Best OEM-sized tire for OEM wheel
 

I searched but I did not find anything very useful.

Unlike many of you who want to go to wider wheels, I just want to stick to the OEM specifications. Which tire is the highly regarded one? I read some online review which highly recommended this:

Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Specs in the factory size (215/45-17) that retail for $146 each at Tire Rack.

I am wondering whether this is also endorsed by fellow drivers here? Other recommendations? Thanks for the help. Here is the link to the full article:

http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-cult...ransformation/

What do you intend on using the tires for? People have different tire preferences based on their driving styles, or whether or not they track/autocross their cars. I'm pretty partial to Michelin Pilot Super Sports for good street tires, and I think a lot of others are as well.

I prefer a bit more grip so that I can enter corner with more confidence. But since it is my DD, also want to be more fuel/cost efficient. I actually would prefer a little bit more comfortable drive. The OEM tires is a little bit harsh. Thanks.

So to confirm, cheaper, longer lasting, grippier, quieter, more comfortable and more fuel efficient.
I think you're going to have to compromise. The standard tyres are grip challenged precisely because they are fuel efficient. It's also why they are comparatively harsh riding.
A softer, grippier tyre will likely be more comfortable but decrease your economy.
I've had good experiences with Continental Sport Contacts on other cars, Pilot Sports are a safe bet.

Summer tire for street use:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....S&autoModClar=

On backorder everywhere.

I ran a couple sets of the Direzza Z1 SS's back in the day with my LGT when I would autox and run road courses. The Z1 a pretty incredible tire with loads of grip and performance but the drawback of that is that it has a very stiff sidewall, wears pretty quickly, gets louder as it ages, and also doesn't clear standing water as well as more conventional summer tires.

Have you thought about the Continental ExtremeContact DW? After the Z1s, I ran a set of these and for normal driving, I found them to be good enough especially for the price. That being said, I still have a set of these mounted on my old wheels which are going on the BRZ once I finish the season and replace the stockers with winters.

I bought a set of Michelin pilot super sports a few months back after toasting the stockers. I was looking for a grippy tire that also had decent tread life and these couldn't be better. The comfort was also a plus that I wasn't expecting. I would highly recommend a set. I think I got them for around $132 each off tire rack. It makes the car much more enjoyable to drive, and I find myself wanting to just go out and drive much more. Don't think twice, just order a set


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pilot super sports. grips very well and good daily driver characteristics. havent tried them in the wet due to the drought.

star specs and hankook rs-3 are also highly regarded tires as well.

I'm on ZII Star Specs, cost me the same as the ZI you're looking at in OEM size.

They are louder (they throw rocks n' junk into the fender liners) and less fuel efficient than the OEM tires are, any tire that is a serious upgrade in grip will have similar results. However they have been very durable for my AutoX and track days and I have no regrets choosing them but that was my goal going in.

It will be next to impossible to find tires that are grippier AND longer lasting than the Primacy HP's, I got 30k miles out of them with 2x track days and in hindsight they were waiting for more, I jumped away from them too soon.

As it sounds like you are not interested in beating the piss out of these tires at an HPDE or AutoX I'd think you wouldn't be happy with the 200 treadwear tires designed for competition use, the PSS gets lots of love but I have come across people who have had them not survive serious lapping, they would likely be a good choice for you since that isn't a priority. Continental Extreme DW's mentioned above are in a similar vein and would likely also serve you well.

If you want cheap I know some people that love Sumitomo HTR Z III, ~$80/each so you can start getting an idea of what's out there. General consensus is that they're pretty much obliterated after about 4x Track Days for an amateur driver so if you plan on doing more than that it might be a loosing prospect.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes

Sounds like you're in the market for a solid 'Max Performance Summer Tire' all you can do is read a bunch and make a best guess.

I also recommend the Michelin PSS. Expensive yet have long tread life and offer superb grip on different weather conditions.

Will recommend the Michelin PSS as well...It's like the swiss knives of tires, excellent in all conditions...however a little more pricey. In my area that is...

@qqz since you say this is your DD, I've been very happy with my new Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus tires:

I have three entries at the end of my Owner's Journal that tell my experience with them.

Starts here:

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showt...65#post2253272

If you are tracking/autoX i'd steer clear of the PSS. I have them. They do "ok" but you'll find that they don't do that well once you get a good pace going. Better off with the Z1's (or RS3's/Rivals/etc)

BUT, if you don't do that, and just want a great wearing, grippy DD tire? Outstanding. If they're too expensive, the Continental DW's and the Hankook Evos are great values too. Honestly this whole class for road tires are all great compared to stock so all would be a good choice.

I've tracked these in the rain. They are great.

Potenza S-04 Pole Position is pretty nice if you want good daily/canyon run tire. They are quiet, comfy & not expensive.

I'm running conti DW and they are great. Very comfortable tire (at the expense of a softer sidewall), quiet, and plenty of grip.

For daily driver/spirited driving the goodyear eagle asymmetric f1's are a very good choice. Excellent all weather performance, especially in the rain. I got mine on the stock wheels size 225, so just a tad bit wider than stock. For the little time I've had them, I can already tell this car has another dynamic.

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Though not in the stock size, I just wore out the 205/45-17 Kumho Sport LE's and they were awesome all the way down to the wear bars. Have yet to experience a better wet tire and the dry grip is pretty impressive, right where I wanted it for a daily driver. Inexpensive yet short lived with ~10k miles till they were worn down to near slicks - I'm far from you're typical driver though...

Would definitely buy them again, but i like trying different tires so I will be trying out the Continental DW's next. Currently back on the stock tires and will wear them down first to save a little money in the mean time. But how do I miss the Kumho Sport LE grip level - these Primacy HP's are on the edge of grip at even slow turns it seems... LOL

It is kind of fun, but I'd much rather the grip level of a Max performance tire in a tread width close to that of stock... more enjoyable and comforting to me... especially in the wet.