I know this has probably been asked 100+ times but I need new tires.

Here are my normal driving conditions. only about 20 miles/day to and from work, all smooth highway. In MO so the weather is very unpredictable but snow isnt a problem because I dont drive in snow. I'll probably wind up buying some winter tires come Nov/Dec just for the freezing temps.

Noise isnt an issue because I have a loud sound system im lucky to hear anything other than the subs pumping. Comfortable ride is sort of important. I am a spirited driver although i do tend to get aggressive sometimes. Maybe taking to a track this summer for Wicks driving academy.

Im looking at the Parada's because of their great ratings on tirerack and they look awesome, but im wondering if it would be a good fit for my driving lifestyle. Also about how many miles can I expect on the Parada's for a spirited driver? How bad are they really in the rain?

Any help/suggestions appreciated. Oh and I'm not looking to spend any more than about $120/tire. Thanks.

I should mention i drive an 05 MCS and the size im looking to buy is 205/45R17

 

Those were on my 03 MINI Cooper S JCW when I bought it in '07, and it's a good thing you're not concerned with noise, cause they're loud as hell, and get worse as they wear.

Edit: I don't know which Parada you're referring to - mine are the Spec II's

As to performance and wearability, I think they're pretty good, I bought some S lites and some Kuhmo's for my daily tires and just used mine for track days.

They held up well, cornered well, braking was consistant and seem to hold well in the wet, although I did not track them in the rain to really test them, my only experience came in the 1 hr highway drive to or from the track.

I think I'd look for something else for my daily driver tho. The new Dunlops and Michy's are well regarded, and for an all season, I don't think you can beat the Kumho Ecxsta ASX UHP (not the AST) for the price.

Oh, and I went with 215/45 - 17's for my car, they fit fine with no spacers or other mods..

 

I have Parada Spec II's on my summer rims. I've had them for about two or three years. They're great tires. As MINIdave said, they are quite noisy, but they have hellacious grip and wear pretty well. I think mine were like $95/tire or so at a local shop. I'm actually on my second set (bought just before I traded my R50). So, I got about two and half years (40k+ miles) out of them. Just make sure they get rotated on time.

 

I'm going to give a diverging opinion here (sample size 1 remember): I've had Falken RT-615 and Parade SpecII and the Falkens inspire considerably more confidence in both DD and HPDE --for me--. I don't like the tread pattern on the SpecIIs and the Falkens don't heat up as much as the Specs (but both heat up a lot at the track compared to real racing rubber.)

 

Yes, N is quite low. We need more power. Better get a bigger sample.

 

I also have (had..) the Spec II s on my summer tires and besides being a bit noisy I absolutely loved them, until I hit a tractor trailer tire on the NJ turnpike one night and bubbled up 2 of them and have been riding around with my winter tires on (Kumho Ecsta AST)

 

I have spec 2's love em! sorta loud, i just turn up music