2020 State of the Union for Street Tires
#1
2020 State of the Union for Street Tires
I'm about ready to retire my BF Goodrich Comp2, which have treated me well for street and some track over the last six years and 15k miles, but they're getting hard and have flat-spotted slightly. What are people using these days for fun street use and maybe the occasional casual track day on stock 15s?
Are the Conti EC Sports living up to the hype they had a couple of seasons ago? Available only in 205, which probably isn't a deal-breaker if they're as great as what I remember people saying.
Comp2 were perfectly fine and don't seem to have changed.
How are the ZIII Star Specs?
S. Drives surprisingly still exist. These were old hat when I last changed my tires in 2014, and don't seem to have changed, have they?
People seem to like to play on the track with Federal 595. Decent road manners?
Anything else I should be looking at?
Are the Conti EC Sports living up to the hype they had a couple of seasons ago? Available only in 205, which probably isn't a deal-breaker if they're as great as what I remember people saying.
Comp2 were perfectly fine and don't seem to have changed.
How are the ZIII Star Specs?
S. Drives surprisingly still exist. These were old hat when I last changed my tires in 2014, and don't seem to have changed, have they?
People seem to like to play on the track with Federal 595. Decent road manners?
Anything else I should be looking at?
#4
I am a retired "tire guy" from the retail/wholesale world and just ordered another fresh set of ECS for my daily.
The replacement for the Yokohama S.drive was the only new development I considered(Advan Fleva V701). If I was in a drier climate, I might have tried those. I really liked the S.drive back before the ECS arrived, but by now, even the ECS has been eclipsed by the PS4S in sizes Michelin serves.
Edit: like other above, this is all pertaining to >200tw.
The replacement for the Yokohama S.drive was the only new development I considered(Advan Fleva V701). If I was in a drier climate, I might have tried those. I really liked the S.drive back before the ECS arrived, but by now, even the ECS has been eclipsed by the PS4S in sizes Michelin serves.
Edit: like other above, this is all pertaining to >200tw.
#8
I'm most likely overthinking this for a street car.
#12
I ran ECS's when they first came out on my '01. 205 on a 15x8. They are indeed incredible in the rain. I sold the 01 and now I have the full set of 15x8 Enkei PF01's with them still on there sitting in the garage. They only have a few thousand miles on them. I need to sell them.
#13
I am running the Comp 2s on my stock wheels in the 195/50 size as well. They are getting long in the tooth though so I was happy to see the Yokohama Advan Fleva V701 as an option although I dont really street drive it much anymore. Seems as though the tread blocks on the outside arent segregated with the Fleva like the Comp 2s are. My biggest issue with the Comp 2 is uneven wear, even with a decent amount of camber and playing with tire pressure. They just seem to really like to roll over. Not sure putting a 205 on the 6" would do me any favors but track use is a higher priority for me than street use.
I also have a set of 225/45 Hankook RS4s wrapped around a 15x8 6UL which I bought used. Once they are worn out I want to put the "proper" size 205 on them, potentially with the ECS as a rain tire and getting a different set for dry use. With that said, the RS4s are just as comfortable and no drastic or perceptible increase in noise. I would highly recommend a 200tw tire for track use and even summer time street driving if you arent putting a ton of miles on it.
I also have a set of 225/45 Hankook RS4s wrapped around a 15x8 6UL which I bought used. Once they are worn out I want to put the "proper" size 205 on them, potentially with the ECS as a rain tire and getting a different set for dry use. With that said, the RS4s are just as comfortable and no drastic or perceptible increase in noise. I would highly recommend a 200tw tire for track use and even summer time street driving if you arent putting a ton of miles on it.
#14
Our shop NB has 15x8's and 205 ECS
Sonny's 30AE 17x8's and 215/45 ECS
My 30AE 17x9's and 245/40 ECS
Shop 86 "Blub" 17x8 225/45 ECS
I particularly like the balance between responsiveness and NVH. Most other options are either mushier steering, rougher riding or both. That the treads are nearly silent is a bonus. 200tw's are fun right up until you try to hear the sound system or take a bluetooth call.
To me the ECS is the current state of the art in a 6/10ths tire. I should point out that I never slide the tires in my daily nor does Sonny.
Sonny's 30AE 17x8's and 215/45 ECS
My 30AE 17x9's and 245/40 ECS
Shop 86 "Blub" 17x8 225/45 ECS
I particularly like the balance between responsiveness and NVH. Most other options are either mushier steering, rougher riding or both. That the treads are nearly silent is a bonus. 200tw's are fun right up until you try to hear the sound system or take a bluetooth call.
To me the ECS is the current state of the art in a 6/10ths tire. I should point out that I never slide the tires in my daily nor does Sonny.
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#16
My postal code is J7T 2M2 in case you have a better hookup with a shipper than I do.
#17
They're different foci, obviously, but how would the Conti ECS compare to the Yokohama ADS08? I would expect the ADS08 to handle better and the Conti to be quieter and last longer, but I don't have much sense of scale, not having driven them myself. This is for an LFX swapped NB on stiffish suspension, spirited canyon driving with some freeway segments.
#18
Bumping this thread to see if anyone has had any more experience with the Yoko Advan Fleva V701 over the last couple years?
These will be going on my street NB, which currently has a stock engine, for basically DD type use, with the occasional fun drive around the mountains. What I'm looking for is a year 'round tire that's OK in cold/dry weather. It's not uncommon for us to have overnight temps in the 20s, with daytime highs in the 50s. I've used S.Drives in the past, and they were a great year 'round DD tire for the climate here. I'm hoping that the Fleva V701s can fill that role, as I'd rather not step down to an A/S tire if I can help it.
I know ECS is the answer for performance, and I have a set of ECS (rain set for the track car), and they may spend part of the summer on the NB, but I don't really want to drive on them through the winter.
These will be going on my street NB, which currently has a stock engine, for basically DD type use, with the occasional fun drive around the mountains. What I'm looking for is a year 'round tire that's OK in cold/dry weather. It's not uncommon for us to have overnight temps in the 20s, with daytime highs in the 50s. I've used S.Drives in the past, and they were a great year 'round DD tire for the climate here. I'm hoping that the Fleva V701s can fill that role, as I'd rather not step down to an A/S tire if I can help it.
I know ECS is the answer for performance, and I have a set of ECS (rain set for the track car), and they may spend part of the summer on the NB, but I don't really want to drive on them through the winter.