17 inch tire spec comparison
 

After spending some (too much) time at work trending data and zoning out in Excel for hours at a time I figured I might as well use it for some good. I wanted to just spend some time on TireRack and jot down specs on any tires I would consider buying. This means the most expensive tires on here are still under $700 for a set. And I only compiled data for 17's. My small contribution to the tons of help I've received from being on this forum.

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Still have no idea what tires I want :bonk:

I think you would want 235/40-17. It's much closer to the stock diameter.

I'll tell you what tire you DON'T want; the Dunlop Direzza DZ-101! It's an absolutely garbage tire with marshmallow sidewalls, bad turn-in response, and general lack of grip. I put a set of these on an Acura Integra RS (205/50-15 on 15x7 wheels) that was modified for track use - I literally could have the car travel in a completely straight line while rapidly turning the wheel side to side at highway speeds (60mph), yawing the car Left and Right on the spongy sidewalls... Keep away from the DZ-101!

Ask yourself what you want from your tires. The reason I opted for 225/45/17 BFG T/A KDW2 (bought for my WRX a year ago) was for their wet grip; I wanted the best dry grip I could get without absolutely sacrificing wet grip. I knew I wouldn't want to swap "street" tires and autocross/track tires so I bought the compromise that I thought was best. They were also on sale at the time...but that has nothing to do with their wet grip.

You want the Star Specs. Trust me. Going to get mine mounted today. I've had them on my Mustang in the past, and I plan to get a set for my Mini Cooper this summer as well.

I don't claim to know much at all about tires but back when I knew even less I had my heart set on star specs from all the reviews I read. They never seemed to mention tire life though. How long did yours last on the mustang? I figure that'd be a more accurate indicator than the Mini.

Part of me was worried about having a little too much grip with those tires.

Sticky and/or long lasting tires are one thing, But I WILL BE DAMNED if I buy another extreme performance tire at the cost of freakin noise. I had a new set of Dunlops a few years back that sounded like they were made out of hardwood. The noisiest damn tires I've ever owned on a sporting vehicle! I took them off within 1500 miles and gave them, yes gave them away. absolutely useless they were...

I am very much a Michelin guy now.

Too much grip? Not a problem I've ever worried about on any car. If you're worried about long tire life, you can cross quite a few of the tires off of your list up top.

Hard to say how many miles I had on the Star Specs on the Mustang. For starters I had them shaved to 6/32" tread depth, and then I would swap them off and on multiple times each of the two summers I had them, as they were primarily used for autocrossing, as well as a couple thousand street miles.

I almost got the Dunlops for my BRZ shaved, but decided to go full tread this time. If I get 10-12k miles out of them, I'll be happy. If you want a quiet, comfortable, daily driver tire that will last 30-40k miles, the Star Specs are not for you. I'd never put that kind of tire on the BRZ though, even though that is basically what it came with, and I'll probably be swapping out the stock tires for some Continental DW's in a few months (my Star Specs are going on a 2nd set of wheels)

out of that list, I've had:

Yoko s.drive - Comfy, sidewalls too soft, decent longevity, quiet, grip = 6
Hankook v12 evo - comfy, sidewalls a bit soft but still pretty competent, ok longevity, quiet, grip = 8
Kumho XS - harsh, hard sidewalls, short life, loud, grip = 9
Kumho SPT - comfy, soft sidewalls, decent longevity, medium noise, grip = 6
Sumitomo HTRZ II - medium comfort, medium sidewall, medium longevity, loud, grip = 7

I have absolutely no desire to buy tires based on a 30-40k tread life. I just like to plan out all my finances so knowing how long they lasts helps me do that. Only reason I say I don't want too much grip is because I have no plans for any legitimate power mods or autocross. I just want my car to be a bit toss able on the street still. Star specs sound like the way to go as of right now.

Do you have any personal experience with the Conti DW's? They seem very appealing and they're light.

Either DW or DWS have been known for having a very very compliant sidewall; too soft.

When i had my Mini S, i had Yokohama S-Drive's on it.. it was definitely a thing of beauty however, i dont know if it was just my luck, but i blew 4 sidewalls, all at different times.. so just be careful.

Why not 225/50/17?

Just second hand reports on the Conti DW to date, talking to people who have owned them. I'll use them for wet autocrossing, highway trips, and early spring/late fall use (my BRZ will stay parked during the winter). They are supposed to be phenomenal in the rain and pretty decent in the dry, although more tread squirm and not the ultimate dry grip of the extreme performance tires like the Star Spec . If you're not planning on doing any track days or autocrossing, the DW may be worth considering.