Vehicle = 2007 WRX Sedan
Suspension Modifications = Stock
Wheels = Stock 17x7
I'm Looking For = Good All Season Tires
My stock tires are still on the car (Bridgestone Potenza RE92 215/45/17 All Season), but they're complete garbage - not to mention, the tread is getting dangerously low - and I don't have any desire to purchase those exact same tires again. I don't have the funds to purchase a nice set of summer wheels/tires and a second set of winter wheels/tires, so I'm going to settle for a set of good all seasons on my stock wheels for now. With this in mind, my first, and probably most important decision, is what size to get. Some things to consider:
215/45/17
Pro + slightly narrower, so probably better winter performance
Pro + slightly less material, so probably lighter weight and better gas mileage
Con - worse dry performance than a wider tire
225/45/17
Con - slightly wider, so probably worse winter performance
Con - slightly more material, so probably heavier weight and worse gas mileage
Pro + better dry performance than a narrower tire
I'm leaning toward 225/45/17 which is a little wider than stock, but from what I've read, they should fit just fine. I live in Maryland and do have to occasionally drive in some snow, but I don't think the extra width of the wider tire will be that much of a negative issue. And the extra dry performance I'd get would probably make up for the slightly worse gas mileage due to the extra weight. So unless anybody can seriously convince me otherwise, I'll probably end up with the slightly wider 225/45/17.
Now, for the tires themselves... I'm probably going to try to get them through a friend who can get them at cost (+/-) through his place of employment and mount the new ones and dispose of the old ones for me for free, so all I have to do is tell him the size and exact model that I'm looking for and throw him a few bucks and he'll take care of the rest. Based on TireRack.com's reviews (basically, I'm not considering any tires that were less than average in winter performance), here are the brands that I might consider purchasing in 225/45/17:
Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Position
- Excellent wet/dry performance, good/average winter performance, plain looking tread
Continental ContiExtremeContact
- Good all-around performance, plain looking tread
Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus
- Excellent dry/wet performance, good winter performance, cool looking tread
Bridgestone Potenza G 019 Grid
- Good all-around performance, plain looking tread
Dunlop SP Sport Signature
- Good all-around performance, slightly more interesting looking tread
Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S
- Good all-around performance, plain looking tread
And now my eyes are a little sore after reading a bunch of reviews and I'm tired, so I'll probably come back to this list later, but I guess that's a start. Thanks for reading and all opinions are welcome.
The bottom line is: quality is more important to me than price. I want a good set of all season tires.
Suspension Modifications = Stock
Wheels = Stock 17x7
I'm Looking For = Good All Season Tires
My stock tires are still on the car (Bridgestone Potenza RE92 215/45/17 All Season), but they're complete garbage - not to mention, the tread is getting dangerously low - and I don't have any desire to purchase those exact same tires again. I don't have the funds to purchase a nice set of summer wheels/tires and a second set of winter wheels/tires, so I'm going to settle for a set of good all seasons on my stock wheels for now. With this in mind, my first, and probably most important decision, is what size to get. Some things to consider:
215/45/17
Pro + slightly narrower, so probably better winter performance
Pro + slightly less material, so probably lighter weight and better gas mileage
Con - worse dry performance than a wider tire
225/45/17
Con - slightly wider, so probably worse winter performance
Con - slightly more material, so probably heavier weight and worse gas mileage
Pro + better dry performance than a narrower tire
I'm leaning toward 225/45/17 which is a little wider than stock, but from what I've read, they should fit just fine. I live in Maryland and do have to occasionally drive in some snow, but I don't think the extra width of the wider tire will be that much of a negative issue. And the extra dry performance I'd get would probably make up for the slightly worse gas mileage due to the extra weight. So unless anybody can seriously convince me otherwise, I'll probably end up with the slightly wider 225/45/17.
Now, for the tires themselves... I'm probably going to try to get them through a friend who can get them at cost (+/-) through his place of employment and mount the new ones and dispose of the old ones for me for free, so all I have to do is tell him the size and exact model that I'm looking for and throw him a few bucks and he'll take care of the rest. Based on TireRack.com's reviews (basically, I'm not considering any tires that were less than average in winter performance), here are the brands that I might consider purchasing in 225/45/17:
Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Position
- Excellent wet/dry performance, good/average winter performance, plain looking tread
Continental ContiExtremeContact
- Good all-around performance, plain looking tread
Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus
- Excellent dry/wet performance, good winter performance, cool looking tread
Bridgestone Potenza G 019 Grid
- Good all-around performance, plain looking tread
Dunlop SP Sport Signature
- Good all-around performance, slightly more interesting looking tread
Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S
- Good all-around performance, plain looking tread
And now my eyes are a little sore after reading a bunch of reviews and I'm tired, so I'll probably come back to this list later, but I guess that's a start. Thanks for reading and all opinions are welcome.
The bottom line is: quality is more important to me than price. I want a good set of all season tires.