Tire reviews

Speedy McD

Member
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2012 Mazda2 Sport / MT
I upgraded to a 15x6.5 wheel and now time to upgrade the tire. Options I have it narrowed to:
Yokohama S Drive
Dunlop Direzza DZ101

Suggestions?
 
The S drives have a lot longer mileage warranty also they are more comfortable. The Dunlops are stiffer and not as quiet, but have a tiny bit better performance. Both tires will not last as long as they say they will. However with the Yokohamas you at least have a better mileage warranty to fall back on.
 
Anyone have any experience with Nokian V series tires?
At 16 lbs they seem to be one of the lightest choices for
a performance tire.
 
BFG G-forces review/suggestion

Decent tire with a bit of road noise. When used at local tracks, tires have to be pumped up more since the sidewalls are a bit soft. Great wet grip though. Would suggest the dz's over the s drives if you're looking for a lil more grip
 
What size tire? Also, any reason you are not considering the BFG Sport Comp 2? I would have went with that but I was able to get the s-drives much cheaper through a sale. I have the 195/50/15 S-drives, and they are decent but I was expecting more grip based on reviews.
 
Stay away from DZ101s. I tired em twice and both times I thought I was going to crash. They have zero feedback and make you feel like you're driving on ice. I'd go with the s.Drive if you want a nice ride or the GForce Sport Comp 2 if you want a little better dry grip.
 
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Everyday driver-
BFG's noisy but grip well.
Dunlops same story.
Goodyears good all around but not great.
Nokians are horrible! So are all Wan Li etc..
Sumitomo, Toyo,and Hankook don't bother you'll be disappointed
Continental good just stiff depending on model.
Pirelli nice but lack comfort
Yokohama closest to a Michelin but cheaper and don't last as long.
Michelin's Rule!
 
Everyday driver-
BFG's noisy but grip well.
Dunlops same story.
Goodyears good all around but not great.
Nokians are horrible! So are all Wan Li etc..
Sumitomo, Toyo,and Hankook don't bother you'll be disappointed
Continental good just stiff depending on model.
Pirelli nice but lack comfort
Yokohama closest to a Michelin but cheaper and don't last as long.
Michelin's Rule!

Michelins quality has gone downhill as of late. Whenever you buy a set, make sure you look at where it was made. Michelin jacked their prices up (to be fair, so did most tire companies) and switched manufacturing to Romania on some sizes. If you hold a Romanian made tire next to a French, Canadian, UK or US made tire, you'll see and feel a big difference.

I'd say Continental is close to Michelin in tire design. That's if you want good wet weather performance and a smooth ride. If you only care about performance, Bridgestone as a whole will fit the bill. Of course, every company has their flagship performance tire. However as a brand Bridgestone is very performance centric.

I wouldn't even put Goodyears on my enemies car. Absolute trash. Same goes for Dunlop (same company as Goodyear) with the exception being the Z1 Star Specs.

Hankook and Kumho make good performance tires i.e. Ecsta XS and the RS-3. Even the Ventus V12s are good, which is Hankooks entry level performance tire.
 
I really liked the XS's I had on the miata. I've also been a fan of falken tires. I've proably had about half a dozen sets on various vehicles and was always pleased.
 
Skullsroad you are so right about Michelins! Depending on models and where you buy you could end up with subpar tires. Some tire shops have tires built for them in certain sizes/models and boast Michelin name but are not flagship. If you go to a reputable place they can inform you as I did for my customers. A lot of manufacturing is being subbed out. Personally I like it when I see a maple leaf on my sidewall.:)

As for all tire brands everyone has a good, better, and best model research and experience makes a difference when selecting.
My 215/45-17 HXMXM4's have 25,000 miles and still have 6/32 of tread left! Damn good for a tire that comes with a 30,000 mile warranty. Smooth as glass and grip like a beast. And those are my Daily Driver's.

As for track my 205/50-15 Kumho's are killing it. Of course I'm probably not throwing as much at them as an experienced driver would.
 
I'm thinking Bridgestone RE-11. I think they're called.

Hold off a little longer if you're going that route. A revised RE-11 called the RE-11A is coming out soon. I believe it will have the same tread pattern but they updated the compound for more dry grip. The old ones should go on clearance pretty soon. I have the RE-11 and love them. Just wish the rain would quit so I can put them back on. I want to use the last 3/32nds of tread already!!!
 
on the stock 15's im running Falken Ziex 912's. I've been running falkens on pretty much all my cars. From my 08 Impreza, to my 08 Altima, 03 Corolla. I'm running 205/50R15 right now on stock steelies.

The tires have always had great dry and wet traction for me. It doesn't rain in Socal much, but when it does, it pours in my areas. So much that the freeways flood and it's normally hard to get around on the freeway in an inch or two of water. But i love these tires. Even in those conditions they hold firm in my somewhat wreckless driving. Mileage warranty on 50 series or less is 40,000 miles and i get that with aggressive driving.

When Tirerack had them and they were reviewed, dry traction was reviewed at somewhere around 8.5 give or take a few tenths. Wet tracking trailing not far behind at around 7.9 give or take a few tenths.

Tires aren't too expensive either, I got my set for $330 installed

My set of 225/50R16's i got for $360 installed and my 225/40R18's were $380 installed for comparison.

Another good tire is the Nitto Neogen. You can also get that in the 205/50R15 size that is as close to stock as you can get. Even better dry and wet traction than the Falkens but slightly more expensive. Maybe 20-30 bux more per tire. It's a tiny bit bigger and wider. So at 60mph on your speedo, you'll actually be at 60.15mph and at 100mph you'll be at 100.26mph lol.


Bridgestone RE-11's came stock on my Impreza, and although I did like them, the falkens performed better IMHO
 
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