Premature Baldness

Got new tires mounted onto the tin can today. The old ones lasted just over 2.5 years, which is better than I'd expected given how um, spirited my driving tends to be.

Like the old ones, these are "ultra-high-performance" summer tires. But unlike the old ones, they're not Yokohamas, which is a real departure for me.

The first tires I bought (once I had something approaching a clue about what I was doing) were a set of Yokohama AVS Intermediates (as opposed to "AVS Wet" or "AVS Dry") in the 215/60R15 size my Maxima could use. They were loads better (grippier, quieter) than the Tigers Paw GTH4 205/65R15s I had on there before.

Eighteen months later, I'd worn out my set of AVS Intermediates only to find they'd been discontinued and no more were to be had. Fortunately, Yokohama introduced the AVS ES100, which turned out to be better in every way -- except for tread life, a paltry 17,000 miles (as opposed to the 22K miles the Intermediates were rated for). Not that I tended to see that kind of life..

In part due to camber problems causing uneven wear, but mostly due to my driving, I tended to go through a set of those ES100s a year. This continued until my Maxima was backed into by a big-ass pickup truck.

Then I ended up with a tin can of a Hyundai Accent shorn with cheapo 175/75R13 tires. I replaced those with a set of Sumitomo HTR 200s, which gripped better wet than the original ones did when dry. While they were the best ones available in that size, they were a far cry from what I'd been used to.

As those tires wore out, I scored a set of 15" Saturn OE rims which I wrapped with a set of Yokohama S.drives in the 195/50R15 size. Once again, Yokohama managed to make the best (non-track) tires in the size I needed. Once again, their wet grip was better than the old Sumos managed in the dry. And the dry grip was phenomenal! I was finally able to take my favorite corners at almost the same speed as my Maxima could manage, and unless I truly tried something insane (or it was quite wet) I was unable to break their grip.

But all things come to an end, and as you can see from the photo, the tires were no exception. Being basically slick, their grip was even better -- until it started raining. And being Florida, it tends to do that a lot.

This time, I decided to take a chance and I picked up a set of BF Goodrich g-Force Sport COMP-2s. Aside from having the longest name of any tire I've owned, they've apparently dethroned the S.drives as the best tires in their class.

So far, they're a bit nosier, but I've only driven about five miles and I need to check the pressures before I really start comparing things. That included my favorite 15-mph corner, which I managed at 42 with a little bit of squeal. That's what I could do with the old tires, though my Maxima could do 45 before the back end would start to float. I need to get used to them before I push things harder..

Yeah, I need to get my thrills somehow.

UPDATE [2012-09-27]: The new tires are quite nice; they are indeed noisier, but also give better aural feedback of what they're doing. They also grip a little better, and the steering response and ride quality is also improved. Color me impressed! I have yet to test their wet traction, but the weather is indeed fickle in this fine state.