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All Seasons or Summers

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#21
Honestly I would rather have a car with mismatched tires that are name brand, than four matching cheap Chinese knock-offs. I would say just buy two new OEM tires but they can be very expensive unless you can find a deal.

This is a very common practice on fleet vehicles. Police cars, City work trucks etc.

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Thread Starter #22
Honestly I would rather have a car with mismatched tires that are name brand, than four matching cheap Chinese knock-offs. I would say just buy two new OEM tires but they can be very expensive unless you can find a deal.

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I would never even consider those cheap Ling Longs lol... For whatever reasons the OEMs are like $160 which is a lot considering they're not that great overall.
 


Capri to ST

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#23
I would strongly recommend getting summer tires over all season tires. This is a performance car, and its primary attribute is its quick and agile handling. It just doesn't make sense to compromise that performance with all season tires, particularly where you live.
As others have said, there are summer performance tires which offer good handling and are considerably cheaper than the OEM Bridgestone Potenzas. I currently have the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500s, and I'd say the handling is about 90% as good as the OEM Potenzas.
 


jmrtsus

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#24
If I lived in FL I would put wet performance at the top of my list. Go to Tire Rack and look at the comparison tests on A/S tires. I went with the General GMAX after reading the tests. Got them at my local Goodyear store for $547 installed OTD. Have about 2K on them now. Love them and the price. Tire wear is all about your driving, my OEM RE051's went 32K. But only about 15% of my driving is hard driving. The rest is long interstate trips and around town.
 


FiSTerMr

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#25
.. For whatever reasons the OEMs are like $160 which is a lot considering they're not that great overall.
The OEM tires are actually great tires. Treadwear greatly increases on them with proper rotation.
As for performance, they grip amazingly well and offer superior turn-in. They also are quite good in the rain. When they were trending at $220, that was too much, but at $160, they are well worth it.

If you are looking for comfort, they are not the best, that sharp turn-in I mentioned earlier comes at a cost. Stiffer sidewalls make the ride harsher.
 


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Thread Starter #26
The OEM tires are actually great tires. Treadwear greatly increases on them with proper rotation.
As for performance, they grip amazingly well and offer superior turn-in. They also are quite good in the rain. When they were trending at $220, that was too much, but at $160, they are well worth it.

If you are looking for comfort, they are not the best, that sharp turn-in I mentioned earlier comes at a cost. Stiffer sidewalls make the ride harsher.
I guess should have said "not that great when compared to their competitiors..." but yes, I agree they are great tires overall.
 


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Thread Starter #28
In our size, what competitor makes a better street performance tire?
Well there's the Potenza RE71s (OEM but better), Falken Azenis (plus they make a 215/40 which is thicker without rub), Michelin PS4s, or even Indy 500s are better for certain people. There's even more if you look around, these are just the major ones.
 


FiSTerMr

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#29
Well there's the Potenza RE71s (OEM but better), Falken Azenis (plus they make a 215/40 which is thicker without rub), Michelin PS4s, or even Indy 500s are better for certain people. There's even more if you look around, these are just the major ones.
RE71 not made in our size, and not really a street tire.

PS4 not as good as the OEM tire, unless you like softer sidewalls. Don't forget the PS4 is NOT the PS4S (which is sadly not made for us).

Falkin Azenis also not a street tire, and in some respects still would prefer the OEM. I have read a ton of mixed reviews on them.

Indy 500 are not as good as the OEM tires, unless you prefer a softer ride. We are talking performance here; and the OEM tire is gonna be hard to beat as a performance-first street tire.

Trust me, I wasted many hours/days/weeks trying to come up with an answer to a worthy replacement for the OEMs when they were around $220.
 


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Thread Starter #30
RE71 not made in our size, and not really a street tire.

PS4 not as good as the OEM tire, unless you like softer sidewalls. Don't forget the PS4 is NOT the PS4S (which is sadly not made for us).

Falkin Azenis also not a street tire, and in some respects still would prefer the OEM. I have read a ton of mixed reviews on them.

Indy 500 are not as good as the OEM tires, unless you prefer a softer ride. We are talking performance here; and the OEM tire is gonna be hard to beat as a performance-first street tire.

Trust me, I wasted many hours/days/weeks trying to come up with an answer to a worthy replacement for the OEMs when they were around $220.
They're not the exact size, but you can still fit them on the car. And what do you mean by street tire? All of these tires listed are summer performance tires which are meant to be driven on the street, including the OEM tire. If I was including race tires I would have mentioned the Toyo Proxess 888R. And the best tire is really a matter of opinion.
 


jmrtsus

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#32
I agree with babyivan, for stock size tires and all out performance the OEM O51's can't be beat. But at the time I could not afford them. In March I was going to put Goodyear Eagle F1's which I get free less installation. When I went back 3 months later to get them they were discontinued and Goodyear did not have a single tire in our size. So plan B turned out to be the General GMAX's (which were suggested by Goodyear) but I had to pay for. Which I could afford and have never regretted. But given the money (over 2 times the cost) I would have bought the 051's.
 


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Thread Starter #33
Why do you believe the OEM tire is not great?

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I didn't mean that it isn't great. I just meant that it wasn't the best for its high price when compared to its competitiors. Atleast in my opinion
 


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#34
I didn't mean that it isn't great. I just meant that it wasn't the best for its high price when compared to its competitiors. Atleast in my opinion
Be careful getting summer tires that are geared towards the track. They will have even a shorter life and can be hazardous in the rain. Tread depth is basically not jack on some of your examples.

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#35
I'm currently running a summer tire, the 200tw rated Falken Azenis 615k+. The grip is amazing but I will be lucky to get 10k or 12k out of them. Before changing to the 16x8's I was using the Firestone Indy's and they were a good compromise between cost, wear and grip. I did a track day on the Firestone's and they were fun and forgiving. The Falken's are in another league but honestly I just don't do enough track days or am serious enough about autox to go for another 200tw tire and probably look at 340tw tire as my next set.
 


gtx3076

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#36
I used to run Continental DW tires and I thought they were great for the price, no issues doing 70 mph in the rain at all, and no issues stopping either. I'd buy them again, but I always wanted to try BFGoodrich comp 2's, or whatever they were called.

I think bridgestones are way overpriced, and I'll admit they were good tires, just not that much better to warrant the cost.

Michelins I've heard nothing but good things, but again, they are $$$.
 


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