jdm_inspire

I'm looking at new tires on my 10 year old car.

Didn't like the OEM Bridgestone RE050A ... noisy, short tread life, tramlined ... no way I was spending that kind of $$$ to get a replacement set.

Went with Michelin Super Sport (225/45/19 + 240/40/19) ... a vast improvement in every way. Now I'm down to 4/32" in the front and 2/32" in the rear -- it's time to get a new set of tires.

I did read the review for the Pilot Sport 4S posted here. Sounds like a wonderful tire. I really enjoyed the Super Sports so I'm thinking I won't be disappointed if I went with the 4S. But I'll cry a little bit that I have to shell out $1100 for a set of tires that I will use only 6 months of the year (I swap over to Michelin Xice 2 but 235/50/18 all around for comfort, added ability to rotate, and lower overall cost.)

I did a quick search of possible tires on TireRack, etc. I think I've whittled it down to:

Michelin PS4S ($1100 after $70 mail-in rebate) or the Hankook Ventus evo2 ($750). I realize they are totally different tires aimed at different price points. Just wanted some affirmation from the guys who still go on this site to see if what I'm thinking makes any sense.

I don't track the car or drive the car that hard... I have 2 car seats in the back to truck around my 2 boys from soccer practice / school / etc. And in between, I drive myself to work. It's about 80 city / 20 highway driving.

Should I pony up the extra $350 and get the Michelins? Or pocket the $350 towards gas money? I figure I got 4 summers from the Super Sports so extrapolating that ... it would be $90/yr extra. Right now, my heart wants the Michelins but my brain says the Hankook should be fine for my purposes.

Not sure if there's anyone out there that has first hand experience with either tire ... be interested in their opinion.

I'm torn.

Thanks.

bPChaos

The Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 is a great budget choice from what I hear and read (the TireRack reviews rave about them) - it's a rebranded Bridgestone RE003 for the states, and comes in at $570.

I've personally used the Hankook V12s Evo2s myself, and they're great with good life. Obviously they won't be supersports, but if you're not pushing the car you'll be fine with them. I've even had a set on the track and they performed admirably.

Next, you have the Continental Extreme Contact Sport, coming in at around $750. Reviews tend to put these at slightly better in the dry and far better in the wet than the Supersports, but worse in the dry with similar in the wet than the PS4S. Essentially, this is the old Supersport at Continental pricing.

Finally, you have the new gold standard for the summer tire - the Michelin PS4S. I personally wouldn't pony up the extra 1.5x the cost (or 2x in the case of the Firestones), but people do and it's the best for a reason.

Rollo

If you don't want to shell out the cash for the Michelin tires I would also recommend the firehawk indy 500. A good friend of mine has had 2 sets on his ZL1 camaro and performance is excellent. Check the reviews for them...they are cheap and people love them.

blnewt

iTrader: (13)

Those Firestones seem to be a great bang-for-your-buck choice, tireack has a decent deal on the Bridgestone S-04 pole positions too, not as cheap as the Firehawks but w/ a $70 visa card rebate they come out to under $800 for the set.

jdm_inspire

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I appreciate it.

I should make the order some time this week since I'm a little scared to drive too much on the highway when it's so rainy and so little tread on the rears.

spock

Just swapped worn out rear super sports for firechickens. They grip just fine. No complaints; they're not noisy and are quite comfortable. Not many miles on them yet, so this is first impression.

Lego_Maniac

iTrader: (3)

245/40 fronts with 275/35 rears are a common upgrade and open up other tire options.

telcoman

Yes spend the extra money for the Michelins. Those two boys are worth it!

Telcoman

spock

Any cons to going with a wider setup? I am considering running my new rears for a while then swapping them to the front and getting 275's for the rear.
I'm assuming better hole shot traction with the 275's, but what about cornering and tramlining?

Lego_Maniac

iTrader: (3)

Cons? Price.

Everything else, traction, steering feel, cornering, braking, and of course the look of 275/35/19 from the back is all winning.

spock

This is from personal experience?

Lego_Maniac

iTrader: (3)

I’ve been running 245/40 front and 275/35 rears on coupe 19s for 3 years.

Awaiting installation, 3rd set of PSS

spock

That's a large stack of dough there. Thanks for the insight, I know what size I'll buy now.

Surfnazi

I like my Bridgestone potenza s04s

slartibartfast

iTrader: (7)

I'm also running the 245/275 Michelin PSS combo on coupe wheels. Pricey? A bit. But I want the most traction I can get from non-DOT race tires. Their wet traction is scary. Been there, slid that. My first track day in the G was under pouring rain; I was the fastest car in the Advanced group until the track began drying out.