thoughts on tires?

[r1lee]

Hey Guys,
i'm replacing my tires this month and initially was going to go with the Hankook EVO 12's, but i'm having a hard time putting a cheap set of tires on. I don't track at all, but i drive spiritly around corners and such.

Have any of you tried the two new Extreme Summer tires listed below? I know the Advan's are only 295's in the rear, but i don't think that matters much. I do plan on goign with 245's for the front though.

Bridgestone RE-11 vs. Yoko Advan Neova 08's.

I know tirerack has a comparison on them, but i wanted to see if any of our members here have had some experience with either.

[peterh]

Any reason you dont like the P-zero's? or the PS2's?

[r1lee]

I would like to keep the price a little lower. The PS2's are ridiculously expensive and I don't like the feel of the Pirelli's.

[SebringSilver]

What about the Continental ExtremeContact DWs? Tire Rack's got them at US$220 for the 245/35ZR19 fronts, and US$278 for the 305/30ZR19 rears.

[harrison]

Last nite I became convinced that the Hankooks are decent/GOOD. Canyon running at Sunset Plaza Dr. and Blue Jay Way in the Hollywood Hills, they performed flawlessly. I have even tracked them once with no wipe-outs. Felt really safe in the wet sections as well. If you want a really decent tire try my last set...Pirrelli P-Zero Corsa. 60 tread wear rating. Very sticky when warmed but TERRIBLE when cold. A GREAT street/track tire. Last nite was fun , racing a sport bike from sig to sig and then again on the freeway. Must have been a modified 600 or 700 because I impressed the heck out of that biker by smoking him most of the time. He had to really work to keep from flipping his bike over backwards. Highlight of the evening, but you should have seen the girls at the Roxy and Rainbow. Arrived home safely with a police escort of sorts. Came around the corner a little hot and a local cop going opposite direction pulled a uey and followed me , just waiting for me to make a little mistake. That's how we roll on Cinco De Mayo !!!!

[harrison]

Not too long ago I cringed at the thought of putting on anything other than a Euro brand or even Goodyear Eagles on an exotic.But when everyone started using Toyos,and such,at the track, I figured I'd give the Ricey tires a chance.

[mngolfer]

Harrison,
Are you using R6's for the track? If not what are you using at the track?

[harrison]

Yes R6s at the track and sometimes canyon running, and car shows. And Love 'em . Desparado has switched to R6s from the Toyo R888 recently. From what I've been hearing,the R6 is a little better. A 315 R6 fits back there quite nicely too...for that extra traction/safety margin. And on clean streets you will swear the car is a full fledged race car with the slicks. Everyone should experience the R8 with slicks at least once. I had to pull the trigger on a pricey set of sneakers that will only give a few thousand miles--but it was worth it to me and my ego !!

[desperado]

Desparado has switched to R6s from the Toyo R888 recently.

Actually, we now have a set of wheels with each. I went to the Hoosiers when we needed new sneakers for a track event and the Toyo rears were temporarily out of stock in the entire country. The most recent purchase is in fact another set of R888. Our thinking is we will get more life out of the Toyos, so they will be quite a bit more economical.

Not sure what I'll do when we wear out the Hoosiers, which should be one more two-day event. They ARE pretty addicting! I have to keep reminding myself that we are not racing, just working on our driving skills!!! One thought is to keep using the R6 for a dry tire, keep the full-tread depth R888 in reserve for an intermediate, and the OEM PZero street set for wets. Obviously, we are way, way too far into this whole track thing!!!

... we are not racing. we are not, we're not, we're not...

[desperado]

Back on topic: Since the OEM tire is off the table for the OP, then I'd be sorely tempted to try the Hankook Ventus V12 for my next set of street tires. If that is perceived as too "cheap" then I think you should bite the bullet and go for the best which is very likely the Michelin PS2.