bspeed

EM1 running Apex'I N1 Pro 99+ spec lowered ~1.5"
I am running 16"x7 RE30 wheels to fit my brake kit, looking for some advice on summer tires.
15's are way easy.
Currently running All season Toyo Proxes 4 205/45r16, soft sidewalls make for a gummy turn in.

Want: an improved grip, better than current turn-in, fits wheel well.
Don't want: spend a grand on tires, get greasy during spirited driving.
Don't care: road noise, brand

Car is occasionally used to drive to work, mostly just cruising up and down mountain passes with friends, maybe a HPDE at Fontana one day.

Turk@TireRack

With the 205/45-16, I would recommend you look at the Bridgestone Potenza RE-71R for best in class grip and steering response. They are a bit on the pricier side though, so if you wanted to save a couple bucks and still have improved grip and steering response over your current tires, you would probably like the the new Firestone Firehawk Indy 500.

bspeed

Grassroots drooled over those Potenzas, but they are out of my budget for my purpose. The Firehawks look like a nice alternative.

Sprockets

iTrader: (6)

Other than price, how do the Firehawk Indy 500 tires compare to these:

Bridgestone Potenza RE760 Sport

Turk@TireRack

The Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 is actually the replacement tire for the Bridgestone Potenza RE760 Sport, so they are an improvement.
If you didn't know, Firestone is actually owned by Bridgestone, so that's why they are able to do this.

testify

The Kumho V720 is a better choice for the money than the RE71Rs.

The difference in performance between all of the hot summer rubber is nearly immeasurable except in the most controlled environments, and the V720 are really inexpensive.

Turk@TireRack

The V720 is certainly a very good tire for the money, and a fantastic option for autocross, but they are not recommended for extended runs or extreme heat situations like the OP's use for HPDE, road racing, or long mountain road attacks at high speeds. The reason for this is, in the more extreme heat and long running situations, they have a tendency to wear out the center rib and it can even start peeling away. This causes a loss of grip and a lot of noise, and in extreme cases can even cause the tire to fail.

The other problem there is that he was looking at 205/45-16, and the Kumho Ecsta V720 doesn't come in that size. The only 16" size I see that tire in is 225/50-16 and those are an inch wider and about an inch and a half taller than he was looking for, I believe.

Sprockets

iTrader: (6)

It's good to hear confirmation of that. I did some searching last night and found out that the RE760 is RE001 in other countries, and the Indy 500 is Bridgestone's RE003. I hope they don't raise the price on the Firestone, because it's a bargain. I missed out on a $60 rebate in the Spring. My RE760 tires still have plenty of tread left, but I'll be getting the Firestones when it's time to replace them, thank you!

testify

I've read about the chunking.

I have a set of 235/45/17 and 245/40/17 V720s, and after a few trackdays on a heavy AWD car, I've still not experienced the issue.

Might be because I wasn't foolish enough to try to run them at full tread, though. I've seen chunking from all sorts of different tires when theyre abused at full tread.

Turk@TireRack

It's good to hear that not everyone racing on these is experiencing that! Running them at reduced/shaved tread depth is definitely a good idea to help avoid having that problem, too.

bspeed

I had some RE760's before and enjoyed them a lot. Firehawks it is.