What are the best performance street tires that won't be
totally impractical (or suicidal) in the wet?

Money no cost.... comes in 225/45/17 ...

S-03's?

that is, best in terms of dry traction and cornering performance

Road noise is OK

Out at the Porsche Owners Club track days, the tire of choice is the Yokohama AVS Sport. This for pretty much any car that runs there. It's also what I'm running now and I couldn't be more pleaed.

For more stict (and dry) track duty, it's the Hoosier DOT legal race tire that gets the nod.

--BA

How's the tread life on the AVS?

you're looking for a tire where you mention cost is no issue but ask about tread life? hummmm....something fishy here. hehehe.

youll have to have several set of tires to be able to use all
year round with best traction. asphalt and concrete traction
differs too.

Pirelli P7000?

Potenza S02's are better than the new S03's IMO.

I have had great luck with my Falkens in the wet and dry. The price is great and the quality is superb. Yet, it depends what you will do with the tire and where you live. Auto-x and track use are a great match for these tires as well as living in Southern Cali. If you live north, it may not be the best tire of choice.

Just my .02

There is no absolute best tire for everyone. It depends on your climate and what you want to do with the car.

For me Falken Azenis are THE best 3 season tire because they are cheap, stick like glue (probably the stickiest true street tire there is) and are decent in the rain within legal speeds. But you can't use them in the winter. So you will have to buy a second set of tires.

And S02's are not available anymore.

I had Toyo Proxes T1-s on my RX-7 twin turbo and loved them. I put them on the WRX at 1500 miles. They eliminated ahlf the lean, stop the car better than the stock trash tires.

Best of all, you can;t tell when it is raining. They stick. Thye do not aquapalne.

On the RX-78, I went through Yokaham A022A (an RX-7 tire). Rain was like Ice. I had SP-8000s and S02s. The Toyos are the best by far.

Originally posted by kenchan
you're looking for a tire where you mention cost is no issue but ask about tread life? hummmm....something fishy here. hehehe.

youll have to have several set of tires to be able to use all
year round with best traction. asphalt and concrete traction
differs too.

Hehe ... I guess I'm looking for a great performance tire but don't want to replace them every month.

I'm running Sumitomo HTR Z II's on 17" wheels which are getting low on tread, and Dunlop SP5000's on the stock wheels for winter (haven't needed them yet though).

I know there is no definitive "best" tire but just wanted some suggestions to get me started when I need to get new tires. I'm leaning toward the S-03's now ...they seem easier to get a hold of locally

The S03 would be a good choice for someone wanting the best of wet/dry performance. As would be the Toyo T1S- I'm running these in 225/50/16, very good dry performance, amazing wet performance. They have a very stiff sidewall and as a bonus are usually ~ 2lbs lighter than others in the same size.

big sky

I too am looking at tires for a new set of rims, but i havent decided quite what to do yet...or how to justify it to the W-I-F-E...(shhh...I think shes learning how to spell...). I was checking out the Sumitomo HTR +...I ma living inside a scarce to moderate snowfall area...but when it snows, they never like to plow until after I'm at work. Anyone got any ideas on a nice sticky fair treadlife all season 225x45/17? I saw the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S, but I'm not payin over $200 per tire...lol....

i live in portland also, and run my S-O3's on my 18's, if you wanna see how ther wear and and ride you are more than welcome to see for yourself. just let me know. PM me i have 13,000 on mine so far and can probably get another 10 if i try. they have had one track day on them too. i like them in the rain, and dry they are awesome. But not so good in the snow, went up to Timberline with friends, could drive but took it slow. Video is on here too with 2 other Imprezas. Eric

i use those sumitomos. HTR+ is a overall decent tire. it has decent dry performance, acceptable wet/snow and has very
good looks and rotatable with all 4 wheels. the ride is
very perdictable dry/wet so its a all rounder.

the bad might be that its a pretty heavy tire, but again,
considering the benefits and price, its a good buy.

im expecting my s03's to roll in tomorrow, so will let you know
how they are after breakin them in. i dont drive my wrx in the
snow so will give feedback on dry/wet and 'COLD' performance
later. :p

I would say S02PPs were the best when they where out. But I guess you are better off with S03's. But if you are looking for a much quieter ride, then go with the Pirelli Rossos. Those are really quiet tires no doubt. Probably the quietest in the group of high performance.

Hey- saw this ad in the Mid-Atlantic Area....I f you're looking for tires, Merchants Tires is selling 4 tires for the price of 3!. It also includes the very popular 225/45/ZR17 Michelin Pilot Sport A/S. Just a heads up, if anyones interested. I don't know when it ends, but it was in the Wash.Post this weekend(12-29-02). Good Luck. I guess I'm buyin Michelins now...( " But Dear...Its buy three,
get one Freeeeee.......") ;P

If there is no standing water, Azenis Sport and AVS Sport would work pretty well. Otherwise, SO3PP or Pilot Sport. I'm using ST115 though - which to me, it's good even for standing water.

Originally posted by MacWRX
...i have 13,000 on mine so far and can probably get another 10 if i try. they have had one track day on them too.

How any earth are you getting that much life out of your s03's? I have 6k miles and am going need new tires in about 4k more, unless I continue to use my s03's as slicks. I also have multiple friends who have them, and no one has been able to scrape more than 15k.

Can I get some info on your car, tire pressure, etc...

i run like 30 lbs of air, and i don't drive trhat easy on them either. i can feel them faiding some in the rain, but the tread is still pretty good on them. So i am not sure what is going so well on them, i think i had the tires at 50 lbs aon track day, to hold the side walls up. laters

Originally posted by MacWRX
i run like 30 lbs of air, and i don't drive trhat easy on them either. i can feel them faiding some in the rain, but the tread is still pretty good on them. So i am not sure what is going so well on them, i think i had the tires at 50 lbs aon track day, to hold the side walls up. laters

I run 36 LBS all around on my 225/50-16 proxes T1-S. I have 14,000 miles on them and they look godo for 5-10K more. They still stick like new.