new summer tire suggestion

[SVT3Rivieres]

ok its my first time shopping for performance tire, my svt was having 205/55/16 BFG traction t/a on it and the're getting bald

i have good winter tire so i intend to use them just for summer only, i want to find a good compromise between price and performance, so if you suggest the more pricey one you better have good argument

so i narrow my choice to those, all 205/55/16:

BF Goodrich G-Force Sports
Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3
Fuzion ZRi
Kuhmo Exsta SPT
Hankook Ventur R-S2

the goodyear seem to be the best of them but also much more expensive thant the other and the 3 last one seem to be cheaper

so what do you think ?

[morbid]

Are you set on the 205/55-16 or would 225/50-16 work?

For 205/55-16 I'd say either of these:
Kumho MX. They're only $85 each from tirerack and will outperform any tire you listed.
Hankook R-S2 Z212. They're $91 from discounttiredirect and GrassRootMotorsports ranked it higher than the Kumho MX.

For 225/50-16, I'd say Falken Azenis RT-615. They're $108 from vulcantires.com and will outperform any tire under $200, even the Kumho MX, (and probably most tires over $200 too).

[SVT3Rivieres]

im ok with any size than can fit perfectly my E1 wheel, what the big difference between 205/55 and 225/50 ?

[morbid]

Both 205's and 225's are taller than the 215's that the car came with.... the diameter of the 225 *should* be slightly less than the 205 though. I guess it's just a matter of personal preference. Also, a 205 tire will weigh less than a 225 tire. I can't remember.. but either the Kumho or Hankook's 225 weighed a little more than 5lbs more than their 205's.

I ran 225's for a while, but switched to 205's just because the tire I wanted (Falken Azenis RT-215) wasn't available in 225. Though... some tires tend to be wider than others of the same marketted size. Those RT-215's in 205/55 fit the E1 rim perfectly, but they are a wider than normal tire... and have been discontinued for a while now.

[RespectTheContour]

i ran Goodyear Eagle F1's for two summers and rode them pretty hard...good wear, great hold up in turns...just dont push em too far into fall because if there is the slightest bit of ice/snow, you arent going anywhere....my gf also runs these tires on her '04 Jetta GLi and same thing, great wear and great grip, ya they are more expensive, but you get what you pay for

my 2 cents

[ContourGuy9817]

this is my third sets of KDWs so i guess i like them

[csvtjohnga]

i've got ZRI's for xmas and i hate them. not sticky at all. lots of warming up and then they still aren't that great.

i ran G-force Sports. held up great and took them on the dragon and around town and a couple of road trips. great tire

[Kremithefrog]

ZRi's are ok. My biggest complaint with them is the soft sidewall.
I'm with morbid. You can not beat azenis for a normal street tire. They have a lower tread wear rating than many other tires but I've seen their useful life to have been about the same as many tires rated higher. And their sidewalls are good and stiff and the tire is good and sticky.

[morbid]

Yup! Even when the Azenis's are abused, they last a while. With my last set of 205/55-16 Azenis RT-215's, they lasted me about 18 months (~18,000 miles) and that's with around 70 auto-x runs and a full afternoon-night of canyon racing (similar to the popular "Dragon"). My daily driving also is pretty rough on tires.

I'm currently on Azenis RT-615's (235/40-17) which are *supposed* to last longer than the RT-215's... but I'll see about that .

[redneckboarder]

i am running continental conti extreme contacts and i love them, they were under 100 and they perform excellent for street and i auto x a lil bit with them