The amount of rubber on the ground (aka "footprint") is determined by the weight on the wheel and the tire pressure. A wider tire at the same pressure and no change in overall car weight means the same amount of rubber in contact with the ground.

 

Yokohama Advans

 

Hankook Ventus Sport K104

Just a warning about these, I have less then 8k miles on them and there already shredded and done. Worst tires I have ever had.

 

Been reading this thread for some time now... Have yet to hear a bad report or experience with the Yokahama S Drives... Quiet ride, great handling, grippy, good in the wet, long life.... I'm about to ditch my run flats for a set of 215/45/17's, also hoping this will correct the built in speedo error.

 

S.Drive tires have been criticized by EVO magazine late last year for not being as good handling especially in the wet.

Tirerack tests show-
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...t.jsp?ttid=104
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=104
Yokohama S.drive (Ultra High Performance Summer 225/45R17)
Quote-
What We Liked: Quick steering response and sporty feel
What We'd Improve: Increase wet traction and a small improvement in ride comfort
Conclusion: A sporty tire tuned for enthusiasts who want to feel connected to the road
Latest Test Rank: 3rd
Previous Test Rank: 3rd (August '07)

Higher rated tires-
Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2
Bridgestone Potenza RE760 Sport

see
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...y.jsp?type=UHP

 

We have S.Drives on our e46 330ci 'vert cruiser car, and I have to say that I am less than impressed. The inline-6 can roast them in the dry, and they're downright crap when it's wet.

I just ordered a set of Neo Gens for street tires for our test mule Cooper. I had been running Hankook V4-ES, which aren't bad (and were cheap at the time). I found the Neo Gens for a criminal price at onlinetires.com and we've been running NT-01's for awhile and loving them on the track, so I figured I'd give the Neo Gens a shot. The other tire that caught my eye was the new Hankook v12 evo, which is a max performance tire.

Other tires we've had over the years for street, on our R53 and R50 track mules:

Yokohama ES100's - meh, good thing they were cheap at the time
Falken RT-215 - tons of fun - until it rained
Falken RT-615 - even better in the dry, better in the wet but still bad
Falken FK-451 - mediocre at best
Toyo T1R - mediocre
BFG G-Force Sport - surprisingly good in the dry, decent in the wet
Hankook RS-2 - great dry, decent wet until worn down

Overall, the better street tires so far have been the V4-ES and the BFG's. Both were predictable in the dry (these aren't max or extreme performance tires, after all), with the V4-ES having a slight advantage in the wet.

While most would think we'd be after a summer tire here in Dallas, we've just found that they get eaten up too quickly with all the negative camber we run up front (yes, even with frequent rotation). We do get some major rains at times, so that is a consideration. Mainly, we just look for something that's quiet, lasts longer than a year, and is good in the dry and decent in the wet stuff. We're not looking to drive like maniacs on the street, either, because that belongs at the track...