Summer is coming right...?
 

OK, we got about 2 feet of snow today, I want to think of something positive. So, help me pick my next summer tires, please?

Last set I ran were MPSS. I loved the grip, but the noise level was fucking horrible and they rode a little rough. Above 25 degrees C they rode fine, but with an average year round temp of 7.5 degrees C, I'll be moving to something else. I'd like to stay close to that grip level, but something a touch quieter and more forgiving. I'm thinking DW, but I'm not sure what's new on the market. Any suggestions?

Oh, and purpose will be aggressive commuting...

Pilot sport a/s 3 +
Best all seasons money can buy and i think it would be perfect for you.

I agree completely with @MaudDib, if you're willing to drop down to an ultra high performance all-season tire, the Pilot Sport A/S 3+ is about as good as it gets.

If you're looking for a more direct comparison to the Pilot Super Sport and run an 18" wheel (tire sizes are still very limited), you may want to look at the new Pilot Sport 4s. It may not directly address your issue with ride comfort, but should be superior to the Pilot Super Sport in virtually every way. I'm a Michelin fan-boy, so I had to throw it out there.

Good luck and I hope this helps!

My friend loves the Hankook Ventus V12 Evo 2 on his G37. They're much more affordable than the PSS, and grippy enough for his aggressive driving. I've read the sidewalls can be a bit flexy on hot weather but that may not be a problem for you. Can't speak for How quiet they are though. According to the reviews on Tire Rack they may be slightly louder than the PSSs, but then again the PSSs are rated as being pretty good.

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You can try the BF Goodrich g-Force Sport Comp or g-Force Comp A/S. Also, pretty affordable. Some people here have these and seem pretty happy with them

^Was gonna suggest those. I've heard very good things from the people who own them.

I'm picking up some new daily/summer wheels this weekend, and will probably be going with Firestone Firehawk Indy 500s as they've received great reviews and a Bridgestone rep at a track day last year did a good job of selling me on them. If it hadn't been for that, I'd likely have been buying g-Force Sport Comps.

Keep the PSS and get a catback!

They were really good when they started off. But over time they just seemed to get noisier and noisier.

Ah okay, maybe most people have reviewed them early in their cycle. Mine only have 8k on them and good so far :).

That's an interesting idea. I didn't know they had improved over the 3. Looking at the tirerack testing it looks like the Pirelli are a bit cheaper, and a better overall choice, but thank you for the suggestion. I think this might be what I go with.

You're in a much warmer climate as well. On our really hot days, 35 deg C or maybe a little higher, they're much better. But those days are pretty rare.

The successor to the DW is the ExtremeContact Sport, which is supposed to be released this month. As good as the DW I had were, if these are at least the same then they'd be a great option for cooler and/or wet weather up there.

Yeah, after looking around I was ready to buy today but I saw those on tirerack and I think I'll wait for them to test it first.

Thanks for the heads up and the review on the DW's.

I'd say Continental DW or the new Sport. DW is probably the best daily driver tire I've driven on thus far - absolute confidence inspiring with wet grip that feels as good as its dry grip, which is well beyond the stock tires. The sidewalls are noticeable less stiff compared to Michelins, but even though the response is not as quick because of that, the overall handling is much more improved and quite nice once you get the hang of how it really works (you can be extremely quick with rotation/yaw on these tires once you get the feel for them.)

When you drive the FR-S hard in a canyon/backroad on the DW's what immediately comes to mind is its extreme stability in fast, tight turns - it simply never feels upset. Most other tires with stiffer sidewalls are more darty/twitchy in fast, tight turns...especially if the road is not smooth. The DW's are like riding in a super stable band of grip...dry or wet doesn't matter. It's not a mushy tire in the least, but it doesn't have the super instant linear responsiveness of those stiff sidewalled tires. What it allows you to do though is feel so comfortable with the handling beyond the level of those stiff walled tires, where they start feeling twitchy and nervous - the DW is completely smooth and composed when pushing hard and fast. That combined with its wet/dry performance being so equal in level is why it's the most awesome DD tire I've driven on so far.

FYI, the setup I'm running on my FR-S is 205/45-17 Continental DW's on lightweight 17x7.5 +40mm Enkei Fujin's on stock suspension... feels better in basically every aspect compared to the previous 215/45-17 Kumho XS on ultralight 17x8 +36mm Kosei K4R.

Interesting...I'm looking for a replacement for my 225/50 Ecsta XS (on 12.5 lb 16x7s). I've had the Conti DW on a different, much heavier rwd car (255/40-17) and thought they were great in that application, but overall I like the XS better (performance-wise...the DW clearly are better in the wet, and in noise/comfort). Do you autocross/track your car at all? I'm just curious to hear your feedback on why you like the DW better than the XS..

Softer sidewalled tires with more mass transfer & roll may even improve handling in some driving ways :).
I like points brought up in this video: [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9kQrbPEXKU"]Tim Schrick and Sven Kueenle "enjoying the limits" - YouTube[/ame] , as argumenting against going overboard with stiffening up suspension/tires. Not everybody is pro to deal with such setups well, and fun driving on public roads and track, not on 10/10 limit in controlled track environment, might be good case of using such softer sidewall tires.

Exactly why I've been saying going to 16s makes the car more entertaining to drive on the street. :)

100% agreed.

Although that makes me wish I would have saved longer and gotten the Online coilovers instead of the T0s that I have. The stock suspension wasn't stiff enough, even with stock tires I was bottoming it out on hard corners and when it went over irregularities in the pavement the cars reaction was down right jarring. So, I went with TOs as one of the softest sprung kits out there. But with sufficient travel and spring rate to make those transitions smooth and controllable. With the PSSs, it was just too stiff for our roads and my driving. Hopefully something like the DW will be better suited. If not, well, I'll try something else in two years.

I've thought of 16s. A few times. I might end up going that way, but for now I'd rather not spend money on rims. I'm on the stock rims and I like the look, and the weight is fine. But if the DWs or the sports don't do it, that might be a better way ahead for what I'm looking for, than all seasons. I'll have to roll that one around in my brain pan for a while.

Did you match tire tread width to wheel rim width? Reasons I went with a 205/45-17 tire are manyfold - low cost, lighter than stock, gearing/acceleration advantage, drop in CG, and direct match in tread width for a 7.5" wheel. Match the tread width to wheel width, especially on a softer sidewall tire, and you maximize its responsiveness, minimizing the input lag.

The DW rides much better than the Kumho XS, and as previously post mentioned, is a much more planted tire in all situations. I only ran the XS once on track when first got the FR-S in 2012 (one month after getting the car) and it felt good with them on track. Have not tracked or autocrossed since, but did run the XS on the street for daily driver tire until they needed to be replaced with about 8-9k miles on them...down to the wear bars and basically slicks with 2 small grooves at that point. Went back to the stock Primacy HP tires, which I also liked better than the XS for daily driving, wore them down to slicks in about 20k miles. Going from stock to DW was yet another upgrade - dry grip level like the XS, but with better ride quality than the Primacy HP, and wet grip and performance beyond what both could ever do. For a daily driver summer tire, the Maximum Performance Summer category is where it's at, and the DW should be the comparison benchmark. Just make sure to match the tread width with the rim width.

A 7"rim is right in the middle of the recommended range for a 225/50 tire, and the sized used for advertised mounted dimensions. Given this and my own experience with the combo, I'm quite comfortable with this size pairing with the XS. The tire doesn't fall over on the sidewall, even when autocrossed/tracked and at the lower starting pressures those environments typically require. The tradeoff is harsher ride and more noise than the DW, but using 16s the taller sidewall also lessens some of the harshness, so it seems like a bit of a wash there...


Again, my experience with the DW was with a different car so I can't give firsthand experience when comparing with the XS on the FRS. The DW were 255/40s on a 9" rim, so a bit more aggressively paired than my current setup. I did autocross a few times with the DW and while they performed admirably for what they are, I have a hard time believing they have the same dry grip as the XS (340 TW versus 180), if the same sizes were compared. They ARE a lightweight tire (usually the lightest in a given size) and do have a softer sidewall, so even with the more aggressive wheel sizing, I still needed more pressure to keep the tire from rolling over as much. I'm not knocking the DW at all - I think they're a great street tire (especially in the wet), quiet and comfortable with admirable dry grip, and a great value, but ultimate performance is definitely a step down from the XS, by design.


I love the combination of durability and grip of the XS on track, and so I'd originally planned on replacing the XS with the new V720, but after hearing reports of tearing/chunking I'm considering other options.

What tire and size are you running on a 16" wheel?