So I'm after a new set of 17" rubber and I'm open to all brands but my requirements are tread ware rating of 400+ and the type of driving I do will be mostly highway, and a couple of track days. I'm mainly looking for something similar to the Yokohama s-drive but a little more sportier.

400+ tread ware is key. I don't want to have to replace them each season.

Anyone have any suggestions?

I've owned the k110's (hankook) they wore too quickly, I've checked out the RS-3, it's nice but with a trdwr of 140, they won't hold up to highway abuse and same goes for toyo r1r's.

The direzza's also look like they won't hold up to hwy kms.

FML tire shopping is a PITA!

I had a set of Nitto NT555's before my current tires and I will be going back to them. They gripped great on launch and lasted 3 summers. My buddy runs them on his Evo too and swears by them, he had tried Hankook V12 EVO's, he said they were decent but only lasted a little over a season.

The Nitto's are $500 for a set of 235/45/17, which is pretty decent I find.

My wheels are 17x7 +45

According to the charts I can run a 245/40/17. They (all brands) aren't that expensive to begin with. It's the long term use and rare abuse I want them to handle.

What Nitto's are they?

NT555.

245 maybe be a bit wide on a 7" rim. 235's fit perfect on my evo rims(8" wide).

I'm leaning towards these http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes

These are the ones I'm talking about: http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direct/tires/nitto/size/viewProductDetail.do?ra=%2Ftires%2Fnitto%2Fsize%2FviewProductResults&pc=40138&ar=45&rd=17&cs=235

frack I've gone through this a lot lately. 245 can fit a 7" wide rim, the over hang is 1.3 inches each side. I've seen Camaro's run this but with a higher side wall. So maybe you're right...? 235 might be the right size. But it's step backwards from my 18's and my 8" wide currently has 245's. I'd say they're flush visually but probably over hang by half an inch each way.

Damn that's a decent price!

This is 235 on an 8" wheel, pretty much flush:

LOL nice pic! Looks like you're going faster than 90 km/h

Hmmmm....now you've got me re-thinking sizes. I find the 235 an obscure size to shop for but when you show me a Nitto555 for $125 each, damn!

Is anyone running a 245 on a 7" rim?

245 is 9.6 inches.

225-45-17 is perfect on 7" so I'm thinking 245 will buldge pretty badly.

I'm seeing that every where I look Rob. Thanks for chiming in!

This tire size is a half inch smaller in over all diameter in comparison to the factory 2g alloy. Will that create drive train problems? (newb question I know)

Not if you keep all four corners the same. Your speedo will read a little bit high, but not by much and it might save you a ticket or two

Ok so it's decided. 225-45-17 is the size I'm after. I'm still leaning towards the Yoko S-drive at 300 treadware. They're $125 each from tirerack.com.

I've been hearing and reading good things about the Michelin Pilot Super Sport. Also the same treadware rating..Looks like a stickier tire than the Yoko's.

Turns out the Dunlup Star specs are discontinued and have been replaced by the Direzza Z2's. They have a 200 trdwr. So that won't fly for me unfortunately.

Any body else have any suggestions?

400+ treadware, so your not looking for a performance tire, your looking for all season, mud & snows?

What kind of treadlife are you looking to get? My Kumho XS are rated as 180, currently have 20K miles on them & will get 5K more no problem (or 40K km). I could probably get more out of them if the inners werent wearing faster then the rest (good alignment but I think its just caused from toe changes as our suspension compresses/rebounds, with soft rubber compounds).

For me thats 5 summers, after that much time the rubber is starting to lose performance. So I'd rather burn through the tire vs throwing them out with tread left.

lol which is why I've decided on 300's and not 400's. I plan to order from tirerack again, and I'm comfortable paying up to $600-$650 for a set. Keeping in mind I'll have to pay duties crossing the border at Ogdensburgh. I just priced out the s-drives from my work and with out tax, they're $220x4=$880 + 13% hst = $995. I'll be saving a couple hundred bucks this way.

I am really happy with my Nankang NS-2
I paid about 650 installed for them.

http://www.amazon.com/Nankang-NS-2-High-Performance-Tire/dp/B004QL6OOU

You will always lose traction with treadwear and vise versa depending on road conditions and driving habits. If you are just looking for a long lasting tire for highway miles go with the 400 or 300. If you want to drive fast and furious style then 180's is what you want. On dry hot days. If you get more rain then hot days stay with a higher treadwear. If awd burnouts on rainy days is what you are looking for then go with a lower treadwear.

I'm rocking an Ironman Imove, which for the price is a decent tire. Good all season, forget about it at the track.

Why do I need rain for an awd burnout? JK

I want the best of both worlds, great performance and long life.

Had the NS-2 on my civic back in the day, they were OK..found them noisy but my 3" exhaust kind of cancels that out lol...

Good luck!!! I dont even think the best of both worlds at least in tires exsist. It is like running an allseason as a snowtire. They work kinda. But even a POS linglong snowtire will beat any all season in the snow.

I've always preached that to my clients. "The best all season is out performed by the worst snow tire in winter"..lol guess I should take heed to my own advice.

Linglong, sounds funny when you say it with a chinese accent.

Is it wingwong or ringrong. Sorry no racial pun intended.

IT'S FLY LICE YOU PLICK!!!!

And don't worry about the racial comments, I'm only HALF insulted

I stand by Hankook. Cannot beat the bang for the buck factor you get with them.

For the difference in price between the Ventus EVO V12 and anything comparable you could buy 2 sets and still have cash left over. Sure treadwear is lower but performance is fantastic.

I use the Ventus Z-214 R-Comps and they are the stickiest out there, but they wear quick.

The RS-3's keep winning competition after competition and are generally sold out everywhere - the treadwear is low but you won't find a better performing tire, but some of the competition definitely does have better treadwear.

Pricewise, Hankooks are generally the best performance bang for the buck and generally some of the cheaper options, but treadwear usually suffers. I always get from the States (unless I find a sweet deal here) so pricing difference may not be as drastic if you're buying locally.




After reading through this thread a little more thoroughly...the difference in tire costs is truly astounding.

The evo v12's (which I'm running now on the 18's) are wearing to quickly for my liking. I drive A LOT of high way into work and back home when I daily my car. I've even considered keeping my 18's as a cruising set with some s-drives (yoko's) and the 17's as strictly a 100-140 treadware (r1r's, direzza z2's, those rs-3's you mentioned)..BUT, what a PITA to tote a set of extra wheels inside your car, with you to track days. And my eclipse is NO WHERE NEAR trailer queen worthiness.

So imagine this, it's 90 kms each way into town and back home, 5 times a week and sometimes further for hockey games. That's about 1,000 kms a week. They next set of rubber I buy need to handle that, and be able to allow me to break loose every now and then. (on the track of course).

Oh and to add one last thing, the Evo's (in my size) are $124 each and the S-Drive is $125. For the extra $4, I'd like to try something new.

while we are on the topic of tires, whats peoples experience with 1010tire? They seem to have decent prices and free shipping on full sets of 4?
I am not trying to plug them I am just trying to see where or what peoples experiences are with them and tires

Not sure if its just a promo but I don't think they normally have free shipping. I don't think they have the best prices out there but don't think their too bad most of the time either(you probably don't have the tire shop selection the GTA does). Remember you need to add on something to have them installed if your compairing to your local shops price.

Tirerack.com usually has some pretty good prices but their shiping cost to Canada really jacks the price up. If you can have them shippied within the US, you'll do much better.

Edit: On tire choice, I have no personal experience but also check out the Bridgestone Potenza RE760 Sport. Bridgestone makes some really nice tires currently but their usually pretty spendy. If I was looking for something with more tread wear vs the max performance tires I typically run, I'd probably give them a shot, as this model doesnt seem to bad price wise.

Yeah I am lucky I dont ever pay for install or Road Force balancing, perks of working at a dealership. Downside is having to do the work after a days worth of work dealing with repairs on vehicles

Believe me, the difference an R-Comp makes in performance on a track (that is, if you both know how to and are willing to push a car to its very limits) is significant to say the least. R-Comps make more of a difference than any other single mod, especially for the price, especially if you throw them on a set of lightweight rims.

It's definitely worth the 'hassle' of carrying around the rims if you're going to the track. I usually lug enough tools with me to disassemble/rebuild the entire car on the spot anyways, so what's a few tires? Besides, if you track on your street tires they WILL get chewed up - significantly, especially if they are a higher treadwear (i.e. lower temp, lower performance) tire.

I just got a 101 on this today from a tech at my work and pretty neat stuff.

Mr. Ponte - How do you fit ALL of your tools and a spare set of wheels in your car?

Multi-Tool doesn't count

Road Force is pretty neat eh Mike. Makes a huge difference on lower Quality tires.

He definitely does not, he could barely fit my fenders in his car, let alone 4 extra tires

Yes it is. But to get 100% true round is still impossible if you ask me. I thought they called this a "roll-out" test. But Road Force is a combination of aspects that aid harmonic balancing.

Thought so!

Oh It isn't about being round. It measures sidewall variation. Run out is very different then Road force. It helps match the tire and rim high and low spots.

I just confused the two already and I learned it about an hour ago

Nice!

If can log onto E-LEARNING they have a good course on it under steering and suspension.

Between you and me, I fuckin hate e-learning. It's a PITA. They update these courses and always manage to get the "online classroom" on my day's off or when I'm off shift. Just brutal! I don't see any compensation from this. I pay my own way every day here and this additional time spent "training" is less time on the floor, where I GET PAID!

Although, some of the information is useful..but I use that term "useful" very loosely here.