Best Tires for FWD Boosted Setups

[Si Speed 317]

Thanks for the reply, aLmk. I sort of figured there was no perfect compromise or everyone would be running them. I do live in Alabama, and snow accumulation on the roads is both rare and typically leads to road closures, so I'm still leaning more toward running an extreme performance tire but perhaps without the ultra-aggressive tread pattern (or lack therof) of the NT05.

The Conti DWS is a great suggestion. I've heard some good things about them on the mazdaspeed forum, but the topics there don't really address the milder climates that just get cold snaps, it's either Blizzak or extreme summer tires, and those look like a pretty rigid compound rated at 50k miles / 540 TWR. It would probably be smart of me to get those or something similar, but I think I'm going to try my luck with something softer so I can run them year round.

Yoko S.Drives, Pilot SS, and Cooper RS3-S have my eye at the moment, all being 300TWR and having plenty of siping to evacuate water and maybe offer enough grip to get me to work on semi-slick roads. If I have good results with whatever I choose, I'll report back!

The S-drives are pretty good, I used to have them on my old 18x8 ce28n's. However...

I'm almost embarrassed I forgot about those tires - they were on my EP3 when I bought it! They cornered like beasts until they wore down, and it was almost as if the rubber compound changed and they got really greasy. With how cheap they are I could definitely give them another shot - and the sexy tread pattern does look like it could handle shedding some light snow. I don't know if they can hook on a 235/40/18 on a warm day, but I suppose there's only one way to find out.

Hopefully next winter I'll have some extra wheels/tires for the car, but I'm having difficulty prioritizing for our typical climate and those remaining mods screaming for my wallet.

..I'm currently running the Nexen N3000's. I'm pretty surprised at how well they perform! Slight downside is the soft sidewall, makes cornering a bit tough if you have a stiff suspension setup. Then again, i'm running 17x9's woth 245/40 all around. For now anyway. Next season, gonna go much wider up front

[wannavtec]

I may consider BFG rivals 245/40 in the future. The reviews look pretty good and if I ever decide to hit a road course or autocross they would work well.

[SAX JONZ]

I'm running the Direzzas, great tire for cornering. Traction is the best tire I've ever used...till the end of season. Must be something in the compound that works great for a few months but they lose traction after awhile. Expensive tires. I think the wider helps but after a few thosand miles they slip a bit. First day was perfect as the traction was incredible but gradually less as season wore on. But from all of the tires for summer I've experienced potenzas on my s2k these impressed me as far as cornering goes. Tread still looks like new so...

[EP3toMS3]

I promised to report back if I had some good news... and I think I do. This might seem odd, but I went with UHP all season Nitto Neo Gens 235/40/18. They're a soft compound low silica / high rubber content tire, so they stay pliable in the cold, evacuate plenty of water for safe inclement driving, and have enough sidewall squirm that it translates into outstanding acceleration grip. The shoulders are still very blocky both inside and out, and they only compromise with two large aqua grooves - so there's a lot of contact patch.

I lost a bit of responsiveness, but the lateral G's are still outstanding (I'd say better than the .93g the OEM Dunflops attain on stock suspension). I wouldn't auto-x or road course these tires even over-inflated, but they kick ass for my DD need to boost, and I'm fairly sure I'll be able to lay down some 1.9-2.0 60fts come Spring, which for me is great on a street tire.

One of the BT guys pushing ~400/400 on MSF suggested them, and I was a bit apprehensive. Not any more. They're also very quiet, a fringe benefit for my reasonably low NVH car. (test pipe and motor mount)

[aLmk]

I promised to report back if I had some good news... and I think I do. This might seem odd, but I went with UHP all season Nitto Neo Gens 235/40/18. They're a soft compound low silica / high rubber content tire, so they stay pliable in the cold, evacuate plenty of water for safe inclement driving, and have enough sidewall squirm that it translates into outstanding acceleration grip. The shoulders are still very blocky both inside and out, and they only compromise with two large aqua grooves - so there's a lot of contact patch.

I lost a bit of responsiveness, but the lateral G's are still outstanding (I'd say better than the .93g the OEM Dunflops attain on stock suspension). I wouldn't auto-x or road course these tires even over-inflated, but they kick ass for my DD need to boost, and I'm fairly sure I'll be able to lay down some 1.9-2.0 60fts come Spring, which for me is great on a street tire.

One of the BT guys pushing ~400/400 on MSF suggested them, and I was a bit apprehensive. Not any more. They're also very quiet, a fringe benefit for my reasonably low NVH car. (test pipe and motor mount)

How much power you making? Good luck getting a 1.9-2.0 60ft out of street tires! Best I've done on street tires was like 2.2 and that was with just an intake LOL. I cut 1.7s with slicks.

[EP3toMS3]

How much power you making? Good luck getting a 1.9-2.0 60ft out of street tires! Best I've done on street tires was like 2.2 and that was with just an intake LOL. I cut 1.7s with slicks.

310whp 360tq, probably a bit more this time of year with the cooler temps. Car weighs 3200lbs. I was fairly consistent with 2.13 being my best 60ft on Dunlop RE050's and seldom over 2.2s at the local 1/8th mile, but the problems arose when I went to the nearest 1/4 mile and was spinning through 3rd from the dew on the track. 14.2 @ 107. I know the car is good for high 12s ~110mph but I don't want to buy a drag setup - at least not yet.

These tires were meant to solve my mild winter, mostly 3 season-ish, not get me killed in standing water traction desires for putting down the power as best as possible, and compromising as little as possible lateral grip. What it really comes down to is large contact patch, soft rubber, and soft sidewalls with adequate water channeling.

You can't really do that with summer tires because they get too hard below 40*F, and any tire meant for max performance is going to have a rigid sidewall. I feel like I'm getting off really well here with the only substantial compromise being the immediacy at which the lateral grip is delivered.

[Si Speed 317]

310whp 360tq, probably a bit more this time of year with the cooler temps. Car weighs 3200lbs. I was fairly consistent with 2.13 being my best 60ft on Dunlop RE050's and seldom over 2.2s at the local 1/8th mile, but the problems arose when I went to the nearest 1/4 mile and was spinning through 3rd from the dew on the track. 14.2 @ 107. I know the car is good for high 12s ~110mph but I don't want to buy a drag setup - at least not yet.

These tires were meant to solve my mild winter, mostly 3 season-ish, not get me killed in standing water traction desires for putting down the power as best as possible, and compromising as little as possible lateral grip. What it really comes down to is large contact patch, soft rubber, and soft sidewalls with adequate water channeling.

You can't really do that with summer tires because they get too hard below 40*F, and any tire meant for max performance is going to have a rigid sidewall. I feel like I'm getting off really well here with the only substantial compromise being the immediacy at which the lateral grip is delivered.

I have the Nexen N3000's currently, and I definitely couldn't get a 2.3 60' if I tried! Lmao. Can you post some pictures if you don't mind? Would like to see the MS3 as well! Create a build thread!

[aLmk]

310whp 360tq, probably a bit more this time of year with the cooler temps. Car weighs 3200lbs. I was fairly consistent with 2.13 being my best 60ft on Dunlop RE050's and seldom over 2.2s at the local 1/8th mile, but the problems arose when I went to the nearest 1/4 mile and was spinning through 3rd from the dew on the track. 14.2 @ 107. I know the car is good for high 12s ~110mph but I don't want to buy a drag setup - at least not yet.

These tires were meant to solve my mild winter, mostly 3 season-ish, not get me killed in standing water traction desires for putting down the power as best as possible, and compromising as little as possible lateral grip. What it really comes down to is large contact patch, soft rubber, and soft sidewalls with adequate water channeling.

You can't really do that with summer tires because they get too hard below 40*F, and any tire meant for max performance is going to have a rigid sidewall. I feel like I'm getting off really well here with the only substantial compromise being the immediacy at which the lateral grip is delivered.

Gotcha you must have a good feel for the car! I cannot recommend a slick setup enough though, it makes racing the car so much better.

[EP3toMS3]

Gotcha you must have a good feel for the car! I cannot recommend a slick setup enough though, it makes racing the car so much better.

No doubt they'd ease my frustration, but I've dropped a good bit of coin in the electronics (laser jammer and radar detector) this winter - so some FD (RX-7) wheels and slicks will probably be a Spring purchase.

We've got some Mazdaspeedforum guys stock intake / exhaust just running E85 tunes and slicks clocking 12.5@110, so I'm fairly certain there's a nice 12.3~112 tucked in my car if I want to subject her to the abuse, but for me this tire puzzle was more about DD use and the ability to use 2nd gear without detuning back to basically stock load levels.

Thus far the neo gens are still providing outstanding straight line grip, not showing perceptible wear at ~2K miles, and at $490 delivered from DTD I'd say they were a great deal.

Here's the youtube vid if you guys want to check out what they're doing with stock intake/exhaust, backseat and spare tire removed and a corn tune:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeyY6mvWnPk

[EP3toMS3]

Just checking back in! I've made my turbo swap, putting down ~360+ now (no official dyno), and traction issues are getting to be a headache. I've installed an Airlift kit in the rear coils to reduce weight transfer, but any attempt to get away from squirmy sidewall low TWR all seasons has been met with fail. These rigid sidewall summer tires just blow through 2nd gear like it's free revving in neutral. It's probably not quite as bad for you Honda guys with lighter cars and less torque, but the 2.3L in my Mazda is also producing a near instant 360+ ft-lbs, and the reverse taper to 24.5psi isn't doing a whole lot to help.

I guess I'm stuck with sacrificing agility for grip. The Neo Gen still appears to be the best compromise tire for the dollar, but I will keep on searching.