New tires on a budget
 

After looking over tirerack.com I think I have found a good balance between price and performance. When the OEM tread runs out I am look at these:

Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole position for 146$ a tire. I think for the rim size I want, they go up like 10$ a tire. I am staying with 17's and rather save the difference and get lowering springs. Does anyone have hands on with these tires? What was your tread wear like?

I had these tires on my late model Miata before selling that car. I really like those tires. If you look at the car and driver tire comparison, they are almost good as the new Michelin SS. The S-04 had a lot of grip and good steering response. Also, the road noise wasn't bad at all. Wear was pretty good as far as I can tell. Had them for almost a year before selling the car and still had plenty of tread left.

If there is one thing I would not cheap out on, is tires. Save more and buy the best you can, they make all the difference.

With a quick google search, I found michelin pilot super sports in 225/45/17 for about $150. Thats a pretty smoking deal.

There are better choices at that or cheaper price.