Best tires for the stock wheels?

[ZDan]

No track usage, no snow/ice/cold usage, want good grip, for reasonable $$$?

I'd go with the Sumitomo HTRZIII in the stock 215/45-17 size. 225/45s would be ~1/2" taller, that's not going to help you.
$83/each from Tire Rack. Here's their test report of this tire vs. other similar Max performance tires:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=149

[Draco-REX]

Originally Posted by Gary in NJ

Come on, tires that flat spot over night...on a 2700 pound car...from Dunlop. No. I have not experienced this or any poor performance for average street driving. Of course, my point of reference on this car are the OEM Primacy.

Yes, the weight in a tire is mostly a result of the steel belts and the durometer of the rubber. But what's better for the street; a tire that has a less precise turn-in (a subjective point and only really noticeable during a direct comparison) or a tire that is the MOST precise but at the expense of acceleration and transient response.

Probably the best compromise are the Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 (22 lbs) or the Pirelli P Zero (21 Lbs). without a significant increase in torque (180 lb-ft or more) it's hard to justify a 25-27 lb tire.

My Dunlop Wintersport M3 tires would flatspot while I was at work.

I've driven lightweight Hankook R-S2 and Continental ECDW tires with thin sidewalls and heavier tires like the Yokohama AD08, Bridgestone RE01R, and Dunlop ZII tires with stiffer sidewalls. And I'll tell you this, when it came to choose tires for the BRZ, I got a set of AD08s, and the next set will likely be another set of AD08s or ZIIs. I'm willing to give up a couple lbs for better response and communication.

It's up to the driver. What does the driver prefer? Unless you're trying to eke out a 1/10th of a second for a national title, go for what feels right. And even then, it doesn't matter a whole lot. Just look at the street tire classes at the SCCA Solo Nationals. Some tires will proves very popular but you won't see them on every car.

[pche]

Originally Posted by ZDan

No track usage, no snow/ice/cold usage, want good grip, for reasonable $$$?

I'd go with the Sumitomo HTRZIII in the stock 215/45-17 size. 225/45s would be ~1/2" taller, that's not going to help you.
$83/each from Tire Rack. Here's their test report of this tire vs. other similar Max performance tires:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=149

I second that. I love mine, recommend them to a friend, he loves them too. We both autocross our cars as well. For the price you really can't beat them, traction is night and day difference, and under 100 bucks per tire, you can't go wrong.

[Suberman]

Sumitomo owns the Dunlop trademark. Dunlop tires are made by Sumitomo.

This is why Bridgestone invented theirs: named after the stone bridge over the Le Mans track.

[brillo]

At stock power levels no need to go bigger than the stock size 215/45-17 ... Just get a grippy tire like the pilot super sports. You don't want over tire the car and lose the playful feel. weight won't be an issue with 215s. I intend to track and auto-x with PSS in the 215/45-17 size which are already wider than the stoc tires

[retrosmiths]

Aren't the stock tires 215/45 R17?

[RL_BRZ]

Originally Posted by retrosmiths

Aren't the stock tires 215/45 R17?

Yes...

[retrosmiths]

Originally Posted by RL_BRZ

Yes...

Oh, sorry, I got confused by your previous answer:

I intend to track and auto-x with PSS in the 215/45-17 size which are already wider than the stoc tires

[Batman]

While everyone is on the subject, and preferences for an all season tire? with the winter here recently being snow once then sunny for a week, I hate putting purely-for-snow tires on for the whole winter, but i still love some good grip when cornering at high speed (in mexico or closed track, of course lol)

[gabeg86]

Originally Posted by retrosmiths

Oh, sorry, I got confused by your previous answer:

I intend to track and auto-x with PSS in the 215/45-17 size which are already wider than the stoc tires

tread widths vary greatly from tire to tire even if they're classified as being the same size. look at the specs on tirerack and look at the tread widths of same sized tires. guaranteed none of them will be the same. he's just saying the PSS have a larger tread width than the Primacy's, even under the same size

[retrosmiths]

Originally Posted by gabeg86

tread widths vary greatly from tire to tire even if they're classified as being the same size. look at the specs on tirerack and look at the tread widths of same sized tires. guaranteed none of them will be the same. he's just saying the PSS have a larger tread width than the Primacy's, even under the same size

Oooh, ok, I didn't know about that, thanks!

[brillo]

Originally Posted by gabeg86

tread widths vary greatly from tire to tire even if they're classified as being the same size. look at the specs on tirerack and look at the tread widths of same sized tires. guaranteed none of them will be the same. he's just saying the PSS have a larger tread width than the Primacy's, even under the same size

correct, its not a huge difference but they are slightly wider inspite of being the same "size".

I would do a google search for road and track FR-S tire swap, they did a neat article tring out difference tire and wheel sizes and showed the effects on the cars performance and handling. Bottom line, the stock size with better rubber was the best choice.

[gabeg86]

Originally Posted by retrosmiths

Oooh, ok, I didn't know about that, thanks!

no prob

[Firesnake]

Personally, I wanted a good daily driver tire that I would occasionally AutoX and have spirited Sunday drives. I ended up with the Pilot Super Sport. So far it's been AMAZING! I thought I experienced the improvement when I first threw them on. But after "breaking them in", the car [i]feels[i] like there's so much more feedback! PLUS, the tires are quiet, and I mean quiet! for being stickier tires. The only gripes that Ive heard of is the treadwear and price/tire. So far, for me, worth every penny.