Tires SUMITOMO or DEXTER
I have it on pretty solid authority that Sumitomo htr z3's are essentially Michelin pilot sports as far as grip goes with 75% of the tread life magic, for roughly half the price.
The Sumitomo HTRs are pretty good. Either the A/S P02 or the Z III. The Z IIIs are a bit sportier, and the P02s are solid all seasons with a 500 treadwear rating and a W speed rating. They also grip impressively well for a set of fairly cheap all seasons.
I have Sumitoma HTR ZIII's on my car and they work great for a street tire. I am surprised how long the rear tires are lasting.
I have a set of 205's from sumitomo on my 17x9" rear. They stretched nicely, ride good and were cheap as dirt.
I guess that's the end of my third set of Sumi HTR Z IIIs... I really like those tires for the price. And until that little scare... I ever had a clue the back tires were 1/2 slicks even in the rain.
The Sumitomo HTR Z III gets a lot of crap for being cheapbut performance is a very solid performer
I had Falken 512s on a Miata and I hated them. Very noisy at and before the limit. For Foxes, I've always gone with 185/60/14s. Not any real reason. It was the stock size for the Rabbit GTI and it doesn't throw the speedo off too much, which doesn't really matter on a Fox. The profile also looks natural; the sidewall isn't too short or too tall. And the 185 width isn't too wide; not a bad thing on a car that has no power steering. But you should be fine with any similar size. On my current Fox, I have these Sumitomo HTR A/S P01s. I like them a lot. They're a great all around tire. Very quiet, wonderful in the rain, rides nicely and handle well. I'd like a little more dry grip, but, really for a street tire these are great. I had these BF Goodriches on the Fox I sold last summer. They were noisier than the Sumitomos and the steering feel felt a touch heavier, but they were also a nice all around tire and perhaps a bit grippier than the Sumitomos or at least they gave that impression.
I had the HTR+ a few years back...wouldn't recommend it for someone who is looking for a reliable track tire or a super performance tire...but I was quite surprised how well it did for everyday driving and the occasional spirited lapse in judgement...LOL...price was very nice too
Compared to my Winterforce snows that are now year round tires, the handling is great! They do feel a little soft and the last ones I had were very slippery until the wear bars but around that point they got pretty sticky! Plus they were dirt cheap and my last ones lasted forever!
those sumitomos are a good deal but i put those on my wifes passat wagon in april and all them ****s is hopping now. its like they are 'almost' shifted belts.
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