E46 summer tires: HTR Z III or V12 Evo?

For the first time in a long time I have a car that I am actually going to keep for a while and I am investing in a set of wheels/tires for the summer. It's a 2002 BMW 330ci; I bought it on staggered Contours with Blizzaks, which have been just fine for the weather so far, but spring is around the corner and I don't want to burn them up.

I have a line on a set of staggered 17" OE M68 wheels, but I'm wondering which tires to go for. This car is going to be daily driven, but I will also probably run a handful of HPDEs before the season is over (let it be noted that I am not exactly a top-tier driver and plan on developing myself more than the car through the season). I am planning to run 225/45 17 front and 245/40 17 rear.

The two tires that fall directly into my price range are the Sumitomo HTR Z III and Hankook Ventus V12 Evo K110. Tire Rack seems to like the Sumitomos better all around, but the V12's softer compound makes me think it might be a better track tire. I would love to get a set of Star Specs or something but the more I spend on tires is the less I have to spend on track time, and I'm probably not good enough to push any legitimate summer tire to its limits anyways.

Suggestions?

Based upon tirerack tests, the Sumitomos. If you're willing to spend a wee' bit more, the Continental Extreme DW is a better tire and should last longer which (almost) justifies the higher price.

Mmadness wrote: Based upon tirerack tests, the Sumitomos. If you're willing to spend a wee' bit more, the Continental Extreme DW is a better tire and should last longer which (almost) justifies the higher price.

As a professional tire guy, I QFT.

SlickDizzy wrote: This car is going to be daily driven, but I will also probably run a handful of HPDEs before the season is over... I would love to get a set of Star Specs or something but the more I spend on tires is the less I have to spend on track time, and I'm probably not good enough to push any legitimate summer tire to its limits anyways. Suggestions?

The Star Specs might actually last through a handful of HPDEs while I don't think the others would. My HTR Z IIIs lasted just a few months on my 325i. They had a lot of visible wear after just a couple of autocross runs. And no I didn't really autocross on them much. Now they do grip quite well even now with cord showing. They are definitely on a lower level in the dry than my Kumho XSes. They just aren't designed to handle abuse. Maybe if you only drive below 9/10ths.

I would actually recommend Kumho XS, Hankook RS-3s, or BFG Rivals as the budget choices for their abuse resistance. Sure those all suck on the road in cool/rain. Get the Dunlop ZIIs as a compromise.

How are the Direzza DZ101s? They and the Toyo Proxes 4 are also near my price range but I hadn't really considered them. I really wish I could justify spending an extra $200-300 on a set of tires but I just can't at this point.

I would get the Conti DWS.

I ran both of those on an old 911.

The Sumis were fine on the street, slippy on a race track then hardened in their 3rd year and became very noisy. They were never "great" but they were decent + very affordable.

I put the Evos on and found them to be very nice, quiet, grippy even in wet and colder weather but... sold the car when they only had 1200 miles on them so I can't comment on the life of them at all.

If I were buying again though, it would be the kooks - newer tech, great first impression and no real price penalty (maybe +$10/tire?).

Well, I picked up the wheels a few minutes ago. They will need a bit of refinishing so I may wait for a sale of some kind to buy. I have also heard some good things about the Yokohama S.drive, so those are sort of on the list. If a rebate or discount comes along for the Conti DWS or ZIIs I would buy them in a heartbeat though. Tire Rack was GIVING Fuzion ZRIs away a few weeks ago but of course they ran out last Wednesday.

I put the Ventus V12s on my e39 M5 and found them much more squirmy in the rear than the tires the car came with (don't recall what they were). I would not use them again.

On my current 330i ZHP I have the Conti DWS and really like them. Granted the car only sees DD duty, so I can't comment on their behavior during extreme use.

We have run two sets of the Evo's on my wife's Speed6. I also have a set on my GTO. A good tire as a DD but you will only get 20k or so out of a set. I ran a set of the Sumi's on my DD miata and the sidewall was just way too soft to do even aggressive driving on the Dragon with a very easy on tire car such as a Miata; doubt that you would enjoy the driving experience on a heavy sedan. YMMV

Just to clarify, there is a night and day difference between the Continental DWS and the Continental DW. The DWS is an "all-season" tire (hence the S, for snow) and the DW is a "summer" tire. The DW is vastly superior on dry and wet roads and the DWS gives up a significant amount of dry and wet road capability for some capability in light snow. If you're running HPDEs, I would avoid an "all-season tire" if possible. How much wear does auto crossing put on the various tires mentioned?

I really like the Yokohama S.Drives I have used. I currently have a set on my Miata.

Mmadness wrote: Just to clarify, there is a night and day difference between the Continental DWS and the Continental DW. The DWS is an "all-season" tire (hence the S, for snow) and the DW is a "summer" tire. The DW is vastly superior on dry and wet roads and the DWS gives up a significant amount of dry and wet road capability for some capability in light snow. If you're running HPDEs, I would avoid an "all-season tire" if possible. How much wear does auto crossing put on the various tires mentioned?

You're right. I'm running the DW, not the all season version. Then again I'm in Florida.