I've been trying to research this, but the problem I keep having is that while someone may have a certain experience with a certain tire, the don't have any experience with any other competing tires, so their opinion isn't worth much.

Anyway, if you do have experience with currently competing tires on the market, I am looking for a tire that has excellent grip and response to me jerking the wheel, a relatively quiet ride, and decent tread life (at least 30k) in a 205/40/17 size. I try not to drive the car in cold lousy weather. I don't want to spend much more than $100/tire, 120 if I have too..

Thanks for any help..

 

Get the Kumho Ecsta SPT. It's easily the very best tire in your price range. Very good dry traction, outstanding in rain, and easily lasts 30-40K miles, maybe more. It's very similar to the Yokohama ES100, which sells for $85 each. However, right now the SPT in 205/40-17 is selling for $59 each at the Tire Rack, and there's a $40 rebate if you buy a set of four by August 12, which brings the per-tire price down to $49. Don't judge these tires by the price; they're just as good as any tire that size costing twice as much.

 

I can vouch (SPT) for them they are trully amazing. Also I can't wait to leave work it is a coming down like a monsoon. I love driving in the rain with the SPT.

Dave

 

i have Falken Ziex 512's and i like them a lot....something to consider anyway..

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Schister66 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i have Falken Ziex 512's and i like them a lot....</TD></TR></TABLE>

The Ziex ZE-512 is an all-season tire, and it's a terrible choice for anyone in Southern California, where they never get snow or extreme cold. All-seasons are a compromise tire, designed for people who need to use the same tire all year round, including snow and frigid cold in winter, as well as in moderate to warm temperatures the rest of the year. They don't perform as well in winter conditions as true winter tires, and don't perform anywhere near as well as even inexpensive summer tires in warmer weather.

For more comments on the ZE-512, click here.

(Even in North Dakota - like in Chicago - you'll get WAY more performance by using actual winter tires for winter, and a separate set of summer tires the rest of the year, than you would driving around in crappy all-seasons.)

 

how does the kumho ecsta spt compare to the dunlop direzza dz101? How much does the kumho give up in dry performance in favor of rain performance? I want to emphasize dry performance, but I don't want to give up everything else completely..especially tread life..

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by rorik &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">how does the kumho ecsta spt compare to the dunlop direzza dz101?</TD></TR></TABLE>

They're very similar. I would maybe give a slight edge to the SPT in the dry, definitely an edge in the wet, but they're not all that different. Right now the SPT is slightly less money, thanks to the rebate.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by rorik &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">How much does the kumho give up in dry performance in favor of rain performance? I want to emphasize dry performance, but I don't want to give up everything else completely..especially tread life..</TD></TR></TABLE>

The SPT is very good in the dry, outstanding in the wet, and lasts a long time (30-45K miles). There are stickier tires on dry pavement, but every one of them either costs more than your $100-120 budget (e.g. Goodyear F1 GS-D3, see next paragraph), or won't last as long as your 30K target (e.g. Falken Azenis RT-615, which might last only 10-12K miles, or Kumho Ecsta MX, 15-20K miles), or both. The Kumho MX isn't a bad choice, at $67 after rebate - it emphasizes dry grip although it won't grip as well in rain as the SPT - but it's not going to last you 30K miles.

The Tire Rack just lowered the price slightly on the Goodyear F1 GS-D3 and Goodyear started a $40 rebate offer, so the F1 GS-D3 now costs $118 per tire in your size, which just barely squeaks in under your $120 upper limit. The F1 GS-D3 is excellent on dry pavement - not quite as good as the Azenis, but close, and better than the SPT - and outstanding on wet pavement, and should last 25-40K miles. Whether it's worth spending over 2.5 times the price for the better performance of the Goodyear instead of the Kumho SPT is up to you, of course.

 

Thanks a lot for the help.. Still undecided, but at least now I have a clue..