Like I stated, I'm not too educated when it comes to tires, so I though I'd ask before I went spending money.

I'm looking for a summer tire that grips very well but will still be good in the rain because my rsx is my daily and will be driven in the rain. When I say this, I dont mean it had to handle in the rain, just as long as I dont go hydroplaning off the highway I'm fine. What would you guys suggest?

Open for all input...

 

Well if you are on a budget, I would look at the Kumho SPT. They have good dry traction and excellent wet traction. Also have a good threadlife.

If you are not on a budget then I would go with the Goodyear F1 GS-D3. They have excellent dry traction and excellent wet traction. Also have a good threadlife but more expensive!

 

I want to stay in the $400-$500 dollar range.

 

I can vouch for the SPT's although dont expect too many miles out of them. Theyre soft, but very sticky and quiet on the road. I also had the yokohama es100's and for the price, theyre amazing! Almost as sticky as the spts, and around the same price. Very smooth and comfortable, but they can handle abuse and are great performers.

 

i own yokohama es100. they handle well in dry/wet road. however, life isnt that good. Price was pretty good too, compare to others.

and Dont ever use them on snow. even light snow. i had real hard time...lol

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Kangpreza &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i own yokohama es100. they handle well in dry/wet road. however, life isnt that good. Price was pretty good too, compare to others.

and Dont ever use them on snow. even light snow. i had real hard time...lol</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yeah my car is an 03 rsx-s and I have the stock rims with stock conti's on them. They suck for performance oriented driving. I just bought the '06 type-s wheels so I could have a summer and winter tire.

Are Fusion ZRi's any good? They look alright.

 

I found some tires for a pretty good price. My only dilema is this...

The stock tire size for the 06 type s wheels is 215/45ZR17, but the tires I'm looking at are 205/40ZR17... does this mean my tires will be more narrow? I'm guessing that will be less-optimal for handling purposes... right?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 93eg2james &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I found some tires for a pretty good price. My only dilema is this...

The stock tire size for the 06 type s wheels is 215/45ZR17, but the tires I'm looking at are 205/40ZR17... does this mean my tires will be more narrow? I'm guessing that will be less-optimal for handling purposes... right?</TD></TR></TABLE>

yeah, they will be narrower and probbaly look " stretched" on that wheel, but just keep in mind that better tires handle better, not wider tires.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 93eg2james &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I found some tires for a pretty good price. My only dilema is this...

The stock tire size for the 06 type s wheels is 215/45ZR17, but the tires I'm looking at are 205/40ZR17... does this mean my tires will be more narrow? I'm guessing that will be less-optimal for handling purposes... right?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Don't get 205/40-17 tires. Those are MUCH too small for your car. (Not only are they 10 mm narrower, but they're almost 5 percent smaller in diameter.) Stick with 215/45-17.

The Kumho SPT and the Yokohama ES100 mentioned above are within your budget and both are excellent choices. I disagree with those complaining about tread life on the ES100; I got over 40K to a set on our GS-R, which is darn good for a performance tire. YMMV, of course, but you can expect 25-40K miles from either of these tires (to maximize treadlife, check your tire pressures periodically and rotate your tires every once in a while).

Another good choice is the Avon Tech M500. It's even better than the SPT and ES100, and about the same money. Current 215/45-17 prices at the Tire Rack:

Avon Tech M500 $89
Kumho Ecsta SPT $84
Yokohama AVS ES100 $97

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 93eg2james &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Are Fusion ZRi's any good?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Not really. It's not terrible, but it's a significant step down in performance from the others noted here, and at $77, the cost difference isn't huge. Stick with one of those other tires.

You can see a side-by-side comparison test of the ZRi, ES100, and M500 here, and a test of the SPT and ES100 here.