I'm approaching 15000 miles and the time has come to replace my stock tires. I love the car's handling and initial turn-in, but the ride really punishes me on long drives and Michigan roads.
First option: Replace the stock wheels with Continental ExtremeContact Sport tires mounted to 16" MSW type 25s or Sparco Asseto Garas. Total cost installed ~$1000-1200. The lighter wheels and larger sidewall should help with ride comfort while providing having enough performance for the twisties and autocross. However, some online reviews complain about road noise and disappointing performance. These are the best tires Tirerack has to offer in 205/45/16. Does anyone have experience with these tires?
Second option, which Matt from theSmokingTire did on his Stage 3 Fiesta, is to install 205/45/17 Michelin PSSs on the stock wheels. They don't come in the stock 40 ratio, which is why I'd need to install them in this size. It'll improve MPG (due to lower effective gearing) and ride comfort, which is a plus. Total cost ~$750. Most forum and Reddit posts seem to point to this as a good setup. However, unlike those posters, I don't have a stage 3 Fiesta so I'm worried that the car will feel sluggish due to more rotating mass.
What do you guys think? Most of my mileage is on long highway drives, but a lot is still from curvy roads in the SE and autocross runs.
First option: Replace the stock wheels with Continental ExtremeContact Sport tires mounted to 16" MSW type 25s or Sparco Asseto Garas. Total cost installed ~$1000-1200. The lighter wheels and larger sidewall should help with ride comfort while providing having enough performance for the twisties and autocross. However, some online reviews complain about road noise and disappointing performance. These are the best tires Tirerack has to offer in 205/45/16. Does anyone have experience with these tires?
Second option, which Matt from theSmokingTire did on his Stage 3 Fiesta, is to install 205/45/17 Michelin PSSs on the stock wheels. They don't come in the stock 40 ratio, which is why I'd need to install them in this size. It'll improve MPG (due to lower effective gearing) and ride comfort, which is a plus. Total cost ~$750. Most forum and Reddit posts seem to point to this as a good setup. However, unlike those posters, I don't have a stage 3 Fiesta so I'm worried that the car will feel sluggish due to more rotating mass.
What do you guys think? Most of my mileage is on long highway drives, but a lot is still from curvy roads in the SE and autocross runs.