hey all, i have a 92 Honda Prelude. i jsut bought some 17x7 rims and need help on deciding what kind of tires to buy. i'm looking for some good reliable, excellent perfomance tires that will be only use for summer.I'm looking for the best tire for wet and dry traction, handling, daily driving, and occassional track. i need tires that are great for the money and treadlife, with decent performance at a bargain price. if any of you guys got some suggestions as to what tires to buy, it would be greatly appreciated. thanks alot guys!

 

Nitto Neo Gens have been working out awesome for me.

 

KDW2 is great in both wet and dry roads. The tires have two different compounds on them which allow for this great traction in both conditions.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by kxn &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I'm looking for the best tire for wet and dry traction, handling, daily driving, and occassional track.... at a bargain price.</TD></TR></TABLE>

if you want the best, you're gonna have to spend the money

 

yokohama parada spec 2's are a nice and sticky street tire
they are like 80 a piece and are great for everything you are looking to do

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by kxn &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">hey all, i have a 92 Honda Prelude. i jsut bought some 17x7 rims and need help on deciding what kind of tires to buy. i'm looking for some good reliable, excellent perfomance tires that will be only use for summer.I'm looking for the best tire for wet and dry traction, handling, daily driving, and occassional track. i need tires that are great for the money and treadlife, with decent performance at a bargain price. if any of you guys got some suggestions as to what tires to buy, it would be greatly appreciated. thanks alot guys!</TD></TR></TABLE>

you do realize that you just asked for a tire that does everything best - no such tire exists . The best dry tires will not be the best in the wet (although the best wet tires still perform very well in terms of max dry grip).

the tires with the best steering response and handling will have the stiffest sidewalls and will usually have the least comfortable ride over rougher roads.

The best performing tires also tend to be the most expensive.

My recommendations for good all-around performance summer tires that aren't too expensive: Goodyear F1 GSD3, Falken FK-452, Toyo T1R.

If you can deal with less tread life and want even better performance, the Kumho Ecsta MX and Falken Azenis Rt-615 (both previously mentioned) are good choices that are not expensive.

If you can drop $200 per tire, the Michelin Pilot Sport 2 and the Bridgestone Pole Position (I forget the number of the new version that came out a few months ago) are worth a look.

 

I've been having great luck with my BFG G-force Sports. Very good in both wet and dry, nice turn in. Overall, I like them better then my previous Yoko AVS 100s

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by kxn &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">and occassional track.</TD></TR></TABLE>
This is the key. If you're going to do HPDE, buy tires based on that. Most of these recommendations are for standard high-performance street tires, which just aren't going to be satisfactory.

I would recommend Falken Azenis (www.vulcantire.com), Hankook Ventus Z212 R-S2, or Kumho MX. They're all going to be super fun on the street and adequate for fast track driving, and while they're fairly new they'll ride nicely too.

Dan

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 97Preludeguy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I've been having great luck with my BFG G-force Sports. Very good in both wet and dry, nice turn in. Overall, I like them better then my previous Yoko AVS 100s </TD></TR></TABLE>

I second that.

 

Nitto neo gens................not z rated
parada spec 2's..............outdated tire, been around to long to still be among the "best"
bfg g-force sports...........spend the extra cash for the kdw's
Yoko es100....................bad cornering from not having rounded edges
Azenis 615.....................recommend, but tread life will be short
bfg kdw2.......................what i am currently on, not a sticky as i had hoped but nice feel in the corner
Goodyear F1 GSD3.........same level or maybe slightly better than the bfg kdw
Michelin pilot sport..........be prepared to spend over $200, best tire i have driven on
bfg kd............................great tire if you aren't going to do much driving in the rain
Bridgestone re-01r..........same as michelin
Kumho ecsta mx.............up there with michelin and bridge, but i have seen some treadwear problems with these.
yoko advan neova ad07...well they make a set especially for the lotus if that tells you anything

i tried to do a basic review of the tires that have been listed based on what i know from 3 years experience working at discount tire co. and personal experience with the tires(ie have been on my car or friends cars that i have driven)

with most of these tires i would look into getting them heat cycled before you get them put on. It's like a break-in process for tires, ensures even grip and traction throughout the tread.


Modified by Silver Surfer at 4:19 AM 6/12/2006


Modified by Silver Surfer at 4:21 AM 6/12/2006

 

i heart double posts

 

I know what heat cycling is, I believe it's a very controlled method of breaking the tires in. Why is it that the tires can't be heat cycled by the manufacturer? Instead they are done by the retailer for an extra fee? =\

 

Kumho Ecsta ASX is what I rock. I won't go back to the below...
Best tire for daily spirited driving, traction, and wear.

and I have used...
Yoko es100
Bridgestone re-01r

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Option2BB6 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Kumho Ecsta ASX is what I rock. I won't go back to the below...
Best tire for daily spirited driving, traction, and wear.

and I have used...
Yoko es100
Bridgestone re-01r
</TD></TR></TABLE>

are you serious? the asx is a cheap all season tire.....talk about being mediocre across the board. If you are going to get an all season tire then i would recommend the pirelli pzero nero.

 

I had some yokohoma es100's and I thought they were a great tire for the price. Im looking at some more again as well as maybe some of those Dunlop direzzas

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 97Preludeguy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I've been having great luck with my BFG G-force Sports. Very good in both wet and dry, nice turn in. Overall, I like them better then my previous Yoko AVS 100s </TD></TR></TABLE> I'm with him on this too.

 

One thing to help you with your decision would be to check the tire's construction type.

Most US made tires are made with a 2 part mold with a seam down the middle of the tire tread. There is nothing wrong about this method. It just means the tire was manufactured in an OLD factory using old technology.

Look for a segmentally cast tire with a number of seams running from bead to bead. This doesn't guarantee a great tire but you at least know it was manufactured in a modern plant using modern technology.

Segmental casting generally results in a more precise tire. Ever wonder why you can't get those BFG tires to balance ??

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by LudemanDan &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
I would recommend Falken Azenis (www.vulcantire.com), Hankook Ventus Z212 R-S2, or Kumho MX. They're all going to be super fun on the street and adequate for fast track driving, and while they're fairly new they'll ride nicely too.
Dan</TD></TR></TABLE>

i second the use of the hankook rs-2's. THey are very sticky and i have no problem in the rain like others do with azenis. treadwear rating isn't the best (200) but you can expect them to last 2 summers (depending on mileage).

 

^^Yes, the Hankooks do excellent in the rain! I tore around with mine (almost full tread) in an absolute downpour, and no scares at all.

 

Toyo T1R
Great tire, love em on my lude. They work great in the rain and have good grip on dry pavement.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by kxn &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I'm looking for the best tire for wet and dry traction, handling, daily driving, and occassional track....at a bargain price</TD></TR></TABLE>

well you're not asking for much, are you?


The former requirements are in opposition with the latter. Either spend the money, or compromise on performance.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by smo0th &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Toyo T1R
Great tire, love em on my lude. They work great in the rain and have good grip on dry pavement. </TD></TR></TABLE>

The Hankook RS2's are a great tire as well. They won't last as long as the T1R, but they have a little better grip. Both are availbable in a couple of sizes that fit your wheel; 215x40x17 or 215x45x17.

Good luck,
Brian.

 

well thanks alot guys for the tips..i'm really leaning towards getting some falken azenis. i heard many good things about them and not as much bad things except for their treadlife and wet traction. would any of you recommend getting Kumho?

 

I have the old 215 azenis and they are great for the buck, they have horrible tread life and horrible wet traction. My room mate has the new 615 azenis and he hates them, says they get too greasy and don't grip enough for him. If wet traction is an issue I would HIGHLY reccomend the bridgestone so3 - best dry/rain tire you can get, and they hold their own on HPDEs, but they aren't cheap.

Tires in general are one thing I would reccomend NOT going cheap on. They are after all the component most responsible for how much traction you have, and they affect everything from your braking distance, to cornering stability, to noise and ride comfort , to steering response. A good set of tires might just save your life one day...choose wisely

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by piotrush &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I have the old 215 azenis and they are great for the buck, they have horrible tread life and horrible wet traction. My room mate has the new 615 azenis and he hates them, says they get too greasy and don't grip enough for him. If wet traction is an issue I would HIGHLY reccomend the bridgestone so3 - best dry/rain tire you can get, and they hold their own on HPDEs, but they aren't cheap. </TD></TR></TABLE>
Umm, the Azenis and the SO3 are not really in the same class. The SO3 is about as good as it gets for an all-season performance tire, but it's not really a track tire. The Azenis is an autocross tire - I'd say one class better in dry performance. So while the SO3 gets great reviews everywhere, that's in comparison to, like, Potenzas and stuff. Don't get confused.