Schultze currently has 75K+ on the clock. VERY spirited driving. :devil: Currently running Fuzion HRi (205/50R16) with 55K on them...wearbars are visible, so I need to replace the tires prior to going in for VA vehicle inspection which expires on 03/31/11. In addition to the Fuzion HRi, I've been advised to look at: ContiExtremeContact DW ContiExtremeContact DWS Yokohama AVID Envigor I will admit that the comfort/handling on the current set began to noticeably diminish during the past 6-8 months and they are noisy right now. I didn't realize (um...remember, yeah, remember!) until today when I started looking at tires that the Fuzion's are 5yr/40K tires. So, while I didn't get 5 yrs of driving out of them, I did get a solid 50K out of 'em before they starting getting noisy. I live in Hampton Roads, VA, so we rarely see snow. Looking at the pics of the treads, the "plain smoothness" of the DW tires makes me feel, well, worried. We don't see snow, but we do see a heck of a lot of rain. The DWS tires have an awesome tread pattern and the treadwear rating is the highest of them all. I'm surprised they are lower-priced than the DW version. I'd like to get feedback from my trusted M/A acquaintances... Thoughts?
Of the three choices listed the "best" is the Conti DW. They do actually work in the wet. They are more expensive because of the compound used. There are other options out there that I would much prefer but I don't know what your primary needs are. You focused on cost, tread life, handing, road noise? Let me know I'll see if I can steer you in a good direction.
Handling Treadlife Noise Cost I thoroughly enjoyed my Fuzions and never felt "unsafe"...but I do wonder if there's a better tire out there...
@ Jim :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: Jai loves the Goodyear Eagle Gts. Comfortable for road warrioring, quiet, good sticky handling for runs/spirited driving, good value - they've made it 20k and 2 track days! Just to give you more to think about. And they handle fantastic in the rain, it rains here in the PNW a LOT!
I've been super pleased with my Conti DW tires. Very decent grip, very good traction in the rain and after 7K miles there is still 8-9/32nds of tread left. We'll see how much is left after the Dragon! I'd most assuredly recommend these!
Here's my biggest concern regarding the Conti DW: I have no idea how long (ie: how many miles) they are supposed to last. From Tire Rack: DW: (no info given) DWS: (6yr/50K) HRi: (5yr/40K) GAH!
In that case check these out. I'm putting them in order of recommendation. They are all good I just have my preferences. Nitto NeoGen: Tire Details - Discount Tire Direct I know plenty of MINI guys/gals that are running these and seem to be pretty dang happy with them. I've seen them work well in the wet and handing decently in the dry. I've even seen a few guy run them at track days. Not what I would recommend there but they worked OK. Falken FK452: Tire Details - Discount Tire Direct Good all around tire. I've seen these run on MANY vehicles. Good wet traction as well. BFG g-Force Sport CC: Tire Details - Discount Tire Direct These are a bit suprising I didn't expect them to feel as good as they did when I ran them with a buddy on his 2008 Civic. They have decent grip and are good for the wet. They have the best treadwear of the three options as well. Realistically any one of the tires listed will get 30K+ miles before needing replacement unless you are OBSCENELY hard on tires. Hope that helps!
What size are you running? EDIT: I plan on running 205/50-16, so for that size in that tire, it's 87V.
1+ the above, but remember the Conni DW's are not A/S tires. (All Season /Winter Tires) I do not use them when its 50 degees or below. I also can not wait to see how they do at the Dragon this year.:beer:devil: I have a winter setup of R90's wraped in Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus. (Ultra High Performance All-Seasons) They are great for our NE winters /Philly Snow. I have no problems with them at all in the winter, but they break loose too easy in the heat of the summer unlike the DW's.
Hard for me to recommendations, I drive my MINI hard and look for traction and handling in what I suspect different ways than you. I really don't look as much at longevity because there is a inverse relationship between performance (traction and handling) and Longevity. I've pondered here and in my head about finding some perfect All Season that would last me 30-40K miles and yet be sticky as bubble gum on the bottom of a movie seat. Came to the conclusion they don't exist Finally after much pondering and feedback here I came up with using Conti DSW's for the fall/winter and then getting some sort of Ultra High Perf Summer tire for spring/summer. This year will be some Yokohama Advan AD08's. When I run through those which I fully susepct will be by this Sept, at the most, I will put the Conti's back on This is for St. Louis where we do get snow in the winter, not as bad as Chicago/Ohio Valley/Northeast but enough that you can't get away with summer tires In Virginia? Perhaps the Conti DW's and something sticky for summer?
See below from Continental DW's info page on TireRack. The ExtremeContact DW (DW for Dry & Wet) is Continental Tire's Max Performance Summer tire developed for the drivers of sports cars, sports coupes and performance sedans. The ExtremeContact DW is designed to deliver good ride quality and serious performance on both dry and wet roads. Like all summer tires, the ExtremeContact DW is not intended to be driven in near-freezing temperatures, through snow or on ice. For the All Season DWS's The ExtremeContact DWS (DWS for Dry, Wet & Snow) is Continental's Ultra High Performance All-Season radial developed for drivers of sports cars, sports coupes, performance sedans and sport trucks. The ExtremeContact DWS is designed to satisfy their year-round driving needs by blending dry and wet road performance with light snow and slush traction. ExtremeContact DWS features an advanced silica-based, high-grip, all-season tread compound molded into a unique asymmetrical tread design with stable shoulder blocks and a continuous, notched intermediate rib on the outboard side to enhance responsiveness and cornering stability. The center of the tread features independent blocks separated by high-angle, crisscross grooves to provide the biting edges necessary to deliver wet road and light snow traction while independent inboard shoulder blocks help disperse water to further enhance hydroplaning resistance and foul weather traction. The ExtremeContact DWS features Tuned Performance Indicators — visible letters molded into the second rib from the outboard shoulder to alert drivers of the tire's performance levels. A visible "DWS" indicates the tire has sufficient tread depth for dry conditions, as well as wet roads and light snow. After the "S" has worn away, the remaining "DW" indicates the tire only has sufficient tread depth for dry and most wet road conditions. And after the "W" and "S" have both worn away, the remaining "D" indicates the tire has appropriate tread depth for dry conditions only. The tire's internal structure includes twin steel belts reinforced with spirally wound jointless nylon cap plies to provide long-term integrity under high-speed conditions while reducing weight and helping to provide more uniform ride quality.
The Coni DW's I have are W rated. (168 Mph) The number is really not the top speed the tire can do, but really what it can go up to and still perform as designed. Spirited driving like the Dragon can heat up a set of tires really fast. You may not run 135 mph but the heat on your tires (and brakes) including that squishy feeling when you turn sure feels like you have. Higher speed rated tires (I believe) have better heat resistance and sometimes they wear a lot faster depending on the tires UTQG. Uniform Tire Quality Grade.
UPDATE! So I bought a set of the Yokohama AVID Envigor 205/50R16 87V when there was just over 75K on Schultze. I've had them rotated every 5K (give or take 500miles) and kept them properly inflated, etc. etc. Alignment is good as all four tires have even wear across the board. Schultze currently has just under 108K and I need to replace the tires after 33K miles of use. What's new on the market these days? I'm a VERY spirited driver and the car sees lots of rain, but very little snow. Schultze is my daily driver and it does occasionally snow here in Hampton Roads, VA (Virginia Beach, Norfolk, etc.). Looking forward to reading your input & comments.