breathment

Alright. I need some new tires.. but there are TOOO many to choose from.. Right now i have Yokohama S306, 245 50-16 tire size, and they kinda suck, never did perform too good, and bad tire wear. I want something maybe with a stiffer (smaller?) sidewall, and more agressive tread, i try to never drive in the rain, and we never have snow or anything here in texas... I don't wanna spend much more then $150 a tire. Im looking at tirerack.com and im confused cause there is too many to choose!!
Bridgestone Potenza RE730 Gen. 2 look kinda nice as well as BFGoodrich
g-Force T/A KDW and the Bridgestone
Potenza S-03 Pole Position seem to be most promising.. but there are more that look great also. I'll probably be doing a little autocrossing this summer and part of next year. But other then that i'm nice on my tires. What would be good for this?? Thanks alot!!!

iroc22

I would go with Dunlop's since they are so reasonably priced and their treadwidths are wider than the competition.

88 IROC BOB

breath-- I'm in the same boat as you are. I am trying to decide between the Nitto DR's (again), Dunlop SP Sport 8000 or Kumho 712's. I am leaning towards the Nitto's.

Bob

Hg

I think the Potenza RE730 Gen. 2 looks good. Also, the Kuhmo Ecsta Supra 712 and Michelin Pilot Sport are good, but the Michelin is a bit expensive. I have the take-off Goodyear Eagle GS-C's from SLP right now. Just got them recently, when they wear out I'm gonna get the Pilot Sports.

Slade1

I personally use the G-Force KDW and they are some nice tires. A big improvement over the GoodYear Eagle's I had. It was from chirp at all gears to no chirp and now have to think about it if I want to chirp the tires. The Dunlop's I was considering due to price, but a friend of mine has them and he swore he wouldn't buy another set so that discouraged me. The potenza's I've heard ok stories with so that's ok. I've been a michelin fan but could never afford them, dad used them on his thirdgen's and were great over the stock ones GM always gave him. The Kumo's I think are the best bang for buck, but like all things you get what you paid for.

Gunny Highway

iTrader: (1)

Kuhmo Ecsta Supra 712s......best damn tire I've ever owned:rockon:

89_3rd_gen

Some good advice unless this is a BMW M5 forum...shallow pockets read on:

Here's what I did in your position (nice daily driver/autocrosser):
Buy some light weight steel wheels (Diamond, Circle, etc...) mount some max performance tires on them, mount up when you want to hot shoe (5-10 minute swap, can be fun with friends). Mount some decent performance tires on your show wheels. If you do other wise you'll comprimise your performance too much or spend too much year round replacing expensive tires or cause unwant wear patterns from daily use. Thats what I did when I ran autocross. I got to this point when I figured out truely how much tire I needed for a daily driver without braking the bank. You'll be happier at the track and on the street. The upfront investment may be high, but it'll pay for itself in a short time.
Hope this helps. Good luck.

vic_V8

I have the 730s, i thought they were a great tire for a reasonable price. and they look cool too

where is taturbo at? he is the tire man around here

JAY87GTA

I'm running the Pilot Sports. Expensive, but with rain we get in FL they are worth it. I was disappointed in them my first trip to the track, but they only had like 50 miles on them. Now after running them I was getting consistent 2.11 60' times, and could have gotten better with a converter. Haven't made it back yet since I swapped the 6 speed in though

breathment

i heard that BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KDW are one of the best out there...

xaivior

im kinda leaning toward the BFgoodrich drag raidials
since i never really drive in the rain..not fast anyway.
b.t.w. whats the largest tire that will fit on our cars (rear tires)?

Superman

I love the fill of the Firestone Firehawk SZ50's. They perform great in any condition that you can put them in. But dollar for dollar you can't beat the performance you get out of a Supra 712. $106 for a 275/40/17 is a steal for the way these tires perform. If cash is not an issue to you, try the Firehawks you'll love them. If your on a budget get the 712's and you want be disapointed with them.

Js92RS

I like the set of NITTO NT 555's that is currently on my 17 X 8 IROC wheels.

breathment

tirerack rates the BFGoodrich f-Force T\A KDW better then the Supra 712.. but they are also like $115 for BFGoodrich, only $85 for the Supra 712

gForce

I'm new to this board, but wanted to chime in.

What 89_3rd_gen said about having 2 sets of rims and tires, is about the best answer you can give. This way you do not compromise.

However, given the budget, I will throw this information out there. I use my cars mostly for autocross while getting back and forth to work. I use competition tires on the street. They last maybe 2 years, but I only drive 4-5k a year.

Bridgestone RE730's are really good tires and worth the money. They do quite well in autocross.
Firestone FZ(?) and Kumho Ecsta 712 - I've only heard good things about these tires. My bro has it and he autocross as well with them.

Pricewise, you may also look into Dunlop SP8000 and Yokohama's AVS Intermediate.

All the expensive tires such as Michelin and Good Year, I don't like because of price. I'm sure they're good. But they are simply too pricey and do not offer that much more grip than the others.

I got sick of compromising, so I run Kumho V700 mostly and snow tires in winter.

mike graycar

iTrader: (2)

FALKENS-LOOK GOOD AND STICK LIKE GLUE WITH A MINIMUM OF HEATING, AT THE TRACK I JUST DRIVE AROUND THE WATER AND DO A SHORT DRY BURNOUT- THESE THINGS HOOK GREAT AND I GET THEM AT THE LOCAL DISCOUNT TIRE PLACE FOR $105 FOR THE 245/16s

chevyguy1969

iTrader: (7)

Hey Mike, I am looking at buying some Falkens, how do you like yours? What kind of conditions do you drive them in?

mike graycar

iTrader: (2)

CONDITIONS? LIKE SPINNING AND SMOKING? OH, YOU MEAN WEATHER. I HAVE THE ONES WITH THE SINGLE RAIN GROOVE AROUND THE CENTER, THEY ARE GREAT IN THE RAIN. I DON'T DRIVE THE IROC IN THE WINTER BUT I IMAGINE THAT THEY ARE PROBABLY NOT THE BEST, NOT THAT CAMAROES REALLY GO WELL IN THE SNOW. ONE THING I WILL SAY IS THAT IF IT'S COLD OUT THEY ARE SLIPPERY UNTILL THEY GET UP TO RUNNING TEMP. EX: COLD MOTOR+COLD ROAD+COLD TIRES=SURPRISE!! THAT'S BEEN MY EXPERIENCE SO FAR. I AM CURRENTLY RUNNING YOKAHAMAS UP FRONT BUT WILL BE BUYING FALKENS ALL THE WAY AROUND IN A MONTH OR SO.

P.S. THEY SPLIT TREAD LEAVES COOL LOOKING BURNOUTS AND DONUTS.

mike graycar

iTrader: (2)

HEY, I JUST LOOKED AT YOUR OTHER POST- THE FALKENS LOOK GOOD, REALLY GOOD. ALSO I RUN 225 UP FRONT AND 245 IN THE BACK. I REALLY LIKE TO RUN 245 IN FRONT AND 255 IN REAR. IF THE FALKENS FIT UNDER THERE THAT'S WHAT I WILL DO. IT GIVES THE CAR A NICE FORWARD RAKE.

Slade1

I guess if you're low on funds, cheap is the way to go... with most v, h and z rated tires, cold traction is not an issue. They are rated Traction AA and Temperature A for Z and V rated. Probably A and A for H. This is something seriously should be taken into consideration when selecting tires. Even if cheap, look at the traction letter. You seriously don't want to be running B or C on a thirdgen else you truly will get a surprise of no traction when you need it. With the AA rating, I can run tires cold and grip. When hot, its even better. The same can't be said for lesser. Tires on a thirdgen is simply something I wouldn't sacrifice money on especially with the nature of these cars. I needed grip all the time and can't afford to have tires that I worry about if warm/cold/rain/dry. I suggest you fork out the cash and at least get Kuhmo's since they give fairly decent price/performance ratio.

ChillPhatCat

My earlier review of my new khumo 712's can be seen below... but after a week I am more and more impressed. $118 each plus tax... that included mounting and balancing... I wouldn't just say they're the best value for performance, I'd put them above any tire that came on a thirdgen and many tires far above the price of these tires. The 255/50/16's in the rear are the perfect diameter, and I fully intend to drop some more cash on a couple 245/50's up front. So far, I can take turns at about 10 MPH more than with the Eagle GA 215/60's that came on my car.

These tires DO NOT want to let go of the road!

breathment

alright i got the BFGoodrich. Everyone i talked to rated them better then the Kuhmos, and they were more $$ too. U do get what u pay for

fast86z28

right now i got pep boys brand Futura..awesome tires let me tell ya..(sarcasm) I'vw also heard really good things about the bfg kdw's..my friend got some on his 92 rs, he went from never having traction to not being able to burn out if tries.

Slade1

That's a common experience with the KDWs they hook up and don't let go. I had previously GoodYear Eagles on my set and I wouldn't trust those wet... now I got a set that actually makes me beg for rain. They hook in dry like glue, can't chirp tires anymore without significant thought and effort put into chirping... its making me worry about my drivetrain parts again lol.

Actually my exp with BFG's started with their Winter Slaloms... I had them on my 15x7 american racing rims... for use in winter and it was amazing... nothing funnier than being outdriven by a rwd thirdgen in the middle of a snowstorm and your fwd car is barely sticking to the ground... the irony is so up there...

Even my dad's fwd aurora can't drive that great in winter....

I ended up getting the KDW's.. fate drove me to them... KDWs were out of my pocket... I was low on cash, needed summer tires quickly and was gonna probably opt kuhmo's or dunlops, a guy was gonna give me a deal $100 dunlops.. z rated set... 245/50/16... then the next day, still thinking I got POd at my bank for saying they'd put a hold on my state tax refund... I went to a another bank, made a new account and while working out the details got approved on the spot for credit!!! Needless to say I said what the hell.. got the KDW's and made a world of difference... anything is better than the crap Goodyear passes for Z rated stuff... be it kuhmo.. .. dunlop.. bfg... falkens.. hmm that "having to warm them up" in order to get them to stick scares me... The bfg's grip cold or hot.. hot being better... Temp rated A and Traction AA... good stuff I say...

1991Formula350

I got Falken 245-50-r16 for daily driving and they are not good! I go to 100 and the car wobbles, tires cant take speed! I took it to 120 and had to ease off because I didnt want to do a Talladgea flip when the tire burst. Wouldn't buy again. Andy

Slade1

Guys some thought on the falkens. They're more intended for track use than street use. I would not get these tires unless you are all track. Tires that need a good warming up prior to using are not recommended for daily drivers, and this puts you in a dangerous situation in cold/wet situations.

Get the tires that suits your driving needs and habits. This is the one time you really should do research since you will trust your life to these tires, and all the peeling, burning will do you squat when you hit some wet patch and spin and crash because your tires need to be hot to grip..