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I plan on buying performance tires soon for the spring/summer but I'm not sure what i want. I'd like opinions on the best performance tires. I want good grip but not crazy tread wear. I dont want to buy 2 sets over summer if i dont have to. I also want to know how wide of a tire i can fit on my stock wheel. It comes with a 255/35-18 but i want to know if i can go wider without any issues.
First, I'll throw out the obligatory "do a search" as this topic is beaten to death on here. With that said, I went through the same dillema, so I will give you my input so far.
As far as size, if you are not lowered, you can fit a 275 in the rear no problem. I upgraded my worn P-Zeros with a 275/35/18 Michelin PSS. Great tire, great grip, higher on the price point, and personally, they lasted me a whopping 5000 miles, with NO burnouts, NO track days, and a few long road trips. Needless to say, I was EXTREMELY disappointed with the lack of tread life I got out of them, so when I went back to discount tire, they offered to swap them for me with a nice fat credit towards something different.
$180 and a few hours later, I left with a brand new set of Continental DWS in the same 275/35/18. So far, they are a great tire, but it's been cold, rainy, and icy every time I have driven the car since getting them, so I can't comment on performance yet in comparison to the PSS. With that said, they handled our recent ice storm in DFW with out a single problem, which I was pretty impressed with.
The comparison on tread life is a no-brainer though. PSS are rated at 300 while the DWS are rated at 540! They are considered an ultra-high performance all season. If you can deal with summer only, go for the DW instead, still a slightly higher rating than the PSS at 340.
Hopefully that helps you somewhat, tires on this car are a source of pain for all of us here!
Ok i was kinda hoping you were gonna say 275 because my 17x9 cobra wheels have 275s. Just wanted to make sure there were no stupid issues. Thanks for that. I currently have the DWS tires on it now but the damn center are bald. My guess is bc the dealership filled them to like 40psi. I didnt get to use them a whole lot in the weather bc of them now being bald there. But i kinda planned on just looking for a good, sticky performance tire. I planned on going with the Continental DW i think it is but wasnt sure if there were any other good options. The Continental had better ratings than the Pirelli P Zeros but i also looked at maybe Nitto nt05 or a Mickey Thompson. The nitto had a ****ty tread life so im not really leaning that way. Ill prolly go with the Continental. Just looking for opinions from anyone. Thanks for all your info!
275 on stock 9" inch wheels are too wide. Yes you can amount them but you won't yield better cornering as they will be squishy in the corners. On stock wheels, go with 265 in the rear.
I am in the exact same position, looking for high performance tires in a 265-35-18 or 275-35-18 on the stock rims and not lowered. Seems like the Michelin PSS are regarded as the best bang for buck performance tire especially with the "warranty" but I am also thinking the Michelin pilot A/S 3 all season would be great as a performance tire and have better thread (500). Really would love suggestions as well, since the other tires in consideration are:
Bridgestone S-04 pole position
Bridgestone RE-11 (probably worse thread wear)
Bridgestone RE760 (not sure if cheap and better off spending slightly more for more performance)
Also I just had some winter tires changed today since I had a flat, and installed 255-40-18 Michelin alpin ps2 in the rear. It's crazy how little room I have in the wheel well, so I hope going bigger in the 265 or 275 with a 35 sidewall will not give the same effect. I just don't want to bottom out
I am in the exact same position, looking for high performance tires in a 265-35-18 or 275-35-18 on the stock rims and not lowered. Seems like the Michelin PSS are regarded as the best bang for buck performance tire especially with the "warranty" but I am also thinking the Michelin pilot A/S 3 all season would be great as a performance tire and have better thread (500). Really would love suggestions as well, since the other tires in consideration are: Bridgestone S-04 pole position Bridgestone RE-11 (probably worse thread wear) Bridgestone RE760 (not sure if cheap and better off spending slightly more for more performance) Also I just had some winter tires changed today since I had a flat, and installed 255-40-18 Michelin alpin ps2 in the rear. It's crazy how little room I have in the wheel well, so I hope going bigger in the 265 or 275 with a 35 sidewall will not give the same effect. I just don't want to bottom out
I am getting the AS3. They are on back order so hard to find, but my shop should have them in a week or so.
275 on stock 9" inch wheels are too wide. Yes you can amount them but you won't yield better cornering as they will be squishy in the corners. On stock wheels, go with 265 in the rear.
Aftermarket wheel you can go 9.5" with 275s.
While this is true in most cases, I did notice that the 275 in the PSS felt firmer in the corners than the DWS do now. If I had to do it again, I would get the DWS in a 265. The PSS definitely had a firmer sidewall, but if not tracking the car, the difference is negligible on the street.
While this is true in most cases, I did notice that the 275 in the PSS felt firmer in the corners than the DWS do now. If I had to do it again, I would get the DWS in a 265. The PSS definitely had a firmer sidewall, but if not tracking the car, the difference is negligible on the street.
I agree. Tire type has more to do with handling characteristics than the tire width when discussing 275's on a 9" wheel.
275's on a 7.5" wheel, there you notice a difference. But not as big of impact as one would think. (this was my rear combo on my old 93 cobra)
you cant go wrong with the Michelin PSS as far as performance, and they arent that expensive. Best of all, they have a 30K mileage guarantee, virtually the only high performance tire that does.
you cant go wrong with the Michelin PSS as far as performance, and they arent that expensive. Best of all, they have a 30K mileage guarantee, virtually the only high performance tire that does.
Careful here, they only offer a 15K for us since we can't rotate due to staggered sizes.
I'd say Michelin Pilot Super Sport. Tried Continentals, Bridgestones etc, were average on road, rubbish on tracks. PSS work very well on both road and track and I drift my car quite hard.
I'm running PSS all round now and would never change. I like PSS so much I'm running them on my 650hp 2JZ drift car. Anyhow my 2 cents each to there own but super impressed with them
I decided to go with Dunlop Star Spec ZII's. Wow, what a difference over the OEM Conti's! Highly recommend! Did 245's up front and 275's in back - no issues on stock 18's.
So the Michelins all seem to be back ordered. I finally decided on a cheaper set for the rear tires. I got the Bridgestone Potenza RE760 sport in a 265-35-18. For the price the reviews seemed positive, and up front I have the PSS stock 235-40-18. Will definitely be an upgrade on the Pirellis I'm replacing on the rear, they constantly spun and lacked traction. Now with the wider tire and my wavetrac LSD I recently had installed, I am excited to see how the car performs!
That's same size as I run and I like how it feels, 235 up front, 265 on rear. Was going to consider 245 but thought it might tram line a bit more, doubt it would make much difference think my Bridgestones I had on before had gone wonky lol from track abuse.
Might try 245 next time round but don't get much understeer, lot's of oversteer mind but that might be me
03-03-2015, 05:17 PM
