I'm need new tires, and I think it is down to these two. There's still an outside shot that I'll get the Goodyear F1 GS-D3s, but I'm not sure if they're worth the extra money. I've read several threads here on these choices, and think any one would be a decent tire.

Anybody run both and can compare them for me? They'll mostly be street tires, although I've occasionally autocrossed the car. Wet weather traction is very important here, but not the end all.

Even if you haven't run both, opinions on what you've got are welcomed.

The T1S and the KDWs online look to be similarly priced. Anybody know of deals on either right now?

I'm planning to go 245/40/18 front and 245/45/18 rear on stock non-track 2003 18s. That's one thing that is limiting my tire choices to these three. Lots of tires don't come in both of those sizes.

Thanks!

 

after tons of my own research, i went with the KDW-2's...Im getting them put on tomarrow.

 

+1

 

those two tires are really at opposite ends of the Z rated spectrum

 

After seeing so many posts about how soft the sidewalls are on the Toyos, I didn't even consider them when I just bought new tires. I autoX regularly and definitely didn't want that working against me.

 

I'll say this much - don't believe everything you read. The sidewall on the Toyo is precisely what makes it a great street tire. Not a tire I'd take on a track day by any means, but its a terrific street tire. I too caught the "they are not high performance enough for me" bug back when I needed tires last year. I read the reviews and went with the S03. The worst $900 I've ever spent on tires. Why? Sure they grip well - a measurable percentage better than the T1S's I replaced. The S03 is comparable in the rain, which was important to me. But, they ride like absolutely crap. The sidewall was far too stiff with my coilovers, and I longed for the nice compliant ride I had with my T1S.

Now, I don't aut-x my car at all, so that was not a consideration for me. But even I did the once in a while fun runs, I'd still consider the Toyo. If I was doing it more often, I'd get a dedicated set of tires for auto-x.

If I were to do it again, I'd have gone with the PS2 I really wanted. While more expensive than the S03, having driven on them, they are, to me, the optimal blend of comfort and summer performance

 

I tested Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 in a empty parking lot in the rain. I did figure eights increasing speed incrementally. The speed that I could get without breaking traction surprised my. Eventually I got to a point of under steer, but the tires behaved well. Traction would break, the tires slid, but then gained traction again. Once the tires gripped, I was able to point the Z where I wanted it to go. Overall very pleased.

 

The T1Ss only came into my thoughts in the last couple of days after seeing a price on them and seeing them mentioned here, previously I was only considering GS-D3s and KDWs. I didn't realize the T1Ss had softer sidewalls.

That helps a lot. I'll probably go KDWs, although if I hadn't just a couple of days ago bought a set of tires for the GTP, I'd be severely tempted on the GS-D3s. Maybe next time

KDWs in the rain compared to stock RE040s? Thoughts from a point of reference I know?

 

the KDW's are great tires, i absolutely love them and will be buying them again this summer when i get new rims.

The wear on them is OK, but not bad for a performance tire. In the wet they are awesome. the rears are getting close to needing replacement and i drove home from work today in a very heavy rain and the car drives great zero hydroplaning and the car is very stable.

probably not the absolute #1 best performer but for the $$$ and the amount of grip and predictability you get, wet and dry, you can't beat it.

absolutely no comparison to the stock rolling stock...

 

Mannish, the difference between the stock potenzas and KDW2's is unbelieveable. I used to run the stock 17's with stock 225/50/17 in the front and 235/50/17 in the rear. I bought a set of 18" touring wheels and put 255/40/18's all the way around. The grip level of these tires is insane. Their road manner is also extremely well behaved. The only suspension mods I have are Tanabe GF210 Springs. I would recommend going with 255/40/18's all the way around. They are the perfect size for these wheels. But I also do not have VDC. If you have it, you could possibly have some issues with the slip light and everything. Hope this helps! Good Luck on the tire choice.

-Acree

:EDIT:
Wet traction is also amazing. With the stock tires, I had absolutely no confidence in this car while driving in the rain. With the KDW2's, I actually feel like I have some level of control over the car.

 

I've got VDC (touring), hence my decision for the 245/40 245/45 combo. I also like the idea of the same width (virtually) all the way around the car to take a bit of push out for when I do autoX. The 245/40 is very close to the stock 225/45 in circumference and fits an 8" rim just fine.

 

How does the T1R compare with the T1S?

 

very similar

 

I had the old KDW on my Evo and now the new thread on my Z and don't think I'll buy any other tire. Love them!!!