Daily driver, 5 -8 small (60 sec. runs) autox events a summer. Looking for best value in terms of appropriateness for the track, daily driving comfort, longevity, etc. My top 2 right now are the Conti Extreme Contact DW's and these Yoko S. Drives. Been doing a lot of research on Tire Rack, etc but just wondered if I could get some application specific feedback from anyone...

 

I run the Continental DW I like them for the price I have some non V buddy's that run the Yokohamas and they swear by them I don't think you can go wrong either way I doubt this is helpful but it's all I have haha

 

S-Drives were loud compared to my Continental DWS.

 

I ran Michellin Pilot Super Sports and really enjoyed them. They are a little pricey ,but was really pleased with performance on the track and on the street. Pilot sports will give you more tire life, but you will lose some performance.

 

lol Thanks for your input.


If I can hear my tires over my exhaust, I need to pull the **** over NOW. Road noise isn't a concern. Although I've read just as many reviews for the S. Drives AND Conti's saying anything from "loudest tire ever" to "quietest tire in the world". Real helpful, eh. lol

PSSs are the #1 suggestion by the group of guys I autocross with. But they also know they're pricey. Too pricey for me. Especially for a daily driving tire. #2 seems to be the Conti. But nobody has ever brought up the S. Drive. To be honest, it only caught my eye because it's a badass tread pattern! And I like how the sipes roll out onto the sidewall a bit too. They'd look mean... especially the 275's from behind. Oh, and the price! Damn! They're HALF the price of a PSS, and according to reviews they're certainly not just half the tire.

 

I'm a very big fan of the Continentals - have them on 2 of my cars - but like actrite, I've never tried the Yokos, so I can't offer a direct comparison.

Another one that might be worth considering is the new Firestone Firehawk Indy 500. Not sure which sizes you're looking at, but they look to be a bit cheaper than the Yokos, and did very well in TR's recent test of ultra high performance summer tires. They're new in the US, but have been offered elsewhere at the Bridgestone Potenza RE003 and seem to be highly regarded. And if you're looking for a cool tread pattern, I think it's got it.

 

Thanks for chiming in. I agree, that Firestone should definitely be on my short list as well! I'd actually been skipping over it in my searches because the tread looked like it wouldn't be a daily driving type of tire. Since I've done some looking into it now, it appears my judgement was very wrong.

I wonder - between the S. Drives as well as these Firestones - what the real-life downsides are versus a Pilot SS or higher end Potenza, etc.

My thinking now - if I'm between the S Drive and the Indy 500, is that the Indy 500 is the newest "technology" in terms of release date. The S Drive has been around for a while now. Coupled with being even less expensive; the Indy's seem to be a pretty clear cut winner. Any arguments there?

 

How much more are the Super Sports? I've daily driven mine and love them. Excellent tread wear!

 

$740 for the Yokos, $650 for the Firestones, $1100 for the PSS's.

...that's USD, tires only. Not "out the door".


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Anything under 200 per corner is pretty reasonable IMO. Especially with a pair of 275s thrown in the math.

 

I had the Firestone Wide Ovals, predecessor to those Indys, on my Z28 which was a high power car with many suspension and brake mods. They did everything well, literally, and were the only tire I ever got 40k out of. Granted, that was the front of a staggered setup but I got 40k out of all 4 when that car was bolt ons with a square setup. I wouldn't hesitate a bit on those Firestones, especially given the price advantage. I don't doubt the Michelins are a little better but not 2x better. My .02.

 

Worth every penny!

 

Really? When I bought my C6 it had the Wide Ovals on it. They were terrible tires and not in the same league as the super sports.

Spending a bit more on tires goes a long way.......

 

On my Z28, they were quiet, wore evenly, gripped hard going forward/back and to the side, and lasted a good long time for a performance tire. A bit more? Almost double is more than a bit. To me, they're probably only 80-85% of the tire that the michelins are but at about half the price...I can live with that happily. I'm realistic about what I want out of a tire, I'm only pushing hard about 5-10% of the time, if that, so the other stuff matters more to my buy decision. Wife's SUV? Michelins.

 

Funny you are comparing the two tires in your original post.

The first tires I put on the car were the Yoko's. After 5k, they were very noisy. They also only lasted 20k without any autocross. Only one trip to the mountains in there too. Traction in dry and wet was great, but I'm more of a daily driver rather than a corner carver.

For my next set of tires I was looking for a quieter tire. The Continentals were one of the few tires I read that had reviews commenting on how quiet they were. This car is noisy enough without additional tire noise, so I opted for those. I've really liked these tires. They're a little softer in the corners, but negligible in my opinion. I think I got closer to 30k out of that set. I've only replaced the fronts so far due to some worn suspension/alignment issues and the rears I'm holding out on until I replace a bunch of parts.

Bottom line, I'm buying to Conti's again and wouldn't even consider the Yokohamas.

I also like the Continental's clean tread pattern and sidewalls. While the Yokohamas were directional and seemingly more aggressive, I tired of them and thought they looked a little cheezy.

 

Those Wide Ovals sure don't get great reviews. I've read a bit about them because they're the predecessor to the new Indy 500's (why they named them the same, I'll never figure out). These new ones are apparently a world of difference from the Wide Ovals; a completely different, improved, tire.

Interesting to hear the back to back comparison between the S. Drives and DW's. With these Firestones now in the mix, I think I've written off the S. Drives though. I prefer the appearance of the Firestones, and research seems to show that they perform at least equal (probably better) than the S. Drives... At less cost.

If I can get the Firestones locally for a price compatible to Tire Rack, I think I'm going to pull the trigger. I'll report back.

 

Continental Extreme contact dws FTW

 

I don't want an all season tire.

 

Yeah the DWS is junk for a car with any kind of power my car had the cooper RS3A on it and they where done in 5k

 

Pulled the trigger today and ordered up a set of the Firestones. I'm in Canada (Ontario), where it's not uncommon to see much higher tire prices. But I live in a border town, so shopping States side is pretty easy. Surprisingly enough, a local shop (a Fire/Bridge stone dealer) had a fantastic price on these, at $950 out the door (installation, 13% sales tax included). Discount Tire in the States was going to be about the same price in USD, but there's a 25-30% premium on the Greenback right now, so totally not worth it. I'm excited. Read a lot of great things about these tires. They were just released earlier this year (I think) and I'm not sure if this is still intro pricing or what - but they're significantly less expensive than all their comparable counterparts; with equal or better performance ratings. We'll see.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....Make=Firestone