Really good summer tire that doesn't heat cycle out quickly
 

I'm looking for a really sticky summer tire (200TW preferred) for my summer set. Snow has hit the ground twice here now and I'm on the sport comp 2 A/S' with my snow set on-call... but I'm already thinking spring; my commute is a fantastic 18 minutes of uncontested hairpins and sweepers and I'll be doing 1-2 autoX's a month too. I don't need to be on the all time fastest 200tw tire ever, but I do want it to last... somewhat. I can make up for a slightly slower tire at autoX with driving and setup, but I can't stand a tire that's completely gone in half a season on my local mountain roads.
Just hit this thread with any of your personal knowledge on the subject, I'm sure there's a good number of owners looking for a good, but lasting, tire.
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I run 235/40/17's on my 17x8 summer set at the moment but I'd consider a 245/40 as well, just want a few really good tire options, in either (or any) size. Just looking for something that grips better than a MPSS but lasts longer than a Hankook RS3.

Debate?

I've played around with a bunch of tires a dash below your MPSS reference point, and a dash above your RS3 reference point.

You're sort of asking for a weird tire, because tires either want to compete with a good DD tire that still performs like a champ, (think S-04, MPSS, the new Conti supposedly,) or they want to be Autox or track kings. Anything else is wishy washy, and doesn't make it a competitive tire.

You may find the Dunlop Direzza ZII* would fit the bill, as they are a good autox tire, but isn't a 1 lap wonder like the RE71R is. I'm not sure you'll see much more life out of it than your RS3's, though. If the ZII* is a bit too much still, I think the only tire I can think of that actually sits between these two 'worlds' is the RE-11.

The RS3 is actually a pretty decent laster for how much grip you get, as it's a LeMon's favorite. (Actually a really great place to learn about a tire that can take a lot of abuse!!)

My team has run RS3's, ZI*'s, ZII's, and ZII*'s on our LeMon's car, and I think the RS3 lasted the best in our opinion.

That said, I know the Maxxis Victra has been doing well and making some waves on it lasting well, and I know @ATL_BRZ has been running them on his car with great results.

This may help: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/surve...ay.jsp?type=EP

You can see what is lasting the best, and still in that category. Don't put too much stock in a 200tw tire, usually 200tw means is that it's sticky AF and meant for autox'ers. Treadwear is not standardized even within companies sometimes. (If that were the case, the RE71R should be a 100tw, if that.)

I have run the Nitto NT05 all this summer and have been real happy with the tire. That said I have about 10k miles on them and if I do the same next year they will likely be ready to change. They are not a great wet tire however.

Any of the '200tw' tires that isn't specifically called something like a 'DOT rain tire' is going to kind of suck in the rain. They are far too concerned with dry performance to care past, 'yeah you don't die if you're not an idiot'. Just sort of the game you're playing with these tires! They are all a compromise.

Until we move to a totally different material and technology, you'll never get a 400tw tire that performs like a one lap wonder lap after lap with a 50k mileage warranty and performs like an xice 3 in the winter. It's all one big compromise! (Says the guy with four sets of wheels and tires for his BRZ...) :thumbsup:

To be frank, no you can't.

JazzleSAURUS had the best feedback possible.

Also, on a 17x8 or 17x9, the tires for that size are dead cheap ($173.81 per @245/40). I would buy RE-71Rs hand-over fist and enjoy them while they last with enough camber to well them evenly in STX competitive trim.

I can't even get two tires for the cost of all 4 STX BRZ RE-71Rs on my 18x10.5" c5z06.

Get the fast tires. Enjoy them.

Else, just get what you think is affordable (RS-3, Maxxis or Contis are my choice) and drive.

Never MPSS for the money on these cars. :|

Alternatively, dedicated autox wheels and tires with RE71R's for kill mode, and grab something a bit more conservative for DD. I run S-04's on the street, RE71R's in the parking lot. (The FXT is on RE71R's always though because it doesn't see a ton of street miles, just boosting around and home depot trips. #practicalracecarthings

To the above, when I had my STI, I would run the 17x9 Rotas with (at the time) the fast RT-615s and then run the 17x8 OEMs with Bridgestone RE070s.

Soon, I hope to be running a BRZ PP on the 17x7.5" wheels with RE-71Rs (225 or 235s) and then running 17x9 255 RE-71Rs for autoX/track duties. If I need a safe tire for the girls and the RE71Rs are just too dangerous (which I don't think that would be the case), I would go with some Contis for rains/daily.

The main point I will make is that I would always run enough static camber to match the dynamic camber loss and maintain the least dynamic toe and camber wear possible.

Please note, however, I live in the South where `snow` means `wrecks and fires on US70W that make internet memes`.

http://i.imgur.com/ciNtODd.jpg

I ran the Conti DW on both my WRX and my BRZ and was super happy with them. Great rain traction and passable summer traction.

Favorite winter meme. One time it snowed when I was visiting Texas. Hardly anything was sticking, and 99% of traffic was pulled over on the highway with their hazards on. I was doing 90 in the left lane in a rental Saturn, confused as to what was going on until I saw billboards stating things like 'drive with caution'.

The Conti DW is my favorite 'regular person that drives a fun car, with dedicated summers and winters' tire. It's really quite a nice piece of rubber. Honorable mention goes to the Hankook V12's.

Also, I think the RE71R is a bit much for daily duty. They still wear fast on the street, so you won't get much out of them. My experience has been that some of the other '200tw' tires last a bit better on the street, for sticky DD duty I'd likely go RS3, still sucks in the rain. If rain is a concern I'm 110% on board with the Conti DW, or S-04. The S-04 has impressed the hell out of me. I rarely buy the same tire more than twice. The RE-71R, Altimax Arctic, and S-04 are the only tires I've bought three times.

More times I read this from different people the more I wonder if I need to give the s-04 another chance. I got them on my brz on stock wheels and was not all that impressed with them and their turn in feel.

What's the size/wheel size?
If we use the MPSS as a baseline, the sidewalls on the S-04 are significantly stiffer, and the tread is a bit softer, and deeper. I find that they are far superior in the wet to the MPSS, and not much worse than the MPSS in the dry, but I prefer their breakaway characteristics, and they make funny sounds going over expansion joints on bridges.

The S-04 and MPSS are my two favorites in their price category by a long shot, I think there's some personal preference for sure. I don't mind giving up a tiny bit of precision for a bit of everything else. I'm also a huge fan of wicked stiff sidewalls and don't mind small amounts of tread squirm for it. I don't think you can go wrong with either tire, but if someone finds that they like one, I don't see a reason you have to try the other. They are both so similar, and so good.

GT Radial SX2

I loved the DWs I had on a different car; can't wait for the V12 Evos I have now to wear out so I can replace them with the new ExtremeContact Sports to use as my 3 season street tire. V12s are awful in the wet, imho.