fesoferbex

Hi folks! Anyone that has been to AutoX with me knows that my tires are some grade-a chinese-made crap....... The tires are getting towards annihilated...soooo...What tire should I get? Feel free to select multiple tires for the poll but please try to limit it to those tires you believe are the best of the best.

Feel free to comment and try to justify one tire over another, explain the pros/cons you personally have experienced, etc. This may influence my decision.

And, I'm already leaning towards the Nitto NT01...but...I'm willing to hear everyone out before I just go slappin' my cash down!

nichigo

Your tire list is pretty all over the place lol...you have r-compounds in a list with sub-par performance tires (azenis). If money's not an issue, I'd get the R888's. But it's probably more practical to get the NT-01's.

dave9102

hoosier slicks

bradskee

re-11. they have great grip and last forever (pm nuke for a homie hookup)

going from the chinese crap to r-comps probably isnt a great idea, i doubt you'll be able to get the most out of those tires because of the giant change in tire grip and dynamics

fesoferbex

Yeah, I figured I'd throw a variety of tires out there, since these are the names I always hear about. But I'd rather see how people feel about them. I mean for crying out loud I'm gonna put a studless winter tire on my race car...a competition vehicle with tires that cost $80 a piece. LOL (I'm serious though)

02_s2k

RE-11's my friend. I also chose Yoko's cause Im kinda partial to them. lol.

Rubn1out4GudLuk

I agree with Bradskee, no need to skip a class and go straight to R comps. Take it one step at a time. I would suggest RE11's, but most tires in this class will provide an abundance of grip compared to your current setup. I mention RE11's due to the fact that I can get them at a better price than Starspecs or NT05's. But the tire that is the cheapest in this category would be the Hankook RS3's. Look into all the tires offered in this class. Read the reviews, talk to the owners to get an idea of which is the right tire for you. Gimme a heads up if you do decide on going with the RE11 after your research and I might be able to get you a better deal on them than retail.

bdo

Hankook R-S3's. I have the R-S2's and have been pretty happy with them. The 3's are supposed to be even better, by some opinions even significantly better than star specs. I have talked to a couple people that have them and they raved about them. And, like Nuke said, they are the the cheapest tire in their class, from what I've been able to find. Of course, going into a lower performance category, or jumping up to R-comps, are options too. Just depends what you want. But for the best-performance-short-of-R-comp range, I like R-S3's. They'll be my next set. (PS. If you decide to get them, call discount tire to order them. They're quite a bit cheaper than tirerack.)

nichigo

RE-11's are nice, but overpriced (like every bridgetstone tire). RS3's are what the RE-01R's used to be...a great street preformance tire at a good price. The only complaint i've heard frmo people is that the RS3 side walls are so soft that it takes more steering input than other tires. i didn't really notice this...and neither will you if this i going to be your first "real" tire However, the RS3's are probably the stickiest street tires you can get right now...they grip like mad.

uberthin

Star Specs are my vote.

You don't mention your wheel sizing or what you do with your tires (other then at least occasional auto-x).

I have driven Sumitomo HTR Z III, Kumho Exta XS and stock Bridgestone RE050 - so my experience doesn't match up to some folks here and I haven't tried most of the tires on your list. All tires have been to auto-x and the track.

I like the star specs best because of their quick response. They make my car fun to drive. I believe this is due to their stiffer sidewall. I get more feedback as the car corners on the edge of traction. The car responds better in slaloms. I believe they help me learn to be a better driver by helping me understand what the car is doing and how it reacts to my inputs.

Ar they the fastest? They feel as fast as if not faster than everything else I have driven.

Tire rack quotes them as $612 for stock sizing, that seems pretty cheap.

Unconfirmed rumors i have heard: starspecs last a good while, R-S3's are faster but give little feedback to the driver.