Hands down best street tire?
 

I need to get a new set of tires and was hoping a tire guru could steer me in the right direction. With money not really being an option what is the best gripping/lightest tire for the street. They wont see any rain/snow use so that is a non-factor. I have been looking at the P-zero assimetrico system and I have so-2's on the car now. And info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Matthew Walsh

Yokohama Advan A048


-Ted

I just bought a set of wheels , that have these tires mounted. I wanted to ask, how do these tires do in the rain? I dont plan on racing the car in the rain or anything, but if I were to happen to get caught out in a storm.. would I be even remotely safe driving on them?

Unfortunatley, I dont belive these tires come in 235/45/17 and 275/40/17 sizes. Any other ideas?

Matthew Walsh

And they are not really a street friendly tire.

P-Zero Asimmetricos all around.

Any R compound tire :D

Pilot Sports PS2s, I swear, your in a downpour and you'll never lose traction those things are crazy for wet traction. Friend with a GTI we tried our best in FWD and those things are nuts,

Yeah DamonB, I dont know about R compound tires for regular street driving.. :) SleepR1, are you running the asimmetricos currently? Is there a lighter tire out there?

Matthew Walsh

hehe
 

that would be sick :)

new tires every couple of months

bfg comp t/a kd's. I've riden in a couple of cars with them and they grip very well and don't make too much noise. Just picked them up for my car a few weeks ago. Haven't checked if they're made in that size though.

The only problem with the asimmetricos is that I could only get a 225/45/17 in front as opposed to a 235/45/17 and 265/40/17 compared to a 275/40/17 in back. I guess its not really that big of a differece. 10mm skinnier and less than 1/4" shorter.

No big deal with width difference. Rim width will determine contact patch area. BFG KDs are heavy tires.

Bridgestone S03 pole position, great in wet and dry weather...a little pricy though but they are great tires...

Yeah I have s02's now... they seem like they are pretty heavy tires. Any one have weight comparison data for s03's vs asimmetricos?

M. Walsh

I missed that part about light.... oops.

Yeah... I would say that weigh is a major concern for me.

The BFG KD is probably still the best non-R compound dry grip tire on the market. The new Michelin Pilot PS2 is supposed to be the best tire out there now, but look at the cost...yikes. You really can't go wrong with any of the top tire lines from any of the manufacturers. I would doubt you would notice any grip differences in street driving, only differences in steering feel, noise, etc.

Sleep R1, do you run the Asimmetricos front and rear? Or, just in back with the directional ones in the front?

Thanks,

Matthew Walsh

They're all I've had, so I have nothing to compare to, but they are GREAT tires :).

Don't forget Toyo RA1 and T1S's..... Reasonably priced, lighter than most, and I believe they are the official tire of a few racing leagues.

S-03's in the wet are supposed to be killer though but are pricey.

I've heard great things about the Michelin Pilot Sports... but they are bank. That is what most people ran in the One Lap of America and also the latest C&D horsepower shootout with DOT tires.

You could always run Hoosiers on the street...... those are DOT tires :)

-Mark

Matthew, you should run Asimmetricos all around. Directionales are used for rear-engined, rear mid-engined cars (Porsche and Ferrari for example). Asimmetricos are sticky and lightweight. 225/50-16 and 255/40-17 Asimmetricos are 23 lbs each. Expect about 12000 enthusiastic miles before replacing. You'll be lucky to get 5000 miles out of RA-1 Toyos. DOT race tires aren't worth using on the street. The heat-cycling from daily use hardens the DOT race rubber, and you end up with fast-wearing tires with grip levels that are not much better than regular ultra high performance tires.

My M3 came stock with S02s. The full size spare weighs MORE than my Rx7's wheel/tire setup. M3's stock fronts/spare is 7.5 x 17 (M double-spoke alloys) with 225/45-17 S-02 PPs. My Rx7's wheel/tire is 9 x 17 (SSR Integral A2) with 255/40-17 Pirellis.

Thanks to everyone! I think im going to go with my initial inclination/sleepR1's suggestion and get a set of asimmetrico's. I'll post weights before they are mounted.


Thanks,

Matt Walsh

Yeah,

Don't forget the review the different between S02 and Pzero :D

Any of the DOT R-compound tires will wipe up any true street tire.
Even a "lowly" Toyo RA-1 will stick better in the dry that the top "max performance" street tire.
I believe wet weather performance was not a factor.
I believe money was not a factor.
I'd take any DOT R-compound tire over any of the street tires available if this was the case.
I've had Toyo RA-1's - beat any of the top street tires I've driven in.
...including the B.F.Goodrich KD - nice tire, but can't compete with an DOT R-compound tire.

Bridgestones tend to have softer sidewalls, and steering inputs are a little sluggish for my tastes.
I've driven RE-71, S01, and S02's.
I haven't had the luxury of driving the new S03's though.

We're running Yokohama Advan A032R's on a customers car, and it's confidence inspiring when you get too hot into a corner.
As good as the A032R is (only downside is road noise), the new A048 is supposed to be better, with a slight hit to mileage.

I don't care for Pirelli's - too overpriced.
I haven't driven on the Pirelli Corsa's though. :)

Short list of DOT R-Compound tires...
Michelin Pilot Sport Cup
Pirelli Corsa
Toyo RA-1
Yokohama Advan A032R
Yokohama Advan A048


-Ted

Pirelli P-Zero Asimmetrico is reasonably-priced @ <$180 each for 255/40-17. I've tried DOT race rubber on the street. Not really worth it. They pick up road debris, and you risk a puncture. In about 2000 miles the DOT race tire becomes no stickier than a P-Zero. FWIW, I've run down many open lapping track drivers on DOT race rubber. Skill, hp, suspension, and brakes help close the gap between DOT rubber and P-Zero Asimmetricos.

Matt,
Before you do that, think about the Toyo T1s (Not the RA-1)... I have them. Ultra light like the asimetricos, excellent wet and dry grip, available in all the sizes you need... and i got my 18" versions for well under $200.00/per at Radial in Silver Spring, so the 17's will be cheaper.... Pirelli's notoriously don't last long.... no offense Manny.

i have the Michellin Pilot Sports, they have great dry traction IMO, i had them on my Viper and they hooked great, so they should be fine for our 'torque-less' rx7's. once you heat them up they get pretty sticky.

Hey Peter,

Where is Radial in Silver Spring? Are they pretty reputable? I work in downtown Silver Spring so that would make getting new tires much easier... Oh and how are they with alignments?

Matt Walsh

They are very reputable... they do alot of stuff for SCCA, porsche club, etc. Here's their site:

http://WWW.RADIALTIRE.COM/

Ask for Paul Marconnes... they can also get the Pirelli's of course.

None taken. 12000 miles is quite good for P-Zero Asimmetrico IMO. 5000 miles is all I got from Yokohama A032R, and they were junk grip-wise.

Toyo T1-S has too high a void-to-treadblock ratio to be effective in the dry...no offense, Pete...

Tire choice is a personal preference, and personally I've had great results with P-Zero Asimmetricos as daily driver, open track, autocross tires. Wet traction is marginal, so take it easy in the pouring rain with the Asimmetricos

Cheers.

My friend ran the p-zeros on his GTI for a bit. He said their dry traction was overall good, but as you mentioned their wet traction could use help. Im running a different perile tire right now, made for wet traction cause the FD + rain = no no Since I live in miami, we have a dry seasno and a pouring monsoon season so I needed both. I'll probably switch to the PS2s soon since they deliver good performance in both catagorys.

There are lots of excellent tires that are available. They all have their own "flavor" but they are still great products; IMO there is no one "best" tire. There is just the tire that for your particular needs and money you like the best.

Yeah, the P-Zero Asimmetrics have a very low void-to-treadblock ratio, making it more effective for dry grip. For wet weather, the inside half of the tire has wide circumferential grooves, but the outside half has very narrow grooving, and thus is not as effective as T1-S or S-03 in sweeping water out of the contact patch's way. Buy the best possible tire you can afford. As Pirelli's ad slogan says, "Power is Nothing Without Control"...