In this selection here, are any of these like a super no no as a tire. I remember you guys talking about the hoosiers so i'm not questioning them at all.. i'm just not getting race slicks for street driving haha. I'm pretty set on this size as of right now just because I dont think the other 185's I see are enough. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Compar...mark=1&x=3&y=6

 

Sumitomo HTR 200 (High Performance Summer)

is the best bang for your buck @ $40 a pop.

 

I've used both the BFG and the HTR 200 on a slightly different size, 215/13-50. Anyways, I'd take the BFG over the HTR except the BFG's speed rating is SR, which I think it means the speed limit is 110 mph. not a big deal if you don't plan to go faster than that. But the excessive sidewall flex on the HTR 200 compared to the BFG's rigidness makes the latter a more precise ride, IMO.

 

Alright thanks alot. I kinda thought that those sumos would be my best deal. what size are those tires on your car in your avatar drivefast7? I can also see that those bfg's are prolly a little harder then the sumos? that might explain sidewall deal.

 

ive heard a lot of good things about the sumitomos but usually only for dry. ive got bfg on my car right now and i like the consistency of wet and dry handling. for everyday driving, i'd suggest the bfg.

 

Doesn anybody have any experience with the Sumitomo HTR-4's? I've been tempted many times to buy the 200's, but the fact that I live in Nebraska is really a hinderance to justifying a summer tire purchase for my year-round car.

 

Not per the surveys. HTRs have better wet handling and hydro resistance... that was also confirmed by my experience when I had the BFGs, even though truth be told the BFGs had little thread left when I was having fun hydroplanning at 70 mph on I-60.

As I said, what the BFG's have over the HTR's is the lateral stability thanks to better sidewalls. I mean literally, on that same highway, late at night, I used to play "dodge the bugs" and the car responsiveness, thanks to the BFG's, was astounding.

 

I just ordered those.

 

Yea I think thats what I'm going with. I dont know if anyone heard of Kost but they're out "popular" tire dealer around here like monroe or henike. They usually order stuff from tire rack, but I Called them and they want $66 for the same tire, plus tax!!... thank goodness for tirerack hehe. oh yea with shipping its still $80 cheaper.

 

I just received a set of Sumitomo HTR 200 from TireRack.com. I paid $188 for all four 205/60/13 including shipping. Now goes another $60 to get those mounted. It still is a good deal.

Nelson

 

I've autocrossed with the Sumitomos and the fabled soft sidewalls are kinda a red herring. I found that if you were willing to take the tires up to their rated max cold pressure that the sidewalls didn't give me any grief. The compound is really soft and grips well and they are AMAZING in the wet. We had a semi-official event one Sunday this summer in a decent amount of standing water and the only car running faster than me was running competition rain tires. The grip afforded to me by the Sumitomos was absolutely astonishing.

That being said, they lose all that grip when they heat up, so short runs with decent amounts of cool-down time are required to get the best performance. They also wear fairly quickly, but that is to be expected from a summer radial. As a passing note, if you're really concerned about sidewall flex, get the 195/60/13 size, they have less overhang and will give better stiffness in the sidewalls than the 205s will.

Edit: the pic in my sig is my car with the Sumitomos on the autox course. Take a look at my drivers side front tire, the sidewall is barely rolled.

 

yeap, I keep my sumitomos at 50 psi for the same reason.

 

I just installed the 205/60/13 Sumitomo HTR200 on my 79. So far they seems to be nice. The steering response is much better than the previous set of antique unknown brand with the same size.

I am happy with them, and they are very good for street driving, and should be good enough for track, at least for me.

$40 a piece, I have no complaint but driving with a smile.

Nelson