What's your favorite performance tire?

I like my Firehawk Wide Oval's quite a bit....for the price paid. I am positive there are better performance tires, but at a higher cost, i.e. not affordable for me. For what this tire cost though, I am more than happy! :)



firestone_firehawk_wideoval_lg.jpg
 
My preference has been for Michelin tires on my cars and bikes for many years. BFGoodrich is owned by Michelin.



I am getting ready to purchase my 3rd set of BFGoodrich KDW tires for the Mustang. The KDW is labeled a High Performance Summer Tire but, they are also very highly rated for wet weather traction. KDW stands for (Key feature: Dry and Wet traction).



http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=BFGoodrich&tireModel=g-Force+T/A+KDW



bf_gforce_ta_kdw.jpg




My bike is currently wearing Michelin Pilot Roads which is a sport touring tire. I just picked up a second set of rims for the bike which I am going to be mounting a set of Michelin Pilot Powers which is a high performance tire. I will use the Roads for commuting and the Powers for play :) I have also considered using a popular mix of a Pilot Power front with a Pilot Road rear so that I can mix a little play into the commute ;)



http://two-wheels.michelin.com/2w/f...codePage=2092004103725_07092004135921&lang=EN



http://www.sportrider.com/tech/tires/146_0608_michelin_pilot_power_2ct_tires/index.html



pilot_power_2ct_rear.jpg
pilot_power_2ct_front.jpg
 
I used to run Sumitomo HTZRII's and they had great perfromance. They were a ltitle to sticky though. Every single pebble would stick to them and then get thrown off the tire which resulted in some rock chips on my side skirts. They handled incredibly though. I now run Yokahama Avid H4S which is a great high performance all season tire.
 
G35stilez said:
Bob: Have you thought about the KDW-2?



Anything holding you from them?
Click to expand...



May sound like a stupid reason but, I have seen the KDW2 on a Mustang similar to mine and I just can't get past that tread pattern. I prefer the more traditional tread pattern on the originals, they do everything I ask of them and more.



I have looked at them and if you compare the KDW and KDW2 on the Tire Rack you will find the KDW2 is rated "slightly" higher in just about every category. The KDW2 is a great tire but, like I said I just can't get past the funky tread pattern.



Here are the original KDW on my Mustang



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TigerMike said:
Tire Rack rates the Wide Oval higher than the KDW, in their test comparison.
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I don't belive this thread was started as a contest about what tire was best and I do not believe that was the tone of my post either??? The topic is "What's your favorite performance tire?"



Just to clarify the Tire Rack comparison, the KDW is rated higher than the Wide Oval in Steering Response, Dry Traction and Cornering Stability while the Wide Oval edges out the KDW in Hydroplaning Resistance, Wet traction and comfort. The KDW is also less expensive than the Wide Oval. As I said earlier, the KDW does everything I ask of it. If the Wide Oval does everything you ask of it than that is great...
 
Bob: The reason I asked was for that exact reason :).





I like the edgier styling of the tread and was curious if you felt the same way. Irregardless, both great tires.
 
G35stilez said:
Bob: The reason I asked was for that exact reason :).



I like the edgier styling of the tread and was curious if you felt the same way. Irregardless, both great tires.
Click to expand...



Are you thinking of getting them for the G35? I do think they would look great on it :2thumbs:
 
I currently have Toyo Proxes FZ4 tires. They do great in snow (at least as great as a 17" low pro can be) and I've used them for plenty of racing as well. Before that I had some ContiSportContact, and didn't like them. They might work well on a Porsche that's only driven for fun every once in awhile, but for really spirited driving and handling, along with racing, they sucked. I dunno why Nissan choose them for the Spec Vs, I really don't, because most people, enthusiasts or not, end up changing to a completely different tire brand pretty quickly.
 
G35stilez said:
Bob: The reason I asked was for that exact reason :).



I like the edgier styling of the tread and was curious if you felt the same way. Irregardless, both great tires.
Click to expand...



Oh I do like the tread pattern of the KDW2, just not on the Mustang. If I had a more modern sports coupe or sedan I would go with the KDW2 over the KDW.



I don't have anything against funky treads, just take a look at the tires currently on my bike :D



These are Michelin Pilot Roads. Michelin calls them a "Sport" tire but, they are really not that good for agressive riding. They are far more suited to tasks like commuting which is what I have been mainly using the bike for before I took her apart :o



VFR750c.jpg
 
I have tried about half of what everyone has talked about so far. Right now, I have Falken FK451s(? ) on my twinturbo Z, which have been great for 245/45/ZR16 tires under $100.



On my Grand Cherokee, I have big-money Michelins, because I can't burn them up as easily as I can with my 400hp Z that weighs less by about 1/2 ton, and does not have all wheel drive.
 
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