I have been trying to decide on some new tires (non-runflat) size 205/45/17

i am down to four choices

1) Yokohama S. drive
2) General Exclaim UHP
3) BF Goodrich g-Force Sport
4) BF Goodrich g-Force T/A KDW

(so far i favor choice 1 and 4)

I want a tire that has good wet traction (live in Houston and it tends to like to rain here) and will not wear out all that quickly. Just seeing if anybody has had any first hand experience with any of these tires or any further knowledge. recommendations for other tires will be much appreciated, thanks

Will

 

I have tested all of the 1st hand, and sold all of the for Mini

1) Yokohama S. drive - best combination on Mini's, JMO

2) General Exclaim UHP- Best ride quality least sport handling

3) BF Goodrich g-Force Sport- Nice low road noise, handling better than 2, but not as good as 1.

4) BF Goodrich g-Force T/A KDW2 - Coolest look, most noisy

Alex

 

Alex is correct that the General UHP Exclaim is undoubtedly the least focused of your target group on performance handling. That said, however, I can vouch that the Exclaim is a very competent handling tire for normal/enthusiastic/moderately aggressive street driving. If you really want to push for extreme performance in terms of cornering, braking, acceleration, etc. I would suggest orienting your selection on a more focused sport handling tire with a softer compound. If wet traction is a major criterion for you, the Exclaim is the most secure handling tire I have ever experienced in the rain. No hydroplaning, no slippage, just secure feel, braking and cornering: An excellent rain tire. In addition, compared to the others in your group, the Exclaim is lighter weight, less expensive and longer-wearing. In selecting a tire, you need to decide which characteristics are most important to you and buy the tire which best reflects your priorities. For me, the Exclaims (205/50/16) work very well.

 

I just went from BFG Potenza S03s to the S Drives (215/45-17) and I didn't know what I missing not buying Yokohamas before this! It's a great tire, quiet, fantastic grip, good looking, not sure about wear yet, however, I go through them pretty fast due to track days and enthusiastic driving.

I highly recommend the S Drives if you can't tell.

 

They aren't on your wish list, but another tire I would recommend is the Nitto NeoGen in 215/45/17.

I run them on my 18 inch wheels and really like them. They have a good smooth ride, they are quite, and are great on wet pavement. I'm not a real agressive driver, but I do hit some of the curves pretty hard at times, and they've never shown any signs of loosing traction.

I run the Generals on my 17 inch wheels. They are great tires for the cost. The ride is a big improvement over the run-flats that come on a MINI, but they are not for those folks who do alot of agressive driving. They are made of a softer rubber compound, so I not sure how many miles you could expect out of a set.