Brembo and Summer Tires, or just 19" wheels?
 

I've test driven a 2013 without Brembo brakes and it felt comfortable to me. However, I think the entire Brembo brake package, with the suspension tuneup and everything sounds cool.
I'm worried about the Summer Tires, though. I read that these don't grip well in the rain. I live in the Great Lakes region where the weather can change in 10 minutes, so rain can be unpredictable. If the grip of the tires is poor enough that it becomes dangerous to drive the car, then I would avoid the Brembo package entirely (or buy an additional set of regular tires, I guess...)

If I DIDN'T get the Brembo brake package, would it be advantageous to purchase the same 19" Dark Stainless Painted Aluminum wheels? Or maybe to pick another wheel? Or is that purely for looks and show.

Never had an issue with my P's in the rain, however the P's don't last that long and are expensive to replace, which is fine as I am getting (IMHO) far better summer tires in the Continentals. As for winter if you decide to drive it, you can get 18" wheels with a good offset that will also clear the Brembo's and put on winter tires for half the price of 19" winters.

Further more I don't notice the supposed "harder" ride of the BBP (and driven ones without) and the stopping certainly seems better. If you plan to mod your car for power get brakes that will stop you. I find it laughable that people put blowers etc on and get 500+ hp and rely on small half @ssed brakes to stop them!

I have a 2012 GT with the auto and the 19" wheels while my friend has an almost identical car except he has the manual (which has developed issues) and the Brembo package. We've both been in each car on the street and this is what we noticed: the Brembo car has a little harsher ride that jars one a bit more. While the slight handling improvement is beneficial on the track, for street driving I prefer the regular GT suspension. The difference isn't night and day, but it's there, both good and bad. Braking seemed the same on both cars, although the Brembos probably fade a bit less with repeated heavy track use.

The one thing I do like about the Brembo package is the summer tires. Not only are they a bit wider, they grip better, which is confidence inspiring. I can't wait to replace my all seasons with summers, although I don't know if I'll have the car long enough to do so. (My car is a year old and has less than 5,000 on it.) Of course if you're worried about rain, all seasons are probably the way to go.

My one issue with the Brembo package is that the wheels make the rear brakes look really small. I haven't seen the optional 2013 19" wheels in person, but my 2012 19" wheels make the rear brakes look larger and more proportional to the fronts. I think the Brembo package is a decent value, but it's a personal decision you'll have to make. As far as size goes, I think the 19" wheels look a lot better on the car than 18" wheels and the extra width isn't a bad thing.

My car has the optional 19" wheels with all season tires, and I can tell you they absolutely suck at everything. It's like driving on discs of butter. All the 5.0s I drove before I got mine were Brembo cars, and the launch and general feel of the car was worlds better with the summer tires. All seasons take the bite out of the initial launch. I thought I could wait till the first set wore out, but I've decided to bite the bullet and replace mine with summer tires. If I was you, I'd go for a Brembo car. You can always get another set of tires for the winter.

I'm not planning on driving the car in the winter (I'll use my current vehicle for that). My concern is just the summer tires, during the summer, during a storm. Like if the Summer Tires have a significant loss in control or braking power (more than any typical car would lose).

One can drive safely in the rain, I just want to get a feel of which tire is better for a Summer daily driver.

I live in TX, sunny one minute, sunny the next but somehow it's raining. I thought the summer tires would get me killed but they bit great in rain. That paired with TSC and ESC. When it gets cold is when you have to worry.

Go with Summer tires.. An All Season tire is a poor choice IMVHO even in winter unless it stays below 40 degrees for more than a few days.

Tire tread and compound will have more effect on how a tire handles in the rain, with tire tread being more important as far as hydroplaning goes.. Any tire is going to loose traction in rain so you have to slow down.

I am currently running the Michelin Pilot Super Sports and can tell you they are far better in the rain than the Pirelli All Seasons or the Hankook summer Ventus V12 evo K110 I ran for 25,000miles..

I actually drove thru a thunder storm this morning with the cruise set on 75 and the PSS plowed right thru a couple area's of standing water where the Hankook's would've hydroplaned.

As far as wet traction, the PSS will hold wet roads better than the Hankook's but traction on wet roads can always be a treacherous,, especially when you hit a wet oily patch like around red lights and stops sign.

When those spots get wet, you may may slide thru them, where you'd stop when they're dry.

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The new Car & Driver has a summer tire test. The best in the wet were the Continental Extreme Contact DW. Although they were not the best on dry pavement, based on their comments, they sound like a very good tire for a daily driver. Plus, I think they were the cheapest.

I've been running these tires for a couple of months and I'm very happy with them.

Many here on this site are running these tires and are happy. They are going on my SN95 next.

Btw, "summer" tires typically do well in dry and wet scenarios. It's kinda a misnomer, but summer tires are supposed to be the best performing in the rain and hot dry conditions. All seasons are supposed to be okay in rain, okay in snow and okay in dry. The tires on the BBP are suitable for use in rain - just not very cold or snow conditions. If it came with Pilot Sport Cups, then you'd want to worry about the rain, but the Pirellis are usable in the rain. Just drive smarter.

Does the Brembo brake package include the 3.73 rear axle?

No, Brembo package doesn't include 3.73 rear. However you can order the 3.73's separately on a manual transmission car.

The Track Package includes 3.73's, an upgraded torsion rear end and Brembos among many other upgrades. Manual transmission only for Track Pack.