I have the ps2 now and i love them! i will be staying with them on my stock rims just wider more on the lines u were thinking. i am doing the nt05 on some 18inch track wheels

 

I don't want to step out of line but I think he was talking about Tires, and I do concur with him. Inexpensive tires tend to have more issues, after few thousands miles, such as road noises, less grip, bald spot from parking overnight may cause steering wheel vibrations, longer stop distance and worst of all, for me at least, uneven wear before half-life (During "normal" driving condition).

I would be more at ease with good tires during spirited driving than with "average" shoes.

 

Tires, Brake Pads, and etc. What's the difference? Both made by a third party and designed for the F. Inexpensive tires? Who said anything about inexpensive tires? I'm not recommending anyone go with a cheap tire. I certainly wont. As I said in my post (post #4) I will be going with Dunlop SP Sport Maxx TT. 245/35/19 in front and 275/30/19 in back. This is not a cheap tire, but Dunlop's top performance tire. Less expensive than the PS2s, but certainly not cheap. I have had extremely good luck with Dunlop Hi-Po tires in the past, and everything I have read about this new tire has been positive.

Lou

 

I'm truly loving my nitto invo's. I find them to be definitely worth it. I also love how the outer sidewall sits flush to the rim.

 

Good choice... I drive my car a lot so I wanted to go with the most economical choice... Something thats close to my Bridgestones but not spend a ton of money.


I was looking into the PS2s because everyone here says they are great. As well as everyone else I spoke with.

I don't think I'll be disappointed with the T1R's... I don't really push my car to the limits anyway... I'm more of a conservative driver....

Cause damn I'm at 28,8xx and still have my original brake pads =)

 

Everything I have read about the Invo has been positive and you can't beat the price for the level of performance you achieve. Who cares if they last half as long as other higher level tires, they cost half the price so it evens out

 

Good choice and I agree with your choice of tire.The Sport MAXX will work, just fine and you'll have all the grip and performance at a valued price. Thanks for mentioning that there are excellent alternative replacement parts, not only tires, and not limited to brakes, intake, exhaust, rims, drive lights....etc!!!!

 

Tires are special. Only the Bridgestones and the Michelins have been optimized for the F. When the Supra came out it had Michelin Pilot MXX3s specifically made for it. It pulled 0.98g on a 300 ft skidpad with those tires on a hard top model. At the time the only thing coming close BAR NONE was the Mazda RX-7.

Brakes are about feel. Tires are the one thing affecting a car's performance more than any other single item. Good tires will be good performers. Great tires will kick the snot out of everything else. A tire optimized by the factory to produce superior performance will be VERY difficult to beat with anything aftermarket.

When I raced motorcycles I had a chat with the guy running the tire truck. He said he had a tire measurably faster (1.5 - 2 seconds a lap) costing $10 more than what all the mid-pack guys were running. They'd spend thousands on building the bike, a grand on getting the bike to the track, hotel for the weekend, entry fees, etc...and then they'd cheap out on the tires by $10 and run 2 seconds off the pace all weekend.

My next set of tires will be the IS-F specific PS2s. I drove them at Atlanta Motor Speedway during the Lexus Driving Academy. I believe they're measurably better than anything else available if lap times are important to you. If lap times are not important, buy whatever you like for whatever reason you'd like to choose, but you won't out-perform the PS2s on a closed course with anything else short of competition tires.

 

Hey lobuxracer. I urge you and anyone suggesting lower priced tires won't stack up to the higher priced tires (ps2's) to check out the Hankook Ventus V12 in this article. Especially where they say "Their fourth-place autocross time wasn’t spectacular, but they did outlap the benchmark Michelin PS2s." That would be better performing, and also tying for quietest in the street loop means comfortable. Not to mention the 280 tread wear rating is great. And the price for a set of 245/35/19 and 275/30/19 is $756.88 shipped from the tire rack, What a deal! I have Yokohama S.drives which came in at #6 in the comparison and enjoy them but will check out the Hankooks next tire change. Here is the link http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...mparison_tests

 

Brakes are a lot more than feel. They're also about fade, wear, dusting, wear on rotor, agressivness and etc. A pad that will let you brake earlier without lockup, glazing or overheating will let you increase your lap times. I agree with you on good vs great tires, but, as I have said, I have read nothing but good things about the Dunlops. But, they are new to the marketplace and not included in many tests. I would love to see a comparison test between the PS2 and the Sport Maxx TT on the F. On paper they look pretty equal to me. Here are two Tire Rack Tests, each containing different Hi-Po Tires, the only common tire used on both tests was the Continental ContiSportContact 3. In the tests the Continental was beaten by either the PS2 or the Dunlop.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...%3D73YR9SMTTXL

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=101

I guess my point is, there are alternatives, and IMHO, the PS2 while being a great tire, may or may not be the best overall choice for the F. But, again, IMHO, the F is undertired and should have come with wider tires, both front and rear.

If you're comfortable with the the PS2, stick with it, I'm sure you'll be extremely happy. But me, I want a wider tire, and from my past experience with Dunlop and from the information I've gleaned I will be going with the Sport Maxx TT in wider fitments than stock. Will I make the right choice, I don't really know, but my gut tells me, Yes. Just as a point of interest, when it's time to replace my brake pads, I will be going with Ferodos. Again, from past experience.

Lou

 

so out of all this what is the best tire to run on the f? and what size?

 

^^^^. Depends upon what you're lookin' for, how much you're willin' to pay, and who you ask

Lou

 

Well I just got my Toyo's on... It will take sometime to break them in until I can really test the traction...

But right out of the gate the rear end was breaking lose more easily than my Bridgestones... But I'll give it about a 500 mile break in before I really start expect feeling a difference...

 

every review of the Hankook Ventus V12 said to break em in first, because they are sloppy brand spankin new... so yeah, give em' a good 500 miles and report back!

 

The OEM reccomended tires and size are the BEST for the F. PS2's or RE050's and maybe the RE11's.

I have had my fair share of cheap tires on my F and wouldn't reccomend installaing anything else other than the PS2's or RE's.
I reccomend not going with cheap tires (sidewall tends to be too soft) and also tires that are directional. Directional tires tend to cause tire pull especially on our cars.

I am going to be going with PS2's. RE050's or RE11's when I am due.