# High performance tire comparison



## Ninety-Nine SE-L (May 5, 2002)

I've been using Potenza S-03 tires for quite some time now, I'm coming up on 15,000miles and I'm getting down to the wear indicators, so I'm going to be looking out for a new set of tires in the near future. I AM LOOKING FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE STREET TIRES, NOT TRACK TIRES.

I'm really leaning towards the S-03s once more, but I'm also considering some other tires. The BFgoodrich G-force tires are looking very good and a good value too. I would also like to try out different brands to see for myself.

I'm comparing some tires on tirerack.com, you can see the scores in he links below:

*Bridgestone Potenza S-03: 205/50-15*
$134/tire, treadware: 6.7/10, score: 8.35/10
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...rch=false&partnum=05WR5S03PP&fromCompare1=yes

*BFGoodrich G-Force KDW-2: 205/50-15*
$95/tire, treadware: 7.9/10, score: 8.525/10
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...=false&partnum=05WR5GFTAKDW2&fromCompare1=yes

*Toyo Proxes 4: 205/50-15*
$90/tire, treadware: 8/10, score 8.5/10

*Toyo Proxes T1-S: 205/50-15*
$110/tire, treadware: 7/10, score: 8.3/10

*Falken Azenis RT-615: 205/50-15* <---if I got these, they would probably be racing only.
$140/tire, treadware, 9/10, score: 9.2/10

Let me know if any of you guys would like to share your tire experiences.


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## myoung (Apr 15, 2002)

I've ran Toyo T1S for a couple years.. very nice, super super grip, only drawback would be they're not designed for winter weather. If you live somewhere where you get ice or snow you'll have to change them for winter.

I recently installed a set of Proxes 4's.. They're high perfromance All Season rated.. Grip feel is only a small step down from the T1S, which will be hard to tell unless you really do some high performance driving... they're also quieter as far as road noise. Plus they look good  Tread life is a little longer and price is a little cheaper.. 

In fact the Proxe 4's are the cheapest tire on your list and I would put it up against any of them for daily driving needs and occasion performance driving..


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## Ninety-Nine SE-L (May 5, 2002)

I typically use Summer only tires since I'm in FL. Never driven in snow, in fact, I've never even seen snow first-hand.

I want something that sticks to the road and performs good in rain. Treadwear is pretty much the only real concern other than wet/dry performance. The G-force KDW-2s seem to be the best value, in fact, they seem to out-rank the S-03s on Tirerack.com


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## myoung (Apr 15, 2002)

Aaron has ran BF Goodrich g-Force T/A KD's on Project SE-R Turbo for a while now.. you could post him a question in the NPM projects area..


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## Ninety-Nine SE-L (May 5, 2002)

yea, I did a slight comparison between the KDs and the KDW-2s. By the look of things, the KDW-2s are FAR superior to the KDs.

The KDs seem to be slightly better in the dry but crappy with treadwear and wet performance:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...&vehicleSearch=false&index=0&fromCompare1=yes

edit: it seems that D stands for Dry, W stands for Wet. KDs are excellent in the dry, KDWs are excellent in dry or wet.


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## myoung (Apr 15, 2002)

Ninety-Nine SE-L said:


> edit: it seems that D stands for Dry, W stands for Wet. KDs are excellent in the dry, KDWs are excellent in dry or wet.


That's the difference between All Season and strictly performance. Stickier ultra high performance tires never have the tread life of all season tires... more grip more wear.


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## lshadoff (Nov 26, 2002)

I have the Potenza S03s, too. Based on TireRack's comparison tests, the SO3s come out on top consistently. However, I've been leaning towards the Pirelli PZero Nero for my next tire. I had a set of the earlier version of the PZeros, and liked them very much.

Lew


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## myoung (Apr 15, 2002)

lshadoff said:


> I have the Potenza S03s, too. Based on TireRack's comparison tests, the SO3s come out on top consistently. However, I've been leaning towards the Pirelli PZero Nero for my next tire. I had a set of the earlier version of the PZeros, and liked them very much.
> 
> Lew


Potenza's are great tires, but worth $40 TO $50 more than Toyo's for a daily driver car? .. Guess it would depend on the prson's needs and budget :thumbup: Guess I'm partial to Toyo


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## Ninety-Nine SE-L (May 5, 2002)

Mike, yes, I completely agree with that more tread=more wear, almost anything on our cars that rely on friction follow that rule. 

I guess the only way I'll be able to find my favorite tire is from first-hand experience. I'm prolly going to go for the KDWs, they're a much better price and value, in fact, they seem to match the S-03s performance and then some. I also like the unique tread design.

Lew, never heard of the Pzeros, but they don't seem to come in my size, so I'm not really going to look any farther. Checking into the specs, they look to be too all-season for my taste. I don't bother with all-seasons since they're completely unnecessary in my climate.


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## sethwas (Apr 30, 2002)

To me, 
in S. Fl the most important tire is the one with the best wet traction. Whether this is a 'summer' tire or not is irrelevant. It doesn't need mud or snow, just the ability to handle wet streets, a deluge, 70mph in 1" of water on the turnpike etc.

Seth


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## myoung (Apr 15, 2002)

Good luck with them.. :thumbup: . let us know how you like them after you break'em in


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## sethwas (Apr 30, 2002)

I went from OEM to Pirelli HP to Dunlop Graspic to Michelin XGT to now Falkien ZE-512.

Seth


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