Tires DUNLOP or FEDERAL
I'd get Dunlop Q3's. Q3's have more grip than you'll ever need. They warm up fast(1 lap on the track, or a couple of minutes on the street), grip extremely well, and talk decently well for a street tire.
I just switched from PSS to ZII and did my first event last two days ago. I prefer the ZII for track days. It feels more precise and did well in the wet. I felt that it was a bit easier to modulate braking on the ZII. On the street it seems a bit louder and there is more feel from expansion seams and other road surface defects.
Here are some of the 165/40-16s Federal 595 EVO I just picked up. The wheels are RH Classics 16x7.5 these tires (like most Federals) run a full size wide, so they run like a 175. They also stretch more round, less "quarter pipe" like a Nankang. I'm not a huge fan of the flames, but they ride nice and at least they'll wear off the tread. haha
The federal rsr 595s I'm using on the rse05s hold up much better at the track.
Once you talk about ditching the crap Dunlops that come from the factory and adding a rear sway bar, you are talking big-time fun.
Outperformed my 02 Cooper S at an AutoX event! I'm also talking about in the rain vs other tires I've had. Blows Michelins, Toyos, Pirellis, Goodyears out of the water no pun intended lol. They also seem to handle side/cornering load well. My continentals were cooked after a few track days and spirited drives while these seem fine. No chunking or odd wear patterns on the edge of the tread/sidewall. Any of those who have tracked will know what I'm referring to.
I have Dunlop Graspic DS-3s on my car in the winter and they perform quite well on dry and wet pavement. They are a bit more slippy and the feel is a bit more muddy
Drove in the rain with the Dunlop Saturday. The traction control came on a few times, but I think its due more to the amount of low-end torque the GLI makes. Now it wasn't difficult to drive, just watch how much throttle you give it.
The Dunlop's are worthless if you plan on doing any sort of off road driving. They were put on there to mainly optimize fuel consumption.
The OEM Dunlops on my 12 GLI suck in the wet and I'm sure they would be worse in the snow.
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