bearone

no experience as i've had various michelins on vehicles for 30+ years.

i read some reviews on your falkens @ discount and as many like 'em as wouldn't buy them again.

i don't put a lot of value in positive reports from cars wearing tires with a 150+ speed rating that couldn't get there on a best day.

are there any performance vehicles that are factory equipped with any series falkens?

a bunch of them are with michelins/

phooka

If you are looking for 'best'.. well that's relative. You can always get some R compound tires with a 50 treadwear rating like Hoosiers, Kumho's or the like. But they won't last long.

dale

racer

Is there a reason for your 215/60-15 preference (I know its stock, but.. cmon now, this IS rennlist afterall! How will you be using them - Daily driver? Autocrosser? Track car?

x29Saab

Excellent question. I like the look of the 215/60 R15 size. It just seems to suit the car. I just purchased a second set of 15X7 rims and would like to clothe it in something nice. I would also like very good rubber with stiff sidewalls etc. for possible AutoX and or just plain satisfaction that I have the best traction possible even on the street.

Bill.e1

I've run Bridgestone for years- most recently the 950 Potenza. Overall I've been very happy with them. I tried a set of Dunlop SP's on an Acura. They had good grip dry and wet but weren't as "round" as one would hope. I always had a nibble in the wheel. Went back to Bridgesones for the next set and nibble went away.

When my leased Lexus IS needed tires, I "cheaped out" and bought a set of Conti Extreme Contact all seasons. I was pleasantly surprised. For the money, they work really well. In fact, I bought a set for my daughter's car last year.

My 944 came with Kuhmo Ecstas. They are decent tires. They seem a bit soft for the profile and rain traction isn't stellar. When they wear out, I'll go back to Bridgstones or Contis.

None of the will deposit a load in your pants like the old bias ply tires or early radials. Some VW's used to run under 20psi in the front so they'd wash out before the back passed you. Scary stuff.

Hope this helps,
Bill

phooka

Well if you aren't looking for an autocross specific tire there are several good options. I have tried everything it seems. Bridgestone, Falken, BFG, Goodyear, Kumho, Conti (yech), Nitto, Yoko etc.

I haven't tried Bridgestone in years (like 20) - basically because my experience back then was so bad I never went back. I have had Falkens which I really liked and I think the Azenis is really good tire. The Conti's that came OEM on my new Charger were by far the worst new tire I've ever used. They had very soft sidewalls, literally no support and wore out in < 18k miles. Of course if you are asking for a great tire you will typically trade tire life. Having said that - my first experience with replacing the Conti's with Nittos has been extremely good even with something like a 420 treadwear rating. Nice stiff sidewalls and plenty of confidence.

I recently put BFG KDW's on my 944S and I'm also very pleased. I wanted something with more grab than the Nitto could provide (aside: I got the Nittos for the charger because the oddball size was hard to find in anything else).

In the past I have used the Kumho street version and they were okay, not great wet traction but they were pretty confidence inspiring on dry pavement. I've had much more experience with their R compound tires such as the VictoRacer and I'm still pretty happy with those for a treadwear vs grip tradeoff - although if you are looking for a great R compound the Hooisers are probably still the best. Not exactly a street tire although it is DOT certified.

Having said all that, my current favorite tire right now if I'm looking (for street) would probably be the BFG KDW's.

dale