Boozehound

Sorry for what might be (and probably is) an extraneous/redundant thread, but I'm probably a couple of thousand miles out on the OE Bridestones, and I was looking for a little input for replacements.

I'm not out to go buy an autoX tire that gonna burn up in another 15K - I drive way too much to go buying $1K worth of tires every year. I looked on tirerack at the Ultra high performance summer tires and it looks like the best treadwear is about 220 for that class, but in the all-season ultra high performance category, there are a few 400 rated tires. I really don't give a @$#@ about how it handles the snow/ice/rain as much as I want to preserve turn in, have a quiet tire (my RE040s are noisy as hell right now), and good treadlife. I'm not going to put my car on the track, but I don't want it to wallow around when I do put it through the twisties...

Boozehound

So I'm the only one who's interested in tread life and a quiet ride while retaining as much performance as possible? Must be a lot of track cars on this board...

f1michel

check the thread on P zero nero M+S. I have about 2000miles on those in the last month and the handle great, are very quiet and feel like they indeed have sidewalls, not concrete sidewalls like the potenzas.

MrWigggles

I love my Yokohama AVS dB2's. Very quiet, as good or better handling and improved ride (they also have a small rim guard on the side wall -not as big as the OEM Bridge tires but enough).

Very happy with them. Also if you want 245/40-18's good luck even finding the Nero's in stock.

-Mr. Wigggles

f1michel

true. The nero was back order for ages in 245's, i had to settle for the 235's, looks nd handle great !

Boozehound

All right! Some replies...

What kind of treadwear rating to the Neros and the Yoko AVs have?

Anyone have any experience with the Continental ContiExtremeContact Ultra High Perf. All season tires? They have a rating of 400, but I'd have to go with the 40 instead of 45...

MrWigggles

The tread wear ratings are a little suspect. They are issued by each manufacturer individually and aren't controlled by any federal governing body. In other words, YMMV (sorry couldn't resist).

Anyway I would ask the tire rack rep what they think, but in general multiply the treadwear rating by 100 and that's about how many miles you should get out any particular tire.

I think the neros are 400 and the AVS db2's are 300 but who knows they might have equal treadlife when it is all said and done.

The other thing I really like about the AVS tire is that they have huge wide grooves for expelling water. This isn't important in Cali but in Houston it sure is.

One last though but I rarely light the DCS light anymore with these tire. Maybe I am just toning down my driving or its getting warmer, but I think I do have fair amount more grip over the RE040's.

-Mr. Wigggles

Ps. the stock diameter of 225/45-18 is about the same diameter as 245/40-18 and 275/35-18. I have the 245/40 in the front and the 275/35 in the back.

mdmaclean

Are you using the stock rims?

What was your reasoning for putting different sizes on the front compared to the back? I would assume that it would change the neutral handling the car has.

MrWigggles

mdmaclean,

Putting wider tires on the rear does change the handling a little but IMO it is actually for the better. I think it makes the car more neutral by a very small amount.

But even if someone dissagrees with me on that, they have to agree that more grip is a good thing.

So take your pick,

Me: using 275's in the back give the car more grip and makes it more nuetral.

Doubter: Using 275's in the back will give the car more grip in the rear but cause it to understeer a little more.

Regardless, we are talking about a small difference in tire widths front and rear. It won't make that big of a deal anyway you look at it. The 275 will also come in handing with future power options.

The other thing is the rear fender wells have way too much gap with the stock 225's on +50 offset wheels. 275's on +45 offset wheels fill the gap perfectly and give the car a wider stance (which might be another reason the car seems to handle a little better now IMO. It also could just be a better rubber compound. Don't know)

-Mr. Wigggles

mdmaclean

MrWigggles,

Are you putting the 275/35 tires on the stock rims?

-Mark

mysql101

I bought the Eagle F1's because they were close to the best in dry handling, unbeatable in wet (It rains here almost every day). People were reporting 40k+ miles on them, and they were quiet.

http://tyrannical.org/rx8/8_15.jpg

Since I'm in FL and don't have to deal with snow, this was the best tire I could find. The ride isn't as harsh as the stock tires - it feels a bit more "padded" because hitting things like road reflectors don't impact as hard or make as loud a 'thump' as before.

Got them from tirerack.com

MrWigggles

No, No...

I have Kazera 8.5X18 on the front and 9.5X18 on the rear.

I will be posting a thread where I powder coated my center caps in a moment.

-Mr. Wigggles