I just burned through my rear Potenzas after 16k. I don't drive the car that hard and with winter coming up, I need something more durable that'll last longer than the Potenzas did. I've looked up winter tires, but with those I"ll just have to buy another set of regular tires come Spring. Is there anything that's a good all-purpose/year round tire?

 

Toyo T1R

 

Michelin Pilot Sport A/S

I was rather disapointed in my Toyo's wet weather performance so I switched.

 

another question...I have an '05 performance...18" inch rims, so the tire size is 245/45-18, correct?

 

Yes I believe that size is correct.

I was impressed with the Michelin PS2's wet weather performance.

 

There's nothing written in stone which says you must put summer tires on the 350Z. All season tires are an alternative. For additional tread wear and comfort you'll give up superior handling. Searching for all season tires may present two difficulties: size and speed rating.

 

The jest of the posting Ive seen is you need snow tires (e.g. Blizzacks) for winter.

davidv, I still maintain that chart you keep posting is a disservice; I doubt those tires have the speed/load rating needed for the Zzz.

 

What would you say is the speed/load rating needed for the Z? There's no black magic, mystery or voodoo behind this stuff. As to speed ratings, they're listed for each model tire and would really only apply if a Z owner exceeded the rated speed for the tires on their Z. As to load ratings, the Z is not exactly a Big Rig and basically any tire that fits a Z wheel should be up to the task of supporting the load. A tire consumer should be aware of what each rating means, or at least consult a tire dealer if in doubt.

 

There is a reason why tire stores will not put on tires with a lesser speed rating that is recommended. They may fly apart at high speeds that the Z is capable of, please do not put anything less than a Z rated tire on the Z. Most Z rated tires are high performance summer tires.

 

That's a generalization. Right in the Z owner's manual it simply says don't drive the Z over 85 mph unless it is equipped with tires rated for higher speeds. Not to go off on a tangent (because I know this is a temporary "crutch", but the factory spare is not Z-rated. This link (from tirerack.com) shows what the different speed ratings mean.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=35

Z-rated doesn't mean quite what it used too. It only indicates "in excess of 149mph". With so many cars capable of speeds significantly in excess of that on the road today, they developed more specific ratings. None of this matters, however, unless the limits are tested. A V-rated tire (rated to 149mph), for example, will not cause problems for most Z drivers.

You're right in a general, better-safe-than-sorry, you-can't-go-wrong-if-you-do-this, sort of way... (as far as speed ratings are concerned.) There are more factors to consider. A summer tire is generally ****ty under wet conditions and worse still in snow. Sacrificing a bit of extended 150mph+ driving (how often does that happen each year?) for superior wet weather traction (happens considerably more for the average driver each year) with a V-rated tire seems smarter.

 

Just curious if anyone has given the General Tires Exlcaim a try. They are considered an Ultra High Performance Summer tire. You can get a complete set for like $550 from Tirerack.com for 245/35/19 and 275/30/19. I was thinking about giving these a chance since I burned through my Toyo T1-S so fast.

 

I looked up tires ranked 2 through 5 in the CR report; none have the speed rating for the Zzz.

Chart for speed ratings:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=35

 

It would be nice if there was a smilie that effectively expressed a concept passing right over someone's head.

 

The Toyo T1R has a tread wear rating of 280. The OP sates “ I need something more durable that'll last longer than the Potenzas did.”

 

I recently put Dunlop Sport Maxx on my Z and its great.

I had Toyo T1-S which is similar to Toyo T1-R before and Duplop Sport Maxx performs better.

Tire seem very firm on the road and when cornering, I don't have mushi feeling like T1-S.

I am very happy with them.

On a Road Test from Tirerack.

Sport Maxx performed very well compare to S-03 (Bridgestone) and its cheaper.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...ort_maxx_c.jsp

 

what you guys think is a good dedicated snow tire? just for winter driving.

 

Just to let everyone know, the stock Potenzas have a treadwear rating of 140 , so 280 is quite an improvement. The stockers are probably the worst wearing tire I have used, not to mention the worst gripping "performance" tire I have ever used.

 

I posted recommendations in the last “What are the best snow tires” thread. Please search.

 

That's not quite the reason for doing so. While it is possible that tire failure could happen at higher speeds with, say an H-rated tire, it's not likely that this situation would occur in everyday driving.

The biggest reason for doing so is the differences in handling between tires. For example, your Z comes with Z rated tires, right? If you put an H-rated tire on the car, the crisp handling and responsiveness will disappear. All of the great engineering that goes into the car can be thrown out the window at that point.

 

Thanks for setting me straight. I had no idea that the OEM tires were rated 140. Essentially this means almost any tire made has a tread life better than 140.