1NSIGHT

iTrader: (3)

I read some reviews and decided to replace my BGF Comp 2 with the Continentals. At least the for my fronts. Anybody have experience with them?

d k

If they are the DWS, be very weary.

I did an event not too long ago (Syper Street's FR Shootout) in my other car and these tires were the spec tire.

Would not recommend them unless someone was pointing a gun to my head.
Sidewalls are so soft, they feel like a bicycle tire.

$.02

1NSIGHT

iTrader: (3)

DW. I heard the sidewalls are soft. But it has really good reviews on tirerack. Also the car isn't a track car.

Edit: Also read that the sidewalls are now stiffer in the newer models. Just like I read that Michelin Super Sports used to be too soft when they came out.

eage8

iTrader: (9)

They're very nice all around tires. Decent in the dry, great in the rain.

A lot of autocross guys used to use them as their heavy rain tire if they were in a street tire class.

armans

iTrader: (2)

At some point I used to have DWS (all season) on my daily driver (not an rx7).
Soft, poor grip, slippery -> crash. No, wouldn't recommend!
No experience with the summer tires though.

DeaconBlue

iTrader: (31)

I have 225/45-17 Continental DW on 8.5" rims on my FC. They are great! The softer side wall has little negative impact on handling and steering response with this combo and it provides improved ride quality.

Now we had 225/50-16 Continential DWS on 6.5" rims on the wife's daily driver - that combo yielded sloppy handling with a lot of under-steer, but a very smooth ride.

So what is the point that can be draw from this? What is especially critical with the softer side wall performance tire like a Continental DW & DWS tires is the ratio of tire section width to the wheel width. On my RX7 that ratio is 0.96, while on the wife's DD it was only 0.73 Anything in the 0.80 to 0.85 range is considered ideal for use on the street for good combo of good handling and ride.

The stiffer side wall 235/50-17 Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 on 7.5" rims on my daily drive have a 0.81 ratio. Those tire's stiffer side wall yields spirited handling for a larger 4-dr sedan while still delivering good ride quality.

Legal Disclaimer: Don't ever exceed the tire manufacture maximum recommended rim width for your the specific tire.

Cobranut

I've been considering the DW's in 245/45 and 285/40-17, to fit my Blitz 03's in 17x8 and 17x10.
My other option is Nitto NT555's in the same sizes.
I'm at a little over 540rwhp, with Megan track coilovers and rear links.
Any thoughts?

GoodfellaFD3S

iTrader: (213)

What's your setup to be making 540 rwhp?

If you're making that kind of power you want top tier tires, not subpar tires.

Your sizes kind of limit you..... IMO you're better off going with 275/40 rears to open up tire sizes a bit.

These are your best bet:

Toyo Proxes R1R

ZDan

I'd be looking at either 225/45-17, 235/40-17, or 235/45-17 up front. Or maybe 245/40-17, but that's getting a little wide for an 8" wheel. IMO 245/45-17 is too tall for front tires, more likely to have rubbing issues.

With that kind of power, you might want something with more grip than Conti DW, though.
Unfortunately there are not many options for sticky 17" tires wider than 255 unless you go to R-comps. FWIW Nitto NT01 makes for a semi-reasonable "street" tire (avoid standing water though!)

Staying with "real" street tires, I think you'd be better off for grip on Bridgestone RE71R in 225/45-17 front 255/40-17 rear vs. wider Conti DWs

Personally, I am regretting getting Michelin Pilot Super Sports for street tires for my ~495rwhp FD. Wheelspin in 3rd gear from 80mph roll is a thing now. I plan to replace them with either RE71Rs or NT01s.

LargeOrangeFont

iTrader: (7)

Yes.. Michelin PSS are overhyped.

GoodfellaFD3S

iTrader: (213)

I should mention I read his tire size as the correct 245/40-17 for the front.

The RE71R are just awesome and I'm their biggest advocate--- I have a set of them mounted on my Fikse Profil 10 as well as a set of BBS wheels. Problem is..... they're not available in the sizes he needs.

He's also a bit limited by his wheel diameter. Not many choice tires available in 17s nowadays.

Cobranut

[QUOTE=GoodfellaFD3S;12012598]What's your setup to be making 540 rwhp?
Built 7-liter LS3 stroker.

It has a set of older Bridgestone S-03 Pole Positions in 245/40 and 265/40 now.
In 4th gear at 60 mph (3000 rpm) a stab of the throttle lights them up. Fun, but not very fast. LOL

The 245/40's up front fit really well on the 8" wheels, but I don't like the stretched look of the 265's on the 10's.

I really like the vintage look of the Blitz Type-03's, but have been considering going up to 18" x 8.5 or 9's up front, and maybe 10.5's out back.
Not many lightweight wheels out there I like in 18's though.
The fenders have a mild roll up front, and the rears are rolled almost flat.

Would the Nitto NT555's have better grip than the Conti DW's?

ZDan

True, but is there really a *need* for 285s?
RE71R are available in 255/40-17, which fits on 10" wheels.

I think tire width is overrated for grip on the street. Wide tires on a relatively light car will not heat up as much and may give less grip in real-world street use.

I would bet that 225/255 RE71R have more grip than 245/285 Conti DW anyway.

A wider street tire option would be Toyo R1R in 275/40-17, but I think I would still go with the 255 RE71R. Or 275/40-17 NT01s!

GoodfellaFD3S

iTrader: (213)

With a real 540 rwhp to be 'used' on the street (not like you need that much) then I don't think the 225/255 width is nearly enough.

I had linked the R1R from Tire Rack in a previous post, so agree with you there.

Great point on the NT01--- if it was me, and I wasn't commuting or driving in the rain, I'd go with those in 235/40 front and 275/40 rear. They come in a very limited number of sizes--not many with an FD-friendly overall diameter either. But this will suit the OP's needs perfectly

LargeOrangeFont

iTrader: (7)

Also note that 255/40/17 NT01s are about as wide as most 275 tires, they are huge. They fill out a 9 inch wheel easily, and would not be overly stretched on a 10.

Cobranut

Well, the RE71R is out because the widest 17 is a 255, which is narrower than the 265's that are already stretched on my wheels. (God I hate that look.)

I can't use the NT-01 because it rains around here, and they'd be dangerous in a downpour.

The Toyo Proxes R1R in 235/45 and 275/40 looks promising, although the 275 may still look a bit stretched on a 10, and I was wanting a little more height due to my 3.73 rear gear.
My biggest concern with these is it gets cold here, and I still want to drive it when we get clear days in winter. They recommend not using these in sub-freezing temps. I know the grip will be down, but will it really damage the tires to use them in temps down into the teens and 20's?

One other option I see is the Nitto NT-05 in 235/45 and 275/40.
These don't seem to have the cold weather warning, at least not on the Discount Tire site. They're also about $300 less money than the R1R's, which is nice for something that wears out so often.
Anyone have experience with NT-05's?

Thanks,
David

GoodfellaFD3S

iTrader: (213)

NT-05s are a good choice, given the price differential that's your winner.

They're also not great in the rain, but better than an NT-01 for sure.

A few things to note: 275/40-17 is a 25.7 inch OD, quite a bit taller than stock and the tallest I'd ever recommend running. Also, a 275mm is nowhere near a stretch on a 10 inch wheel, have no worries there.

I sent you a PM earlier, please let me know if you got it

Cobranut

Thanks Goodfella: I got your message. Nice wheels, but I like the period look of my Blitz's.

Thanks to all for the info. I found a number of reviews on the NT05, and I think they will be the best choice for the way I'll use the car.
I'll post here my impressions after I get to drive on them a bit.

David

LargeOrangeFont

iTrader: (7)

NT05 is still a decent tire, just not the best in the category anymore. You may heat cycle them out before you wear them out though.

ZDan

I don't think NT05 was ever near the best extreme and max performance tires. Dead last by a significant margin in a Hot Rod/Tire Rack test: (lap time results at 9:28)

I'd sooner try Toyo R1R than NT05.

If you're not going to be driving in heavy rain with standing water, and don't care too much about tire life, NT01. I drove my FD around on those for the better part of a year a couple of years ago. Strangely enough, they have much better grip in cool weather on the street than the Pilot Super Sports.

LargeOrangeFont

iTrader: (7)

NT05s were out before the Hankook RS3 and the Dunlop star spec. They are close to 10 years old, and most of the newcomers are now in a version 2, while the NT05 is still unchanged.

When NT05s came out all there were was the Falken rt-215 Azenis, the Kumho MX, and a couple other expensive Bridgestone and BFG tires I believe.

None of the 200 tread wear tire's really last though, they all heat cycle out.

AaronJ

iTrader: (12)

There is actually a new NT05 compound with a 140 tread wear. I used them on my old e46 and would say they are not too far if not equal to the rs3. Problem being they only come in 3 sizes for 18in wheels.

GoodfellaFD3S

iTrader: (213)

Nitto really needs to release more sizes in the NT01 and NT05.

I think lots of guys run R888 (inferior to NT01 and even RA1 IMO) simply because they come in a wide variety of sizes.