OriginalSterm

I too went with 225/50/15 on my cookie cutters. 215/60's look like minivan tires and it was harder/more expensive to get "performance" tires. Didn't notice myself shifting all that much more often, but I didn't autoX the tires before I sold the car. Everything else seemed fine and dandy.

Stan944

sorry, my error...

edited:
I put a reply to Luis here, but then I realized I was hijackig the poll, and decided to sent him a PM instead, and delete this post (I just didn't know how to remove this message completely).

porschefig

stan? i missed something

porschefig

are those yokos like THE best deal ever????????
72% !!!!

Madant26x

If you're looking for a compromise summer street/track tire, then I'd recommend the Toyo Poxes RA-1's. They are great on the street and have low noise, compared to other race tires, and are great for AutoXing and DE's. They usually can last an entire season of about 5 DE's. I think for the street only, the last around 10K miles. Here is a link for them, at the best price I could find. 225/50/15's are $130, I would recommend this size over 215/60/15's, as they would handle better (more rubber, less sidewall flex), but thats just my opinion.

Link: AIM Tires

rage2

I ran A032R's (the hard compound) on both the street and the track. They're fairly priced, and have awesome grip. Only bad thing is that they're noisy... typical of all R compound tires.

Scott at Team Harco

You seem to be asking a lot from the same tire. The Yoko would be a good choice but I don't think the Michelin you list is really a true summer tire. If I recall correctly, it is more of an all-season tire (which is to say, not particularly good at anything).

I suggest the following:

eh) Go to TireRack.com and search on your tire size (I recommend 225/50R15). Narrow the search to the high performance/ summer choices only.

bee) Decide how much track time you plan on. This is very important. There are no street tires that come close to the grip of a dedicated competition tire (E.g. Hoosier, Kumho V700, Michelin Pilot Sport Cup, Hankook Ventus Z211, Falken Azenis, etc). But none of these tires is practical for extended street use. You'll wear them out in a few months!

si) It's all about compromise. When I was looking for summer tires for my car, I wanted the best compromise of handling, dry grip and wet traction. (I dismissed the idea of competition tires). I am fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to test a number of vehicles on a variety of different performance tires. As a result of this experience and by doing some research at tirerack.com, when it came time to spend my own money, I selected the Bridgestone Potenza S-03 Pole Position. I am very pleased with my purchase. Other tires I considered (and tested) were the Goodyear F1 GS-D3 and the Michelin Pilot Sport (this was before the S2 came out).

Good luck with what ever you decide!

Madant26x

I have used both the Yoko A032R's and the Toyo RA-1's on the track, so I can give you a comparison between them. They both seem to wear at the same rate, though I think the Toyo's are a little softer. But the A032R's are really noisy on the road, almost unbearable, you can definitely hear them over the stock stereo. But as far as handling on the track goes, the Toyo's are much better. I just switched to them and they really stick well. Don't get me wrong, the A032R's are great, and some people swear by them, but I think the Toyo's handle better IMHO.

BTW, these two tires seam to be a really good compromise R-compound tire that are stable in the wet. The R-compound tires that Scott just mentioned are more for the track, and the Bridgestone S0-3's more for the street. These two are in-between.

Scott at Team Harco

Very interesting. I didn't realize there were any good "R" tires that could still provide useful street life. A lot of autocross groups seem to delineate between street tires and race tires at the 140 treadwear rating. Do the Yoko and Toyo "R" tires you list have treadwear ratings above, say, 40 or 50?

I used to run BFG R-1s and Yoko A-008s back in the olde days. They did not last long on the street. Now I race on slicks, so I have not really kept up with the "R" crowd. It's been all high performance (summer) tires, ice tires, rally tires or slicks (and racing rains) for the past 15 years. The only exceptions are for the wife's Grand Cherokee (tow vehicle) and the trailer.

Madant26x

Haha, well with your tire categories, I guess these two are not really in your ballpark. I use them as dedicated track/autocross tires because I'm on a budget and need the tires to last at least 3/4 of the season.

Scott, like I said, these two tires are the best "compromise" from what I've found, between max performance street tires, like S0-3's, and R-compound track tires, like Pilot Sport Cup's. Compromise meaning they handle better than max perf street tires and last longer than race tires. That said, I don't know the total life of these tires for only street driving, but I'd guess at 10,000 miles.

Your treadwear ratings guess was damn near spot-on. The Toyo RA-1's are rated at 40 AA and the Yoko A032R's are rated at 60 AA. So, like I said the Toyo's are a little softer, which is why they stick better but don't last quite as long. For the dry and autocrossing, the Toyo's are hands down better. For the wet, the tread pattern of the Yoko's is better ("Aqua Tusk" design). But for the street, the Toyo's are much quieter than the Yoko's. Also, the Toyo tread design is not as directional, and therefore they handle better when mounted backwards. Finally, from my experience, the Toyo's are the better tire, just a little harder to find.

Here are specs on the Toyo's: RA-1

Here are specs on the Yoko's: A032R

Tony K

I've driven a 944 with the new Yoko ES 100s, and an MR2 and an Esprit with the Michelin XGT H4s (same tire only 14" sizes are H-rated), and I HATED them both. The michelins are a true waste of money - costing nearly double the Falken ZE 512s and offering less. The yokos are nothing to complain about, but do not really do anything well. My impression is that they are simply a price/looks play and not really a serious tire. The Michelins have the dry grip of a 10-year old tire that's been sitting in a barn.

I have heard good things about the Bridgestone 750s, like others have mentioned.

For a budget 225/50/15, try the Dunlop SP 8000. They are Z rated, extremely smooth and stable, and only $100 per tire at tire rack. Considerably more grip and better feel than the ES 100 and the XGT doesn't even come on the radar.

I am finishing the miles on the Falken ZE 512s that Pete put on the 85.5 he sold me. They are pretty noisy now, but overall there is nothing to complain about them - at $60 each, you get more than what you are paying for. If you want FALKENS, go to VULCANTIRE.COM. Best prices and service. No affiliation.

Comparing the ZE 512 to the SP 8000, the Dunlop has much more grip in both dry and wet. In the dry, the Falkens start to slide more progressively/slowly, so you have more confidence throwing the tail around turns (Ask Mike 1982 what he saw in his rearview mirror!). By contrast, the Dunlop grips longer but the breakaway is a little harsher. If you start sliding on a wet exit ramp and lift off, the dunlop finds the pavement and tightens the line better than the Falken. Ask Jeremy (Tifosi) for more opinion on the Dunlop SP 8000 - I remember he had a set.

Dimensionally, in 225/50/15, the dunlop will fill the wheelwell a little better. The tread is more than an inch wider than the same size Falken. Not sure about the overall diameter.

Tread life will be a little longer on the Falken than the Dunlop, but neither are 40k mile tires.

Depending on how far off your odo/speedo already reads (folks, in case you haven't noticed, they usually read a little faster than you are actually going), you will be reading 6-10% higher than actual if you go to a 225/50/15.

Cheers,

Dilberto

I prefer Dunlop D40M2 Fr:205-55-ZR16 Rr:235-50-16, as shown with the Turbo Cup II three-piece wheels...

Blau951

I've heard the ES100's weren't bad. Haven't heard anything about the other. Have never driven either.

jc22

I've had great luck with the SP Sport 9000's on a couple different cars. Great in the rain, great on the track (for a street tire), and they hold up really well over time.

rage2

A few thoughts between the 2 tires (I use them both extensively).

RA1's do grip better, but only on the 2nd half of tread life. The first half of the tread seems to be a bit slippery and sloppy. Grip levels about the same as A032R's. After 50% wear, there's no comparison. I was nearly 2 seconds a lap faster with well worn in RA1's when it had little to no tread left compared to A032R's. The RA1's die off very quickly with 5% tread remaining.

Rain and wet, A032R's are better than RA1's hands down. If you watch the serious AutoX'ers, they bring a set of hoosiers for the dry, and A032R's for the rain. When the A032R's gets worn down to about 30% tread remaining, it's like a slick, useless in the rain.