Best daily driver summer tires?

Spring has sprung here in Wisconsin and I'm starting to think about a summer wheel/tire package for my '13 Fit. I sacrificed the stock pizza cutters to snow tires, now I'm looking at picking up a set of 16x7 TRMotorsports C1s and 205/50-16s. The question is, what tire? Every single Tire Rack user review collection has a few "OMG THESE TIRES ARE UNSAFE AND TERRIBLE" claims, so I figured I'd ask the more experienced group here to see what everyone likes.

This car will probably never see a track or autocross course for at least five more years, though it does partake in the occasional spirited backroad jaunt. As such I don't need the latest Star Spec or anything like that. Wet traction, tire life and road noise are primary concerns, as I sometimes have to drive up to 750mi a week for work. The Dunlop snows I have on now aren't exactly quiet or good in the rain so my standards are probably pretty low, but alas.

For a 205/50-16 summer tire that will be used exclusively for street driving on a lightweight FWD car, what would you guys recommend?

Continental DW or DWS

i've been extremely happy with my new BFGoodrich Comp-2 A/S's in the factory 205/55-16's for my 2.5RS. i needed a sporty daily tread that can still handle double duty as a rallycross tire and not be too punishing in the noise/wear categories either. i've driven on lots of different brands (Kumho, Avon, Falken, Bridgestone) in this same size on this same car across all kinds of motorsport environments and the BFG's are tremendous in every respect. very high grip for an A/S in nice weather and fine so far in the cold...and as you can imagine with the tread, extremely stable in heavy rain. in fact i really haven't found their limits yet just goofing around on the street.

i got mine during the typical spring "$70 rebate card" promos they always do, so if you can find a sale on them its just a no brainer. but even without that, i'd still highly recommend them.

i also considered the Conti DW, Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric and General G-Max AS03 in the ultra-high performance all season category. they're all worthy considerations IMO.

I concur on the BFG Comp-2 A/S (does not have "Sport" in the name) as the sportiest, grippiest all-season you can get. However, if you really want a dedicated summer DD tire, get the BFG Sport Comp-2 (no "A/S" in the name). It is stickier than even the Continental DW, in the wet or dry, and for less money. You will NOT be able to find the limit of these tires on the street. They are just that good.

You are looking for Max Performance Summer category tires if you care about wet handling. Kumho Escta Sport LE or Continental Extreme DW are probably your best bang/buck tires...but neither are in that size. I will say the new Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 looks interesting...may be a decent wet weather tire with the channeling features and has nice outside shoulder design:

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500

Unfortunately neither the DWs or Ecsta Sport LE are available in the size I need. I would have gone straight for the DWs as I had an amazing experience with them on my E46, but alas they are not available in this size.

This is what Tire Rack has to offer (and since I am getting the wheels from them, I will also be getting the tires from them to take advantage of the free mount/balance) http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSearchResults.jsp?width=205%2F&ratio=50&diameter=16&rearWidth=255%2F&rearRatio=40&rearDiameter=17&zip-code=53186

Yokohama S.drive. It's what we use for street tires on 400 hp Miatas :)

Bridgestone RE760, hands down. I've used a lot of different summer tires and these are as good or better than any other real street tire but have far better wear/tread depth than most. They're on a 350hp WRX that I drive hard in the corners and brutally in our crappy roads around here. Grip is just as good as the Star Specs on my e30 (IMO) and rain grip is excellent.

My Fiesta came with Michelin Pilot Super Sports, and while I would never have paid for them myself, they are pretty awesome.

I should also mention that when I paid for them myself, I always bought Sumitomo HTRZ's, all the varieties through the years.

Having finally driven on and pushed a car with Pilot Super Sports, I can say that they are very good. It's a shame they don't make them in your size.

z31maniac wrote: Continental DW or DWS

I really like the DWS Continentals on my MINI.

This thread is of interest. The tires on the FRS are due for replacement. My go to tire for the fleet has always been the Falken Azenis, and my first thought was that the Rivals or Starspecs might be the next choice. I only drive about 10,000 miles per year and am not concerned with tire wear all that much. (half of that 10k is spent on winter tires) So 5k miles/ year for three years is acceptable.

pointofdeparture wrote: Unfortunately neither the DWs or Ecsta Sport LE are available in the size I need. I would have gone straight for the DWs as I had an amazing experience with them on my E46, but alas they are not available in this size. This is what Tire Rack has to offer (and since I am getting the wheels from them, I will also be getting the tires from them to take advantage of the free mount/balance) http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSearchResults.jsp?width=205%2F&ratio=50&diameter=16&rearWidth=255%2F&rearRatio=40&rearDiameter=17&zip-code=53186

These Sumitomos are a screaming deal at only $55, and they're a great tire. I'd jump on those if I were you.

Whew... 205/50-16 is a rough size. Not many options.

I think my ex is running RE760 on her MINI with 7x16" wheels.

WildScotsRacing wrote: ...the BFG Sport Comp-2 (no "A/S" in the name). It is stickier than even the Continental DW, in the wet or dry, and for less money. You will NOT be able to find the limit of these tires on the street. They are just that good.

I might be mistaken, but I'm not sure you are correct. Those tires are in different classes. These are not quite apples to apples comparisons, but here's some attempt at correlation based on Tire Rack dry lap time. I've listed relative differences.

DW > Sport LE (.35) http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/chartDisplay.jsp?ttid=140

ZIII > Sport LE (.29) http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/chartDisplay.jsp?ttid=149

ZIII > RE50A (.27) http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/chartDisplay.jsp?ttid=93

RE50A > SPT (.15) http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/chartDisplay.jsp?ttid=158

SPT > S Drive (.11) http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/chartDisplay.jsp?ttid=131

S.drive < BFG Comp2 (.09) http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/chartDisplay.jsp?ttid=192

Ian F wrote: Whew... 205/50-16 is a rough size. Not many options. I think my ex is running RE760 on her MINI with 7x16" wheels.

You should see what's available in the 185/55-16 the stock wheels run! Let's just say snows were the obvious choice.

Re760s are very good have then on tbr vette.

The new firestone indy wide oval is interesting its supposedly the replacement for the re760.

The ps2 and pss are great ive always wanted a set of my own, but am too poor.

I have been tooling around on 205/50/16 RE760s for two summers now on my Impreza TS and I really like them. I'd buy them again in a heartbeat.

Any chance that any of these tires would hold up under a 4000+lb Crown Vic...? The car will see several auto-x events and one or two Track Night in America events. I always run snow tires in cold/snow season so no worries there. The new Firehawk Indy 500's look like the edges would hold up well.

Sorry for the semi-hijack.

Thanks Ross

z31maniac wrote: Continental DW or DWS

I just replaced the OEM tires on my '13 Fit with 205/55/R16 DWS and they are a great DD tire. Tire rack is closing out the older DWS for $89 per tire. I'm very pleased with with them. Far, far superior to the OEM LRR Dunlops. They are the best DD/allseason tire I've driven thus far.

Edit: according to Tire rack's blog the 205/55 is really close to stock diameter. Plus it opens up more options. I really like the DWS. It's limits are almost too high for the street.

WildScotsRacing wrote: I concur on the BFG Comp-2 A/S (does not have "Sport" in the name) as the sportiest, grippiest all-season you can get. However, if you really want a dedicated summer DD tire, get the BFG Sport Comp-2 (no "A/S" in the name). It is stickier than even the Continental DW, in the wet or dry, and for less money. You will NOT be able to find the limit of these tires on the street. They are just that good.

I found their limit in the canyons haha. No but really, I've been super impressed with these things. Wet, dry, hot, cold, these suckers just stick. Mine were like 70 bucks a tire for the Miata. You cant beat that.

We'll see how long they last tho.

I ran a set of the Sumitomo HTR Z IIs for summer street and track one year. They were a good bargain at a time when I needed a break for my budget. But as soon as I could get better tires for the track, I tossed them, with plenty of tread left.

The Bridgestone Potenza RE-71Rs are ungodly good, I hear -- many people I know are now using them as track tires and they are really sticky and responsive I'm told. But really, really soft. They wear fast.

Ross413 wrote: Any chance that any of these tires would hold up under a 4000+lb Crown Vic...? The car will see several auto-x events and one or two Track Night in America events. I always run snow tires in cold/snow season so no worries there. The new Firehawk Indy 500's look like the edges would hold up well. Sorry for the semi-hijack. Thanks Ross

Ross, the Conti DWs under my E46 have got probably 30,000 miles on them and at least 8-10 autocross events, if not more. They're aging but hanging in there. My car only weighs about 3500 lbs, but it's not light. You'll want as much negative camber as you can get up front.

The DW is 3-season as opposed to the DWS which is all-season (and also a great tire, just not as grippy or stiff as the DW).

I have the Yokahama S drives on my Miata for all season use and they are very good. They seem to wear like rocks so they will probably age out before they wear out.

The poster above me mentions the RE-71Rs, this is not a tire for a DD. It's a racing tire and will wear like one, if you aren't autocrossing don't even consider any of the 200 TW tires.

Desmond wrote:

WildScotsRacing wrote: I concur on the BFG Comp-2 A/S (does not have "Sport" in the name) as the sportiest, grippiest all-season you can get. However, if you really want a dedicated summer DD tire, get the BFG Sport Comp-2 (no "A/S" in the name). It is stickier than even the Continental DW, in the wet or dry, and for less money. You will NOT be able to find the limit of these tires on the street. They are just that good.

I found their limit in the canyons haha. No but really, I've been super impressed with these things. Wet, dry, hot, cold, these suckers just stick. Mine were like 70 bucks a tire for the Miata. You cant beat that. We'll see how long they last tho.

Dude, I can only imagine how fast you had to be going! Because yeah, within city limits of a larger city (like Tulsa, where I am) with plenty of expressway ramps to play with, the Sport Comp-2s stick so hard that the best I have been able to get out of them is a SWOOOOSSHH. And still nowhere near the grip limit. This is taking a 35 mph "suggested curve speed" left-hand ramp at 62ish. I'm chicken to do it at 65 to 67 mph because there always seems to be a popo coming up the lane it merges with and it's a 55 zone at that point. There is also right-hand 40mph ramp that I like to enter at 75mph under accelleration to 80mph at the "trackout", but only because I can see in every direction whether or not there is any traffic or cops to see me do it. Same result: glued to the left-side seat bolsters and the tires haven't even started to really talk yet. I'm curiuos to see how the new Firestone Indy 500 compares to them in Hydroplaning resistance.