Any experience with these tire options?

Eagleye

Tinkerer
Anyone have experience with any of these?


  • Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 (I have had these and loved them and are my default choice, but they are more expensive than the other 2)
  • P ZERO NERO GT
  • G-FORCE SPORT COMP-2
  • Nitto NT555 G2
  • CONTINENTALEXTREME CONTACT SPORT
 

Alin

Diehard Car Enthusiast!
It seems that you're looking for summer tires? I'm assuming in 245/40R18? Then, look on Craigslist for Dunlop Sportmaxx off of 2015+ WRX's in 245/40R18. They can be had in barely used condition and for $100-200.
 
Anyone have experience with any of these?


  • CONTINENTALEXTREME CONTACT SPORT

2hen I got my STi the guy had put a set of pretty close to brand new ones on the car... I love them. Great in all the weather I've experienced since I've gotten it (heavy rain, heavy snow). I feel glued to road. I recommend.

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Eagleye

Tinkerer
Now that wheels have been purchased and I have given up on the used tire market (nothing local, sets I or [MENTION=1172]Alin[/MENTION] do find end up being sold already or sellers are non responsive), I have narrowed my options down to these 3 tires:

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 - Tire Rack $676
Continental ExtremeContact Sport - Tire Rack $684
Michelin Pilot Sport 4S - Tire Rack $818

I am waiting on pricing from a local shop that is able to give me them at cost to see how that changes things (sometimes with rebates and such on Tire Rack the difference can be minimal and they come with road hazard protection). It sounds like all 3 would be really nice. I was thinking about 2 other options in the lower "ultra high performance" summer tire category (Falken Azenis FK510 & General G-Max RS) as they are between $100-150 cheaper but the 3 options I settled on will allow me to auto-x once or twice a year without hating my decision. I also considered some more aggressive options but they would have caused too much noise and ride harshness.

I'll update once I get some more prices and make a decision.
 

Batmobile_Engage

Squirrel Meat Aficionado.
Staff member
It's been many, many years, but my last experiences with Firehawks was lack luster. Things could have changed by then, but I probably won't buy them ever again. Not that they were terrible, just really cheap feeling in the performance and treadlife departments.
 

Grinder34

Track Monkey
Have you checked the tire rack reviews/comparisons?

The Michelin's get good love on the M5 boards. PS3 was very well respected and PS4 just improved upon that.
 

Eagleye

Tinkerer
I've actually had the indy 500 tires before and they are great. I use them as a benchmark to gauge other tires against. I understand you holding bad past experiences against them though. A lot of manufacturers do make some great and poor options though.

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Eagleye

Tinkerer
Have you checked the tire rack reviews/comparisons?

The Michelin's get good love on the M5 boards. PS3 was very well respected and PS4 just improved upon that.
Yes, tire rack reviews and ratings is where I start when searching for tires. From there I look specifically at forums and other reviews for info on the tires I narrowed it down to.

The PS4s seem to be the best option but are often considerably more expensive. So I usually cross shop 3 or so options to make my final decision.

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Grinder34

Track Monkey
I'm so divided on my thoughts on tires. One one hand, they can make the biggest difference in performance for the car. But on the other hand, they just wear out---whether you use them to potential or not. If 90% of your driving is freeway can you justify going with the grippier but more expensive option? Is it worth it for that one time you find a canyon with perfect conditions and nobody else there?

In my own buying habits I've tended to err on the side of good enough. My last set I bought were the Hankook V12 Evos. They didnt wow me in any aspect except longevity given the abuse I gave them. But since, even during track days, tenths of a second didnt matter--why bother paying for them?
 

Batmobile_Engage

Squirrel Meat Aficionado.
Staff member
I'm so divided on my thoughts on tires. One one hand, they can make the biggest difference in performance for the car. But on the other hand, they just wear out---whether you use them to potential or not. If 90% of your driving is freeway can you justify going with the grippier but more expensive option? Is it worth it for that one time you find a canyon with perfect conditions and nobody else there?

In my own buying habits I've tended to err on the side of good enough. My last set I bought were the Hankook V12 Evos. They didnt wow me in any aspect except longevity given the abuse I gave them. But since, even during track days, tenths of a second didnt matter--why bother paying for them?

I was right there with you on tires, Grinder. Operative word, WAS. :lol: Now that the Batmobile isn't a daily driver anymore, I am more inclined to buy some reeeeeally sticky tires and to hell with the treadlife. So I wonder (maybe I missed it above somewhere), are we talking about tires for a daily driver, [MENTION=692]Eagleye[/MENTION]? Or is this for a garage queen/weekend warrior? If so, I might suggest a Dunlop Star Spec, or similar. I think JJ has run those with good results. [MENTION=1]IGOTASTi[/MENTION]
 

Eagleye

Tinkerer
I was right there with you on tires, Grinder. Operative word, WAS. Now that the Batmobile isn't a daily driver anymore, I am more inclined to buy some reeeeeally sticky tires and to hell with the treadlife. So I wonder (maybe I missed it above somewhere), are we talking about tires for a daily driver, [MENTION=692]Eagleye[/MENTION]? Or is this for a garage queen/weekend warrior? If so, I might suggest a Dunlop Star Spec, or similar. I think JJ has run those with good results. [MENTION=1]IGOTASTi[/MENTION]
Not a daily. I don't really care about tread life. I don't want tons of road noise though, so that's why I was kind of against the star specs. I was considering them in the initial search though.

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Batmobile_Engage

Squirrel Meat Aficionado.
Staff member
Fwiw, I really love my Bridgestone Potenza RE760 Sports. But those were chosen with treadlife in mind, so there are probably better options. But damn, do I ever love that reinforced shoulder. :tup:
 

Grinder34

Track Monkey
Re760 is several rungs down the ladder for weekend warrior!

For that matter the PS4s are a good daily driver...i'd be looking in the extreme category IMO.
 

Batmobile_Engage

Squirrel Meat Aficionado.
Staff member
Re760 is several rungs down the ladder for weekend warrior!

For that matter the PS4s are a good daily driver...i'd be looking in the extreme category IMO.
Yeah, I was daily driving it when I bought those. Summer 2020, I will probably get something reeeeeeally sticky.

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Eagleye

Tinkerer
So looks like I am going used after all! I found a set of Sport Maxx with 200 miles on them for $250. Hard to beat that. At basically stock power levels these should be good until I do bigger mods down the road. Picking them up on Friday from a guy only 45 mins away. Thanks [MENTION=1172]Alin[/MENTION] for the help in searching. They won't be as good as the options I was looking at but for 1/3 to 1/2 the price I am happy.
 

Alin

Diehard Car Enthusiast!
Good fucking shit dude! :tup: If I were you, I'd keep searching in the meantime for a possible second AND third set! :D You can never have enough! :lol:
 

Eagleye

Tinkerer
Good fucking shit dude! :tup: If I were you, I'd keep searching in the meantime for a possible second AND third set! :D You can never have enough! :lol:

Haha, I'll just be happy to get these picked up on Friday!
 
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