I too am surprised by the oval's showing. I also agree on Tirerack's reputation! even if you don't end up buying from them they are a super source for information and comparison, they even give recommendations on locally approved shops to do the install! I'm planning on using these guys...

http://www.tirerack.com/installer/In...=60192&place=9

I really appreciate all of your input, keep it coming!

 

If your gonna drive your car hard on twisties and back roads (and I mean punishing hard), Nitto 555R2's with their 5/32 tread depth and R compound are a serious dry street and track tire. I have 8K on my fronts and they are half gone with aggressive alignment settings. The rears lasted 8k or a little more I think last go round. I'm not concerned with tire wear on performance tires on the street.

They can be driven in the rain in an emergency if need be, but I wouldn't recommend that.

 

 

 

Falken Azenis here!

 

At this point I'm kid of leaning towards the Toyo Proxes T1R, good performance, good price and good wear. I know good but not great, the Pilot Sport's, F1 GS-D3 and T/A KDW-2 are still in the running!

 

I voted for the Firestone tires. Although they may not be the very best in all categories you list, I think they are one of the better compromises. Seems lots of folks get bashed for using them, but I'll offer this opinion. It is only one opinion.

I'm not a good enough driver to be constantly taking the car to the edge, which is where tire differences are most often felt (not that I think that its a good idea on the street anyway). If the car were tracked and I got good at it, then some other tires might make the best sense. I'm thinking of trying the HPDE thing and am thinking that buying another set of wheels/tires more suitable would be the best answer for that.

A subjective opinion of the wet weather performance is that they are better than the F1 SC tires. I really don't drive the car a lot in the rain so take that with a grain of salt.

Tire wear. Hmmm, that's an interesting one since it depends a lot on how the car is driven. If your intent is to accellerate at WOT every chance you get, then there aren't a lot of tires that are gonna last very long on the back. If you intend taking every corner like you're on a race track, then the fronts won't last either.

Which brings up another question. If you are only gonna drive the car 5k miles/yr and want the ultimate in stick, then changing tires before they are truly worn out may be what you are gonna do since rubber gets hard over time. So do you change the tires every 3-4yrs whether they are worn out or not? Since I don't care if the tires have the ultimate grip, I'm gonna wear them out.

Anyway, the roads here are slicker than snot and I can't tell any real difference between the F1 SC tires and the WO tires. With either, nail the floor, light'em up. I've learned to roll into the throttle and I still have lots of fun with the car. The roads here are also straight as an arrow so cornering ability makes little difference unless you are willing to travel at way above posted limits. I'm not.

Remember, this is just one opinion. Its what works for me. Good luck in your decision.