Which Tire Should I Go With?

[epcivicboy08]

What's up guys,

So I'm at the point where I want to get a new set of tires fairly soon but I'm not sure on which set to get. Hoping you guys can chime in and give your opinions/reviews/pros & cons.

I DD my car. I put between 270-300 miles per week on my car. I'm looking to stay with 205/50/16 tire specs. I'm dropped on Eibach Sportlines, stock struts. Don't do autocross, but plan to do about 1-2 track events at Willow Springs here in CA.

I got my choices narrowed down to the following:

Yokohama S Drive
Hankook V4 ES H105
Dunlop Direzza

Are any of these good choices?

Should I consider other ones?

I looked at these being that they are summer tires which I plan to run all year and also it keeps me below the $400 budget mark.

Thoughts?

[StimulisRK]

I'm in the same boat as you, same specs and everything. DD with dedicated summer wheels, so I want summer tires, but I really don't need outrageous performance.
From the reviews I read, I'm leaning toward the S Drives. I was gonna go with Nitto NeoGens, but realized they were all-seasons. Are those Hankooks all-seasons or summer tires?

I'm also somewhat contemplating the Sumitomo HTR Z II's, but the fact that they are $63 a tire SCARES me. But they have some solid customer reviews and are actually rated higher than the Direzza's on Tire Rack. And now my die-hard Michelin friend just threw in Riken Raptors ($73 I think, on Discount Tire Direct). Riken is a newer entry-level performance tire company apparently owned by Michelin, and they also have solid reviews on 1010Tires.com

[epcivicboy08]

The Hankooks are summer tires.

I was also thinking about the Sumimotos but you're right, the price and after reading this review article: http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/articles/cheap-skates/ it seemed they were a bit on a the loud side and also didn't respond as well.

I'll have to look at those Riken Tires. I'm open to any brand as long as they give good performance at a good price.

[hyu]

I still hear excellent things about hankook v12 ventus

Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G

[ep3k20]

bridgestone potenza re970as pole positions... hands down best tire i have ever used for a DD. Responsive, very grippy, decently sticky, dont wash out (kevlar bead) and no drama under hard corners. rating 9.0-9.5 out of ten

[AttarixEp]

Dunlops..... Are you talking DZ101 or starspecs? I use the DZ101 on my daily jetta. For the price, it's an amazing tire. Also used them when I dd'd my ep.

[StimulisRK]

The Hankooks are summer tires.

I was also thinking about the Sumimotos but you're right, the price and after reading this review article: http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/articles/cheap-skates/ it seemed they were a bit on a the loud side and also didn't respond as well.

I'll have to look at those Riken Tires. I'm open to any brand as long as they give good performance at a good price.

That's a different Sumitomo though, I was talking about the HTR Z II. And the Rikens are actually all-seasons I just found out. And according to TireRack, those Hankook V4's you mentioned are all-seasons too.

Still though, it seems no matter what tire I read about, half the reviews says they're "too loud" while the other half say they're quiet, half the reviews complain about treadwear and half say they have great treadwear :mrolleyes:


And I don't think I could find the v12 Ventus or the Potenza's in 205-50-16. So right now I'm going between S.Drives, DZ101 (not Star Specs), and the Sumitomo HTR Z II's

[sleepy ep3]

I would just shop through discount tire direct and tire rack, read all the reviews you can, and make a choice. Do not buy Nitto Invo's. I have a set now, and I'm not happy with them. Even on wastegate pressure they break loose, and squeal under medium cornering. Falken Azenis are awesome, but wear fast, as do the Star Specs. I would buy the Hankooks, and use a completely different set of front wheels and tires for the track days. If you are serious about tracking, you are going to have to compromise too much either way; either giving up tire life, or performance.

[rotary_tuner]

I still hear excellent things about hankook v12 ventus

Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G

Whatever you guys do, do not get Dunlop Direzza star specs. Dont get me wrong, they are a very cheap, high grip tire, but we put those on my girlfriends 08 civic si sedan, and we burned through them after about 10k miles. She is not what you would call a super aggressive driver. They are also very susceptible to hydroplaning. Up here in Washington state that is not very desirable. Now, as far as the above mentioned Hankook v12's. I had those on my old S2000 and couldn't say enough good things about them. They offer amazing dry grip (especially when they warm up a little), they are very durable, quiet, and actually had way better grip in the snow and wet than the dunlops by far. It is seriously one of the best tires I have personally experienced. Again, avoid dunlop. My girlfriends mom had different dunlops on her BMW X5 and burned through them in about 10k miles as well. Just my .02

[epcivicboy08]

That's a different Sumitomo though, I was talking about the HTR Z II. And the Rikens are actually all-seasons I just found out. And according to TireRack, those Hankook V4's you mentioned are all-seasons too.

Still though, it seems no matter what tire I read about, half the reviews says they're "too loud" while the other half say they're quiet, half the reviews complain about treadwear and half say they have great treadwear :mrolleyes:


And I don't think I could find the v12 Ventus or the Potenza's in 205-50-16. So right now I'm going between S.Drives, DZ101 (not Star Specs), and the Sumitomo HTR Z II's

You're right about the V4s being all season. My bad.
And I would've included the V12s in my choices, but just like you found out, they aren't available in those specs.

Seems like I've just talked myself out of my original choices lol


Whatever you guys do, do not get Dunlop Direzza star specs. Dont get me wrong, they are a very cheap, high grip tire, but we put those on my girlfriends 08 civic si sedan, and we burned through them after about 10k miles. She is not what you would call a super aggressive driver. They are also very susceptible to hydroplaning. Up here in Washington state that is not very desirable. Now, as far as the above mentioned Hankook v12's. I had those on my old S2000 and couldn't say enough good things about them. They offer amazing dry grip (especially when they warm up a little), they are very durable, quiet, and actually had way better grip in the snow and wet than the dunlops by far. It is seriously one of the best tires I have personally experienced. Again, avoid dunlop. My girlfriends mom had different dunlops on her BMW X5 and burned through them in about 10k miles as well. Just my .02

Thanks for your input on the Dunlops. 10k miles just isn't going to cut it.

[Distance]

hit up temple city automotive for tire quotes. they gave me some great prices for track tires.

s-drives or dz101. driven on both i prefer the s drives.

im currently dailying/tracking "3track days" on federal rs-r and i love these tires. very affordable and grippy and after the 7th or 8th lap they do not grease up and cause you to slide out like my hankook v12.

[powdbyrice]

I'm in the same boat as you, same specs and everything. DD with dedicated summer wheels, so I want summer tires, but I really don't need outrageous performance.
From the reviews I read, I'm leaning toward the S Drives. I was gonna go with Nitto NeoGens, but realized they were all-seasons. Are those Hankooks all-seasons or summer tires?

I'm also somewhat contemplating the Sumitomo HTR Z II's, but the fact that they are $63 a tire SCARES me. But they have some solid customer reviews and are actually rated higher than the Direzza's on Tire Rack. And now my die-hard Michelin friend just threw in Riken Raptors ($73 I think, on Discount Tire Direct). Riken is a newer entry-level performance tire company apparently owned by Michelin, and they also have solid reviews on 1010Tires.com

sumitomo is partners with dunlop and goodyear in japan.

i would throw the new bf goodrich g-force sport (reformulated rubber, same tread pattern as old tire) as well. i had 2 sets. both performed well. were affordable and lasted a long time. i got like 50k miles out of my first set.

[ep_hatcher_510]

Whatever you guys do, do not get Dunlop Direzza star specs. Dont get me wrong, they are a very cheap, high grip tire, but we put those on my girlfriends 08 civic si sedan, and we burned through them after about 10k miles. She is not what you would call a super aggressive driver. They are also very susceptible to hydroplaning. Up here in Washington state that is not very desirable. Now, as far as the above mentioned Hankook v12's. I had those on my old S2000 and couldn't say enough good things about them. They offer amazing dry grip (especially when they warm up a little), they are very durable, quiet, and actually had way better grip in the snow and wet than the dunlops by far. It is seriously one of the best tires I have personally experienced. Again, avoid dunlop. My girlfriends mom had different dunlops on her BMW X5 and burned through them in about 10k miles as well. Just my .02

Sounds about right to me, you can't really expect more from them as they have a design and compound meant for maximum traction. Also the v12s and star specs are in a different category of tires. The v12 will be better as a daily driven tire that sees all types of weather because it was incorporated into its design, but the star specs will blow it out of the water in terms of dry traction.

[sistealth02]

I would just shop through discount tire direct and tire rack, read all the reviews you can, and make a choice. Do not buy Nitto Invo's. I have a set now, and I'm not happy with them. Even on wastegate pressure they break loose, and squeal under medium cornering. Falken Azenis are awesome, but wear fast, as do the Star Specs. I would buy the Hankooks, and use a completely different set of front wheels and tires for the track days. If you are serious about tracking, you are going to have to compromise too much either way; either giving up tire life, or performance.

I second everything sleepy just said!

[EUB44]

Have s -drive for 3 months, perfect product for price. I haven`t try others but Yokohama makes quality product.

[differentK]

i have those hankook v4s now- got them to hold me over until i researched a proper tire- i have been really happy with them. they are an all season tire but they handle quite well for what they are. dry traction is quite good and wet traction is surprisingly good as well. my car mainly lives in the twisties on mountain roads so having good wet/ dry grip is a big limiting factor for me. i feel pretty confident with these tires and they have been holding their own really well even with all the trashing i throw at them. however- i will be moving up to the v12 evos in another month or so- i think 320+ whp and 240+ ftlb are starting to take their toll. good tires for the money though- i would get them again for a DD

[hyu]

Think you're tire size is limited? I'm thinking about going 225/45/16... V12s are def out... I'm prolly gonna autox 2x a year if that?

[epcivicboy08]

Thanks guys for all the feedback.

So today I pulled the trigger on the Yokohama S Drives.

I'll probably get them one sometime next week after my new wheels arrive.

After that I'll drive around for a few hundred miles and give my thoughts.

[StimulisRK]

Nice, where'd you buy from and what price? I'm going between the Sumitomos and the s.drives. Probably gonna buy later today.

[EUB44]

Nice choose. Good luck

[epcivicboy08]

Nice, where'd you buy from and what price? I'm going between the Sumitomos and the s.drives. Probably gonna buy later today.

With shipping they were 445 from Tirerack. A little over my budget but I guess they are tires after all and they are probably one of the most important parts on your car.

Btw, I noticed that you bought the HFP Fit wheels right?
I also just got those wheels lol


Nice choose. Good luck

Thanks man!

[StimulisRK]

Btw, I noticed that you bought the HFP Fit wheels right?
I also just got those wheels lol


Yeah haha! So excited to finally get them on, I've had them for awhile, just hadn't got tires yet. I was torn between S.Drives and the Sumitomos, I ended up going with the Sumitomos after reading more reviews. I'm not gonna be AutoXing at all so I figured I'd try them, as much as I wanted S.Drives. Hopefully I'll have everything on next thursday!

[j.lai]

I got Hankook Ventus V12's this summer and am absolutely loving how much grip you get. You can definitely feel your tires on your wheel and handles so well on the corners wet/dry. All my buddy's run V12's and I know a lot of local people here that run them as well.

[rd02SiR]

The s drives are very very similar to fallen 452. Which are a decent tire. Stiff side wall, responsive and predictable. Only thing i didn't like was they break loose easy, for me at least. I drive spiritedly.

Im currently on Star Specs. First set got me 2.5 summers. About 30-40k kms. The girl who got 10k miles prob had bad alignment. I got that milage on an aggressive alignment. Only complaint is the side wall is a tad soft, and hydroplaning is an issue with heavy rain after 50% tread life.


Sent from my awful auto correcting iPhone using Tapatalk

[antisocial]

Give the BFG G-Force COMP II a try, I have personally tested them alongside the Hankooks, Cooper RS-3, Yoko S-Drive, and it spanks them all. My 60-0 brake distance was 19 feet shorter than the S-Drive. Turn in response is razor sharp, and the breakaway is very progressive. They are solid in the wet. Price isn't too bad either.