tire selection assistance, please

I need help choosing a set of tires for my current project; luckily, I know exactly where to go for help with such matters...

I'm shopping for my current challenge car, a '96 Integra. While I know plenty about tires in general, I know very little about all of the myriad options available and do not follow the latest trends closely.

So, a heavily modified suspension, fwd sport coupe, full interior (under 3000 lbs) that needs to compete in the challenge this year and drive 1600 miles there and back. I want something that will handle any reasonable rainstorm and be able to make the trip without being totally used up. I am assuming that 205/45r17 would be the best fit (and value) for this car but am certainly flexible on that number.

My go to tire for arriving at the track (more likely, a hill climb) and running were Dunlop Star Specs; I always loved how they handled all weather very well and I was happy enough with how they wore over the miles. My experiences, though, are several years old. I am really not too well versed in the finer points of their competitors but I know that they are not the cheapest or longest lasting tire out there. I have heard great things about the continental extremecontactDW and also a bunch of bridgestones but get a bit lost with all of the options with similar sounding number codes.

Sadly, almost every 'performance' tire out there has someone raving about how great it is while others call it junk and recommenced something else... What would YOU choose, and why?

The Bridgestone RE71 seems to be the hot 200TW tire this year. The Extremecontact DW you mention is in the next tier down in performance from either the 'Stones or your aforementioned Star Specs, but that's what I'm running on the front of my Camaro right now and have nothing bad to say.

I realize the Extremecontacts are a lesser performance level, but just not sure exactly how much of a drop off they are. I never look to win events, but my last set of performance tires were Hoosiers so I cant figure out where to go from there.

It looks like the RE71Rs are getting high marks for wet weather use but the extremecontacts seem to rule the wet weather testing according to tirerack. I also wonder if my limited amount of track driving would make the RE71Rs advantages wasted on the street.

I guess I am partially trying to figure out if there is a huge difference between a 200 treadwear vs. a 340? These will go on a street car, not a race car, after all.

You sure you got the right size you want for a 3RD Gen Integra... shouldn't it be a 205/50-15? 205/45-17 would be a much larger diameter than stock for an integra....better have more power/different gearing to offset the larger diameter. The price difference between 205/50-15 and 205/45-17 is HUGE too, 205/50-15 are much less expensive. There is still a nice selection of tires in 205/50-15 size:

205/50-15 search

My personal tire size preference for my 2300lb integra RS track prepared car was 225/45-15 (Hankook RS-3 and Nitto NT-01's) on 15x8 wheels (949 racing 6-UL's)...

The DW's are phenominal wet weather tires, the absolute best I've ever driven on, and they are great in the dry as well. The best bang/buck daily driver tire for those in rainy climates. They are also one of the lightest tires made. Only real issue is their sidewalls are on the soft side, so you will really need to have the widest wheel width recommended for the tire size you plan on running. On my FR-S, I run the 205/45-17 DW's mounted on 17x7.5 wheels. Unfortunately, DW's don't come in 15" sizes...

In reply to Vracer111:

You are correct, except this is a challenge car so I pretty much have to use the wheels that I have for it. They are lightweight 17 x 7s that I am just trying to do the best I can with.

I am trying to add some power, but probably not a whole lot right now. After the challenge I plan on adding quite a bit of power when I have more time and no budget constraints.

Would it make sense to look for lower profile tires? I figured that would just limit my choices and raise the expense.

Thanks for the input, I appreciate it but I don't think I have enough time to play around looking for something smaller and selling these to pay for it.

All I know is I had 3 integras (all DA's), and the very first one was a GS which I put 17's on (it was the car that started my adventure in learning about cars and working on them), they weren't the lightest either, and it ran like a dog... not very complimentary to the cars handling. If at all possible try to get 15's for it, 14's are the stock wheel size. If modded for track duty the car REALLY likes 225/45-15 size tires on 15x8 wheels, at least my '90 RS did. If you are stuck with 17's, use the lowest profile you can reasonably find to get the diameter back down.

And from my experience, move all the weight you can FORWARD and down in the engine bay...while reasonable dropping any weight you can too. Like say reposition the battery on the front crossmember down low by the radiator and wheel well/airbox area. Really makes a difference in agility and acceleration, acts as a counterbalance and the car really will rotate quicker. Think counterbalance with weight as far forward for a FWD car and it really brings out the handling, ~65% front weight bias should be the goal.

I had the RS handling very weird, oddly RWD like feeling. Had to be on your toes though...very quick to want to come around, but still very controllable, extremely precise, and stable 'enough'...the very first autocross after moving the battery upfront and down low, reducing the weight, and having filled the deteriotated rear trailing arm bushings with 3M WindoWeld, was very weird. Ate a few cones on the first run because it just turned in so much quicker than I was expecting, much different than stock. Had to recalibrate myself on how to drive the car, but I would not have it any other way - handled phenominally near neutral for a FWD car with open diff...

In reply to Vracer111:

Thanks for the advice; I have never had a car like this before so I am doing a lot of learning on the fly. I should have it on the road within a week or so to give me a little time for fine tuning.

I am going to research options in 205/40r17 which should be almost equal diameter to 205/50r15. I think that a 7" rim will definitely work best with a 205 but I am not afraid to pinch a 215 on it if it has a short sidewall...

And this car should be tight. Entire energy suspension master kit and as much additional bracing as I can throw at it along with large sway bars... and a little window weld here and there, too!

The problem with 205/40-17 size is performance tire selection...there is practically none except for the RT615 Azenis or Toyo Proxies R888...

195/40-17 would be perfect size for a 17x7 wheel on an Integra (23.2" diameter, same as stock)...virtually no tires whatsoever in that size though, only the Yokohama S. drives.

There's going to be way more selection in the 215/45/17 or 215/40/17 sizes. Either should work fine on a 17x7 wheel.

I really appreciate all of the input here; I can overthink things in my own mind and suffer analysis paralysis...

I have the Azenis on my e30 and while I would rate them well above average I am not totally satisfied with wet weather performance. Very different car but similar weight and power.

I have to think about my options carefully. Part of me says that a 205/45r17 Star Spec is something that I know and love even if not the ideal size... then again I bet there is something out there in a better fit overall that would only be a slight loss in performance and perfectly fine 90% of the time...

I don't want the budget to get out of hand, either, but I haven't even really begun to compare that aspect yet. I have never been great at dealing with fine details so I am loving the fact that there are tire dorks out there to lean on for some knowledge.

FWIW I am going with the Falken Azenis in 205/40

I know these tires and have been pretty happy with them on my e30. The size is very close to ideal in diameter and should provide plenty of performance for my modest little acura.

Thanks again

Re71rs are unstoppable. Even in the wet. You will always be faster with them except in deep, standing water - at which point I would give the nod to the Direzza ZII.

Source - actually bought all of these tires and tested them on track.