ljun

I'm doing some research and found that the more I searched, the more options I had on tires and no consensus on which was best for my conditions so I thought I'd post it here and maybe someone with tire-knowledge expertise can help out

Here's the requirements in the order that is most important to me [btw: I live in Los Angeles; it rains here and there, sometimes downpour, with no snow, and warm summers]

1. Safety in wet conditions (hydroplaning!, raining weather)
* this is by far my greatest concern

2. Longevity.... would love not having to change the tires every 10k miles. The longer the better

3. Handling over bad street conditions (pot holes, cracks, etc.) ...

4. Dry Traction

5. Road noise

6. price [but not THAT important but within reasonable limits]

I'm not concerned about performance/racing and taking sharp corners. Just very good tires for day-to-day driving, that offers GREAT traction in rainy/wet weather and at least good/very good in dry weather.

Some of the tires I was considering were the Avon Tech M550 A/S, Pirelli Nero A/S, and General Exclaim UHP. But I'm definitely open to any suggestions at all, as my knowledge is not that vast :P

any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

* in case it makes a difference, I'll be going on an Audi TT Quattro 225HP, with the 5-spoke semi-chrome [?] stock rims.

NOLA TT

I just bought the Goodyear Eagle f1s yesterday. Take a look at this, it might help...<ul><li><a href="http://www.tirerack.com/a.jsp?a=AR4&amp;url=%2Fimages%2Ftires%2Ftests%2FCa ndD_gy_f1_gs_d3%2FCandD_gy_f1_gs_ds.pdf">http://www.tirerack.com/images/tires/tests/CandD_gy_f1_gs_d3/CandD_gy_f1_gs_ds.pdf</a></li></ul>

ljun

Also, it looks like the Goodyear is also on my list now for their supposed "excellent" wet handling.

Also, that it's a UHP tire, what is the order in which the ratings go?

is there a performance tire above UHP tires? And how about below that rating? Do lower ratings have longer tire tread life? If so, how long is the longest? (just as a comparison to this goodyear tire, that many say last up towards 30k miles)

thanks for the tip on that pdf! :P good read

looks like the Bridgestone Potenza RE050A is also another good wet handling tire choice The article says the treadware of this tire is short (140 grade) but on tire rack it's rated the higher than the Goodyears?

NOLA TT

Hmmm... not sure about turn-in. I think the ratings in tirerack are from buyers.

jhoeppel

For instance in the <u>Ultra High Performance Summer</u> category, sorting on "wet traction" shows the <b>Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2</b> rated highest. That's what I'm running now on my TT and I like them a lot. Got them for a good price at CostCo. They have excellent traction in both dry and wet, especially wet, are quiet and comfortable-riding. Since you aren't going to see snow, I'd suggest summer tires instead of all-seasons.

And <b>"turn in"</b> means how sharply or immediately the tire responds to steering inputs... Not the same as ultimate cornering grip; its more about immediacy.<ul><li><a href="http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=UHP&amp;VT=null&amp;sortVal ue=4">UHP summers, sorted by "wet traction"</a></li></ul>

TTschwing

You're looking at something in more of an all season tire. Go to tirerack and run some comparisons..

ljun

in terms of treadware and price?

Those michelin's are rated 8.9 while the Goodyear F1 are rated 9.1 on wet traction. But they are each in different categories, so I'm unsure of how to interpret that.

How long does the michelin's typically last?

jhoeppel

because the numbers are averages of customer ratings and the customers may be using different expectations when they make their ratings.

Is there a big diff between UHP and Max-P? Prob'ly not. I think the UHP tires will probably last longer, and from your original post maximum dry traction at the expense of treadwear life is not your priority. I'd steer clear of the Max-P for what you want.

ljun

... how long are the longest lasting tires?

Supposedly the Goodyear F1's have lasted up to 30k+ miles, but I'm not sure if that's LOW or HIGH, since I don't really know how to base that on ....?

Obviously I don't have much experience with tires/performance

Thanks for the help