Recently I have noticed several cars that don't really need max performance, or even high performance tires running them. Like yesterday I saw a early 90s civic with a huge exhaust and a Chrysler Sebring Coupe with Toyo T1S tires. I run these for my summer tire, I only get like 15,000 miles out of them, I purchase them because they have excellent dry and wet capabilities and when I go to an autocross and its raining I can run them instead of the r-compound tires. If I didn't autocross I would probably go for more of a tire that was a bit cheaper and longer wear characteristics, spending $700 for a years driving on tires is not cheap. What are these guys motivation for getting these tires? Are they putting down lots of HP so they can't get enough grip with regular tires? They like how the tread looks? They like how the low profile looks and they cost lots of money so it must be cool? Or they take the handling of their economy cars with probably no suspension modifications to the extreme? I never see these guys at any track or autocross events and I go to almost all of them. If they are street racing, drag racing, then they are buying then the kind of went in the opposite direction for the tire they are supposed to be using.

 

No matter what kind of car it is or how little performance you feel it has the tires are all the keep the car under control. As for why people buy what they buy that's always different, but in the case of tires on any car you'll never go wrong by using the best.

 

My daily driver (bone stock 90 Integra [except for the wheels and tires] with 180K miles) has Falken Azenis Sport tires on it. It sure makes that car a whole lot more fun to drive, and they don't really cost that much. I tried cheap tires on it once, and they sucked -- no grip, mushy handling, and they were all out of round in a year. So really, I would be spending the same on decent lower-performance tires at each purchase, though I am sure the Sport tires wear out faster.

-Max