I think I'm going back to 17" wheels. I'm going to pick up some Enkei RPF1 17x7 wheels 15lbs each!! I should save over 8 pounds on each corner. I do a lot of driving and I'm looking for a tire I can put some miles on, handle some canyons but be quiet on California freeways. My car tires seem to make a lot of noise, they are Yokohama S drives in 18". I also just had the car aligned yesterday afternoon, thinking that would help with some of the road noise.

BTW will I notice an 8 pound drop in wheel weight?
Thanks
Mario

 

Were your Yokohama's loud even when new or at end of life?

Enkei RPF1

 

RPF1 people, RPF1

 

I was very happy with my Michelin Pilot Exalto 2's. Only reason they are on the rack is I bought 18's

 

Really love my Kumho Ecsta SPT's in that size - seem very quiet to me compared to others I've heard - and handle well and have been durable through Dragon runs and some track sessions.

 

i'd say my michelin pilot exalta pe2s are very very quiet and ride very smooth. They handle pretty dang well but to be honest they ride so smooth that they are deceiving. I think I'm going to get another set as my street tire because im so happy with the ride v performance.

Not the best track or autoX tire however, but excellent street tire.

 

sumitomo HTR+ that's wat i run on my MCS. very quiet, nice grip,
very comfy... cheap too.

hey nice wheels. kinda looks like mine...

 

You can also try the Falken 912's. They are very quiet and have great wet/dry traction. They are also asymmetrical which makes rotating the tire easier.

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

 

he's in socal - no need for an A/S tire unless he's doing runs to Tahoe or something

 

I also like my Kumho Excsta ASX, very quiet, all season, ride well and I drove them at Heartland Park and they handled very well.

I have Yokomama Parada Spec 2's on my ASA "track" wheels and I don't think they handle any better than the Kumho's, and boy are they noisey!

The other upside of the Kumho's, about 1/2 the $$$ of comparable Michis....

 

i don't see the point to having all seasons in cali. in any fashion. All seasons will have subpar wet and dry performance to most uhp summer tires.

 

hey, that's on that set on the floor in my pict. 195/50's.

 

Ditto on the Falken's - these are amazing tires - They're sticky! They're quiet! And, the frickin tread lasts forever!!!!!! I had a set that I got over 40k miles on!!!!! Definitely, when it's time to replace the Michelin pilots or if I go with 18" wheels, Falken's will be the primary tires I consider.

 

Two recommendations for tires I use every day (or close to it) in 215/45-17:

For summer (or rather non-snow, non-super cold) use, Goodyear F1 GS-D3s Very quiet, great in rain, predictable, tenacious grip, good looks. Directional tread, no siping.

For all season, Bridgestone RE960AS Pole Position. Much the same as above, and seems to do well in snow (this fact got tested the other day). Does well in well-below freezing weather as well. Directional tread, lots of siping and voids.

 

my last set on my comps were GS-D3's.... they were loud after about 65% left.

 

One Vote for Eagle F1 GS-D3....but haven't gotten to 65% yet so cant comment on that.

 

yah, well i only talk from experience.

im super happy with my setup right now especially now that i dont drive
that spiritedly these days. i like the quiet ride with nice milltek tone and
some sc whining.

 

Thank you for all your help. I pick up my RPF 1's on Monday. I will be selling my 5 Zigen 18" with brand new Yoko S drive 215/40/18 for $1000 new was over $2,000. The wheels are bronze in color.
Mario

 

Morning all, i'm putting my vote for Dunlop Direzza's Just Tires had them for
105 a tire.

 

I'm a Bridgestone fanatic and run the RE960's in the winter and have RE01R's in the garage waiting to go on in the spring. The 960's are an all season tire, but perform almost as well as the Falken RT615's I took off in October. They are obviously more quiet than the RT615's due to the less aggressive tread design, but perform very well. I don't go to the snow, but like the extra comfort of knowing that I could zip up to Tahoe if the need arose. I am lowered w/ H-sports and run 215/45R17's w/ no clearance issues, although the 615's did contact the fender lips on larger dips in the fwy.
HTH

Later

 

Thats good actually...i mean noise at 65% Then I'll have an excuse to get the RE01R's

 

bdmini- im also into BS, but i don't let that block me from experimenting other tires.

 

if you're going for performance GS-D3's actually perform better at
65% and below imho...unless you're in water all the time. so that's
a lame excuse.

 

xx