The Latest On Tires For All Of You Asking These Questions All The Time

[Manolo1]

CR Quick Recommendations Ultra-high-performance [uHP] tires

The all-season ultra-high-performance tires did reasonably well in wet and dry braking and handling, and some were quite respectable in snow and on ice. Higher-scoring tires provided the best balance. Most summer ultra-high-performancetires did well in three-season performance. The top-rated Michelin and Pirelli summer tires set high standards for traction and grip.

The Ratings rank summer UHP and all-season UHP tires by overall score. The Quick Picks below suggest models that offer specific strengths that might be suited to your needs.

Quick Picks

Best all-season UHP tires overall:

Falken Ziex ZE-912, $123 Nitto Neo Gen ZR, $92

These were essentially tied, and both offered impressive wet and dry braking. While only fair in snow, they're far better than any summer tire. The Nitto is a relative bargain.

For more winter traction:

Continental ContiExtremeContact, $106 Sumitomo HTR +, $86

These trade ultimate dry and wet grip for better traction in snow. The Continental and Sumitomo did as well in the snow as a dedicated winter tire used as a control in our test.

Best summer UHP tires overall:

Michelin Pilot Sport PS2, $209 Pirelli P-Zero, $234

Nearly tied overall, both provide stellar dry and wet grip and handling. The Michelin excels in hydroplane resistance; the Pirelli had an edge in handling.

Other good choices for summer tires:

Bridgestone Potenza RE 050, $167 Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2, $158 Continental ContiSportContact 3,$182 Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3, $164

All were very good to excellent at braking and handling. The Bridgestone was excellent in hydroplane resistance. The Michelin scored very well in tread life. Excessive noise for the BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KDW2 and average dry braking for the Dunlop SPSport Maxx eliminated those tires as Quick Picks.

[rdgdawg]

I can speak to the Conti Extreme Contacts, did great on my Mazda RX-8 in the snow/slush/winter driving all things considered. Avon makes a winter tire that should also be considrered (I believe its a 550)...

[marcelol]

CR Quick Recommendations Ultra-high-performance [uHP] tires

The all-season ultra-high-performance tires did reasonably well in wet and dry braking and handling, and some were quite respectable in snow and on ice. Higher-scoring tires provided the best balance. Most summer ultra-high-performancetires did well in three-season performance. The top-rated Michelin and Pirelli summer tires set high standards for traction and grip.

The Ratings rank summer UHP and all-season UHP tires by overall score. The Quick Picks below suggest models that offer specific strengths that might be suited to your needs.

Quick Picks

Best all-season UHP tires overall:

Falken Ziex ZE-912, $123 Nitto Neo Gen ZR, $92

These were essentially tied, and both offered impressive wet and dry braking. While only fair in snow, they're far better than any summer tire. The Nitto is a relative bargain.

For more winter traction:

Continental ContiExtremeContact, $106 Sumitomo HTR +, $86

These trade ultimate dry and wet grip for better traction in snow. The Continental and Sumitomo did as well in the snow as a dedicated winter tire used as a control in our test.

Best summer UHP tires overall:

Michelin Pilot Sport PS2, $209 Pirelli P-Zero, $234

Nearly tied overall, both provide stellar dry and wet grip and handling. The Michelin excels in hydroplane resistance; the Pirelli had an edge in handling.

Other good choices for summer tires:

Bridgestone Potenza RE 050, $167 Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2, $158 Continental ContiSportContact 3,$182 Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3, $164

All were very good to excellent at braking and handling. The Bridgestone was excellent in hydroplane resistance. The Michelin scored very well in tread life. Excessive noise for the BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KDW2 and average dry braking for the Dunlop SPSport Maxx eliminated those tires as Quick Picks.

Was this from Consumer Reports ?? I think it was...

A) Ziex 912's aren't made 255-40-18's, so you have to ask yourself what size it was that was tested, and what car.

B) The ContiExtreme's are from looking at CR and TireRack's own reviews, and survey, the best for the $$$ for UHP A/S tires. They slightly beat out the Mich Pilot Sport A/S, by a few hundred bucks per set ( also factoring in if you were to take them to the dealer for mounting/balancing ).

C) The next higher than the Conti's would be Goodyear F1 A/S ( relatively new on the market ), but even going by TireRack's reviews and survey, they rate just a smidge higher than the Conti's/Pilot Sports, but come in price-wise right in the middle of the two.

I...would go with the F1's or the Conti's, if you want to save a little $$.

[SKperformance]

I see no comparision of toyo's so they do not make any linear statement without them for atleast one aspect.

[tshek]

CR Quick Recommendations Ultra-high-performance [uHP] tires

The all-season ultra-high-performance tires did reasonably well in wet and dry braking and handling, and some were quite respectable in snow and on ice. Higher-scoring tires provided the best balance. Most summer ultra-high-performancetires did well in three-season performance. The top-rated Michelin and Pirelli summer tires set high standards for traction and grip.

The Ratings rank summer UHP and all-season UHP tires by overall score. The Quick Picks below suggest models that offer specific strengths that might be suited to your needs.

Quick Picks

Best all-season UHP tires overall:

Falken Ziex ZE-912, $123 Nitto Neo Gen ZR, $92

These were essentially tied, and both offered impressive wet and dry braking. While only fair in snow, they're far better than any summer tire. The Nitto is a relative bargain.

For more winter traction:

Continental ContiExtremeContact, $106 Sumitomo HTR +, $86

These trade ultimate dry and wet grip for better traction in snow. The Continental and Sumitomo did as well in the snow as a dedicated winter tire used as a control in our test.

Best summer UHP tires overall:

Michelin Pilot Sport PS2, $209 Pirelli P-Zero, $234

Nearly tied overall, both provide stellar dry and wet grip and handling. The Michelin excels in hydroplane resistance; the Pirelli had an edge in handling.

Other good choices for summer tires:

Bridgestone Potenza RE 050, $167 Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2, $158 Continental ContiSportContact 3,$182 Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3, $164

All were very good to excellent at braking and handling. The Bridgestone was excellent in hydroplane resistance. The Michelin scored very well in tread life. Excessive noise for the BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KDW2 and average dry braking for the Dunlop SPSport Maxx eliminated those tires as Quick Picks.

Was this from Consumer Reports ?? I think it was...

A) Ziex 912's aren't made 255-40-18's, so you have to ask yourself what size it was that was tested, and what car.

B) The ContiExtreme's are from looking at CR and TireRack's own reviews, and survey, the best for the $$$ for UHP A/S tires. They slightly beat out the Mich Pilot Sport A/S, by a few hundred bucks per set ( also factoring in if you were to take them to the dealer for mounting/balancing ).

C) The next higher than the Conti's would be Goodyear F1 A/S ( relatively new on the market ), but even going by TireRack's reviews and survey, they rate just a smidge higher than the Conti's/Pilot Sports, but come in price-wise right in the middle of the two.

I...would go with the F1's or the Conti's, if you want to save a little $$.

They might test it with the original OEM rims. The 17" one.

[tshek]

so, F1 A/S is the way to go? How long does this tire least? 20K? I will be really happy if they least 25-30K

[Manolo1]

On an IS250 you don't really need the ultra high performance tires as the car is not as fast as the 350, so here are some additional expert recommendations:

... trade-off for higher levels of handling and grip achieved by performance tires, however, has often been tread life.

We reintroduced tread wear to our tire-testing program last year. This year, we made our test more demanding by extending it from 7,200 miles to 16,000 miles, including more driving on city-type roads. We found that wear varied from model to model and did not necessarily follow tread-wear warranties.

Performance all-season tires have a higher speed rating than standard all-season tires (see Types, available to subscribers). They generally provide better handling and braking, and usually have a lower profile (shorter sidewall height) and a wider footprint.

Performance all-season tires, as we define them, come in two speed ratings:

H-rated (130 mph). The most common performance all-season tires on the market are designed to handle and grip better on wet and dry roads than conventional tires, without giving up much in ride comfort.

We found some substantial differences among the H-rated all-season tires we tested. Most were very good or excellent in our tests of braking and handling on both dry and wet pavement. And most were good to excellent at resisting the tendency to hydroplane, or lose grip, when they hit standing water. Almost half of them were competent at coping with snow and ice, comparable to good conventional all-season tires.

V-rated (149 mph). Generally, these tires are more tuned to performance than H-rated all-season tires. Here, too, we found some significant differences between the V-rated tire models in our tests. Some V-rated tires sacrificed winter grip for superior cleared-road handling and grip. Other V-rated tires behaved more like H-rated tires, with good all-season qualities but less ultimate grip than the more performance-oriented models.

If long tread wear is important:

H-rated:

Michelin Energy MXV4 Plus

Goodyear Assurance TripleTred

Kumho Solus KH16

V-rated:

Michelin Pilot HX MXM4

Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S

Michelin Energy MXV4 Plus

Best for all weather conditions:

H-rated:

Dunlop SP Sport 5000

Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S

Falken Ziex ZE 512

V-rated:

Michelin Pilot HX MXM4

Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S

Continental ContiProContact

Others to consider if winter grip doesn’t matter:

H-rated:

Continental ContiProContact

Michelin Pilot XGT H4

Bridgestone Potenza RE950

V-rated:

Yokohama Avid V4s

Falken Ziex ZE 512

Bridgestone Potenza RE950

[mattman94556]

I just put on a set of Vredestein Sessanta tires. Wow. They are wild looking tread, and I was worried about noise and rough riding, but they are just magnificent. My teenage son immediately felt like we were gliding on rails. These recently got the top score in a German car magazine, beating the Pirelli and Michelins. Less than 50 miles on them, so I am not yet driving them too aggressively, but the other reports are that they are pretty hot, so this should be good. I am amazed that with the sport suspension and tires like these the IS350 still drives so smoothly.