GhosTy

So my rear stock tire finally blew out.. not really sure how. It looks like it got punctured, then on the inside wall the tire is completely shredded. I didn't even notice until I began accelerating and felt it pull. I'm just glad me and my gf were okay traveling on the highway. So time for some new tires! I had the RE11's in the cart about to purchase, until I came across another tire, the Sumitomo. My god the price difference startled me. I was looking at 856 with the RE11's mounted and installed. Now under 400 for the sumitomo's which have astounding reviews for the price. And then the Continentals which came up on car and driver for the 5th best gripping street tire out there. I am torn between a decision now. I will be auto crossing my car this year for the first time (2005 AP2) so I was looking for a great sticky grippy tire. That's why the RE11's were about to be bought. But seeing how much I can save for Sumitomo which still is considered a "Max Performance Summer Tire" I am stuck in a dilemma. I am curious to who has tried the 2 out and can tell me if they are both good to push the limits of the tired for a few runs here and there, but also be great for daily driving. I like the tread wear on both, and the wet performance of the continentals are astounding I have read. Not that I will be kicking her sideways in the rain but always a nice safety percussion. I just don't think I will utilize the RE11's full potential for being a first year competitive driver, or any high performance tire for that matter, so why not save 400 bucks if the tires will get me started and up to par with tracking my car. Thanks for the inputs guys.


Btw, here is a pic of the blown Re050. RIP, they lasted 25,000 miles for a tire only rated a 140 treadwear.

[attachment=56252:1527015_10153989572985215_9458187 76_n.jpg]

doddg

1. There is a lot of talk (on a thread I started) about the soft sidewall of the Continental DWS tire, not really being a sports car tire, it being an A/S to begin with instead of a summer dedicated tire like the S was designed for.
2. I have them on my car, but I drive moderately and don't need the grip of more than an A/S, but Discount Tire told me they get a lot of the DWS tires back with sidewall issues, so I'll not go there next round unless I get 30k out of them on the rears, ha!
3. I ran into a guy that said he had to change out 3 or the 4 tires on his Cadillac that had the DWS on, which got my attention.
4. I have heard about the Sumitomos also, and when I retire and have to look for a more economical tire, it's on my list, but, I'll probably stick with A/S since they serve me fine.

EricJT7

Putting everything else aside, I would choose the Continental DW over the Sumimoto HTR ZIII.
However, knowing that there are a number of good tire choices out there, I would likely end up spending more money on a set of the extreme performance Dunlop ZII's, especially since there is currently a $50 rebate through tirerack (assuming it hasn't expired yet). In the max performance category, the Bridgestone Potenza S-04's would be worth looking into as well, depending on the OTD installed price.
I'm not sure if this helps any, but here's an old review about the DW from another member:

https://www.s2ki.com/...eme-contact-dw/


P.S. Good luck auto-crossing, I am planning on doing it myself this summer and when my current extreme performance set (Hankook RS-3) wears down I will be looking to replace it with the Dunlop ZII *

GhosTy

I am not talking about the DWS, but the DW. There is a difference, being that the DWS is an all season tire, while the DW is a summer tire. Big difference. There is a 70 dollar rebate going on at tire rack for these as well. I still cannot decide.

I might just go ahead and do the Potenza RE11's. But just seeing that 300 dollar difference in tires for something I most likely won't get all the performance out of seems to be a waste for me. I need to place my order today, my car is un-drivable and miss her.

doddg

A. Ahh! I didn't realize, or forgot that!
B. I would be curious on the wear rate on the DW as compared to the DWS.
C. I have been encouraged to use a summer tire instead of A/S like I do for treadwear in order to maximize my enjoyment of the car; maybe I'll try that if I hear of one that gets close to the 20k miles mark. (My goal is to find the A/S that gives me 25k miles, and I'm willing to pay more for the privilege).
D. I got 20-21k miles out of the Michelin Pilot Sport tire that I used after the OEMs (Michelins still on the front), and I'm curious to how many miles I'll get out of the DWS. I only have 6k miles on them from last year, so it will take me 2 more summers before I have to change them out (hopefully).
E. To get 10-12, maybe 14-15k??, out of just a summer is not acceptable to me since I drive back and forth to work 90+% of the time. If I do a Tomcatt Run in Marietta, OH, for a 3-4 hrs. of twisties, is about the only time I'd benefit, but I used the Michelins and the Contis for that purpose, and even with the soft sidewall (which I didn't know about then), I couldn't tell the difference; I'm the guy in the back so I don't slow others up!

GhosTy

I think I might be leaning more towards the Continentals, I guess Sumitomo is just a super cheap brand? Correct me if I'm wrong.

doddg

1. I have heard of others using this tire when they need a decent less expensive tire; when I retire I will be doing that myself, but now I can buy the best rated treadwear A/S tire available.
2. In my ignorance 3 yrs. ago when I bought the Michelins, I thought they are the best, just b/c of my limited perspective.
3. When I learned to check Tire Rack and do research, I discovered to my shock that there were actually better tires (a couple) than a Michelin, and when I bought last Spring the DWS was rated better than the Michelins.

EricJT7

I don't know much about the Sumimotos, but have heard some mixed reviews. They are indeed cheap in price, but as to the quality of the tire I have no experience with them so it is hard to say for certain. Looking at tire rack's testing and survey reviews, the Continental DW seems like a slightly better overall tire from what I gathered than the Sumimoto HTR ZIII. The DW's are apparently pretty good in the rain, whereas the Sumimoto's are more so-so from what it appears. DW's may have a hair more grip, but the steering response on the Continentals may not be all that great based on "survey results".

I'm not sure if you were able to read that review I posted for the DW, but maybe that will help you decide between whether to get a max season performance tire such as the DW, or an extreme performance tire such as the RE-11 or Dunlop ZII. My brother just purchased a set of the ZII's on his Miata he specifically purchased for auto-crossing, and is very happy with them so far though he hasn't had a chance to use them for an event yet. The biggest downside to an extreme performance tire, however, is that they will wear down faster, and thus you will end up going through more sets, especially if you rack up the miles. ZII's may be more in the $700 range installed, so that is another option to consider as an alternative to RE-11's. The ZII has very good steering response and overall traction from what I've heard, so it is worth consideration. There was a rebate through tire rack just a few days ago on them, but I'm worried it will be running out soon if it hasn't already.

GhosTy

I ended up going with the Sumitomo, but instead I went with the 225/45/17 in the front and the 255/40/17 in the rear. I will be going to my first event on the 18th of April, so I will post back of how grippy they are and if I like them. Wish me luck!

doddg

1. I, for one, would love to know how many miles that you can put on them.
2. I would love to know the mileage others get on their tire they choose; I might start a thread.