My new wheels should be here in about 2 weeks, they are Polished ZR1s, 17 x 9.5 and 17 x 11. I wanted to order tires within the next week but im not really knowledgeable on which one would be right for me. Sizes will be 275/40-17 and 315/35-17. So here’s what im looking for in a tire:
-Good looking tread design
-Decent dry grip
-Wet grip can be sacrificed, I don’t drive in the rain often but I don’t want it to be really unsafe if its wet.
-Low noise because I have a vert
-I drive under 2k miles a year so long tread life isn’t a big concern

My budget is around 1000-1500 CND for a set but I would like to stay under that if possible.

 

I'm running the Dunlop SP8000's that came from AFS on my wheels. I'm happy with them... they look good, grip well (dry and wet), and seem to have decent treadwear. My only complaint is noise... but once you've got 315mm wide full-treaded street tires on your car, I don't think you're going to get by without a little bit of noise.

Prior to getting these tires (which came with the wheels), I've always used BFG g-force T/A KDW's (the ones with the "old-style" tread pattern). They're pretty good too. The newer-style KDW's probably grip/handle better, but I'm not out driving the car at 10/10's on a roadcourse, and I don't care for the look of them.

The Dunlop SP8000's look like this...


The BFG's...


Of course, these two tires look similar - that's the style that I like. They might not appeal to you at all.

And, before you go to install those 17x11 rears, check out Injuneer's post in the FAQ for some helpful info (if you haven't already).

 

How are the dunlops noise copmaired to the KDWs? I think ive read that alot of people copmlain about the noise of the KDWs, or maby thats the old style.

 

the new style kdw's get lots of noise complaints. those pictured are the older style

 

I had like 10 different sets of tires are my SS rims. Best set I EVER had were the goodyear F1 GS-D3s.They handle great are really quiet and were amazing in the rain! Also the tread design was very aggressive looking. Any review I ever read in a magazine they got amazing reviews. Only reason I dont run these tires anymore is because I sold the car That would be my number one choice.

 

This seems to be the general consensus and thats why ill be purchasing some GS-D3's when I get my new wheels!

 

Unfortunately, I can't really compare the two directly. I've only used the (old-style) KDWs in the stock (245) size, and the Dunlops in the 275/315 combo. The Dunlops are noisier, but also a lot bigger.


So how does everyone find the F1 GS-D3's in terms of wear?


Unfortunately, there often isn't a huge selection of brands/styles once you get to 315/35's. As an example, using TireRack's tire search yields 5 results for street tire 315's... plus a bunch of competition/racing tires. By comparison, you get 37 street tire results for the ubiquitous 245/50-16.

 

Arnt the GS-D3s on back order right now? I dont want to wait for months on tires.
Does anyone have nitto 555Rs all round?

I know theyre only supposed to last around 10-15k but thats 5 years for me. How would the noise be on these?

 

you dont need the 555rs on the front