Best street tires for 350z

[Heabs]

I have an idea of what tires I want to run on my Z just thought I would get your guys suggestions.

[catnipple]

Welcome to NICO!

What tires did you have in mind?

I don't know much about tires, other than the basics, and how to change em, but I'm sure somebody on this forum will give you some good answers soon enough.

IMO, I think the best street tire, or any tire whether being used on track or on your daily, comes down to personal preference.

It will also depend on your driving style, vehicle modifications, wheel size, and I'm sure the list could go on...

[BusyBadger]

Like Cat said, it would help us to make a good recommendation if you could give us an idea of your driving style, what you're looking for, what your budget is and where you live.

But unlike Cat, I *am* a big tire geek. The big reason for that? Hold up your hand like you're going to give something a karate chop, now look at the palm. That's about the same surface area as the contact patch of each tire - I'm not going to skimp on something that's holding me to the road, especially when I know it's that small. The biggest, baddest big brake setup in the world won't stop your car if you can't get any grip. Robert Duvall said it best. I'm not suggesting any street shenanigans, just pointing out that even in this day and age of tech laden cars with ABS, AWD, VDC/Stability Control that ultimately the majority of your performance and safety come from your tires.

Hands down, the best traction I've seen on a true street tire is the Bridgestone RE-11, but I'd never tell someone to get that if they needed them to last a while...the stickier the tire the shorter the life. It's also a summer tire. This means that once the temps drop below 40 degrees the rubber hardens up and they lose most of their grip. This is why I'd like to know where you live and what your willing to spend...if you live in, say, Montana and you're looking for a single tire to run year round a summer tire won't cut it.

Without knowing much from you I'll give you a quick rundown of some rubber I've got first hand experience with that you might want to check out...(I'm a big Bridgestone fan)

SUMMER TIRES
Bridgestone RE-11 (great grip - low tread life
Bridgestone S-04 (what I'm currently running)
Continental Extreme Contact DW (good, but squishy sidewall, not as good as the S-04 imo)

ALL-SEASON TIRES
Bridgestone RE970AS (what I run in late fall through early spring - not great in snow. The 960AS that the 970 replaced seemed better to me)
Continental Extreme Contact DWS (closest thing I've ever seen to a true snow tire in an all season, squishy sidewall like its summer brother)
General Exclaim (what was on the car when I bought it, it's been replaced by the General G-MAX which is supposed to be good in the snow - might give them a shot this fall/winter)

Oh yeah...Welcome to NICO!

[catnipple]

Awesome

I'll also be using this advice, when the time for new tires comes.

[newyorkyankees78]

I agree with badger, unfortunately the Bridgestone re11 are on national back order; I couldn't get them if I wanted to and I work for the company!!! The Bridgestone S04 and the 970 are great tires too, a bit pricey but worth it. I myself are running the Bridgestone potenza RE760, a little better in price and grip great as well. Just thought I'd give u my input, good luck with the choice you make.

[djwarner]

If you haven't tried before, try TireRack.com's tire selector. There are several aspects such as driving on snow or your preferences for handling, comfort, and tread life that will affect your decision. It will then give you several categories and the number of tires available in each.

You can also get side by side ratings from customer reviews. Best yet they also offer head to head tests that will usually include some of your potential buys.

Saying all this, I've yet to actually buy any tires from them, I usually find the drive away price from them can be matched by local suppliers, though this might not hold in Podunk.