Looking at buying Summer tires and wondering what other NAM members
are using ? I have looked at Hankook and Falken but would like some
feedback. Let me hear from you Nam members..........

Thanks !

 

Dunlop Direzza Star Spec will be my next tire.......after I get done wearing out the Kumho ASTs that came with my car. They rated number 1 in one test last year:
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...mparison_tests

.....and seem to have favorable reviews from forum members here.

 

I have the Hankook Ventus V12 Evo K110. Very nice riding, quiet and high cornering ability. Also does pretty well in the rain. And, they aren't too pricey!

Plus, they scored 2nd best overall to the above mentioned Dunlops!

http://www.caranddriver.sg/reviews/c...12_evo_page_10

 

I just picked up a set of Nitto NT-01's for when I get home from Iraq.

As for an all weather (except snow) street tire I have had no issues with Falken's 512. They are cheap and fairly grippy even in the rain.

 

Just picked up BFG Gforce super sport A/S.. not bad, I should have gotten a good summer tire though. They were on sale for $115/each plus $60 rebate. My tires were incredibly bald, and it was raining really bad just before a long 3 hour drive, and all the local shops were out of any summer tire in 205 or 215. Just A/S... At least it'll last longer than 30k miles, good luck getting 15k from a summer tire.

 

I run nothing but Yokohamas. I switch between Parada Spec 2's and S Drives. Both have wonderful performance aspects for the money. And they both are Summer tires which I run year round, but I'm in Florida.

 

http://www.nittotire.com/

Nice riding tire, excellent handling in the corners. They are light, quiet, sticky and they wear well....I am a die hard Pirelli and Michelin guy and these tires are very impressive - and they are All Season too.

And the price....well, check for yourself

http://readywheels.com/index.php/nit..._store=default

 

I just put on my second set of Yoko S.drives last month. For the price, they're my top pick so far. Tirerack did a comparison with similar tires and they did pretty well.

I depends on your price range. Several tire shops in my area were suggesting I try the Hankook Ventus because it's the best bang for your buck. Dirt cheap and sticky, supposedly. Nothing but good reviews from what I've heard or seen online.

The Falkens, I'd stay away from those. Unless you opt for the pricier Falkens, I guarantee you won't like them.

You'd get almost twice the life with an A/S tire. It's something to consider if you already haven't. I try not to launch the car too much because I wan't to save on gas. Maybe I corner to hard. I only got less than a year and a half worth of tire from my last set, but I do use them year round. It rarely rains in southern CA.

 

Dunlop Direzza Star Specs in 215/45 17
Nitto NT01

 

205/45ZR-17 Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus XL

So far 2,000 miles and they have crazy grip. Getting rid of the run-flats was the best thing I ever did. I would burn through first and second with the OEM run-flats. The Michelin's sound like they want to break, but hold grip keeping all the power on the ground. Quiet and smooth.

 

+1 on the Hankooks. I bought them from TireRack in May (summer comes late in Buffalo), mounted on Enkei wheels, and got a nice little rebate to boot! So far, I'm very pleased.

 

NT01 won't last long enough for street use, may want to try Star Spec type tires. But if there are some twisties around, those tires will stick. Also the NeoGen is a comparable tire to the 512 and 912.
RS3 are not in many MINI friendly sizes and there is a newer Azenis RT-615K tire, but RS3 seems like the better tire still despite unfriendly sizes.

 

Yeah my car isn't going to be on the street much anymore(Not going to be verry street friendly), just weekends and special events, so the NT-01's shuld work out fine. I live in colorado so a whole world of twistys is about 20 minutes from my house. The Falkens are going to be used for suspension testing and if I am stuck driving the MINI to work when my other car breaks, I thought about neo-gens but the Falkens are cheaper.

 

Same as Winter...Bridgestone Potenza G019 Grid in a 195/55/-16!!

 

I also got Nitto NT-01's, 18's that is.. :-)

 

How do you like them Paul? I have been wanting a set of them for a while, and now that I got them I wont see my car for another 6 months.

 

I'm about to order some 215/45/17 Michelin Exalto PE"S non-runflats for my 2009 JCW. I don"t have to worry about the snow because I have a policy to never go over the state line in the winter.(ever)

 

FYI, Nitto NT-01 are not for the wet.

They seem to last about 4 -5 track days only. The generally info is that they are not that grippy for r-comps.

 

I like them alot. I dont go on the track with my mini or take it out in the rain. But I guess if you are doing that then they're not good? Anyways, I'm sure you'll like them.

 

I have run the NT-01 for two track days so far (threads are mostly gone). I think they are OK for grip but seem a little abrupt at the limits. Because they are r-comps, they do not squeal much in corners, which I think is not too good for street driving as you can lack the feedback when you hit the limits.

I will try something else next time.

 

Surprised that no one mentioned Conti Extreme Contact DW summer tires. They seem to be the highest rated tire at TireRack. When the time comes...which won't be soon enough, IMO...I'll likely be replacing my dreaded stock 195/55-16 Dunlop S5000 runflats, on my '05 MCS, with these. My only indecision seems to be which size to get; 205/50-16, or 205/55-16. (I'm leaning toward the 55's due to the cheaper price and better highway ride.)

 

I am running the General Exclaim UHP. I have had this ire on a few different cars, it is very quite, best rain tire I have ever used in 30 years. I would not autocross on it, or track it as its pretty soft.
You really need to ask yourself a few questions before you buy a tire, check with Alex at tirerack he can give you good advise