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Snrub · 05-16-2018, 12:18 PM

Agree about the use of summer tires, however not all summer tires are created equal. Tire Rack uses the parlance of "Max Performance" for a category which seem to have better wet performance than the "Ultra High Performance" tires. If you take a look at Tire Rack's testing data something like the Firestone Indy 500, it does a dry/wet lap time of 30.02/35.45. The Conti ECS does 30.40/33.28. While you cannot compare directly between tests (ignore the absolute times), notice the amount of difference between the dry/wet performance. Also note that GRM had very different wet results between the Michelin PS4 and the ECS, suggesting Tire Rack's test may be closer to damp than really wet. I really question the Indy 500's ability to evacuate water during a torrential down pour.

You can also tweak the sizing to optimize cost/availability rather than compromising with a no-season tire. The OEM tire size is ~27.7." You can get the 27.3" tall 235/50/18 Conti ECS, or the 27" tall 255/45/18, or 28" tall 255/40/20. Keep in mind that half of the height difference will show up in the change to the fender gap and there will be a slight change to speedometer reading and gearing (smaller will improve it). You don't need to focus too much on width. There is more or less no cornering performance advantage of going beyond a 215 wide tire on a 8.5" wide wheel.

05-16-2018, 12:18 PM	#9
Snrub Drives: Gone: 2017 Camaro SS Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: London Ontario Canada Posts: 111	Agree about the use of summer tires, however not all summer tires are created equal. Tire Rack uses the parlance of "Max Performance" for a category which seem to have better wet performance than the "Ultra High Performance" tires. If you take a look at Tire Rack's testing data something like the Firestone Indy 500, it does a dry/wet lap time of 30.02/35.45. The Conti ECS does 30.40/33.28. While you cannot compare directly between tests (ignore the absolute times), notice the amount of difference between the dry/wet performance. Also note that GRM had very different wet results between the Michelin PS4 and the ECS, suggesting Tire Rack's test may be closer to damp than really wet. I really question the Indy 500's ability to evacuate water during a torrential down pour. You can also tweak the sizing to optimize cost/availability rather than compromising with a no-season tire. The OEM tire size is ~27.7." You can get the 27.3" tall 235/50/18 Conti ECS, or the 27" tall 255/45/18, or 28" tall 255/40/20. Keep in mind that half of the height difference will show up in the change to the fender gap and there will be a slight change to speedometer reading and gearing (smaller will improve it). You don't need to focus too much on width. There is more or less no cornering performance advantage of going beyond a 215 wide tire on a 8.5" wide wheel.