what kind of tires do you run ~ 17"
 

i was just wondering what would be an ideal tire to buy for 17"s. all season preferably but i might go with summers. or just to know what tires you have on your 17's so i could take a look into them.
please add some pros and cons to the tires that you have.
also let me know what tires/brands to stay away from.
thanks.

You need to specify a little bit more about what you're looking for. How about this, I'm going to list about 7 things that are attributes of tires, you number them from MOST importan to least important.


Cost
Straight line performance
Cornering performance
Durability (how many miles they last)
Noise
Wet performance
Snow performance


For example, a tire could last a while, perform decently all season, and have an average cost, but be noisy as heck, and maybe not have the greatest cornering grip... or a tire may grip extremely well, last a while, average cost, but suck in the snow or rain.

On one set of 17s I have toyo Proxie FZ4s, good wearing tire, good in the rain, and pretty quiet, but not recomended for autoX/ Agressive cornering.

On my BBSs I have Potenza RE070s. VERY expensive tire, but I buy used set on Nasioc from STi owners for the price of one tire. But the tire performs awesome in the dry. These are my AutoX/ Summer tires.

In my storage locker I have a set of Toyo Proxie RA1 R-compounds. Def. track only tires. But the odd thing is, the RA1s are cheaper than the Potenzas. :rolleyes:

Do you already have the wheels?
 

Well if you are also Buying wheels I would say go with 18" and get a set of yokohama parada-spec 2 tires... thoes things are awasome... but that is just me....

well..out of the things that are listed....i guess it would be wet/snow performance, noise, durability and cost that would come in mind.

i mean.i have bf goodrich traction T/a's on the stock wheels, i haven't had them too long...probably not even 20 k's..i'm sure not 20 k's but i'm finding them quite noisy right now...unless it is something else (wheel bearings - though those haven't been changed too long ago either - all of them were changed).

i dont have rims yet - actually the seller went to check the warehouse and they didn't have enough stock to make a set.

i'm looking for something to put on all year long as opposed to changing rims in and out for the seasons.
thanks for the replies

I have not used many 17" for long enough to give a testimonial for.

...but 16" Fz4 are not very good in the snow. They aren't bad in the rain.
I put toyo spectrums on my 14" wheels as a cheap tire for my beater and discovered that they where actually pretty good. Great in rain, Great in snow, no noise. I am pretty sure they make a 16" that fits our wheels, don't think they have it in 17".

With the spectrum beaters I've driven through floods with some of the heaviest rain you'll ever see, blizzards where EVERY SINGLE car was camped on the side of the road, and I have pushed them pretty hard on some real twisty mountain roads ;). However, I had to dodge a car that lost control once while traveling at speed and they DID break traction! It was easy to recover though.

Dunlop SPort A2s..

My mom has them on her SVX, they last forever, work well in snow/rain, are quiet, and moderately priced.

for 17 inch wheels I would use the 225/45-17, or wider if you'd like.

My SVX came with new Toyo Proxes 4's on it and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them. Very available, (Les Schwab) not pricey, solid hold, and quieter than I expected. I went to 17" wheels recently and opted for the Pirelli P-Zero-Nero M&S. Initial impressions are good but there is more noise than the Toyo's. Should check my pressure, it's not unusual to get a better ride by pumping a few more PSI than the factory numbers

I was told these were to replace the FZ4s, but I still see em for sale :confused:
Guess it is just me, but FZ4s don't seem to last too long.

The FZ4s are being phased out. So retailers are selling of their left over stock.

Tires seem to be a personal preference, and the choices are so great to boot. That said, what is the max size one could run with a 17 " rim, 8 " wide? I have come upon an almost new set of Dunlop 5000's, at 245/45 X 17. Will these tires fit under the SVX fenders?
Thanks,
Harry

I've been told with a 245 you'll want to go with a 40 sidewall.

Thanks. I guess the "45" series is a bit too tall. That's a shame, cause these are almost brand new tires.......

BTW, checked out your web site - the 6-speed shifter looks right at home in the console, and I like those wheels!!

Harry