New Tires!

[The BBQ Chicken Madness]

I've been lookin' for a new set of tires, and I've narrowed the choices down to these...

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(225/50/17")
AVON Tech M550 A/S ~ $115 + Cost of install

(225/45/17")
AVON Tech M550 A/S ~ $99 + Cost of install
TOYO Proxes 4 ~ $93
Pirelli PZero Nero M+S ~ $125

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My situation is this:

I have/had an '89 Ford Probe, and have a set of TOYO Spectrum M+S on them, which I totally fell in love with. They treated me very well, and it took a broken drill bit in the sidewall and Tire Kingdom not having them in stock (and me needing my car) to get me to put a different tire on. Now, I'm a fairly brand loyal guy, so when I heard great things about the TOYO's, immediately I thought these were what I was gonna go with.

However, I took a visit to tirerack.com and found the Avon Tech M550 at the top of the "Ultra High Performance All-Season" tires...which of course makes you check the specs. They appear good, but since tirerack doesn't rate TOYOs, it's tough to directly compare. The reviews on tirerack are all amazing, but those seem to carry less weight after you realize that you can ONLY buy the M550 from tirerack. Exclusivity always skews things. Upon further searching, I've found several forums for cars (G35, Jetta, Mini) where members say they are in fact great tires.

As for the Pzero Neros, they are ranked 2nd (just after the M550), beating it in almost every section that matters (who needs snow rating in FL) minus the threadware, which it scores lower in. The difference being that there have been near 6 million miles logged on the Neros vs. the near 1.5 million on the M550s. Obviously the Neros are more "proven" in that sense.

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Now, I should say I want all season tires since I'm not totally sure where I'll end up in a year (grad school is up in the air at the moment). Snow isn't an issue, cuz if I go way north I'll get a new set of real tires for it. For now, I'm assuming I will be in FL or in the Southwest (AZ, Cali, etc.). I do still want all-season, and threadlife is very important to me. I am willing to give up a little performance for better threadlife, but since I'm going to start autocrossing on these, I know I will need to get something performance based. I don't even know if any of those tires have thread warrenties on them, which obviously would be a huge selling point for me. I did want 225/50/17, but 45 is still fine with me if it means I'm getting a better tire for the money.

It's narrowed down to a few, which is a big step for choosing tires. However, since I've never used any of them, and I can only search go much on Google before I want to bash my head through the monitor...I am hoping some of the people on here could throw me their opinion. If you've used any of these, tell me anything you can. If you can find some good reviews from places you trust, or forums or whatever...let me know as well.

Thanks for any help in advance!

[flarearrow]

I say go with the P Zero Nero M+S. Just because people claim they act very much like their summer counterpart. I think the P Zero Nero M+S is the closet I'll ever be to owning a summer tire. So far, they been gripping very well on cold pavement.

[Tire Guy]

Of course I am biased, I'll be first to admit, but you should go with the Proxes4. If you liked the Spectrums, you'll love the Proxes4s. I have them and they are great. Toyo has also been rated #1 in product quality for 8 years running, so you can be assured that you're getting a top quality tire. Lastly, the Proxes4 come with a 45-day or 500-mile trial offer. We are so sure you'll love them, we'll take them back if you don't.

[Wiggum]

For florida weather please don't rule out the FK451... very good tire...