Tires, tires, tires... what to choose?

[SLAMMED_C]

Ive done a search.. and I still dont know what to get.
I just bought a new set of rims for my car.. should be arriving next week (I hope!)
but I will need tires for them as they are a staggered set up... and the tires I have on my 19's now are shot!!
so Im looking for 235/35/19 for the front and a 265/30/19 for the rear.
I had Pirelli P-zero Rosso's on my current 19's.. I like them a lot.. pretty good traction in the dry and wet weather.
I still may go with the P-zero Rosso's again, but Id like some input on what everyone thinks is a really good tire.. for traction and performance in wet (rain) and dry conditions.
Ive heard good things about the Nitto's.. and some on the Kuhmo's.. also Pilot Sports.
also any recommendations of where to buy them from? Tirerack.com seems to have some really good prices.. any other places?
thanks for the input.

[Under Pressure]

On my WRX, I have the all-weather Continental Extreme Contacts and I like 'em. I also had good luck with my old Kumhos, that I felt outperformed the Yokohoma Paradas I had before them

[c55m8o]

my personal preference:

1) Bridgestone Potenza SO-3 Pole Position
Pluses: stickies shoes ever; even in the rain! I drove in ways I'd otherwise think would be insane with these tires in the rain. (curious why my experience is so different then the tirerack survey results regarding wet weather traction) Hard sidewalls makes them extremely responsive and precise. wears a bit fast (as you'd guess), but I don't personally mind or consider that a negative, just an FYI.
Negative? Somewhat of an "ugly" tire. Again, HARD sidewall, and you really feel the bumps in the road. Car =really= tramlined when I had them on, but it might have been my alignment @ the time.

2) Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3
Pluses: stickie shoe; wears better then the Potenza; Good rain traction.
Negative? Not as much absolute grip as the SO-3s either dry or wet. Somewhat of a squirly feel when the tires are new and tread is deep (due to the tire's softness). The 225mm fronts sometimes "wash out" suddenly causing traction control coming on hard. (speedybenz's 255 fronts never did this when I took a ride with him). Terrible "cold weather" traction; really loses grip below 50 degrees.

Tires I hated the most?
- Yokohama AVS ES100 ... tires were made for a lighter car. I was more then happy to see I turned the fronts into balony skins from the understeer the 5.4L motor imparted on them.
- Michelins that came stock ... can't help but hate tires that when you turn the car to the left, the tires just continue to slide straight, leading you straight into a curb, causing $5K damage to the suspension. ...can't get past that and buy Michelin's again...

[Abuimad]

well keep seeing BFGoodrich adds everywere so i researched there tires (cause im thinking of changine mine) and there G-Force T/A seems to be really good, amazing traction, and works up to 186+ miles
http://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/bfgapp/catalog/tires/gforcetakd.jsp

[VIP_MBZ]

I haven't really experimented much with the W202, but from my Supra experience (which is an equally heavy car, although probably closer to neutral weight distribution), the best bang for the buck tire was the Falken Azenis RT-215. The downfall was that they didn't come in anything bigger than a 17. But that's perfect for race day anyway -- lightweight 17x9 and 17x10 using 225's and 245's. Azenis RT-215 (also known as the Azenis Sport) have a mean tread pattern and have better dry traction than tires costing up to three times as much.

Bargains aside, though, the ultimate tire was the Yokohama ADVAN A048. Talk about "barely legal" this tire is almost a pure slick. As with the Azenis, the wet traction isn't so good, and worse off, the A048 has 'XX' as its treadwear rating, ha.

If you want something more streetable, I like the Falken GRb FK-451's (I have on the car right now), or if the budget is bigger, the next step down Yokohama, which is the ADVAN A032R. Both of these tires come in an all-weather tread pattern and have an AA traction rating. FK-451's are a bit cheaper, but their sidewall is a little soft in comparison, so handling might be sloshier, but more comfortable for cruising.

And then I've tried a lot of Dunlop, Michelin, Eagle, etc that I didn't really care to purchase over again, so they're not really worth mentioning. The Bridgestone Potenza S-02 is an awesome tire, which is still available in limited sizes for 18" wheels (since it is the OEM tire for some Porsche model). The S-03 is not quite as good, but still an excellent tire.

Welp, my .02

-Ray

[c55m8o]

Originally posted by VIP_MBZ
...Bridgestone Potenza S-02 is an awesome tire... but what about wet traction? I don't hear [read] too many good things in that regard.

[tpliquid]

No on kuhmo. sidewalls blow.

try soem dunlap SP9000

[jaysonvaldez]

what kind of wheels are they?

[jaysonvaldez]

On my 19x8,19x10 wheels I am running the Toyo tires T1-R. 235/35/19 for my front and 265/30/19 for my rear. I really like these tires alot. The design of them are very nice. Even in the rain, They work superb. They only thing about Toyo tires T1-R that I noticed is that the tires tread life seems to be pretty short. Or maybe it's just my tires than have a short life span. "wierd"
I am not to sure if your wheels are custom made for your car. I have a set that are. The only thing you might have a problem is the wheel might come close to the inner body on the rear . When looking at the rim, the inner body part should be at the 4 o' clock. You might want to grind that. My wheels cleared this by a 1/4" Another thing I did was take off the inner splash guard from the rear. The wheels were already rubbing and leaving marks from my previous 19x9.5 and when I put on the 19x10s I had took them off. The only thing when taking them off is that it exposes the neck of the case tank.

[knvs]

despite what ppl say, i really like the kumho mx's. Really sticky tires. i had them as my last set and they are much better then my current fuzions and my old dunlops. I really wanna try some so-3s, but i think they're just too expensive, might go with the pirellis neros as my next set or bridgestone re750s

[jnolte]

I have 19x8.5 and 19x9.5 wheels on my car with Nitto 555.

Great traction wet and dry ( renntech uses them)

Im running a 225/35/19 front and a 265/30/19 rear

with offset of 40mm there was no rubbing ( maybe a little in the front)

then i put on some 5mm spacers and its 35mm et rubs in back now bad, i should of put some 255s on the rear instead... but now no rub in front hmmm

[VIP_MBZ]

Originally posted by c55m8o
but what about wet traction? I don't hear [read] too many good things in that regard.

Hehe, I guess here in socal I never really paid much regard to it. Even during rainy season, I haven't really had any trouble with traction, even the ones that people say suck in the wet (like the Azenis RT-215). I guess if it rains, just don't drive like a bastard. If you live somewhere where it rains frequently, though, I think the Potenza S-02/S-03 will be the best out of the bunch.

-Ray

[SLAMMED_C]

Thanks for all the info and recommendations guys.. Ill have to look into a few tires now.
I am still leaning towards the Pirelli P-zero Rosso's though.

and just a side note.. my wheels are almost here!!.. I should definetly have them early next week.. they have cleared canadian customs and are ready for delivery!!