My stock Pirellis have reached 20,000 miles and even though they still have reasonable profile depth, I want to change them. The main reason is because I replaced the stock 17x8 rims with aftermarket 17x9 ones and the 235 tires just barely fit.
I'm looking at either 245/255 of 255/275 (front/rear) 4-season tires. I know the Pirelli PZero Nero M+S come in 255 width, but could you guys suggest a good 4-season street tire available in both 255 and 275, with the proper speed rating, of course? (maybe BFG KDWS?)

Thanks!

 

How about the KUMHO ECSTA ASX 255/45R17, from Summit Racing ($108 each)? Does anyone have experience with these tires?

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...0&autoview=sku

 

We just got a set of these a couple months ago for the Lincoln LS. Kumho ECSTA ASX 235/50-17 for $102 each. So far, with about 2000 miles on them, they are way better than the stock Firestones ever were. I went with these because they were a good balance between the surveys on tirerack.com and the price. There were some that surveyed higher, but they were way more expensive.

 

I had Michelin Pilot all seasons on my '96. Pretty good performance wet or dry. Quiet. Not bad in snow either. But, a little on the expensive side.

 

I would recommend the KDWS.

I would not recommend Khumo's (cheap, you get what you pay for imo. put them on the x-wifes prelude a while back and I got a call on the 1st snowfall that shes stuck in a parking lot thats on level ground. Off those tires went)

 

Thats what I have on my 06. They ride exceptionally well.

 

Thanks for the input, guys (and Queen)!
I find the Michelin Pilot Sport and the BFG KDWS prices are cheap when I look at the US vendors, for the reasons explained below.

The main problem I have is the following: neither Tire Rack nor Discount Tire would ship overseas and the same tires cost here between 200-250 EURO each. I checked with Summit Racing and the international shipping charge for a set of 4 tires would cost somewhere around $260 (ex. tax, airport pick-up). That means I'd still be way below the ~1000 EURO ($1300) Dutch price for a set of Michelins, especially now with the US dollar having dropped to 0.76 EURO.
But: there's a 15-20 day wait for the shipping from Summit (excl. the actual shipping time), so I'll have to wait until after New Year's before placing the order, because I'll be away until Jan. 7th and the tires might arrive when I'm not here and I don't plan on paying any storage fees to the Customs office at the airport.

I guess I'll post here again after I've ordered the tires.

 

Driving in snow? Get snow tires.

I've heard good things about the stock 235/55R17 Pirelli P-Zeros. I have not driven them in the rain but the siping and block design looks pretty suitable for wet and dry traction/handling. I've used W-rated (Z-rated) ultra-high perf all-season tires in the past and the only drawback is the fast treadwear that usually comes with the softer compounds. I would not try to drive the stock BFGs or the Pirelli's in snow deeper than 3".

For more down-to-earth all-season tires, I may try the Goodyear Assurance TripleTred tires. They are only H-rated, but the stock GTs are speed limited to 145 mph. I doubt anyone here needs to go over 130 mph. The TripleTreds are available in 235/55R17 and *should* offer superior treadwear and wet/dry traction as well as light snow traction. Everyone that I know (personally) who has used the TTs raves about their performance in snow.

 

We have less than 5 days with very light snow (i.e. not more than 1" deep) every winter here, the rest from Nov. till Feb. is 35-50 deg. F with lots of rain. No point in getting snow tires, the all-season ones are more than enough.

I have them and have driven through rain quite often. They seem to perform better in the wet now, compared to when they were brand new. Or maybe I adapted my driving in the rain...

That may be true in the States, but when you live 90 miles away from the German border (as is my fortunate case) there are plenty of chances to drive above 130 mph.

 

You make good points! We get only 5-6 really bad snow days here in SE MI, but the problem is the snow that remains on the side roads through the entire winter. I would not risk driving a nice Stang in the winter. Can't you buy a beater Focus or a Citroen?

 

Well, winter here means that the rain is colder than usual. Any snow that falls melts in less than 12 hours, so there's almost never the risk of driving through the frozen mud normally found in colder areas on the side of the roads all winter long. And they never have to use any salt or sand on the roads in winter!
Regarding the beater car, I've surely considered the option and I may be getting a used Mini Cooper next year (I guess I still need to have a fun car, no matter the purpose!)