LFA951

I have Hankook Ventus RS2-Z212 on the car for almost a year and a half now and they are great, but they are only 200 treadwear and I am surprised they lasted this long. Ride is getting pretty stiff and slippery specially in the rear, so I'm gonna need tires by summer. The Avon is a good looking tire, but they are closing out this size on the Tirerack and I am looking at the Kumho SPT for the fronts and the Kumho Ecsta Supras for the rear, I like the Potenza 750, but they are pricey and I don't care for the Toyos or Fuzions. Anyone have suggestions based on personal experience on this size with 225/50-16 for the front, standard turbo S sizing?

2bridges

After mountains of research I found almost all 245/45 fall into two categories true street tire or pure race....
hankook was the only real DOT performance tire treaded deep enough to work in rain I found in a 245/45

As cheap as they really are I figure I still get better all around tire that really performs per $ than most. Only exception I can think of in Khumo MX... excellent performer with better tread wear - but they don't do a 245/45 Rest of the khumos will not even pretend to hold up on the track. Street tires with a Z rating..

Will be following this thread in case other options have come available. Good luck!

Van

I used to run a lot of Yokohamas on my turbo S. I've run Kuhmos, too.

Michelin pilot sport cups are great on there - but a bit more money...

I have a friend who has those cheap Sumitomos on his car and he likes them lots (they do tend to overheat on the track, but do well on the street.)

The older I get, the more willing I am to spend money on nice tires.

In fact, the next time I see a post on a 944 forum asking, "I've got $1000 to spend - what should I get?" I'm going to suggest: really nice tires.

89951DREAMER

I have a warning on the Avons. I had a customer with a BMW 840ci that was complaining of an intermittent shimmy at highway speeds. We couldn't find anything wrong with the suspension or steering so we focused on the wheels/tires. It turned out that the Avon's that were on the car had an extreme amount of road force. BMW allows up to 18lbs of road force and the Avon's were at 44lbs on the left front and 48lbs on the right front. We replaced the tires with Goodyears that he chose and the problem has not returned. If you don't know, road force is a measurement of hard and soft spots on the treaded surface of the tire. Every time the tire rotates, the transition from a soft to hard spot on the tire is like hitting a small bump.

That being said, I'm not condemning all Avons. However, after what I saw on that car I will not be purchasing any for myself. I have the Fuzions on my 944S with the Club Sport 16's and they are OK. I have BFG KDW II's on my 951S and love them except for the road noise. They even work pretty well on the track.

Ian

Chris Prack

Toyo T1-R comes in a 245/45r16. I used them on my 89 951.

951_for_John

I run Yokohama ES100's on the street. Pilot Sport Cups for the track,


Both work well, and come in the sizes you're looking for. The ES100's last longer and work better in the damp, but, have less grip.

I'm happy with both

LFA951

Did they last long?

LFA951

I went to the BFG website and they don't have it in that size, neither do the Falkens :<

Brian A.

I also use the Toyo T1-R when driving on the street or in the rain at the track. I've been happy with them. I can't speak to the longevity as the car usually has RA1 on for track use.

LFA951

I remember looking at the T1R before getting the Hankooks, but they were $132 more for all four than the Hankooks and the Hankooks are a better tire...

Thom

Are there different compounds for T1-R ?
I have used a rear set and have been very dissatisfied with them. Sidewalls are too soft, resulting in the rear of the car feeling like it's bouncing sideways. It's positively dangerous at speeds above 60 mph.

My vote goes to Bridgestone S-02. Get them while there are still some left.

LFA951

The S02s are history, the S03 replaced them and I didn't see my size on the Bridestone website, either way i'd go with a 750 if it was less expensive. The raodtests on the T1R also said it had a weak sidewall and I don't think there are different compounds for it....

Thom

The S-02 may not be made anymore though they can still be bought from some places (at least here in Europe) with not too old manufacturing date.
I don't think the S-03 is made in 245/45 and this is just as well - all people I know who have used them reported a significant loss of performance & quality over the S-02.

purple_rado

edgeracing.com carries tires in that size for daily duties. theyre a good company to deal with i've bought a few sets through them with great success.

M758

I use ES100's on my Turbo S Street car.