I got a set of these last time. 215/40/17. I like the look and seem to be a good bargain at about $90 per tire. The tread wear is good and they handle pretty nice. I am trying to find the best budget tire that balances handling/low price/tread wear. I know there are some tire gurus on here, anyone have an opinion on this particular tire? I like them, and will get them again, unless there is something way better for the same price that I am unaware of. Thanks.

 

I haven't driven them, but I'm generally wary of off-brand tires. Based on the sparse information on Federal's website, it appears that this is a summer tire (and NOT their top-of-the-line) - is that correct? Actually, the real question to consider is, do you plan to use these tires occasionally in snow and frigid cold in the winter as well as in moderate to warm temperatures the rest of the year, or only in moderate to warm temperatures?

If you're going to use them occasionally in snow, you need an all-season tire. If so, I recommend the Kumho ASX, $86/tire in 215/40-17.

If you're not going to use them in snow, you can benefit from a summer tire. In that case, I recommend either the Avon Tech M500 ($81/tire in 215/40-17 at the Tire Rack) or the Fuzion ZRi ($76). I normally recommend the Kumho SPT but in this particular size it's priced higher ($92) than those tires, which are similar.

All of these tires are well-known and you can view test results showing how they compare with other tires on the Tire Rack website (and they compare very well). You can't do that with the Federal tires.