Tires MICHELIN or NITTO
I have Michelin Super Sports on one of my cars and Continental GXs on my other, faster car, and I vastly prefer the Michelins.
Went with the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S! They are great tires though.
I run Nitto 555 G2's during all but winter, and this year I went with Pilot Sport A/S3+ all-seasons (due to frequent driving in mild snow during work trips) and I'm quite happy with them.
I daily Michelin Pilot Super Sports on my Focus SVT. They are so worth it. Yeah they wear out after 10-12k miles but they have like a 30k or 40k mile warranty so I get a new set of PSS's every year for like $150.
You can drive them in the rain like it isn't raining at all.
Sport Cup 2's are great tires, I have them on my RS. If I could do-over though, i would go with PS4S. Sure, they "technically" aren't as fast around a track, but for the 99.9% of street miles you put on them they are much more livable on a daily driver.
A good set of PS4s tires is more than enough for a daily. You wont have problems with rain or dry traction.
I am running X Ice3 on the stock Austin wheels for the second winter now and have had no problems in Western PA. We don't get much snow per se, but the car feels confident in snow and ice, in particular stopping and turning.
I put on a full set of Michelin XIce3 P205/55R16 with steel rims just before the first big snow hit and I'm glad I did. There's nothing like having a proper set of winter tires.
I did 215/45/18 xice3 on OE wheel for more sidewall, If I did it again I would do stock size 2254018. I lost a little bit of responsiveness/ punch from the 1/2\" taller overall diameter and also some curb protection from the 1/2\" narrower tire.
I totally agree with ALL your comments about the stock Michelins. It is a shame VW but such a crappy tire on such a fine car. The HXMX4 is one of the lowest rated all season tires based on user reviews at Tire Rack. I was really happy to send the Michelins to the recycling bin...
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