Advice for GOOD tires

[Dar]

Hi all,
I'm looking for your advice on tire models that you have personal experience with that satisfy the following:
1./ Provide very good dry and wet traction, handling, braking, steering
2./ The ride quality is not too harsh (stiff is fine, not jarring)
3./ Is in the approx $150/tire range, ideally not more... unless you can convince me it's worth spending more.

I recently removed some new "Nankang" 255/40/17 tires from a non-monte that were total junk, and fit on a set of BFG Comp 2 A/S and am VERY impressed with the traction, but not necessarily the ride quality. On another vehicle I have Goodyear Eagle Sport tires and really like the precise steering and very good traction. Ride quality isn't too bad. I'm considering these for the Monte.

The Monte will be fit with 235/45/18's. I currently have 245/40/19's and want to downsize for a smaller rim and slightly more side-wall to absorb road imperfections. In my experience width isn't everything if the tire is low quality.

Thanks in advance for your opinions and experiences!

 

[RegalBegal]

It's a tradeoff. If you want a soft ride, go to 15's. For handeling run 17,s.

 

[TURNA]

Try a set of Michelins

It will cost you some $$$$ but I think you will be happy.

 

[Bonnewagon]

I stick with 15'' tires so I can use my vintage Rally II's and Snowflakes. I tried some Uniroyal Tiger Paws Touring and I really like them. Firm, yet not harsh, great on wet roads, supposedly very long lasting. Under $100 each.

 

[Peter]

In my experience Michelin tends to be the best from a handling and tread life perspective. You pay for 'em but it's hard to deny how good michelin is compared to the run-of-the-mill manufacturers.

A pretty close second for me is Continental tires, these tend to be the best bang for your buck. Good tread life and typically sporty characteristics on their all seasons. (I run their DWS tires now). If you're not going to be driving in any snow and temperatures do not drop too low, go for a set of summer tires)

I'd also like to mention specifically is stay away from low rolling resistance tires (sometimes referred to as Eco-Focus) -- these rubber compounds are directly geared towards higher MPG and thus use harder compounds. This leads to an increase in road noise and lower tread life.

 

[ssn696]

If you will not drive much and the car is not garaged, be aware that Michelins are UV sensitive. At 6000' above sea level, the sunlight is much stronger. I had two sets start to scare me with cracks in the sidewall before the tread was close to worn down. I went the other way and tried Sumitomos on two of my cars. For a daily driver, they seemed to balance wet/dry traction and road noise at quite a lower price. For the G8, at nearly $1000, I put on Michelin Pilot Super Sports, and they utterly rocked in performance, but it spent much of its life in hibernation.

 

[xylorex]

I've never been disappointed by Bridgestone. I run Bridgestone on all my vehicles, unless the size i needs isn't available from them.

Michelin and BFGoodrich are good also, in my opinion.

 

[tkruger]

I have the Cooper Cobra Radial GTs on my Monte Carlo. They are mounted on 15 inch Cragar SS rims. Good traction and good ride quality. This said I use the car as a cruiser and not a performance vehicle. I also like the look of the raised white letters.

Site here: http://us.coopertire.com/tires/cobra-radial-g-t.aspx

 

[KCP]

We shred about 1.000 tires per year on our training cars, usually Falken 510's. They last about 200kms (no, there's no digit missing) on the Renaults and 400kms on the GT86's. The Renaults sit on 225/40-18 and the Toyotas on 225/45-17s. I think about switching the Toyotas to Michelins, we tested them last season and they lasted about twice the kms. When it comes to price the Michelins are about 35% higher than the Falkens. On the Corvettes it's Michelin Super Sport, the only avail. tire for the stock size, quite expensive for being shred on one day.

 

[Qdub24]

My favorite tires from 17"-22" are Nitto NT555. I've ran those on my '83 Cutlass, '94 Impala SS, and my '12 Camaro 2SS; I love those tires.