SPD Tuning Service

Page down for detailed information. Suggestions, comments and questions are always welcome.

My experience with different high performance tires is limited, but I can tell you that the best tire in terms of lap times outside of "DOT" racing tires is possibly the Michelin Pilot MMX3 (not the H rates series!). The new Expedia S02 Pole Position seems to be the best of the Michelin, Bridgestone and Pirelli offerings. Expensive, but the best. The Bridgestone Expedia S02 and RE010 are OEM Impreza WRX tires, and very highly thought of. The Pirelli PZero is a good tire and I hear that the Goodrich T/A's are still popular back east. With Goodrich now owned by Michelin one should expect them to have a good tire. Dunlop and Yokohama do not offer tires at this level at present, at least in our sizes, although they have very good performance tires.

The Toyo Praxes T1, like all the tires mentioned above, has a soft compound and is expected to go 20,000+ miles in normal sport driving. Never mind that I have seem them melted down in 8000 miles. I drive smoothly and as quick as opportunity permits. My mileage is 18,000 to 24,000 per set, depending on the amount of actual track time the tires see. The Toyo is remarkable for the magic blend of smooth ride, quite tread and great handling it provide for a road car. Good in the wet as well. People will argue for a better choice, but the Proxes T1 will satisfy any driver.

We recommend 205/50-16 and 215/40-17 over the 205/55-16 and 215/45-17 sizes. WHY? Going to the shorter tires are the best free horse power you can get. Due to their %3.2-3.6 percent smaller diameter these tires give the car better overall gearing, noticeably brightening up third gear acceleration. The speedo is off 3-4 mph, but that will keep you from getting tickets anyway!

A tire trick I have discovered is that the 205/55-16 tires tend to be made for OEM specifications as there are so many cars with this size. The 205/50-16 is not an OEM tire and they tend to be a "better', that is to say, stiffer and more aggressive tire within the same model. It may say PZero on the 205/55 and 205/50, but they feel completely different. The best example is the 205/45-17 vs. the 205/50-17N2 PZero. The 205/45-17 was developed for Volvo and the  205/50N2 is a performance tire. The 45 series is quite, smooth riding and OK as a performance tire, while the 50 N2 series rides like a truck tire, is noisy and is a total blast to drive!

Listen to what people around you say about tires, but be sure to go with a ride with them first. Then you will know what they are talking about. For those who cringe at the expense of a high performance tire, I tell everyone that they should drive at least one set of "recommended" tires. the worst thing that can happen is you will walk away telling yourself, "What I really want is a good set of 80 dollar tires." Then again, some of us have never looked back..

Send mail to mshields@spdusa.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: May 23, 2000