Tires for factory wheels
 

I run a bone stock BRZ as a daily (truck for when it snows). I will need new tires. What do you guys recommend?

I did try searching this forum, but didn't get any results. If this has been discussed, please feel free to point me in that direction.

I'd like something meatier; can you upsize to a 225? I'm fine with summer tires.

Thanks in advance!

You can easily fit a 225 on the OEM wheel, so the only issue there is if you want a 225 or not.

Regarding summer tires, how often do you drive your BRZ when it's below 40 degrees out?

Summer tires are very much about temperature, not just road condition. If you can drive the truck all winter long, summer tires are a great option. Otherwise a great way to go would be a basic used winter tire and steelie package for winter, and a nice tire like an
S-04/PSS (Great summers), or Conti DW/Hankook V12 (Good summers) in the summer.

Yes you can upsize to 225. What are you looking for in a tire? Comfort? Performance? Noise? Durability?

There's tons of info on these forums, in fact two stickies in this very forum offer a ton of material to read through.

Do you know why you want 225 tires? They will slightly number the steering as well as increase tire noise.

The only benefit would be if you are a track guy. I see no reason for a street car to increase tire size.

I'd stick with 215. If your searching for more grip, just buy better performance tires. Any summer tires will be better than our stock tires.

You could even get cheap summer tires like Yokohama S Drives which would improve traction and increase grip.

If you would one of the best summer tires. Michelin PSS & Bridgetsone Potenza S-04 are good choices.

You need bigger wheels.

Thanks for the info so far...

I drive the truck when it's cold/inclement so summer tires are fine. The factory tires have been fine but I'm looking for better performance/grip (to answer one of the questions). I do need decent rain performance because I will drive it in the rain in the summer.

Well, I've thought about it... I've perused the classifieds. I'm just exploring this route, too.

You don't need bigger wheels for 225's. If you want to run 245's, then yes. You'd want 8.5" to 9" wheels. 225's will fit just fine on the OEM wheels.

Many summer tires are excellent in rain; they just don't do well in cool weather. If you have a Costco membership, then every month they have $70 off either Michelin or Bridgestone. There's your MPSS and S04, which are both great options.

One other thing... my daily driving is NOT on your typical highway. I have a lot of winding, hilly roads. I don't set the cruise and drive... I drive hard, thus why I got this for daily driving and not an econobox. But, I leave it (basically) stock because I need the economy.

Then definitely get a good summer tire. There will be a slight hit to your fuel economy, because the OEM tires are low rolling resistance and decent summer tires are not. The added traction is worth it though.

A stickier 215 (or 205) tire is another option. The 225 tire will flex a bit in the OEM wheels. It depends also the tire. Some are wider than others.

Get a good summer, the stiffer sidewalls of a PSS or S-04 won't hurt your steering feedback much at all. I chose to run a 225/45-17 on a 7" wide BBS wheel. The wheel is much lighter than stock, tire is a little bit heavier so it's about the same weight as an assembly, with more contact patch. Bumping it up an extra 2psi minimized the hit in MPG and loss in steering feel, while drastically improving traction.

A performance tire, 215 or 225, is a very noticeable upgrade over the stock touring tires. Theoretically, 225 gives more grip and more cushion at bumpy roads but more flex at curves. 225 also might help with avoiding curb rash having slightly wider and higher sidewalls. I haven't noticed slower acceleration and less mpg with 225. I think i like 225 aesthetically since it fills the wheel well a little better. The differences are very subtle, just buy the cheaper. 225 was cheaper for me and I bought 225.