I am seeking some new rubber, currently running on 215/40-17s, but looking for a bit more sidewall. Anyone running 215/45-17s can give recommendations on a value-priced performance tire? I've been looking at the Sumitomo HTR ZIII's which seem like a good value. TIA for any input.

EDIT:
Doing some searching also saw recommendations for:
Hankook Ventus V12
Continental Extreme Contact DW
Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position

Here is how I would rank my priorities: Price > Comfort > Handling although I would still like a nice grippy tire that I can take on the twisties. No current plans for track or auto-x.

 

I like my 215/45ZR-17 BFGoodrich g-Force Sport COMP-2. Had them for about a year so far. Seems like they might go another.

 

Michelin Pilot A/S 3 love them

 

Mich. Pilot Super Sport...forget money...this is the tire you need.

 

I just started running the S-04 Pole Position in 215/45r17 after reading way too many tire reviews. It hasn't been too warm, but so far I like the way that they grip. I drove through a 50 degree deluge last night and had no issues with hydroplaning. So far I'm extremely happy with them. I can't wait til MOTD to give them a proper workout!

 

Got Khumo 215/45/17 ecsta AST for $79 at discount tire. I had these once before on my Trans Am and they worked well. They have a nice ride, aggressive look. I know they say traction A not AA but they are every bit as good as my Conti DW's in dry and wet traction and even claim to be all season.

 

While only 205s, my Continental Extreme Contact DWs are great. I bet a bit more sidewall would be just fine. They are exceptional in the wet and impressive in the dry, all while having a quiet ride that isn't too soft.

 

Bridgestone S-04 poles, awesome performance rain or shine all the way down to the wear bars. I run 225 45 17 on our R56's.

 

If your priority is price then comfort then handling, the Contintal DWs fit the bill perfect. Inexpensive Max Performance Summer tire with a soft sidewall gives a comfortable ride. Expect to give up some steering response, especially while the tires break in. They have lots of ultimate grip too; great for canyon carving. They give plenty of warning at the limits. I am very happy with the 215/45R17 DWs on my Clubman, though I may go for something with a little more steering response next time.

 

I was worried about losing the sharpness when I switched from run flats to the Continental DW. It turns out that my fears were unfounded. The harshness goes away, but the performance remains. They actually have more grip than my original tires did. Yes, there's a bit less turn in response, but nothing significant.

 

I've been running the Hankook ventus V12 evo for a few years now. It's a great tire with plenty of grip in both wet and dry. Smooth and quiet on the highway. I'm getting the new ventus evo2 next week.

 

You guys with the Bridgestone S-04's and Continental DW's, how are the tires wearing for you? Doing a little more research, it was recommended that I go with all-seasons like the Continental DWS's or Michelin A/S 3's.

 

If it's just a stiff sidewall, great rain tire and long warranty you seek without breaking the bank, I'd look at the Nexen 5000 all season. They came on my wife's used MCSa and are warranted for 60k, have stiff sidewalls and I love it now around here when it rains and I am driving her car. they seem to hold okay on twisties, too I always thought my Nitto Neo Gens were the best rain/twisty/occasional hpde tire for us, too, until these Nexens came into our lives.

 

DWs are an extremely good deal right now

 

Bridgestone S-04's driving the car to the max all the time you can expect around 22K miles, driving the car sporty you can expect 33K miles, they have a UTQG rating of 280.

In general the higher the mileage rating (UTQG Number) the harder the rubber and the lower the traction. The lower the mileage rating (UTQG Number) the softer the rubber and the higher the traction.

I would suggest maybe taking looking at the UTQG number on your current tires and decide what you want more or less of in general.

Good luck whatever you decide, hope this helps.

 

The Volk wheels on my R55 came with DWs already mounted, previously used by an R56 driver. I used up the tires and they wore perfectly even to the wear bars. I have a new set of DWs now. I don't know how many miles I'll get out of them. Guessing around 25,000.

They post about checking the UTQG on your existing tires and comparing to new tires in order to estimate tire wear/life is right on. Also, add 2 zeros to the UTQG to estimate mileage; so a UTQG of 340 would be 34,000 miles approximately.

 

And divide by 2 LOL if you drive aggressive
Like me.

 

Our DW tires have done not quite 10,000 miles and are not quite half worn. I'm projecting 18-20,000 miles on them.

The DW or DWS tires are both good choices. Now I've had a chance to compare them in the same size, the DWS doesn't give up much in terms of performance, and the DW is slightly more comfortable. The DW is an awesome rain tire, its what a lot of autocrossers use as their rain tires. I used them on a very wet autocross and did better than expected. The DWS feels pretty good in the rain as well. On my previous set of DWS, I was projecting a life of about 25,000 miles for the DWS, they do have a 50,000 mile treadware warranty, so if I'd carried on at that rate continental would have given me the next set for half price.

I'd go with the DW unless you have a specific need for all season tires. We've got one set each of DW and DWS tires, we got some all seasons for the 1 week a year when its almost freezing here, or if we want to go to the mountains.

 

Something to note about treadwear ratings.

UTQG Treadwear ratings represent only a ratio of how well a tire is expected to last relative to other rating numbers on other tires but the value of the rating is solely determined by the manufacturer and is subject to inflation or deflation for marketing purposes.

I would not place much value on comparing treadwear ratings across different companies. The actual mileage you get on your tires is determined more by how you drive, if you keep tire pressures to the correct level, where you drive, how much you drive urban vs highway, and how much load you carry in your car, plus more.

I would not estimate that a 300 rated tire will last 30,000 miles. Although it may last that long I would say it's likely to be much less and closer to 22,000 to 25,000 for cars that drive mixed urban and highway.

For me, 200 rated tires last about 12 months or roughly 12,000-14,000 miles. Remember that if you live in an area with some rain, you should replace the tires when tread depth is 4/32". So a 300 rated tire may last me, 18-20K miles or less than 19 - 24 months.

Note too that as tires get old and age the rubber compound may harden and the tire won't wear as fast but road noisy and ride harshness will increase. Then when you change to new tires you really notice the difference in ride quality and less noise.

With that in mind, rather than buying tires with a wear rating of 700 I might buy a tire that has a 400 rating and replace it twice as often for the better ride more often. That's why if you can buy a decent 300 tire with good handling and ride quality, it's really not that bad if you shop around for something in your budget range. A higher price does not always mean the tire is better, tire companies may overprice OEM tires so that when owners replace their tires (usually junk) they look for an OEM replacement.

Tires that come from non OEM companies want to compete with OEM brands and will price their tires competitively to get business.

Do your homework.

 

What rim width are you running?
Thanks

 

Running the stock sport package OEM 17" with 7" rim width and 48 offset (as is) with no spacers or suspension mods. Keep in mind, the actually tire dimensions differ slightly by brand and tire model. The S-04's I'm running have a section width of 8.9", thread width of 8.1", an overall diameter of 25" with a weight of 25 lbs.

Hope this helps,

 

the pilot sports are onsale at trirerack and have a $70 rebate.... this is hard to pass up

 

Thanks, I have the GP2 and width is 7.5". I need to see how much clearance I have to see if the 225' will fit (running the 215/40-17 Kumho Ecsta V700).

 

I like the 7.5" GP rims a lot, your good to go on the tire width but your going to need an extra .55" diameter clearance. (23.9" to 25").

Good luck,