I’m in the hunt for some performance tires for my Corvair and Discount Tire has the BFG G-Force Sport Comp 2 for $96 each in the tire size I’m looking (225/50-16). That’s one of the few brand name performance tires I have found under $100 each, which is my budget.
You guys have more experience with performance tires than I do, so I figured you’d know better.
I don’t need all-seasons, but something decent in the rain.
I’m up for any other suggestions as well.
I had a set in 245/50/16 on my autocross s10. Loved them. They suck in snow Nd wet grass on a 2wd truck though.
I've had them on my 996 as late spring/summer/early fall tires. I really liked them and would happily buy another set.
Had them on the FiST, loved them. Lots of highway miles, more than a few autocross laps. Decent in the wet, I have snow tires so never tested them there. Will get another set for next summer.
I've run a few sets of the sport comp2 on the V and really liked them. I'm leaning towards the Firestone Firehawk 500 as they seem to be the spiritual successor with newer compounds and tread. https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Firestone&tireModel=Firehawk+Indy+500&partnum=25WR6FHI5&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes
They're a nice street tire, grippy enough, smooth enough, quiet enough. I definitely wouldn't recommend them for autocross though. They overheat and get greasy extremely easily. If you plan on autocrossing more than say twice a year, I wouldn't recommend them for that. But they're pretty good for everything else.
My favorite tires ever.
As a bonus, when at full tread depth, I have never gotten them to hydroplane, and not for a lack of trying.
Good in the rain, sticky enough on dry pavement that a car with good handling characteristics can become a bit boring on the street, at least if you're the sort to enjoy a bit of throttle-induced oversteer. Fairly quiet, seem to be well-made. Wear is acceptable, but not great.
I'll just mention that I have the Sport Comp 2 A/S on both my GTi and my Porsche 924S, and both are excellent all-around tires and for street driving they are damn near as good as a summer-only tire, and excellent in any kind of rain/standing water/etc. I assume they'll be ok in winter weather, though not as good as the Wintersports I'm used to.
I know you're asking about the summer version, but the A/S would be a good alternative - adn that's coming from someone (me) who historically swears by dedicated summer and winter tires rather and A/S tires, but these are so good I now have them on two cars....
In reply to irish44j :
One of my customers has the A/Ss. My opinion, they are better than the Sumitomos that were previously on his car but just barely.
Note about the Comp2s: They do not work in the winter. They do not give a halfhearted attempt at working. They do not even bother getting out of bed. If snow or temperatures below 30-35F are in your driving forecast, these tires are not for you. The rubber turns to glass and the lack of sipes means they don't have any grip anyway. I tried driving the RX-7 on them in snow once, in an emergency, and after three blocks, I found a safe place to park and called a tow truck. It was that bad.
I have had similar experiences to what’s posted above. I liked the summer tires so much when they wore out on my Speed 3 I put the all seasons on and I’m just as impressed. It’s a good line
Had them on my M3Ti in 235/45R17. Best rain tires ever. I loaned my car to a friend(leaky Saab 900 convertible) on a rainy day. He came home from work and told me the tires made the car no fun because he couldn't get it to break loose. Mission accomplished. They worked fantastic in the dry as well. Very grippy, low road noise, the usual.
Mine wore HORRIBLY though. I had my alignment checked before I put them on and after I'd had them 5k and seen bad wear. It wasn't the alignment. All four wore differently but not good. Some the inside, some the outside, one looked like the shocks were bad, the others didn't.
Love them.
As Knurled said they're... Interesting if any snow hits the ground. It's one of those things you'll only ever want to experience once and god help you if there's a hill of any noteable grade.
They don't last long but that's pretty much expected of a UHP tire. I have 17000 on mine and I'm getting ready to replace them with the A/S version in the spring as they're at 3/32".
I wonder if the wear thing is due to tire size, or other factors. Different sizes may get different compounds, with "non OE" sizing tending to get softer rubber, unless it's an OEM "cheater" tire (good example: the OE tires from the Nissan GT-R are worth a second or two per lap on a Viper...)
RX-7 was a 2500lb car (-ish) with 225/50-15s, and they basically showed no wear after about 15k miles.
About 20k on a 2900lb (-ish) front-driver on 195/55-15s and the wear was noticable. Not quite due for replacement but kind of alarming.
On the other hand one of my favorite things to do in the FWD car was see if I could brake deep enough into a corner to make the ABS activate, and if it was damp out I'd see if I could get wheelspin when the boost came on in 3rd gear at 60. So driver habits played a role, I'm sure.
In reply to Knurled. :
I'd assume that has something to do with it. They're currently on my 2011 MS3 which is a 3200 lbs modified FWD vehicle in the 225/40-R18 size. I don't drive it like a blue hair church lady.
They've lasted longer than the OE Dunlops because I had a bunch of toe dialed out. I'll grab the maintenance log when I get to work to see exactly how many miles I have on them.
Not bad for a nearly decade old tire. Price and size availability are really the main things going for it.
I used them on my '85 Corvette and my wifes old RX-8 and loved them as a dd tire. Ran a few track days on them too. I thought they were pretty good in the rain, and while not great in the cold they were better than the RE760's my Z06 had.
Looks like I was wrong on the internet. Crossed 20k miles on them last night. They were installed at 20,980 and I just crossed 40,9xx driving home yesterday to put the car away for the winter. 20k isn't too bad at 3.1 cents per mile mounted, balanced, and installed.
The OE Dunlops lasted a similar distance (obviously) but were tossed due to excessive toe wear. The BFG's have worn nice and evenly, even with 10k of those miles being with the OE suspension.
The tires are notably louder now that they've worn down to that point.
These are my absolute favorite daily driver 3-season tire. Their dry performance is excellent especially given the 360 (I think?) treadwear rating… and I’ve yet to drive anything with more grip & stability in the wet. I have never tried to drive on them in the snow… have always had a second set of wheels with snows mounted, that go on as soon as I see snowflakes in the forecast. I’ve run them on 4 different cars now, ranging in size from an NB Miata to a Legacy GT Wagon. I’ll be buying a set in the spring for my new DD Mazda3.
They do not particularly enjoy being autocrossed UNLESS it’s actively raining… in which case their wet performance really shines, while the water simultaneously keeps them from overheating.
Thanks guys. This is good input.
I know you guys threw in about the winter driving, but my Corvair is only going to be a 3 Season car. Too much salt and E36 M3ty drivers around here for me to even want to let it leave the garage.
They are a pretty decent street tire for spirited driving, up to a point. I use them on a BMW sports car.
For my Solstice coupe, which has had a bunch of suspension development, I prefer the more expensive Michelin PSS. Depends on what sort of driving you plan on. As indicated, none of the high performance category summer tires work worth a damn in winter/snow.
There are cheaper alternatives from Hankook and Sumitomo that others have told me worked pretty well for them (no personal experience with them).
As for solo competition, don't even think about it on street tires with wear indices of 300 plus. Go buy some Bridgestone RE-71R or equivalent and have fun.
SyntheticBlinkerFluid said:Thanks guys. This is good input.
I know you guys threw in about the winter driving, but my Corvair is only going to be a 3 Season car. Too much salt and E36 M3ty drivers around here for me to even want to let it leave the garage.
Understood, but you know someone in the future will find this thread and find that extra bit of info useful.
Another +1 for the Comp Sport 2
I've been running them on my E36 M3 (the car, not the poop) and like others have said, they are great in the rain. I actually drove my car from FL to Road America (WI) and did a track day on them. They aren't ideal for serious track use, and started to chunk a bit after a few sessions. That said, they were predictable, stable and had enough grip to be fun. On the street, they are about perfect for a daily performance tire.
I've never had to drive them in the snow, so I'd refer to others on that.
I liked the SC2s on my Fairmont (same size as the OP) and only took them off because I got a screaming deal on some RE-71Rs and wanted to autocross in CAM. I still have them, but they're probably getting too hard to use by now. I'll put them back on at some point, even if it's just to burn them off.
Had them on my Miata. Overall decent ride, pretty good in the rain. No bueno in temperatures less than 40 degrees. Did OK for about two laps on the track, then turned into a greasy mess. Pretty fun for four-wheel powerslides through turns I guess. In the same price/performance range, I think the Conti ExtremeContact Sports are a no-brainer.
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