Alright, my Protege needs new tires and I'm trying to decide what to get. I've narrowed it down to:
BF Goodrich Scorcher T/A Blacks
Dunlop SP Sport 8000
Bridgestone RE011
Yokohama ES100

They have to be 215/45/17, and I would prefer to be less than $125 each.

Please don't suggest Kumho 711's or 712's or any crap like that. I've used them before, they suck ***.

 

I run ES100's on my Protege5 and on my Rx7.. Can't beat them for the price...

the SP8000s I had on my protege beforehand and they were nice, but the droning on the highway got really annoying.

 

Yeah, that was something I thought about too. I have SP8000's on my RX7 and they're killer in the turns...but a touch on the noisy side.

I wasn't even concidering the RE011's until I talked to a few different people in the area about them.

Also, I should have probably noted that this is a Mazdaspeed Protege....but that probably doesn't really matter.

 

Kumho Ecsta Supra 712's... Excellent tire for small $$$

 

Actually, they're only cheaper by a few dollars...I'd rather have Scorchers for that price. $93 for the Scorchers and $86 for the 712's.

 

If you need year-round tires (snow capability) in that price range, get the Pirelli Nero M+S or similar.

If you only need dry and wet, you can get Pirelli Pzeros, Yokohama AVS Sports, and the Ecsta MX in that price range. All will be far better than the T/A Scorcher or the Yoko ES100.

The SP8000 is a good tire, but it's discontinued. This could be a problem if you buy a set and then puncture a tire -- you may not be able to get a replacement. BTW, I've never had any noise problems with either of the two sets of SP8000s I've had on my FD. I would easily recommend the SP8000 for a great budget tire if Dunlop hadn't discontinued it.

 

Well, I see the Pirelli PZero Rosso Asimmetrico's are on sale right now for $120...

Snow is not really a concern for me. I couldn't drive my Protege for 2 days this year because of snow...but that is expected so I am getting another set of summer tires.