Tire for 250 whp

[kaybee123]

So I want to upgrade my summer tires for driving in Canada (not yet.. but it's coming soon!) and I want to know what my best options are.

I'd be installing them on the stock rims and I have about 250 whp.

I want a good ride quality while increasing the performance (and availability is super important!)

With so many to choose from, is there a guide? Recommendations?

(I saw someone was doing a 'warranty type deal' to upgrade the stock tires to something better a while back).

[CSG Mike]

Are you trying to prevent straightline wheelspin? What rims do you have? What kind of conditions do you drive in?

[kaybee123]

I want to prevent accidentally losing the backend in fast, sharp turns. (Basically, I'm trying NOT to drift)

Right now it's just too easy to lose the backend of the car while going fast. Better control is what I'm after.

I'll be driving in the dry, in the rain, we have a bunch of potholes here as well.

Stock rims! I like them.

[fatoni]

what kind of budget? how aggressive of a tire can you run? i feel like the answer is the ra1 if you want that much tire, rs3 if you dont (dont know about canada though) and then maybe an re11 (re11a?) if its really cold

[kaybee123]

I don't have a fixed budget (I always think it's silly to say I want to spend X amount on things).

I'm not sure what a more aggressive tire does! The temperatures range between 0C and 35C when I drive it! (I'm only driving the car in the spring/summer)

That's 32F to 95F

I'll look up the RA1 and the RS3

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by kaybee123

I want to prevent accidentally losing the backend in fast, sharp turns. (Basically, I'm trying NOT to drift)

Right now it's just too easy to lose the backend of the car while going fast. Better control is what I'm after.

I'll be driving in the dry, in the rain, we have a bunch of potholes here as well.

Stock rims! I like them.

Those tires will NOT tolerate weather under 40F; you're risking cracking the rubber.

I'd recommend using traction control...

[ZDan]

Down to 0C? Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3, and get a stiffer front sway bar (or disconnect rear sway bar).

Big changes in power will affect ideal suspension setup. With more power to the rear wheels, you will generally want relatively more front roll stiffness and/or less rear roll stiffness to effectively put it down.

[Deadspool]

Achilles ATR Sport

Im rocking BFG KDW2's, good tire, but they fade in the heat I found.

[frslee]

+1 on the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3

It's an all season tires, but its made more towards summer tires. These suck in snow, but very good in dry. Of course experts can share better recommendation than me, but from my experience these tires will do fine for your needs. Tread rating is 500!!!

[Scavanger]

Bridgestone potenza re760 sports

[wparsons]

Pilot Sport AS/3's in a size that fits on the stock wheels are going to be pretty helpless against 250whp.

In all honesty, it sounds like throttle restraint is what you really need. You shouldn't be on the throttle that hard mid corner, regardless of how much (or little) power you have.

If you're cornering at the very limit any power is going to result in the rear tires braking loose and the car wanting to spin. When you want to apply power you need to release some steering angle or you overwhelm the rear tires.

The Pilot Super Sports are a good all around summer tire, great grip and good wear. If you go to something like an RS3/ZII/etc you'll get more grip, but also more noise, faster wear.

[ZDan]

Originally Posted by wparsons

Pilot Sport AS/3's in a size that fits on the stock wheels are going to be pretty helpless against 250whp.

Not necessarily... AT lower speeds, yeah, but the usual max/extreme summer tires won't be any better in cool conditions on the street.

In all honesty, it sounds like throttle restraint is what you really need. You shouldn't be on the throttle that hard mid corner, regardless of how much (or little) power you have.

You should be on the gas pretty soon after mid-corner, and at that still relatively modest power/weight the resulting handling balance should tend more toward UNDERsteer as the fronts are unloaded unless it's a low-speed corner (1st or 2nd). In "fast" corners (which OP specifically mentioned), 250hp shouldn't overwhelm the tires, even A/S 3 all-seasons.

If you're cornering at the very limit any power is going to result in the rear tires braking loose and the car wanting to spin. When you want to apply power you need to release some steering angle or you overwhelm the rear tires.

I *STILL* can't believe how many people think that oversteer in these cars is from too much throttle. At medium to higher speeds it is WAY more often the result of too LITTLE throttle (i.e., getting off the gas mid-corner near the limit)!

Yes, good throttle maintenance is required, and more power requires a more sensitive right foot, but still, 250rwhp should easily be put to the ground out of most medium- to higher-speed corners in good conditions in this car even on 215 or 225 Pilot A/S 3 tires. Lower speed corners in lower gears will of course require judicious use of the throttle...

The Pilot Super Sports are a good all around summer tire, great grip and good wear. If you go to something like an RS3/ZII/etc you'll get more grip, but also more noise, faster wear.

Pilot Super Sports/RS3/ZII/etc are not suitable for temps below ~10C. I was pretty surprised at how little grip the PSS have even at 45F on the street!

You have to get tires based on the worst conditions. For street only usage from 0-35C (32-95F as already noted in the thread), I would definitely go with Pilot Sport A/S 3 over any summer tires.

[wparsons]

I'm not talking about maintenance throttle when I say on the gas too hard too soon, I mean trying to add more gas without removing steering angle. Of course it's going to oversteer if you lift while at max cornering load, but if you try to go WOT before unwinding the steering angle you're also going to spin spin spin.

I might be making bad assumptions, but I would bet the OP is driving purely on the street and wants grip in 2nd gear corners like a ~40km/h right hand turn.

[ZDan]

In any case, for outright grip, the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 all-season is going to do WAY better than any of the usual summer tire suspects (PSS, ZII, RS3, etc) at sub-40F temps, and won't be giving much if anything away at higher ambient temps on the street.