THSCC Forums

Time to get new tires to replace the disappointing ContiSportContacts. I was very impressed with the Azenis I borrowed for Oktoberfest, but they don't seem to come in my size (245/40 ZR 17), and I didn't like the occasional rubbing of the bigger 45s.

What are some others I should consider? Again, this is for a daily driver with occasional track time.

TIA

Depends on how cheap you are And how fast you want to go.

IMO for the money you can't go wrong with a Kumho 712 ($105). I've used these on many cars. My M3 came with Yoko ES100s ($113) and I have to say that I'm pretty impressed with those too at that price point. The ES100s are a bit noisy though.

Looking through the Tirerack specs and ratings, the HTR-Z II at $89 looks to be about the best deal out there and matches the ES100 in ratings. I'd probably put those on my car if it needed new rubber, but I'm cheap.

The Kumho MX apparently has a lot of grip but you pay for it at $140. Not sure how these hold up to everyday driving either. Also the Avon Tech M500 seems to get good reviews and looks to be a good value at $115. Same for the BFGoodrich g-Force Sport which are cheap at $105.

Basically couldn't go wrong with any of those choices as long as you aren't looking for Azenis-level driving grip. They all are better than the Contis. I can say from personal and second-hand experience that the 712s and the ES100 will do fine on track as well.

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Mike Whitney
whit32@gmail.com, 919-454-5445
V10, V8, V8t, I6, I6, V6, F4t, I4, I4, I4, I4, I2, 1, 1

I just recently picked up a set of the Kuhmo Ecsta SPTs, and I gotta say.. they were waaay stickier than I thought they'd be. I've only put ~3k miles on them, but they're holding up well, and I look forward to seeing what they can do on VIR-F. Sidewall is a little soft, and I think they heat up easily.. but for a daily, you really can't go wrong with 'em.

iv had ES100s and liked them a lot. did all i could ask out of a UHP street tire. I have some kumho 712s now that i got cheap/used to hold me through VIR (ES100s were dead) and they seem nice too, but the sidewall is noticably softer. seem to have plenty of grip though and ride nice

Hankook Z212
Sumi HTRZ-II
Falken GRB-451

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