I have a stock 2003 performance trim with the oem 18" wheels. My Bridgestone Potenza RE040s were well past the wear indicators, so I had some Continental DWS All Seasons put on the rear of the car. My front RE040's still have 30-50% of tread life left (with feathering signs present), so I left them on the car.

Now that I have the new tires installed, the car feels absolutely horrendous. The rear end feels like it is constantly floating away with just slight highway road imperfections. Changing lanes at a cruising speed of 73mph feels very scary as my rear end begins to have slight oscillations. Braking, even in a straight line, also becomes very scary.

After thinking about it, I looked on the sidewall and the RE040's are a 3-ply Rayon, while the new DWS in the rear are 1-ply. I can only assume that this difference results in having a much stiffer sidewall in the front, which when the car is under any sort of lateral load would cause an imbalance.


The tire shop is working with me to swap out the tires, but I am trying to pick out a replacement. The tire options available to me are:

-Falken Ziex ZE-912
-Falken FK 452
-General Exclaim UHP
-Goodyear egal RS-A
-Goodyear Eagle GT
-Hankook Ventus V12 Evo K110
-Nitto Invo
-Nitto NT 555
-Yokohama S. drive
-Yokohama YK520
-Yokohama W. Drive
-Yokohama ADVAN Sport
-BGF g-force T/A KDW NT
-Continental DWS
-Continental DW
-Bridgestone Potenza RE760 Sport
-Bridgestone Potenza RE960 AS Pole Posistion
-Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus

My main question is if any of these tires might have a stiff enough sidewall to match my fronts so the car will not feel unbalanced? I am starting to think that I am best off replacing all four tires.

My secondary question is if anyone has any tire suggestions for the driving I currently do. I currently commute approximately 120 miles a day (98% hwy), and the life of the tire is of importance. I am not auto-x or tracking this car, but I do enjoy the occasional spirited drive. I live in moderate weather conditions where rain is expected every couple weeks, and snow/ice should last no more than a month. Last year I drove the car through all weather conditions with the RE040s and I felt the tire's performance was acceptable in the rain and snow. I know that the sidewall flex in the Continental DWS is well past what I would want to bare everyday, and I would accept a life reduction or cost increase to not have that issue. I enjoy how stiff the OE RE040s feel, and would like to maintain that feeling.

Any input is appreciated.

 

All tires handle differently, so a mix will give you untested results. The same, better or worse. No way to predict.

If winter temperatures fall below 40 degrees I recommend all-season tires.

 

try federal's way better then stock they work great in snow too lol

 

The snow is usually minimal, and temperatures do drop below 40 during the day for a short period of the year.

I have been reading reviews, and now I am leaning towards the RE960. They seem to have a stiffer sidewall and higher load rating than the Continental DWS, so I am hoping there isn't nearly as much flex as I am experiencing now. I will likely just replace all 4 now, so I can keep them the same.

 

Does anyone know how to determine how many ply the sidewall is for certain tires? I can't seem to find this information documented anywhere other than actually printed on the tire.

I think I would like to try one of the high performance all-season tires, but now I am paranoid it will have a very weak sidewall and feel like it is floating around.

 

Just get the matching fronts , simple and easy.

 

I'll certainly get a full set this next round. But, I know I do not like the DWS. I am willing to sacrifice some dry weather traction for better wet and some winter weather handling with longer tread life. I would like to maintain the same sidewall feeling I currently have with the OE RE040s though. I loved how even at highway speeds of 70-100mph the car felt amazingly stable and resistant to lateral forces.

After reading a few tirerack reviews on the UHP-AS tires available to me, I am starting to think they all have softer sidewalls. Granted, with a matching set the softness may not be as obvious.