Stickier but not "serious" performance summer tire recommendations for a daily driver?

Hi Everyone,

I’m due for new tires on my car this spring, and now that the conservative “low rolling resistance” and made for gas mileage tires are on their last legs I want something a little bit more fun.

The car in question is a 2015 Mazda6 Touring.  I have the factory 19” alloy wheels and tire size is kind of an odd one at 225/45/19 .

So here’s what I’m looking for.  I want a set of tires I can run from April-Nov. in New York and not feel at any time during the early or late months of the year that they are too aggressive to get traction in the cold or could be a serious liability if we get an unexpected snow storm. 

I have a dedicated set of winter wheels with Bridgestone Blizzacks and I think it’s reasonable to believe that they will last me at least one more winter before I have to replace those.  I’m also a firm believer in the idea that the best All Season is still not as good as a dedicated snow tire so I’m not shopping for tires based on using them year around.

If the driving experience is that superior for one tire vs. an ultra high performance all season for example, I’d take the wheels off when I anticipated temps dipping below 40 regularly. 

At the same time, I want a tire that’s going to have good grip and be “fun” and make the car more interesting for some spirited driving.  If I invest in some more suitable tires for autocrossing I might take it out to a few events early this spring and summer before I finish my project car I intend to use regularly for autocross.    

To make this a bit easier to receive suggestions I’m cheating and listing what I found on tirerack for tires that fit my car and are within my budget:

Max Performance Summer:

HANKOOK VENTUS V12 EVO2
CONTINENTAL EXTREMECONTACT SPORT
PIRELLI P ZERO (PZ4)
BRIDGESTONE POTENZA S-04 POLE POSITION
BRIDGESTONE POTENZA RE050A
 
Ultra High Performance Summer:

FALKEN AZENIS FK510
YOKOHAMA S.DRIVE
 
All season:

GENERAL  G-MAX AS-05
YOKOHAMA  ADVAN SPORT A/S
PIRELLI  P ZERO ALL SEASON PLUS
BFGOODRICH  G-FORCE COMP-2 A/S
CONTINENTAL  EXTREMECONTACT DWS 06
GOODYEAR  EAGLE F1 ASYMMETRIC ALL-SEASON

I'm not opposed to  an Ultra High Performance All Season but I'm not making it a priority to buy an A/S either.  If someone has a glowing recommendation for one of them listed I'd take them though.
 

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

I've had the G-FORCE Comp 2s on my 996 and I'd happily buy them for another car again.

I put a few thousand miles on a set of Michelin Pilot Sport AS/3+ which are the all season variant of the pilot sport. I was quite happy with them and thought the performance was excellent. I still ran winter tires though. 

BFG Sport Comp 2s are awesome. I have a set of the UHP's on my MS3 with 15kish miles on them. 

They've been out in the rain and the cold multiple times and, while the traction decreases since they're not all seasons, I've never felt they were a liability. In snow however, they're terrifying.

I adore the ECS.  (My go-to for (above freezing) ugly weather AX)

They love the rain, have a good lifespan, and are not too expensive, what's not to like?

Buddy of mine has several AXes, several track days, and several thousand miles of DDing on his and they're still going strong.

Long story short, they sound perfect for what you're describing. Hell, the main downside in my mind is that I haven't been able to talk Costco into carrying Continental yet.

I like Continental. Pretty much have them on all my cars and have always been happy with them.

I put a set of Goodyear Eagle Sport A/S on my GTI last summer. They are great and were reasonably priced at the time because of rebates.

I run Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice in winter and BFG Rival S for sticky tire events.

FWIW, I’ve run S.Drives on my Answer for awhile and I like them.  Decent grip and response, predictable behavior at the limit, and ok in the wet. And they’re cheap.

Feedyurhed said:

I like Continental. Pretty much have them on all my cars and have always been happy with them.

This. One of the best all around tires ive ever used.  Would not hesitate AT ALL to put them on anything for 3 season use. They even handle light snow on poorly prepared roads on an automatic protege5 better than the subaru did on nexen all seasons. 

I dailyd the s04 pole positions and as long as the weather was nice they were phenomenal. Not good in heavy rain. I'd go Continental

I'll be the oddball that loves the Hankook V12s then - I'm on my second set on my Mustang - very nearly match the grip of the factory Pirellis, and half the price.  I'm more of a bang for the buck guy, so there's that.  They're pretty good in the wet as well, but haven't tested them in any snow.

The CONTINENTAL EXTREMECONTACT SPORT on your list is the only tire I've seen compared with ST tires and close in performance.  And its the top choice for a ST rain tire.

I just ordered some.

I also recommend the S-Drives, they are inexpensive, good handling and okay in the rain. My MX-5 was a handful in the rain with the stock size 205/50 R16 tires (no name), would spin 1-3 gear, but with the S-Drives (albeit in a much larger 235/40/R17 size) they are hard to break loose in any gear in the wet. On the street, I really can't exceed the corning limits safely, which means they are perfect for my needs. Car is a daily driver 2008 MX-5

I have the same Michelins as dculberson, on my 300ZX TT, and find them really good for all around driving. However, I’ve not tried them in heavy rain conditions. Or snow, as recommended in Z owner’s manual. LOL.

Feedyurhed said:

I like Continental. Pretty much have them on all my cars and have always been happy with them.

I'll second this.  I've had great luck with Contis.  The DW (or its current replacement) is a great 3-season tire that can tolerate a little cold and wet.  The DWS is its all-season sibling.  I am on my second set on the TSX, and just drove in through the east coast Slopmageddon II with zero trouble.

dherr said:

I also recommend the S-Drives, they are inexpensive, good handling and okay in the rain. My MX-5 was a handful in the rain with the stock size 205/50 R16 tires (no name), would spin 1-3 gear, but with the S-Drives (albeit in a much larger 235/40/R17 size) they are hard to break loose in any gear in the wet. On the street, I really can't exceed the corning limits safely, which means they are perfect for my needs. Car is a daily driver 2008 MX-5

Another endorsement for S-Drives.  I've run them on NA and NC Miatas here year 'round, in everything except snow.  They tolerate cold well, and work fine in the rain.  We get everything from 100+ days in the summer to 20s at night in the winter and they do fine.  They get a little greasy when pushed hard, but that pace is really a little too fast for responsible street driving anyway.

My only gripe is they get loud as they get older.

BoxheadCougarTim said:

I've had the G-FORCE Comp 2s on my 996 and I'd happily buy them for another car again.

+1 for the Comp 2.  I replaced the OEM BRIDGESTONE POTENZA RE050A on the FiST with these and much preferred them.  Better wear and ride too, with more grip. 

The only thing I will say is I got 30k miles on my s04's without rotating (staggered fitment) and probably could have gotten more. Replaced for age not tread 

Another vote for the BFG Sport comp2.  They are an old design and conpound similar in age to the S Drive but have seened to stay relevant. 

Fantastic in the dry and in the rain.  Not an all out sticky but they strike a great balance.  Ok in the cold but terrifying in the snow. 

Granted this snow behavior is on a CTS V, not the best snow mobile out there.

We run the S.drives on the whole FM fleet when we don’t need max traction. Good tire. 

FIYAPOWA said:

I'll be the oddball that loves the Hankook V12s then - I'm on my second set on my Mustang - very nearly match the grip of the factory Pirellis, and half the price.  I'm more of a bang for the buck guy, so there's that.  They're pretty good in the wet as well, but haven't tested them in any snow.

You're not the only one.. I'm on my second set on the Rx-8. 

They work really well for the price, and seem to hold up well.  I've noticed grip falls off pretty quick below 20°, but comes back quickly with a mile or two of driving. Like FIYAPOWA, I have no experience in the snow, as the '8 doesn't come out if there's salt on the roads.

I've been really happy with them in the rain, and I think I got 20k out of the first set, which ain't bad.  They will start to get a bit greasy when it's >85° by the end of a 20+ minute session.  I know the car is different, but I'm about 2.5 seconds slower @ Palmer with these on the Rx-8 than in my Spec Miata on RE050As, and I attribute about a second of that to the tires.  The rest to the seat & harness :)

Here's a pic of them playing in the wet:

I would vote for the S.Drives if you go all summer.  Conti ExtremeContact DWS06 for all seasons.

The BFG G-Force line seems to always deliver but I haven't experienced the Sport Comp-2s.

On my Evo8 I run the Conti ExtremeContact DWS06 and find them to be very very good in all weather conditions. I had run the Dunlop Direzza summer only tires (not my favorites) and there is a definite noticeable reduction in dry grip with the DWSs.  But I would say the wet grip is on par. The Yoke Advan046 tires that came on the Evo stock were perfectly matched and generated grip but not so much as to over tire the car.  

I used ultra summer tires or street competition tires on my cars only if I intended to autocross them. Otherwise I would just do a very good all season. 

I was going to get a new car about two years ago but some more important life came up. The 6 was on the top of my list. How do you like it? Manual or Auto? IF Auto how does the simulated manual shifting function work out for you?. 

I posed a similar question to the CSR at Tire Rack and he recommended s.drives.  I've had them on for about 2 weeks and like them pretty well so far.  They did pretty well this morning on some icy roads.  I haven't had them long enough or pushed them hard enough to comment on anything else.  As for noise, they aren't any worse than the no-seasons that they replaced and are positively whisper quiet compared to my snow tires. 

I found the conti's to be great on the street, especially wet traction. I was able from a light in the pouring rain in my v6 mazda6 3 pedal to stop on it and get minimal wheel spin. I did fine them to wear a bit quicker than I would like for the tread wear rating and the one time I went to a track day and ran the parade laps they howl'd like mad as if it was an all season tire.

How much autocrossing you want to do or track days with that car or is it spirited driving?

If you got the extra coin for the yokos those are excellent too and ride nice, very good wet traction as well.

I've run S.drive, continental DW(ESC), Goodyear Assy2, and Hankook V12

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GY ASS2