I am shopping for some new street tires and as of right now I am open to some suggestions. For the last two years I have run Falken Azenis. I thought they were okay for the most part. I thought they had good grip for a road tire, but the downside to them are the excessive road noise, they almost have no give over sharp bumps, and they completely suck in the rain. So I am looking for something new.

I would like a tire to fit these parameters:

-16 inches
-between 205 and 215mm
-40 or 45 series
-and less the 23.9in tall mounted

Any input would be appreciated.

 

The new generation of extreme performance tires is here, and they're MUCH better than the Azenis in every way. They are:

Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec
Bridgestone Potenza RE-11
Kumho Ecsta XS
Yokohama Advan Neova AD08
Toyo Proxes R1R
Hankook Ventus R-S3 Z222

(Falken will soon introduce a replacement for the Azenis, called the RT-615K.)

The RE-11 and R1R are available in 205/45-16; the XS is available in 215/45-16. The XS is a bit worse than the rest of this group in rain, and since that is clearly important to you, I would get one of the others. (Road noise tends to be a function of tread depth more so than one tire over another.)

Bottom line, I think your best bet is the Bridgestone Potenza RE-11 in 205/45-16.

 

I was interested in the Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec, but they were not available in my size. I really wanted to give the Advan AD08 a try because of my experience with the Advan AD05/06. Life is hard when you roll in 16's and you want new soles for your shoes.

I haven't really heard anything about the RE-11, but if is anything like the RE-01R... I might be interested.

 

you can give me your RGs if they are that troubling for you

 

I will respectfully decline sir.

 

lol

 

Yup. That's why I didn't mention them when I was telling you what's available in 205/45-16 and 215/45-16.

It's a much improved replacement of the RE-01R. There's a side-by-side comparison test on the Tire Rack website of the RE-11, AD08, XS, and Star Spec. (Bottom line, all four perform admirably and similarly on dry pavement; the XS is a bit worse than the other three in rain.) You'll also find some good comparison comments by Andy Hollis in this topic.

 

Indeed. Ive driven on all of these tires at autox and track and the RE-11 is the best street tire I have ever driven on in all instances. I wont hesitate to buy RE-11s again.

 

are you looking at just dry traction grip? When I buy tires I look at wet & dry traction, road noise, and longevity. Dry traction is the 1st thing I look at and then compare the wet traction. Weigh the factors and start comparing the other aspects of tires. IMO General Exclaim UHP are a great all around tire. Check them out.

 

The General Exclaim UHP is a cheap, longer-lasting summer tire that isn't even as good as the best tires in that lower-performance category (such as the Yokohama S.drive). That is a TERRIBLE recommendation for someone looking for an "extreme performance" tire to replace the Azenis.

 

ok? he never said he wanted an extreme performance tire. I re read his original post and the General Exclaim UHP fit in his category. He mentioned road noise and driving in rain, fitting 16" wheels 205 width 45 tread wall... just saying. TH arent a bad tire, but there are a lot better and a lot worse tires out there.