I'm trying to decide what tires to buy, but I don't really have a lot of previous experience so I was wondering what you guys would recommend for a 00 Civic Ex, wheel size 205/45/16. I don't care about road noise or a soft ride, I care about longevity(college student) and performance. I don't have to worry about snow or anything either. I'm coming from a set of Yokohama AVID H4S, which were not bad but unimpressive in my book.

I'm looking at the following tires:
-Falken Ziex ZE-912
-Kumho Ecsta ASX
-Yokohama AVID H4S (Again)
-Kumho Ecsta AST
-Yokohama S.drive
-BF Goodrich g-Force Super Sport A/S
or something similarly priced...

I don't race and it is my DD but I'm looking for a balance of treadlife and grippage.

Thanks!

 

s drives for sticky+treadlife.

 

Yup. Because you have been unimpressed with your all-season Yokohamas, I recommend switching to a summer tire. Remember, all-season tires are designed as a compromise; in order to function in snow and frigid cold as well as warm weather, they are designed with this flexibility in mind. In exchange for this flexibility, they sacrifice the benefit of specialization; they don't grip as well in snow and frigid cold as winter tires, and they don't grip as well in moderate to warm temperatures as summer tires.

The only summer tire on your list is the Yokohama S.drive. It is a very good tire, offering very good performance along with decent treadlife and an affordable price ($92/tire at the Tire Rack). Another very good tire is the Fuzion ZRi ($88), which is similar to the S.drive on dry pavement and is a bit better in rain. If you're willing to accept a little bit worse performance in exchange for a lower purchase price, you might also consider the Dunlop Direzza DZ101 ($76) or General Exclaim UHP ($75). All of these are summer tires and will give you much better grip than all-season tires, as long as the temperature is above freezing.