What steer tires is everyone running on their M Roadies and Coupes?

[Ruckusnuts]

I'm needing new steer tires on my stock rimmed 98 M roadie as mine are well worn. I'm thinking I might be a bit toed out as I'm wearing the inner side far more than the outer. I'll have it aligned as well I guess. Anyone else have this problem? Wat is a good tire for Summer weather and spirited driving? I'd get the Direzza Star Specs but I really don't want anything that I can't get decent mileage out of, and I don't Track or AutoX the car. I have Conti DWS on the rear as that is what came on it and I'm burning those off as much as I can.

Also is there anyone in the midwest that can refinish the rims back to factory color?

Thanks, You guys are freaking awesome

[Mr Bingley]

Hancook Ventus V12's all around--love em' (over 55 degrees--spring/summer/fall only). Do all 4 at the same time--tires are cheap--keep them matched.

[Telecomtodd]

I put on stock-sized Yokohama YK580s and liked them so much, I bought four more for my wife's Subi. 65,000 mile warranty, stick like glue, good price. Worked for me!

[Bcar]

Do all 4 at the same time--tires are cheap--keep them matched.

+1
Do all 4 at the same time. with any perf tire mileage will all be about the same (i.e. poor).

more (-) front camber will also help with the insides wearing, and set 0 toe.

[Armo95]

I have the Michelins all around and LOVE them! The dry grip is awesome ...

However, next tire change, I am going to try the V12s, have heard great things about them from various car make owners ...

[kojohns]

Ventus V12 for 'scarceas' and I.... the two roadsters in my signature. Scarceas has been AutoX'n his this year with grins

[BMWBergy]

I'm needing new steer tires on my stock rimmed 98 M roadie as mine are well worn.

Oh... STREET tires...

Hopefully any tires will steer.

I love Star Specs, and still have them on my car (for now). However, they were discontinued this year, so finding the right sizes is difficult now, and if you get a puncture/flat and have to replace ONE, you'll end up buying four new tires. Sucks. Happened to me when Goodyear stopped making the F1 GS D3.

[tractorcrusher]

I have BFGoodrich Super Sports and they're the best set of tires I've ever used on any vehicle... Good wear, low road noise, lots of stickiness.

[BenFenner]

Oh... STREET tires...

I thought he meant front tires. The ones you steer with.
I like your explanation better.

[Armo95]

I thought he meant front tires. The ones you steer with.

I think he did mean the front tires ... or maybe I'm

[Reddy Kilowatt]

I use these.

[cleanerPA]

Steer tires is usually something you only hear with heavy trucks, but I think the OP means front tires.

You should match the front and rear tires. If you're going to get new tires, get a matched set, don't mix and match- a big difference in grip will cause a big under/oversteer situation.

Toe alignment is not going to cause inner edge wear- that's due to negative camber. For best wear, you would want to run less negative camber and zero toe. That's not always going to get you a good alignment for handling.

[Mystikal]

Toe alignment is not going to cause inner edge wear- that's due to negative camber.

On the edge of a tire, toe can do the damage camber can do and then some.

[JoshS]

On the edge of a tire, toe can do the damage camber can do and then some.

+1. Toe-out will kill the inside edges of the tires a lot faster than negative camber will.

[JWin]

I just put these on the back in 255s: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....+Pole+Position

Notable improvement in grip over the GS-D3s I had on there.

[WisM]

Also is there anyone in the midwest that can refinish the rims back to factory color?

I just had the rash on my wheels repaired back in Oct by the local Alloy Wheel Repair Specialist franchise. Mine look great. If I could post pics I would show you the before and after.
You could check your area AWRS guy.
easterniowawheelrepair.com

[rboehl]

I have the Michelin Pilot Sport PS2`s and they are excellent tires all around. They are pricey so maybe I wil look into the Hancook Ventus V12 when it comes time for a change next year.

[Scarceas]

Happy new year, here's my first post of 2013 and my 3rd calendar year on bfc, this place rocks!

The Hankook Ventus V12 evo K110 (why do they need a tire name that long?) that kojohns and I are running is a pretty good price/grip value. Sometimes you can get them with a rebate--all four tires on an M for under $400 is a great price IMO!

The Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec tires also have an excellently long name, but much more important they are a good all around, high grip tire. They do everything well except cold weather and for the performance level they offer, getting 15K miles out of them is what I hear can be expected. They aren't meant to last long but what does last long on an M? Speaking of which, Todd, you probably know this but I'm guessing you will not get halfway to 65K miles out of those Yokohomas! Not because of the tires themselves, but because of the car (and possibly the driver/roads, if you are going to do more at VIR).

Anyway, the Z1 Specs are discontinued, but Tire Rack is expecting the new (and improved?) Z2 Star Specs possibly around February.

If you are just running on the street, I think it is ok to mix tires, just keep the same tires across from each other (matched pair front, matched pair rear). I spoke with several tire guys about this and it seemed to be the general consensus.

[rf900rkw]

From several conversations with tire guys I have come to the conclusion their main criteria is having the car hit the obstacle head on so that the air bags can work as designed. Crash AVOIDANCE is not in their vocabulary.

[fmcfad01]

PS2's. I want to check out Michelin Pilot Super Sports next.

[mz3onturn7]

I am certain that several of you guys have run Hankook R-S3's. I have heard good things about them in relation to both street and track use and the reviews on tire rack are pretty positive. I have no experience with them myself, but they seem to be worth consideration. Maybe someone who has run them can provide some feedback.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....el=Ventus+R-S3

[Scarceas]

I am certain that several of you guys have run Hankook R-S3's. I have heard good things about them in relation to both street and track use and the reviews on tire rack are pretty positive. I have no experience with them myself, but they seem to be worth consideration. Maybe someone who has run them can provide some feedback.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....el=Ventus+R-S3

I'm really debating between the R-S3 and the pending Z2 Star Spec, so even though I haven't run them yet, I'll share some of what I've seen in my research, both on the web and talking with other drivers that have run them at autocross.

The R-S3 is another "street tire" that is almost a race tire. The R-S3 and Z1 SS are in the "extreme performance summer" category, which is also what I expect from the Z2 SS. A lot of people won't buy that type of tire because they want something more durable. If you aren't doing some kind of track events with your car, you will probably never fully utilize these type of tires but they will still wear out fast. From what I've read, comparing the Z1 and the R-S3, the R-S3:
1. Costs less
2. Has a shorter tread life
3. Handles better at high heat
4. Handles worse at moderate temps
5. Handles worse in the rain

We'll have to wait and see regarding the new Z2 SS cost, but I expect it to be more than the R-S3. The R-S3 might last 10K - 15K miles on the street, while the Z1 SS were generally reported to be good for 15K - 20K miles. I don't fully trust UTQG ratings, but the R-S3 is a 140 and the Z1 was a 200 so it lines up with the anecdotal reports of about 50% more tread life. Neither the R-S3 nor the Z1 SS are meant for low temp usage, but the Z1s handled better at moderate temps and didn't require "warm up". However, they could get "greasy" when too hot (my Ventus V12s get greasy on hot autox days as well, a lot of people spray their tires with a bit of water to cool them down between runs). The R-S3, however, is going to be at its best once it gets hot, and will sustain it's performance at higher temps. Some have said that the R-S3 requires some adjustment from the driver to get used to it, it sounds like they slip a little at first but the grip is there so the good driver's adjust their turning to account for this. From what I can tell, the Z1 was supposed to be better in the rain.

What works best for you also depends on your particular situation. I have a Nissan that I plan to autocross this year (my tired old roadster needs a break at least until the dreaded "subframe issue" gets fixed). So in the meantime I'm going to pick up a new set of wheels and tires for the Nissan to match the max width for the SCCA STC class. I do not want to change my wheels at the track. That's partly for laziness but also because it is a street car and while I want to learn the limits at the track I want the money spent on wheels & tires to be of benefit on the street where the car spends over 99% of it's time. You could say I want the street car experience at the track, not the track car experience on the street. I am tempted to save a few bucks (again, expecting the Z2 to be more than the R-S3) and go with the R-S3 and enjoy a performance advantage on those hot, dry autocross days, just hoping we don't get rain. There's not much cold here in central Arkansas, but we did get snow last week and I've heard it can ruin extreme performance summer tires to run them in the cold. I already have summer tires on the roadster, so really if it's cold I need to run the Nissan. Fortunately I can keep my old wheels with all seasons on them for Dec - Feb. Regardless of the season, when it's raining out, I try not to take my roadster. So my Nissan is truly a street car and gets rain duty all year. I do want some grippy rubber on there for autocross days, but rain performance will be important on the street as well. Also factoring in for me is the tread life. So again, it depends on your situation but for my circumstances I am thinking the Z1 was and I am hoping the Z2 will be the best tire for daily driving outside of winter. I am notoriously cheap, so no surprise that my overall decision will probably come down to price. If they debut the Z2 Star Spec with a price very close to the R-S3, I will probably get the Z2. If they come out with a much higher price, I will get the R-S3.

[yip]

I have the Michelin Pilot Sport PS2`s and they are excellent tires all around. They are pricey so maybe I wil look into the Hancook Ventus V12 when it comes time for a change next year.

Don't do it. I have PS2's on my TT and my 2.8 Coupe came with the Hankook V12's.

The PS2's have noticeably more grip. The V12's are a bit quieter but my PS2's are close to half worn.

[rudyrov]

Got a rebate deal on a set of 4 Goodyear Eagle Gt's (225-50-16) last month. Will let you know how they wear, because they grip very well around town.
Have had issues with the bead sealing though, I might have to have the rims refurbished or perhaps even replace them if the problem persists.

[SunzOut]

Got a rebate deal on a set of 4 Goodyear Eagle Gt's (225-50-16) last month. Will let you know how they wear, because they grip very well around town.
Have had issues with the bead sealing though, I might have to have the rims refurbished or perhaps even replace them if the problem persists.

Had these on our GTI, went through 7 replacement tires (Discount tire warranty) due to damage to sidewalls from them loosing air over time...

So I think it may be common to these tires.