crazed350z

I just picked up my Z last week and was wondering which tires in a 275/40R & 245/40F would be the best tires for dry roads?
Am asking for people that are actually using the tires and not from just hearsay.
TY

lowrider

iTrader: (3)

I have no experience on this, but I have heard and read that it's the Goodrich KDs. I've also heard they are scary in the wet. That's why they have the KDWs. I have Dunlop SP9000s which grip well on both surfaces.

Lou

Eric1h

for the money the toyo Proxy t1-S is the best tire i can think of.

tulene

sp9000's. but a bit slippery when cold.

Type R Boy

the BFG KDs are th best gripping Dry tire I have ever driven on. My buddy had them on his Lotus Esprit V8TT and it was sticky as ****, but if there was condensation on the roads it got a bit scarry.


I am pretty sure these are pretty close to the best when it comes to strictly dry weather tires. However the other guys here are right about T1S and Sp9000 for being a good all around tire since both tires are amazing in rain, but I dont think thats what you are looking for.

Blue Liquid

Best for dry roads? Any R Compound tire. However, the only company to currently offer the sizes you need are Hoosier and Yokohama. I don't recommend the Hoosiers for street use as they're a little too soft, but the Yokohama AO32 will work great. I run them right now (except you want 245/45-17, not a 40 series front to maintain proper wheel diameters). THese tires are soft and sticky and will completely outhandle any other tire mentioned so far. They're street legal racing tires. Hey, you said you wanted the best dry weather handling you could get, right?

Jason Bourne

Blue Liquid is right. The undeniable answer to your question as you stated it is a set of Hoosiers (maybe some other slightly compromised R, like a Pilot Sport Cup, PZero Corsa, Yoke A032R, etc...). The answer to the question you probably mean to ask (what is the best street tire for dry grip?) is pretty much the BFG KD. But they're expensive and hard to come by. I'm a big fan of the Kumho Ecsta MX for an affordable, grippy street tire.

I think a lot of the people who recommend the Toyo T1S have not driven enough tires. I have driven pretty much every R-compound and high-performance street tire on and off the track, and the T1S is the most overrated tire I know of. I owned a set and drove them for about 5000 miles but hated them from the day I got them mounted. My expectations were high from tons of internet recommendations and I was sorely disapointed. The grip is acceptable (although not as high as many other tires) but the sidewall is so soft that the streeting response feels like you're driving a buick. They're light and cheap, but they're not a very good deal.

Of course, I'll be first to admit that I have very high standards and that the T1S is a vast improvement over 90% of what people are driving on in most cars. They're not really a bad tire in the grand scheme of things, but I just think there are many better alternatives. On the other hand, if you're looking for a slightly squishy tire (absorbs bumps nicely) with pretty good grip and an affordable price, they may be right for you. I'm not trying to knock people for choosing the T1S, I just don't think they're a great match to the OPs question.

Jason

Type R Boy

I complety agree. T1S is a great tire for all around use, and is probably more tire than 90% of us will ever need.



Now with the topic of BFGs, how do you guys think the KDW (New Tread) fairs in terms of a Street tire? I have only heard good things about these tires, I am not considering the KDs because I drive my car a lot and I dont want to ever be caught in the rain with those.

Eric1h

the T1-S is a great tire even for the track which is why alot of the SCCA track cars use them.

they arent so good when the are new, but shaved down they stick very well!

Jason Bourne

Not trying to beat a dead horse, but the only SCCA racers who run T1S tires are the SCCA Speed Touring cars and the only reason they do so is that Toyo is the title sponsor and requires them. The GT cars also ran them last year, but thankfully switched to the RA1 for this season.

I don't think these guys would hold on to those tires for a second if they were allowed to switch.

Jason

ares

iTrader: (2)

I run toyo and bridgestone, great in good weather, good in bad weather.

I have a set of RA1 (toyo R compound) that Ill be using during the summer. from what Ive read, R compounds are excellent in good weather, but downright bad in bad weather.

your question said in dry though. do we take that to mean NO rain? as in a track tire? if its your only car, go to work every day, I wouldnt go to Rcompound.

crazed350z

TY for all the replies guys. This is my daily driver, but I don't want crappy tires.
Anyone try these yet?
Eagle F1 GS-D3

it says "Information coming soon on this product." , so I assume that they're pretty new. They look like a pretty agressive tread.


http://www.discounttiredirect.com/di...odeIndex=31376

dkmura

iTrader: (64)

I've been running the Goodyear Eagle F1 GS D3 since last fall and can recommend them. Wear rated at 280, they feature good grip in the dry, with progressive breakaway charactersitics on the track. Even better, they work well in the wet and evacuate water well in flood conditions. I also thought they were relatively quiet riding (in the stock sizes) and wore well for as many track days as I did. Downside is they are a bit pricey...

ares

iTrader: (2)

those are the goodyears I run.

cant give a full impression as I have the toyo T1S up front(mix and matched the tires that were in stock at the time)

but I can say I have any complaints atleast. it takes some power shifting to dream of breaking loose above 1st. and even so, you gotta have cold tires to break loose in 1st other than the launch.

crazed350z

Thanks guys...I'm going to go for the Eagle F1 GS-D3's then.
I'll let you know how they feel

spankyG35

Where do you buy these R compound tires, I know the Pilot Sport Cup tires aren't available in the correct sizes, how about the others?

PoWeRtRiP

i run the bfg gforce t/as which are even better than the kds but much worse in the rain. these suckas stick! just try to leave the vdc on if its even sprinkling.

ares

iTrader: (2)

I have toyo RA1. from what I see they arent available in the proper 275/40/18 but they are in 275/35/18 which is close enough. itll help out your acceleration a bit too. in some at the limit cases it might **** off TCS, so keep that off for agressive driving.

Blue Liquid

I buy all my race wheels/tires from Tire Rack. If you go to their website, you can search by brand and/or size to find what you need. I run 17 inch wheels, so for me, only Yokohama and Hoosier currently make the sizes I need in order to maintain the proper wheel diameters. If you want to speak with someone, ask for Luke, he is knowledgable and can steer you in the right direction.

Bassmaster

I now run Goodyear F1 GS D3, traction seems much better than my old Toyo T1-S. However my tire size has increased by 30mm with the Goodyear's. The Toyo's would spin with ease when outside temp was below 45 degrees.