New best-rated 17" tire replacements

[slingshot]

I just replaced my original Turanza EL42's with all-season Goodyear Assurance TripleTred tires (80,000 miles warranty and treadlife of 730). I was close to getting Avon M550's or Yokohama Avid A4S's from Tirerack but went with the Goodyears since they got better ratings at Tirerack, Consumer Reports rated them number 1, and a friend highly recommended them. They are in short supply now since the high ratings increased the demand so much. Tirerack doesn't have them in stock for another month but the Goodyear guy priced his very close. The closest size to fit the 17" wheels for these tires are 225/55/17 and they fit fine. The speedometer will be 1mph slow. Goodyear has a $40 rebate and you can save another $40 by buying it with a Goodyear card that pays it off interest-free over six months. If you buy the road hazard warranty, mounting and balancing is free. I drove today in the rain with them on and it rode and took turns well. Here is a link to read more:
http://www.goodyearssurance.com

[jth877]

My buddy got a set for his 99 solara V6 and loved them. Surprisingly, they were incredible in the snow and stuck like glue on dry payement. I'm seriously looking at a set in the summer to replace the bridgestone POS. I was looking at 235/50r17, they were only 0.75mm smaller from the factory over all sidewall diameter: 117.5mm vs. the factory 118.25mm. How is the acceleration with the 225/55? I hope they still have buying incentives in the summer.

[slingshot]

My buddy got a set for his 99 solara V6 and loved them. Surprisingly, they were incredible in the snow and stuck like glue on dry payement. I'm seriously looking at a set in the summer to replace the bridgestone POS. I was looking at 235/50r17, they were only 0.75mm smaller from the factory over all sidewall diameter: 117.5mm vs. the factory 118.25mm. How is the acceleration with the 225/55? I hope they still have buying incentives in the summer.

Glad to hear they perform so well. The 225's are only slightly wider than the stock 215's so acceleration is hardly affected. It really doesn't seem different to me. The present $40 rebate ends on January 21.

[TW85]

Thanks to a pothole, one of my OEM tires now has a slice in the sidewall and the Assurance TripleTread is one of the several tires I am looking at. Others are Kumho ECSTA KH11, Pirelli PZero Nero M+S, Yokohama Avid V4S, and BFGoodrich G-Force Sport. I know the Goodyear is not a performance tire but how stiff is the sidewall compared to the OEM Bridgestones? Ride? Handling? Feel?

[slingshot]

Thanks to a pothole, one of my OEM tires now has a slice in the sidewall and the Assurance TripleTread is one of the several tires I am looking at. Others are Kumho ECSTA KH11, Pirelli PZero Nero M+S, Yokohama Avid V4S, and BFGoodrich G-Force Sport. I know the Goodyear is not a performance tire but how stiff is the sidewall compared to the OEM Bridgestones? Ride? Handling? Feel?

It isn't rated to run at very high speeds (it is H rated) but who goes over 110mph anyway? Just look at the ratings in tirerack and you'll see it is very performance oriented - basically it beats all the others you mentioned hands down (superior on almost every item). The sidewall feels far stiffer than the OEM, handling is better so far, ride feels pretty similar. I haven't done enough aggressive driving with it yet to give a definitive report on the handling though. But I like that it is the best tire for all weather conditions and lasts 80,000 miles. My friend says he hasn't felt his traction control go on since he got these tires. None of those others hold a candle to it performance/price wise. I also like that I can get them replaced at any Goodyear and the overall price was just a little more than the Yokohama's after my dealing and the rebates.

[TW85]

I needed tires TODAY and the only high performance tire I could find in stock in the right size was the BFGoodrich G-Force Sport. Unreal how just a different tire changes the handling characteristics of the Solara, and unlike the OEM Bridgestones, the G-Force Sports do not fear water. The BFGs are definitely noisier than the Bridgestones but they significantly flatten the car in curves. Also much more road feel so I'm happy.

Ended up going with a 225/45R17. I wanted a 225/50R17 but would have had to wait 3-5 days plus the tires would have been at least $120 more.

[slingshot]

Ended up going with a 225/45R17. I wanted a 225/50R17 but would have had to wait 3-5 days plus the tires would have been at least $120 more.

Yikes. Looking at this website: http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html you now have a diameter of 25.0" instead of 26.3" translating to an odometer reading of 5.1% too fast. So if your speedometer reads 60, you are really going 56.9mph.

[slingshot]

UPDATE on the Goodyears:
More road feel, better grip when dry, flatter turns, great in the rain. It's nice to have much more confidence driving in any weather now. I drove a marked 20mph 90 degree curved turn at 55mph with no problems and less lean.

[TW85]

diameter of 25.0" instead of 26.3" translating to an odometer reading of 5.1% too fast. So if your speedometer reads 60, you are really going 56.9mph.

I do not care if the speedo reads a little too fast, I just didn't want it to read too slow. I'll see if the dealer and calibrate the speedo at my next oil change.

[silach]

I went with Pirelli P-zero Nero's. I was having serious fit issues, I couldn't find the exact tire size with a "decent" replacement tire. I went with the Pirellis 235-45 ZR17, paired with the Tein SS the car finally handles like a "coupe" should. I really don't care about a 5mph difference in odometer, I only care about the performance and Pirelli are, in my opinion, best bang for the buck.

[TW85]

The PZero Nero (or M+S) was what I was originally shooting for and if I had actually had the time to order from Tire Rack, I would have. Nothing like making a decision after being backed intoa corner. Oh well, I really like the tires I ended up buying, even if they are on the noisy side (though I think ultra high performance in general are noisy).

[coyote2024]

I just put on the Yoko's V4s last November. Much, much better than the crap Bridgestones from the factory. Snow driving is better, but accelerating is still tricky...mainly due to the TQ of the car. Driving in the wet is drastically improved, and dry driving is so much more fun. It's fun to smoke these tires when the B's created so much front end chatter. Also, I think they're only like $105 each at tirerack.com.

[MrMikeL]

Yoko Avid V4s rock! SO much better than the Turanza's. Next time I buy a new car, I will DEFINITELY check the OEM tires first to see if they need to be changed.

[cabacholoco]

Last month I put Goodyear Eagle 245 Z45R 17's on my '04 V6 SLE. I had to change out the Toyo T1R's I'd put on a few months before due to a vibration issue the tires caused with my car. Although they cost more than the T1R's and don't have as an aggressive tread pattern, the Goodyear Z45R's are a great tire for this car. They stick like glue: haven't been able to get them to break loose yet. Only downside would be the definite increase in tire noise from these tires. But that's what you have a high-end sound system for isn't it? Since it doesn' t rain much in San Diego where I live, I haven't had any experience with this tire yet in wet weather. So, this is a great replacement tire for the Gen2 Solara and they look good too.

[FLUXEMAG]

Don't be a Bridgestone hater just because the Turanza sucks, buy the Potenza S-03's if you live in dry climate. I drove on Goodyear Eagle F1's in a Toyota and liked them fine, but I don't understand why they're called F1's when they have nothing to do with F1. Michelin is garbage and an embarrassment to motor sport.