting them on Thursday. I must have read every review on the net before I decided on these tires so I have high expectations.

 

I can speak for the Generals and the Yokohama's

Generals Exclaim UHP had excelent ride quality, but lacks in ultimate agressive dry cornering.

Yokohama S drive I feel is a sportier dry weather tire,

Both have effective hydroplaning resistance.

Alex