crazeazn

I'm rolling on stock wheels so 225-40-18 and 245-35-18, maybe going 255 in the rear...

Recommendations? My priorities are as follows for Houston driving:

Very Good Summer performance and balanced with comfort (my commute involves a TON of crappy roads/potholes)
Decent Wet performance
Must be VERY QUIET
Decent Treadwear = around 15k miles.

I put some RE960AS on my E500 and wow that rides like butter so I have a little Bridgestone bias. I have PS2s now but I want to try something new.

Viper98912

Depending on your budget, on the lower end you've got the Hankook Evo V12's, Falken FK452, and Yoko Sdrives, that seem to be getting good reviews.

Btw, I'm currently running 225/40 and 255/35 and IMO it looks better (tread width and sidewall height, and also comparing front and rear sidewall heights) and obviously a slight increase in traction. No rubbing issues or anything

crazeazn

viper what tires are you running?

Viper98912

Currently running Michelin Pilot Sports, but don't wanna fork over the money for them next time. So I'll probably go with the FK452's next time, unless I can get convinced about the other two I mentioned.

Quicktwinturbo

Currently on Hankook's S1evo
F: 235.40.18
R: 255.35.18

Like'n it so far.. Nice grip, quite, and comfort ride.. Plus, price wasn't bad at all..
Sidewall is a lil weak but overall great tires. IMO

V12 evo is loved by many drivers as well..

But if you could afford it, I'd go with Advans or PS2

91RS

I've been keeping an eye on tires since I'm pretty sure my rear tires aren't going to last very long considering the way I've been driving! I'm definately not going with Pirellis since I've not been impressed with any of their tires. I was actually planning on going with the Yokohama S.Drive, but I think they may not be up to the power this car has. Right now I'm torn between the Yokohama Advan S.4. and the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus. Both seem to be getting pretty even ratings on Discount Tire and Tire Rack. We've been putting those Michelins on a bunch of Vettesat work here lately at work and we've had no complaints that I know of. I've been very happy with the Yokohama Parada Spec-Xs I put on my Trailblazer, so I don't know which ones I'm going to go with yet.

ScottW911

Mine were a great deal and I have been very pleased with the all-around performance and quite ride.

SoCalC55

235/40/18 & 255/35/18 is definitely the way to go

the Hankooks seem to be a very good tire for the price

Dingleberry

no mention of vredestein yet? that's strange

Phil C55

No one has mentioned RE760 Bridgestones either. Very good wear rating and the OP likes Bridgestones. A friend of mine had some on a Saab and he said the turn in was a touch soft, but overall a quiet and good tire. He said he would own them again. They rate very high at the Tire rack too.

lkfoster

I was considering the same thing, but the Continental application page says 235/40-18s are only approved for 8.0"-9.5" rim widths. With 225/40-18s and 255/35-18s the already annoying understeer isn't going to get any better.

alboogiee

I did not like my RE760 at all! I got <10k miles out of the rears. They were not quiet nor would they stick, they seemed to be a very hard rubber too. I would not buy RE760's again, and this is coming from a bridgestone fan. I'm going to pick up a set of used PS2s to try them out to see if they are really worth the price (new) and hype.

MountainStone

I just replaced the Goodyear Eagle F1 all-seasons on mine. Excellent treadwear, excellent wet traction. Dunno about ultimate dry-weather grip; I don't track the car or really push it very hard but I've never wished for grippier tires. As for comfort, I have nothing to compare on this car. I hated Goodyears on my vette (noisy) but they are a good fit in my present wet climate, and about middle of the road spend-wise.

RLx02

I'm running the hankook ventus v12 Evo's right now too.

Fronts are 235x40x18 rears are 265x35x18.

They're hard to beat for the price, not much road noise, and they were around 185/each I believe. They have decent wet weather traction even though they're high performance summer tires.

My only complaint is that they don't give a whole lot of feedback compared to other tires so you don't push your car as hard as you'd like to around fast sweepers. They have much more grip around the bends than you think. It just feels like you're going to understeer into the corner.

as for launching...well, anything short of a drag slick I have to feather the throttle at launch and can never go WOT in 1st...maybe 65% in first, then in second I can usually punch it as long as I'm up to speed.

JG26_Irish

Hey mate,

Here are my personal experiences. I have similar performance bias but with the added addition that I rarely drive the car in the wet and I do some track days with it so dry weather grip is more important to me than tread life.

Bridgestone Re050 PP - my current choice and if the price is not an issue this is a GREAT tire. Excellent dry grip, very quiet and stable in hard cornering transitions. Very predictable and progressive at cornering limits. Adequate in rain, crappy in snow. Rears last about 7k for me.

Fuzion - ZRi - 95% of the performance of the Bridgestone with half the price and twice the treadlife. Excellent dry and very good wet performance and adequate on snow (not that you face much snow in Houston, lol). They are quiet also. I have even done track days on these in my competition car (not a MB). Ran these on my old AMG C36 with great results

Pirelli P-zero - I had these on my C32 first and for months thought something was wrong with my car due to the unstable cornering feel from these tires. The worked good as far as traction and performance goes but cornered like every part on the front suspension was loose. I will never buy them again.

Irish

TemjinX2

agreeded on the pirelli's...they suck. Tirerack is having a close out on Good year F1's. Its actually a pretty good deal..i would check those out too.

ScottW911

Unfortunately, those tires were discontinued in September of 2008.

skullbox15

My friend has a C55 which I drive fairly often as we switch cars sometimes. The stock pirelli's suck. They are expensive and the treadwear is horrible!

She got the Yoko S drives which I have been impressed with. The are able to handle the wheelspin just as well if not better than the Rosso's if you gun in 1st gear Manual mode. I've always found the C55 to be a little "heavy" on highspeed turns compared to my C32.

On my C32 I have the Pirelli P Zero Nero M+S which have a 400 tread wear compared to ~260 for the stock (Pirelli P Zero Rosso).

MACHC5

I put on a set of stock size Michelin Pilot Sport's and find them harsh riding with their stiff side walls.