I have a 2010 fit sport and the stock Dunlops have about 3000 miles left! I have been researching tires and have found 2 that I really like! I want to see what people have to say about them and give me some useful information! I am planning on running a 205/50/16 on the stock sport wheels until I find some 16inch wheels that I like! The fit is a daily driver and probably won't see any sort of track event soon! I want the best performing tire I can get for around $100 per tire! The car is not going to be driven more than 1000 miles a month starting next year so tread life doesn't really concern me!

The first tire is the Continental Extreme Contact DW. Tirerack has great reviews on this tire and it is priced fairly reasonably at $102.00 and a tread rating of 340aa/a! The Continental weight about 1lb more than the stock Dunlops which isn't bad!

Spec's: Continental ExtremeContact DW

The second tire is the Federal 595 RS-R! I visited the Nurburgring for a day and rented a suzuki swift sport as the track car! The swift had a 195/50/15 tire setup and the car handled fantastic! The track was damp in the morning and the tires were predictable and gripped really well! The track continued to dry throughtout the day and the grip kept getting better and better! The tread rating on the 595 RS-R's is 140aa/a and are priced around $90 per tire! The RS-R's are reinforced and weigh 4lbs more per corner than the stock Dunlops!

Spec's: FEDERAL 595RS-R Extreme Performance

Positive feedback is greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Scott

 

what are you looking for out of tires?

long life?
summer only? all season?

 

I want the best handling tire for spirited street driving! Not really looking for an all season tire! Tread life is not a real big concern to me!

 

The reason why the other tires felt better (except quality duh!) Is probably the stiffer sidewall stock speed rating is low (s) meaning the tire flex a lot... You should go with V or above... It will make a big difference, if you really want to have fun go with 15" and light wheels (like enkei rpf1)

 

hands down, either one of these tires......dunlop direzza star specs or falken azenis rt-615

 

I have to say, that after my trip to The Dragon about a month ago, I can honestly say that these tires exceeded my expectations. I picked this tires for other reasons, namely, I needed something that did well in ALL conditions because I live in the midwest and it snows here, ofcoarse. Now, that being said, if your not tracking the car, why not consider this tire? It has a 540 treadwear number compared to the DW and its 280 or 300, can't recall what it is right off the top of my head. I have the exact same size your looking for but have them wrapped on some aftermarket wheels that are 7" wide, but you'll be alright with the stock 6" wheels (although it doesn't hurt to stretch out the tire)

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THESE TIRES!

BTW, drop me a PM if you've got any further questions about these tires and FWIW, my buddy with a modified Mazdaspeed 3 has them as well as my buddies wife has em' on her Saab 9-5 wagon too, they all love em'

 

Looks like if you go by the handling numbers alone, TireRack rates the Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec as the best - and it gets a definite "buy again" rating as well. They are heavier (22lbs), and not cheap though ($115).

BTW - Dude, I'm just havin' fun with ya - but you use an awful lot of exclamation points!!! Periods are a good way to end sentences, too... Although it does make me realize you really like your car and want it to handle even better.

That said, Have fun getting new tires and enjoy your Fit(!)

P.S. I haven't replaced my stock Dunlops yet - only have 5000mi on 'em.

 

I will simply say I have had really good experiences with the following 3 tires:

Falken Azenis RT 615 (only if you live in dry weather)
Yokohama Parada Spec 2 (great traction in all weather)
Continental Extreme Contact (great in wet weather)

 

you say you are not concerned about tread life, and want the best performing tire for close to $100. the only choices i see are the Dunlop Direzza Z1 Star Spec, Kumho XS, or Falken Azenis RT615K. great prices for great tires, i'd happily take any of these due to bang for the buck!

 

The star specs are tempting but I don't know how loud they are! Do you have any first hand experience with the star specs? I have read that the rt-615's are kinda noisy.

 

I appreciate the info, I really like the Continental dw's though! It can rain really hard/heavy here in Florida but I think i'd opt for the dw instead of the all season dws's. How quiet are your dws's when driving on the interstate?

 

As I mentioned to another poster I don't know how loud the star specs are and they weigh just as much as the federal 595's but are $25 cheaper! Yeah, yeah I did use alot of exclamation points in my first post no offense. I LOVE MY CAR!!!!

 

Thanks for the recommendations, I will look into the Yokohama's and the Continental's!

 

Yeah tread life isn't really a big issue with me at this time, I forgot about the Kumho xs's, thanks for the suggestion!

 

The Kumho xs doesn't come in a 205/50/16 configuration.

 

Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec hands down!

 

Tire Rack reviewers general consensus is that they are a bit noisy and ride a bit hard, but that's what you get when you want a stiff-sidewall great handling tire.

 

sorry to threadjack, but for myself i will need a stiff sidewall, great hydro-planning resistance, long thread life & as light as possible (criterias in order of importance from most important to least) i don't really care about the price... as long as it meets my needs! oh and near 195/55R15 specs...

 

Uh, but you're driving a 1st gen, a GD - this is the 2nd gen (GE) wheel/tire forum...

PM'd ya, tho'

 

Lol... thanks a lot for the PM, they seem like great tires... but... am i being a victim of racism?!? Good thing you have a SSM