EDIT: IF YOU STROLL ACROSS THIS THREAD AND DON'T FEEL LIKE COMMENTING I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND, BUT PLEASE "VOTE" IF YOU HAVE EXPERIENCE W/THE FOLLOWING:

Hey All,

I'm trying to choose between the three following tires and I'll admit, I'm not much of a tire buff and I need some help.

I'm leaning toward a high performance "summer" type tire as I have about 8 solid months of hot weather ahead. Here are my choices:

205/45-16 YOKOHAMA PARADA SPEC-2 83V BW- $84/per
Brand: YOKOHAMA
Part #: 1212
Size: 205/45-16
Speed Rating: V
Type: ULTRA HIGH PERFROMANCE
Load Index: 83
Load Range:
Sidewall: BW
UTQG:


205/45-16 NITTO NTNEO "NEO GEN" 87V- $76/per
Brand: NITTO
Part #: 185-010
Size: 205/45-16
Speed Rating: V
Type: Ultra High Performance All Season
Load Index: 87
Load Range:
Sidewall:
UTQG: 280AAA


205/45-16 FEDERAL 595 RS-R Racing 83W BSW- $78/per
Brand: FEDERAL
Part #: 950K6AFA
Size: 205/45-16
Speed Rating: W
Type: Extreme Performance
Load Index: 83
Load Range:
Sidewall: BSW
UTQG: 140AAA


These tires will go on 16x7 +35


Here are my following questions...of the following three which set(s) would get the most miles? Which set has the lowest road noise? And which set would you choose? All of these tires appear to be within $8 of each other...Is there another tire you'd suggest that I'm completely missing out on? I hate to say I'm leaning toward the Federals...am I crazy? I've actually read some good things about these tires in Subaru and Nissan forums.

Any feedback and opinions would be appreciated as always.

 

Personally, I've had horrible luck with Nitto tires, never tried Federals, and had good luck with Yokohamas. I'd be biased and say that I'd choose the Parada's.

 

The Yokohama's will give you about 30k miles according to government ratings and Nitto's will give you about 28k miles according to the UTQG ratings. So, they are basically the same. Our customers have had good luck with Yokohamas although some Nitto followers swear by them! We have never worked with Federal so couldn't give you feedback on those. As for road noise, these are all summer tires and generally would tend to be louder than the All Seasons simply because of the siping they have!

Is it safe to assume that you will not be using these tires after the summer and potentially moving to either All Season or Winter tires?

 

I seem to me heading in the direction of Yokohamas solely for the reason that I've read the most positive review and trends about them.

I really just planned on using the tires till they're juiced. We don't get much rain (other then the month of august) in which case I'll mostly likely leave the car in the garage and take my Volvo.

 

I know some autocrossers that are very happy with the Federals.

 

check out the yokohama s.drive also. its a good blend performance and tread wear. A bit more than those you listed.



$95 on tire rack.

 

Thanks alphalanos...I'll surely look into that concept. Are the s.drives comparable to the Parada Spec-2? Same type of tire summer performance tire I assume? Hate to sound so dumb...why is the s.drive more then the parada spec? Is it a performance thing?

 

I only have Experience with the Nitto Neo Gens.
Awsome tire. Tire life is a little short if your hard on your car, but they handle great, and have little road noise probably because they are so soft. make sure your alignment is spot on or you'll tear through them.

 

I havent heard great things about the Paradas. I think the s. drive is a better tire. Ive been using them for a while and Im happy with them. I will be moving to a higher performance tire though most likely. Maybe Star Spec, XS, or AD08.

 

Thanks for the info furious...PS- are we talking like 15k-20k tire life? What was your experience?

 

None of those listed...

I'd suggest:

Dunlop Z1 Star Specs
Bridgestone RE-11
Hankook RS3
Yokohama AD08
Toyo R1R
Kumho XS
Falken RT-615K

Pretty much in that order from best to "worst"... The Toyo R1R would probably be the best street tire because it's a good tire in rain. The rest can be a bit sketchy, esp when you get down on thread and in heavy rain..

Those are the best street tires you could get. For other summer tires I can speak for the Kumho SPT and Yokohama S.Drives personally. I've used them as my true street tire on my race car(I use the Bridgestone RE-11's for AutoX on another set of wheels). I liked the Kumho SPT's better than the S.Drives but both tires are really good and great in the rain.

 

I would second optioning the S. Drive. After doing some digging, and asking a few friends that are more knowledgeable and experienced in tires then I, I saw that there was much more desirable choices out there and that the Parada's really don't have that good of a reputation for performance.

If you're looking for something more well-rounded for all of the seasons, the Nitto's chosen above would be a fairly smart choice. I had a conversation with someone I trust about the tires you're requesting information on, and he had incredible luck with S. Drives.

 

Thanks guys, this Friday ill have to put an order in for tires.

I've had to opt out of the Parada Spec2's after some deeper research. I've heard the sidewalls are slightly flimsy which makes for rattling at high speeds, thats a no go for me.

As for the Federals...I've read and seen pictures that they run extremely wide. Apparently a 205 is closer to a 225 width which would most likely make for rubbing which is a bust. Also they seem to be completely back ordered almost everywhere I look. I suppose this could either be a good or bad thing. HAHAH Either a bunch of hype or a real good $80 tire.

I'm leading toward the S.Drives I suppose...the extra $50 will most likely be worth it at the end of the day.

 

I like my nittos but I wish I'd gone with a summer tire like the S. Drive.

Nittos are a great tire for the money. Handle far better than any other all season that I've had. I think the all season neogen will be good for starting and learning autocross this year, next year when it's tire time I'll switch to a solid set of wet/dry summer tires.