Hi, my rears are about shot and I want to get a new set of four tires. I have stock 18" hollow twists and don't plan to change. I don't really drive the car that much anymore, a few thousand miles a year, with some spirited runs. I would like to do a few DE's this year.

According to Tire Rack the choices are inexpensive Sumi's, Kumho's, and Hankooks, all under $700, or Bridgestone, PS2's, and Yohohama's for $1,200 and up. Are any of the cheap one's any good?

 

I have the sumis and they are pretty good tires for the price. Keep in mind my car doesn't see bad weather. They seem to be the popular cheap alternative.

 

I had the Sumis on my 01 TT and they were fine. They were half the price of the Michelins, so I was willing to try and I was happy with them.

 

Conti DWs are great tires,inexpensive compared to the other top names...I run 295/35/18 and 245/40/18..And have run 285/35/18 and 235/40/18......

 

I think I'm going to try the new BFG Rival, they come in a 315/30/18 and 245/40/18 and look like they might be a good street/trackable tire. priced pretty good as well.

 

My car had a brand new set of Hankooks on it when I bought it. I promptly put 19's on so I could get Michelin Pilot Super Sports since none of the OE sized tires appealed to me. Once these wear out I will probably go back to 18's and try out those BFG Rivals if Michelin hasn't released the PSS's in OE sizes by then.

 

Had several sets and currently have Hankook V12 for street and rainy DEs. They are great for street and hold up quite well. For DEs they can't handle the abuse. Have also used Sumis, PS2s, MPSCups and for track Hankook TDs. Quite impressed with the TDs in street- great value.

The Rivals look interesting especially at that price point. With 200 tire wear they should hold up longer than other track/street options like 888 or NT01s.

315s will fit on back, but will 245s fit on front of twists? Are the heights in check for our AWDs?

 

I've have ran those sizes before 315's are 25.5, 245's are 25.7, 817 revs and 809 on the 245's. My wheels are 12" rears and 9" front CCW C14. do you think the heights are close enough?

 

I have been thru many tires sizes over the years and I can tell you the diameter spec they give you is for the measuring rim.
A wider rim will make a smaller diameter where as a narrower one will make a bigger diameter..I have personally measured every tire change..

 

Do you just throw a tape around it after it is mounted?

 

Yes..

 

Will a 315/30/18 fit on the stock turbo (11") wheel without rubbing?

As far as tire brands go, I had the Hankooks. Never again. Apparently they either had a bad batch of tires, but they are known for having a really weak sidewall, and handling suffers dramatically compared to the stock michelins.

 

I've run lots of different tires on a street/track car (not a 996TT). The Kumho SPT surprised me the most of anything. For non track use they had a lot of grip! The downside is that I don't really think they were track worthy as they got pretty greasy around 15 minutes in to the session.

One of my favorite street/track tires is the Falken RT-615K. Those are available in an AWD-friendly combo of 235/40R18 and 315/30R18 (both listed as 25.5" diameter). These can also get a little greasy as they heat up, but I felt they had a lot more grip than any other non R-comp or slick I tried. The Kumho XS is also available in those same sizes. I haven't run that one, but other HPDE drivers have had positive things to say about it.
-Dan

 

Thanks everyone. I'll check back in with what I get and impressions.

 

Ummm those BFG Rivals look awesome from reviews. Would love to ditch the high $$$ Michelins...

Probably 10 year newer manufacturing process too, hah.

Regardless -- thanks BFG for not forgetting about our sizes!!