My dad bought my 2009 MCS before we moved to London and is in need of some new summer tires. He already has a set of wheels w/ Blizzaks for the NJ winters. Now he needs to replace the aging run flats for summer time.

We (ok he) is looking to spend under $130. Recommendations? Car is mostly a weekend fun car that he takes to open track days (father's day gifts from the best kids ever! haha).

Basically looking for good value and performance.

 

My favorite summer street tire is the Continental DW. A nice blend of performance and civilised road manners. I just looked up the price on Tirerack, I didn't realise they were so cheap. $89 for 16" or $104 for 17".

 

+1 Love mine

 

Funny you should ask - I just ordered mine.
For MCS you could be looking for either 16" or 17" tires - do let us know which ones to hit your price points.

In my case the choice came down to either Bridgestone RE11a (new ones) or Hankook Ventus R-S3 tires. The latter went on sale in 225/50-R16 size (will fit on stock 16x6.5" wheels just fine) at TireRack for $120/each, which twisted my hand in the favor of RS3's.

I had RE11s before on 17" wheels and loved them for dry and wet grip, as well as very predictable break away feedback during autoX. But the 17" wheels with sports suspension were a bit too jarring for Northern NJ roads, so I grabbed a set of 16" wheels over the winter and will try the 16" summer tires this time around.

alex

 

I'd be surprised if the RE-11A (or even the RE-11) came in under budget, they've never been a cheap tire. (Just checked, they're $145.) I also wouldn't want to run them as my street tires, I reserve them for track or autocross. They're a brilliant grippy tire if you want ultimate performance, but their road manners leave a lot to be desired. On the street I wouldn't notice the difference in performance between an RE-11 and a DW, but I do notice the difference in ride and noise.

 

It would appear that the $89 205/50-16 Conti DWs at TireRack were made in 2009.

 

Not necessarily. I just bought a set about 2 months ago and I ran that question by them and was
assured that they would be newer than that. When I received them the DOT code's last 4 digits
on all 4 tires were 4511 (November 2011 production date) even though the website and my invoice
said "2009 production".
I paid $99 each, this was just before they dropped the price to $89.
I would suggest calling and asking before ordering since the price changed, however.

 

I have to correct you about RE-11s street manors based on my first-hand experience over the past ~15K miles and 18 months on my 205/45-17 RE11s (including 1 autoX season). They have been remarkably quiet and well behaved on the street. No tramlining, no howling, no complains of any kind. I was expecting great traction on the dry, but the phenomenal behavior on wet was a bonus. In fact, I took FTD at the last wet autoX of 2012 season (that the MCS had no business taking!) with tires at the wear bars!

They still have 1 autoX left in them (tomorrow;-) and I could probably push it to 2, but the Hankook Ventus R-S3 are already here and begging to be driven.

As to Conti DW's - they are OK tires for the price, but far from the best. Based on the TireRack (usually reliable) users's survey:
- "Extreme" Performance (RE-11 and R-S3): http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...ay.jsp?type=EP
- step down "Max" Performance (DWs): http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...ay.jsp?type=MP

YMMV,
alex f

 

My experience is first hand as well. I run DW tires on the street and RE-11 on the track and autocross. I know when I've got the RE-11s on as the ride and noise go to hell.

As for wet performance, the hot tire for wet autocross is the DW, over the RE-11 or any of the competitors. I wouldn't know, its never rained on me so far, the Contis do work very well in the wet.