Hey guys. Is there a list out there of the available summer performance tires that come in the OEM spec for AP2 models? What is/would be your personal preference? The only "mod" I ever plan on doing is going to be putting on the best performing (stickiest) summer tire out there.

edit....just kidding on the list. i can just pull that up at tirerack's website.

Kinda drooling over those Bridgestone Potenza RE-11. Is there a better choice for summer performance?

 

I love my star specs. Best tire I've ridden on. I even like them better then the previous Bridgestone RE01R's

 

testing on track and autox has shown that no street tire out-grips the Hankook RS-3 in the dry. However it's wet performance is lacking a little and it's feel is a little softer than the other tires in its class. The Dunlop Star Specs have a firmer feel, last longer and are better in the rain, but give up a little in dry grip to the Hankooks.

Having owned a few sets of each I must say that I concur with the results of others, but I have had better wet weather experiences with the RS3's than others have had.

 

A couple common sense notes from me. First of all, do you think it makes sense to get the most extreme tire you can find? Do you really think the tradeoff in wet traction, noise, harshness, and treadlife is worth the small improvement in traction? Keep in mind that there are MANY performance tires out there that offer more traction than you can safely utilize on a public road anyhow. If you plan on racing your car regularly, these considerations change, of course.

I see buying a street tire as an exercise in compromise. Compromise between dry traction, wet traction, ride, treadlife, and price. Exactly what kind of balance of compromise are you looking for? My guess is that an all out, no compromise, 100% dry traction tire is not the best for most people.

 

Star specs or AD08s would be great. If you really wanted to be badass you could get some A048s, which would fully max out the potential of the suspension (so I've heard)
http://www.yokohamatire.com/tires/detail/advan_a048

225/45 f
245/40 r

^^^If I dont buy rims first, I'll probably go this route when it comes time to buy tires again.

NOTE: wet traction isn't so great, so if your S is your DD it's probably not the best choice. Plus, tire wear is very quick compared to other tires.

 

Those A048s look insane. Those seem like they would be downright dangerous on wet roads.

 

Not really...they come stock on Lotus exige and elises. Just have to be careful.

 

If by "be careful" you mean "avoid driving in the rain over 20mph", then I would agree. From the look of the tread (or lack thereof), seems like a sippie cup would have greater water channeling ability.

Looks like a badass track tire though.

 

No, I mean brake early and dont exceed the speed limit. They have a 6.2 wet traction rating @ tire rack...which is actually pretty good when compared to other comp. tires. Only problem is the tread wears really fast, so after 6 months to a year (depending on how much you drive, I personally only have put 3800 miles on my S in 7 months) on these I really would discourage driving with them in the rain until a replacement set can be mounted.

You are right though, very bad ass non-slick track tire.

 

Wow thanks for the insight everyone. my S is my DD so i suppose a little ride noise/comfort compromise wouldn't hurt. Any opinions on the RE-11s? They have great ratings in all categories but does that mean for JUST that type of tire? For example does an 8.5 in comfort for the ridiculous crazy summer category =/= an 8.5 in comfort for an all season? Guessing not. (I realize that the ratings are subjective)

Let me back off a bit and see what you guys like for a great performing summer tire that does offer a little ride comfort...remember...I live in Texas so I don't worry too much about performance in rainy or icy conditions. Thanks guys.