• Welcome to the Contour Enthusiasts Group, the best resource for the Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique.

    You can register to join the community.

What Performance Tires Should I Get? *FAQ*

Auto-X Fil

CEG'er
Joined
Aug 10, 2003
Messages
140
Location
Pennsylvania
**Here is the FAQ thread from the old boards that answers many questions:

http://www.contour.org/ubbthreads/s...322090&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=7&fpart=1 ** 1314



We really don't need a million threads on this topic.

OEM tires ranged from 185 to 215 in width and 24" to 25" in OD.

Sizes:

14"
Sorry, not much made for you anymore. Get some cheap used 15s.

15"
205/60R15 - tallish but meaty
205/55R15 - rarer, I believe. Probably a bit small.

16"
205/50R16 - probably too small.
215/50R16 - nice size, but hard to find. OEM SVT.
205/55R16 - Not bad, a little narrow and tall. OEM SVT.
225/45R16 - low-profile option, fits easily and offers a low-profile look
225/50R16 - a bit meatier option for 16" wheels, will put the power down better

17"
225/45R17 - very common, great fit, 'nuff said. Don't bother with anything else on 17s.

18"
225/40R18 - there are a couple other sizes you can fit, but they might rub

19+
get some lighter wheels.


Tires:

Ultimate Street Tires. There is a new group of awesome tires that are expensive but offer massive dry grip, great wet performance, and a quiet, smooth ride. These are at home pimping it around town, ripping up an autocross, tearing down a racetrack at 120mph, or cutting a light at the local strip.

Bridgestone RE-01R - reasonably priced with some good 16" and 17" sizes. The 225/50R16 is the ONLY tire I would run on stock SVT wheels if you can swing the cost.

Yokohama Advan Neova AD07 - Just amazing. Very, very expensive and only 17"+. If you have 17s and the cash ($192 each) the 225/45R17 will rock your world.

"Comprimised" track/street tires. These offer about the same performance as the last category, but are not as well-rounded for one reason or another.

Hankook Ventus Z212 S2- a little slower, wears faster, but is cheap and offers great wet traction.

Falken Azenis Sport 615 - between the first two and the Hankook in speed, but not as good as any of them in the wet. Overheats on hot autocross courses, needs to be sprayed to be fast. Not very expensive.

Economy Tires. If you're not seriously campaigning a street-tire autocross class or looking to spend beau coup bucks on street tires, these will give you the vast majority of the performance without the high price tag.

Kumho Escta SPT - Cheap, handles heat fairly well, good (or great) in the wet.

Goodyear GS-D3 - okay, I should list this. It's the best wet tire there is for the money. Possibly better than the Advan Neova, but I don't know about that. If you are looking for wet performance on a budget, this is the tire for you. NOT good for track or autocross use, but does okay in the dry on the street.

There are handful of other tires like the Yokohama AVS ES100, Toyo T1-R, Bridgestone Potenza S03, General Exclaim, Kumho MX, BFG KD and KDW2, etc. that get lots of attention. I have looked into these tires extensively and I see nothing else on the market that is worth the money. The SPT cleans up the economy end of the market and the RE-01R is cheap enough that the other "high-end" tires just can't compete. For the autocrosser on a budget you have the Azenis for cooler conditions and Hankook when wet is important. And for the ultimate in everything, the Yoko is probably the perfect tire.

If you are absolutely broke, Discount Tire Direct has the Falken Ziex ZE-512. They stick very well for the money and do okay in the wet. They don't last very long or work at all in the snow, however. I would consider these the kind of tires you get when you're selling the car soon, or when you NEED tires but have no money at all. Available in 14" sizes.

Note: All-seasons are junk. The Kumho ASX isn't a bad tire, but it's still nothing compared to an SPT/Winterforce combo. And remember - when you use tires for half the year, they last twice as long. Now, if you live where you rarely get snow, but when you do you NEED to drive in it, I guess the ASX might work. I certainly wouldn't screw around with any other "all-season". But a final word - if at all possible, get different tires for winter and summer. It's not much more (if any) money, and you get an incredible boost in performance all year long.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
This thread seems like alot of opinion, and being the moderator that you are its probably important for you to list all the options, not just the ones you like right?

seeing as how you only listed 1 size for a 17" tire, and didnt even bother listing 19" tires. I know quite a few 19" equiped cars that would decimate your car.

More 17" sizes
215/45/17 - very very common size for CEG, very little rubbing with all offsets, and spring combinations (if at all)

additional 17" tire sizes the contour can run (being carefull with offset, and staying close to stock) are

235/40/17 - wide, great beefy look
235/45/17 - large tire, beefy look, but fitment depends heavily on offset

I also believe some people have fit 245's....
 
I agree with much of what Philip said. Though as Pud said, the 235/40-17 should be added.

I don't think the 215/45-17 would be considered performance no matter what tire you have.. its contact patch is usually less than the OEM 215/50-16's (dependent on tire model). *I* also think that pretty much goes for anything bigger than a 18" wheel too (bling != performance). I'm sure he listed the smaller 16" sizes because they'll fit OEM wheels, which is what the majority has.

It's possible much of this could be debated all day long, but it shouldn't be done in a FAQ thread. Just keep in mind though, that typically the only people at autocrosses that have larger than 17" wheels are in the novice class.
 
I don't like to tell people to get the bigger 17" sizes because they may have rubbing. 225/45R17 seems to fit great for everyone with a decent offset. If you want width and are willing to massage fenders or mess with spacers, go for it! 215s are pointless, as morbid pointed out. 225s seem to fit fine, are very commonly available, and put down a good bit more rubber.

19s are slow. I don't care how fast their car is, it would be faster on smaller wheels and tires. I think 17" is the sweet spot at the moment, thanks to a great variety of tires in 225/45R17 (and the 235/245 some people squeeze on).

Anyway, the tires are the points of this. Sizes matter a good bit less.
 
Last edited:
This is great, now I don't need to search!:cool:

But I would add to the 18": 225/35/18 and 215/40/18

The 215/40/18 size is less likely to rub but it is narrow on the rim. The 225/35/18 fits within stock specs so your speed is not under than what it really is but there are few tire choices in this size.
 
I have Michelin Summer Pilots on mine and they are the best. Hold like glue and quiet on the highway. Expensive new but you can find great deals on ebay if you look.
 
Those aren't even close to any of the tires I mentioned except the SPT, which is much, much cheaper. The RE-01R is far better in every way for less money.
 
The 215/40/18 size is less likely to rub but it is narrow on the rim.

I have that size and your right, I don't rub but at the same time the tire looks too thin, almost like a rubber band..:blackeye: I don't recommend it, I will be upgrading to 225-40s for my 18s
 
I don't like to tell people to get the bigger 17" sizes because they may have rubbing. 225/45R17 seems to fit great for everyone with a decent offset. If you want width and are willing to massage fenders or mess with spacers, go for it! 215s are pointless, as morbid pointed out. 225s seem to fit fine, are very commonly available, and put down a good bit more rubber.

19s are slow. I don't care how fast their car is, it would be faster on smaller wheels and tires. I think 17" is the sweet spot at the moment, thanks to a great variety of tires in 225/45R17 (and the 235/245 some people squeeze on).

Anyway, the tires are the points of this. Sizes matter a good bit less.

Good info. I'll contribute.

I've got BFGoodrich G-Force Sport 225/45-17s and they run fine on both my Contiques with ST200s. The offset on those is 49. I also purchased a set of Avon Tech M550 tires 225/45-17 for the same wheels and I get a little rubbing on the fender liner - passenger side when I have my wheels turned hard right. The BFGs didn't have that problem on either car.
 
just my opinion, I have the stock E1's

I had the Potenza RE750 225/50/16 and they handled really nice! worked great in wet conditions also, and had great grip. they lasted 4-5 seasons, with a weekend at the track.
I am actually thinking of going with the same tire again. They run about 115$ each. Sometimes you can get them buy 3 get 1 free at firestone.
 
If you want a comfortable touring tire with decent performance, check out the Firestone Affinity LH30. I put on a set of 205/60R15 last month and am really happy with them. They completely transformed the car's ride.

I agree that the 205/60R15 is a tall tire. But if the tire has a nice sidewall design and is shined, it looks good on the car.
 
Last edited:
I'm not sure if this link will just always work, but here is a chart of top rated Ultra High Performance tires on Tirerack:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=UHP

At this point in time, the Kumho SPT in the 17" size runs about $83, the BFG Sports run about $101, and the top of the chart (at the time of this posting) General Exclaim UHP runs about $77.

Those are the three that seem like the best bang for the buck according to that chart.
 
That chart is based on customer's thoughts. While they do mean something I don't go by those. The tests are much more telling of a tire's performance. The exclaim is definitely not the best uhp tire. I have driven a cts-v with them and they were disappointing. They are a good value however and could be an OK compromise for some people. Tire rack's tests also show they are not the best performing.
 
Good info. I'll contribute.

I've got BFGoodrich G-Force Sport 225/45-17s and they run fine on both my Contiques with ST200s. The offset on those is 49. I also purchased a set of Avon Tech M550 tires 225/45-17 for the same wheels and I get a little rubbing on the fender liner - passenger side when I have my wheels turned hard right. The BFGs didn't have that problem on either car.

Just an update. Had the Avon Tech M550s for nearly a year now and I gotta say I'm NOT thrilled. They don't seem to have much more grip than any other all season tire, but since I got a good buy on them I'm not too worried about it. They easily start making noise (squealing) long before you approach traction limit, and I think I could have gotten MUCH quieter, smoother, longer lasting tires for the money. Yokohama TRZ tires come to mind, but they're not much on performance. Thankfully, I have less than another year to go before I replace these meats.

To be totally honest, the tires were compromised by poor alignment. My car was fine before my trip to the Dragon last June, but I had the alignment checked anyway just to be sure all was good before the trip. The shop set my toe-in to Mercury Topaz specs instead of Mystique (retards). Ever since then my tires have been chopped, noisey, wearing unevenly, and the car wonders when I go over seams or un-even pavement in the roadway. Really irritating.

Update:
Replaced the wheel bearings to correct alignment issues, the Avons continued to be noisey & irritating, but they were so badly messed up I replaced them early. Now running the Yokohama TRZ touring tires on stock Mystique 15" rims. VERY smooth, quiet, comfy ride. 700 treadwear, so I'll be on these for a loooooooong while.
 
Last edited:
ti have 225 50 16s bf goodrich g force sports on my 98 svt and almost got killed because it was cold and the tires take like 500 hours to warm up

so good summer tire no problems whens its warm
 
Back
Top