Trying to find a good set of 205/50-15 tires. I am looking for very good dry traction with pretty good wear. Open to all inputs, let me know what you think.

 

Just go to Tire Rack and read the reviews. You'll be able to spot a tire right away.

 

Any brands i should try and stay away from so i can just not even bother looking at? I REALLY want the Toyo R888's but just dont think they'd last too long. lol

 

I had good luck with Fuzion ZRi's on a different car. I would highly recommend them for the price. Excellent grip and they lasted 30k without rotation. Only downside was they were a bit squirmy at the limit, felt like the sidewall was soft (good for not following truck ruts though).

I just put Dunlop Z1's on the Fit and am very happy so far with about 100 miles of driving on them.

 

I've heard good things about the Fuzions too. They were rated 2nd in a tire comparison here --------> Fuzion ZRi

I'll tell you one thing from personal experience. Kumho's performance summer tire line-up is usually great for dry traction, road feel, and treadwear. They suck in the rain though. I used to spin up my tires on man-hole covers even when my tread was new.

 

If its performance check Grassroots Motorsports last 2 issues for their testing. All had wear ratings 180AA
But just because GRM tested those doesn't mean another isn't faster but our A/Xers agree with GRM's choice.

The kumho Ecsta XS was fastest at 34.798 to 35..032 mean times range by retest. Otherwise the Yokos were faster marginally. Kumho priced $88. Mean (average time is most important especially if they report 3 sigma ranges as well.
The Yoko Advan AD08 was second at 34.972; Yokos priced $118
The The potenza RE11 and Toyo Proxes R1R were virtual ties at 35.396-35.398. Bridgestones priced $120
Gearheads read GRM because they do things like that even tho EME and C&D were the first to publish such stuff way back in the 60's.

You may also find several others TireRack found noticeably faster in dry A/X slaloms such as the Dunlop Star even tho the size is 195/55x15 instead at $83. At least the wear index is 200.

 

Kumho xs
falken aznies
bridgestone re11
toyo r1r

stickiest street of the 205/50's

 

Toyo R888 is a race DOT tire... you would get like 4,000 mile if u are lucky if you use them as Daily Driver. If you want a great everyday tire that is very "racing", look below:

Kumho XS (BEST and STICKIEST Tire around.. but not great in rain... but best price)
Bridgestone RE-11 (BEST ALL AROUND TIRE... but expensive)
Advan AD08 (hard to get.. sticker than RE-11, better dry traction, but just as expensive)
Toyo R1R (tread wear is lower then everything here... so dont expect tons of miles on them.. but a great tire)
Falken Aznies (old and you can get better tires for your money)

or

Dunlop Z1 Star Spec (but in 195/55)... I have these and I wish they made them in 205/50

If it was my choice I would go for the Advan 1st, RE-11 2nd, Dunlop 3rd (just because of size), Kuhmo 4th... it is all a matter of what u want!!

Hope this helps !!

 

if you want to go with a 195/55 the S-drives are very good.

my friend with an s2000 swears by them for good traction and great treadwear.

otherwise, just go all out and get 205/50 falken azenis. expect about 10k-15k miles on them though.

 

kuhmo XS.....$88 at tire rack

stickiest of the icky

 

There are tons of tires out there that have outstanding grip for racing but they come at a cost. Most of them are loud and and last for only 10-20K miles. It all depends on what matter most to you. Dry Grip, Wet Grip, Cornering, Treadwear, Road Noise. This is why I still recommend going to tire rack and looking at their tire tests, reviews, and comparisons. They do all the work for you, it's a no brainer.

The Kumno SPT is a good all around performance tire and for the price too, they're great.

 

Avery good tire for dry grip, reasonable wear, wet grip, and lastly price is the Nitto Neo Gen. I bought them based on several good reviews on DTD. Tire Rack doesn't sell them for some reason or another. I put them on at 28,000, now showing 42,000 and they are still showing normal wear only! I rotate with every oil change (learned my lesson with the stock Dunlops) and they still have better than half their tread left. They stick hard in the dry and break away smoothly and predictably in the wet, resist hydroplaning extremely well, and are quieter than the OE tires were. They are NOT in the same league as some of the more expensive tires mentioned above, but they work really well for me.

 

/\ i'm very suprised you have gotten such life out of those tires, even with that many rotations.



wow guys i didnt realize 'good dry traction' meant suggesting hardcore summer tires with zero life to them.

do you want summer only tires suggested to you? or do you need something all year round? i cant remember your location as im typing this, so maybe a 4 season tire is unnecessary...but even then i would want something with longer life and a quieter tread for the remaining 3 seasons.

personally i'm not a fan of kuhmos. they consistently rate subpar compared to other tires in the wet grip/traction department.

 

+1 on that^^ I need four season tires, thats one reason I went with the Nittos, they are M+S rated. I was initially worried about them wearing quickly and they have really surprised me so far. Of course it hasn't snowed yet....