Time for new tires

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My Fiesta ST still has it's oem tires (Bridgestone Potenza RE050a) at 20.5k miles. They're down to about 4/32nds and I'm looking to replace them since it's the beginning of Florida's rainy season and I don't want to take any chances with hydroplaning. They're still decent in light to moderate rain, but big puddles are getting a little hairy. I want to stick with summer tires and the two I'm considering have pretty good reviews and they're similarly priced with rebates going on right now, so I'm having a hard time deciding. I'm looking at the Continental Extreme Contact Sport and Firestone Firehawk Indy 500.

I would like to get 25-30k out of them since I managed to get over 20k out of the 140 rated Potenzas. I want good grip since cornering is this car's strength and I don't want to diminish that. Quietness is also a huge plus since road noise penetrates the cabin. I'm currently leaning towards the Continentals.

Any input is appreciated.
 
I find that Costco has the best deal on tires. Currently $70 off. Sometimes that combines with no installation fee.

Overall, I prefer highly siped (the little squiggly grooves that enhance wet traction) Michelin tires for Florida's wet roads. Not once have I been disappointed in the outright dry grip of Michelin's.
 
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Originally Posted By: Cujet
I find that Costco has the best deal on tires. Currently $70 off. Sometimes that combines with no installation fee.

Overall, I prefer highly siped (the little squiggly grooves that enhance wet traction) Michelin tires for Florida's wet roads. Not once have I been disappointed in the outright dry grip of Michelin's.



One needs to look at how busy their local CostCo tire store is. Depending on locations-many have reported ultra long waits for tire rotations.

What's your time worth?
 
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DTD has their memorial day sale, and the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3 is $132 each, plus $200 in rebates. If you open up a DTD credit card, there is another $100 rebate available (making the total $300 off)
 
Of those 2 the ExtremeContact Sport would be my choice.


For a Fiesta I would not get either of those tires though. The General G-MAX AS-05 or Kumho Ecsta 4X II would be my choice. Will get 30k out of them and they work well even in heavy rain.
 
Originally Posted By: CKN
Originally Posted By: Cujet
I find that Costco has the best deal on tires. Currently $70 off. Sometimes that combines with no installation fee.

Overall, I prefer highly siped (the little squiggly grooves that enhance wet traction) Michelin tires for Florida's wet roads. Not once have I been disappointed in the outright dry grip of Michelin's.



One needs to look at how busy their local CostCo tire store is. Depending on locations-many have reported ultra long waits for tire rotations.

What's your time worth?


You can always just pay the fair real market price for a rotation at a independent shop (and do other service at same time). When you are paying for a service you will be surprised how efficient it becomes when thr hand of the market does its thing.

Its a fallacy to feel locked in just because its included. you also dont use every single coupon you get in a valpak thsts OK
 
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Between those two, plus the BFG g-FSC2, I chose the Conti.

It's the newest of the three, and both are lighter and newer than the BFG.

The Firestone is sold as the Bridgestone RE003 in the rest of the world.

The Conti is positioned a little higher, to go against tires like the PS4S and PZero, and in the same class as what you have, the RE050. It's a North American market tire; the SportContact 6 is their top tire in the rest of the world.

The Firestone follows in the lineage of less extreme and more budget-friendly performance tires like the RE750/760 (and the Wide Oval clone of those) before it, a performance step below.

Although tread warranties are more sizzle than steak, the Conti has one; the Firestone does not.

On paper, the Conti won out for me.

Not having driven the Firestone in comparison (which is the only real valid test), I can't say how they compare, but in the 2k miles I've had the Contis, no real complaints. A minor gripe is that they do flatspot, but that might not be a such a concern in the FL climate. Neither would be as good as an all-season in a downpour, but they're ok. In their testing, Tire Rack found the ECS to stand out in the wet.

I don't think you'd go wrong with either.

PS-the Conti was also easier to get/cheaper than the Firestone. I got a set from Discount Tire and stacked the rebates.

Finally, while COO isn't the be all/end all, I did consider it; for my size, the choice was between a tire made in Germany, or Indonesia.

Like I said, the Conti just ticked off more boxes for me.
 
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Originally Posted By: Cujet
I find that Costco has the best deal on tires. Currently $70 off. Sometimes that combines with no installation fee.

Overall, I prefer highly siped (the little squiggly grooves that enhance wet traction) Michelin tires for Florida's wet roads. Not once have I been disappointed in the outright dry grip of Michelin's.


No Costco around here
 
Originally Posted By: Jimzz
The General G-MAX AS-05 ...would be my choice. Will get 30k out of them and they work well even in heavy rain.


They look interesting. Some concerns about road noise though. Will look into it more
 
Originally Posted By: asiancivicmaniac
My Fiesta ST still has it's oem tires (Bridgestone Potenza RE050a) at 20.5k miles. They're down to about 4/32nds and I'm looking to replace them since it's the beginning of Florida's rainy season and I don't want to take any chances with hydroplaning. They're still decent in light to moderate rain, but big puddles are getting a little hairy. I want to stick with summer tires and the two I'm considering have pretty good reviews and they're similarly priced with rebates going on right now, so I'm having a hard time deciding. I'm looking at the Continental Extreme Contact Sport and Firestone Firehawk Indy 500.

I would like to get 25-30k out of them since I managed to get over 20k out of the 140 rated Potenzas. I want good grip since cornering is this car's strength and I don't want to diminish that. Quietness is also a huge plus since road noise penetrates the cabin. I'm currently leaning towards the Continentals.

Any input is appreciated.

Few things:

1. Of the two options you listed, the Conti wins, hands-down. But...

2. I'm not seeing the ExtremeContact Sport in the FiST's OE size. What size are you looking at?

3. If you like how the car handles on the OE tire, you're risking big disappointment by straying. That tire is customized for your car to some extent, and the RE050A generally has a really nice dynamic feel to it that is difficult if not impossible to match. My car also came with an RE050A from the factory, I swapped it for the best summer tires ever made, and I got better grip, better NVH, and longer life -- and I still miss the feel of the OE tire. That's what you'll get with the ExtremeContact Sport if you're lucky. And it's a safe bet that everything else will be worse.
 
Originally Posted By: Carmudgeon
Between those two, plus the BFG g-FSC2, I chose the Conti.

It's the newest of the three, and both are lighter and newer than the BFG.

The Firestone is sold as the Bridgestone RE003 in the rest of the world.

The Conti is positioned a little higher, to go against tires like the PS4S and PZero, and in the same class as what you have, the RE050. It's a North American market tire; the SportContact 6 is their top tire in the rest of the world.

The Firestone follows in the lineage of less extreme and more budget-friendly performance tires like the RE750/760 (and the Wide Oval clone of those) before it, a performance step below.

Although tread warranties are more sizzle than steak, the Conti has one; the Firestone does not.

On paper, the Conti won out for me.

Not having driven the Firestone in comparison (which is the only real valid test), I can't say how they compare, but in the 2k miles I've had the Contis, no real complaints. A minor gripe is that they do flatspot, but that might not be a such a concern in the FL climate. Neither would be as good as an all-season in a downpour, but they're ok. In their testing, Tire Rack found the ECS to stand out in the wet.

I don't think you'd go wrong with either.

PS-the Conti was also easier to get/cheaper than the Firestone. I got a set from Discount Tire and stacked the rebates.

Finally, while COO isn't the be all/end all, I did consider it; for my size, the choice was between a tire made in Germany, or Indonesia.

Like I said, the Conti just ticked off more boxes for me.


I think I like the Conti for the same reasons you listed. The size for my car is made in France. A lot the tires I'm looking at in my size are made in France, which is kind of weird.
 
Originally Posted By: d00df00d

Few things:

1. Of the two options you listed, the Conti wins, hands-down. But...

2. I'm not seeing the ExtremeContact Sport in the FiST's OE size. What size are you looking at?

Going from 205/40 to 205/45. A lot of FiST owners bump up the sidewall a little to improve ride. I dd this car now on a 40 mile roundtrip commute to work. Sometimes I think I can feel every bump in the road. Not expecting it to float like a Camry, but would like to tone it down a little. Also, a lot more tire choices.

3. If you like how the car handles on the OE tire, you're risking big disappointment by straying. That tire is customized for your car to some extent, and the RE050A generally has a really nice dynamic feel to it that is difficult if not impossible to match. My car also came with an RE050A from the factory, I swapped it for the best summer tires ever made, and I got better grip, better NVH, and longer life -- and I still miss the feel of the OE tire. That's what you'll get with the ExtremeContact Sport if you're lucky. And it's a safe bet that everything else will be worse.
Can you describe what it is that you felt the other tires lack compared to the Potenzas? They are over $200 a piece so they're way beyond what I can afford for tires.
 
I'm not sure if they're available in your size but I've had fantastic luck with Sumitomo HTR ZIII tires in the past and I'd highly recommend them again. I even ran a pair on the front of my 427 powered Z06 Vette and liked them more than the Eagle F150 run flats they replaced.
 
Originally Posted By: asiancivicmaniac
Originally Posted By: FordBroncoVWJeta
Hankook Kinergy H737


Nope
Defiantly get the Firestone's/Bridgestone's then, never seen such [censored] tires. Good Luck OP.

Continentals or bust.
 
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