Best Summer Tires for 2013 Subaru BRZ

I'm looking for new tires since mine are pretty worn. I'm 21, trying to save money, but really want good handling. Living in Upstate NY (big temp swings, wet roads often). I've only got the car on the road April-October. I'm currently looking at buying either:

Michelin Pilot Sport 4S ($670)   https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Michelin&tireModel=Pilot+Sport+4S&partnum=145YR7PS4SXL&fromSurvey=true

Or

Firehawk Indy 500 ($465) https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Firestone&tireModel=Firehawk+Indy+500&partnum=145WR7FHI5XL&fromSurvey=true

I'm just looking for opinions on if it's absolutely worth it to spend $200 more for a better tire. I'm just not sure how much better it actually is. I did notice the Firestone tires are 22lbs and the Michelin are 19lbs; not sure how much of an impact this would make for a 2800lb car. Does anyone with a sports car drive on the Firehawks? I enjoy taking curves quick, but if it's minor than it isn't worth it. Feel free to refer other tires too.

If you're looking for something cheap and decent quality, I'd go for the tire that the 86 Cup uses:

https://www.ebay.com/p/4-X-GT-Radial-CHAMPIRO-Sx2-215-45zr17-87w/1551321975

Can't beat it for 69 bucks a tire + free shipping!

I have Firehawk Indy 500 on my Speed3. I like them, good grip, good in the rain, and not very expensive. Will get another set when these wear out in 3 months. Got about 20k on them. 

Had Bridgestone S-04 before but sidewall was too soft. Good grip and great in the rain. Lasted about 25k. RE-71R before that. Awesome grip dry, but wore them out in 15k. Noisy tire too. Very stiff sidewall. Ok in the rain but not great. 

Dont remember what I had before maybe RE-050A? Liked them but expensive more than the RE-71R and only 20k from them. 

Blake1208 said:

I'm looking for new tires since mine are pretty worn.

What tires do you have now?

Blake1208 said:

 

I'm 21, trying to save money, but really want good handling.

I think the answer to this is to go with the Indy 500s.   The PS4S are a lot better tire, but if you're not competing against a stopwatch the Indys are a perfectly good budget choice.

In reply to red_stapler :

Michelin all-seasons with 2/32 left on the back. And I think the Indy's are what I'm going to go with. Like you said, I won't notice much of a difference.

Have you looked at Conti ECS?  Very close to PS4S in performance at a lower cost.

Conti ECS at TR $576

I've never regretted buying tier 1 tires...  I have, at times, regretted buying cheaper tires.

Rodan said:

Have you looked at Conti ECS?  Very close to PS4S in performance at a lower cost.

Conti ECS at TR $576

I've never regretted buying tier 1 tires...  I have, at times, regretted buying cheaper tires.

This.  I've got a set on the BMW and so far, they're great.  My only complaint is that they're loud.  Sidewalls feel great, they've got lots of grip, they're responsive, etc.  They've even got lots of grip when it's 40 degrees and wet.  But honestly, if I could have gotten the PS4S in the sizes I'm running (they don't make a 275/40R18 so I couldn't run them) and I could confirm that they're quieter, I'd have spent more $$$ for less noise.  The ECS are quieter than my Blizzaks for winter at low speeds (and they don't groan under braking or in tight turns), but at highway speed they're pretty noisy unless you're on glassy smooth, well polished pavement.  

The ECS are also pretty light and they ride well.  Compared to my Blizzaks, they're 3 and 2 lbs lighter (front and rear) despite being 20 and 40mm wider.  And they ride slightly better than the Blizzaks (and with a lot less audible thumping over bumps), yet they're not mushy like the snows.  

I've run the Indy 500's on a few cars now and will buy another set for my current daily driver., they're a good tire with a nice balance of performance, ride and price. They're sold as a Bridgestone RE003 outside of North America.

Adam

I ran the Indy 500's on my BRZ, and would recommend them without a second thought.  They were really inexpensive (there was even a rebate at the time I bought mine).  As adam525i said, they are rebadged RE003's.  I ran 1-1/2 seasons of auto-x,  2 track days and commuted ~70mi/day on them.  When I sold the car, they had approx. 20k on them and still had usable tread, but were heat cycled out, so cool mornings were somewhat entertaining!  

Falken FK510 are an interesting choice. I bought some, I don't have a lot of miles on them, but I think they seem good. Tire rack says $380 for your car.

Tire Rack's testing shows them to be equal to the Indy 500 in the dry, while the FK510 are much better in the wet. https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/chartDisplay.jsp?ttid=235

This test was more favorable than some (3rd of 20), but I think they're good bang for the buck with a mix of attributes. http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2019-Auto-Bild-Summer-Tyre-Test.htm

The FK510 has sizable voids while the tread pattern, while the Indy 500's tread is almost more like a 200TW tire, so if you were planning on track duty, the Indy 500 might be preferable. If your application is mostly street, I would personally aim for better wet performance.

Agree on the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500, you're not going to find a better daily driver tire for the price for an FR-S/BRZ... they are a perfect match for the ZN6 chassis. There has to be a reason they are #1 rated on Tire Rack for the UHP category. Best daily driver tire I've driven on (in any vehicle) with excellent wet and dry grip and better ride quality than the Continental Extreme Contact DWs previously had and liked on my FR-S. They channel standing water at speed exceptionally well, have had no hydroplane worries at all @ highway/interstates speeds in the wet. 

I prefer running 205/45-17 tires on 17x7.5 wheels on my FR-S for reduced weight, lower CG (more planted) , and better responsiveness. Almost same weight as stock tires, but much greater grip (especially in the wet), better behavior at the limit, and more stable/planted at speed. Firehawk Indy 500 would be my top recommendation for FR-S/BRZ daily driver tire.

Really wanted to try the Extreme Contact Sports, but not for the much greater cost compared to Firehawk Indy 500 with rebate offer at the time....the Indy 500 are a better Extreme Contact DW - more composed with better ride and same level to slightly better grip. Like previously mentioned, they just sync extremely well with the FR-S/BRZ chassis... more so than the Extreme Contact DWs. The newer Extreme Contact Sports is what I would be curious in trying though, am always up for less unsprung weight and the handing of the Sports is improved over the former DW from all accounts.

I found quite a few places selling the Indys, but after the 215/45-17 I'm looking fo, I find things like XL 91V or XL 94W. Any ideal as to what it means after the XL? Looks like a different tread pattern. Even so, I see the same tread with different suffixes after the XL.