Does a lower tread life imply more grip?

[TerminalVelocity]

Well it's about time to replace my front tires and I've been looking at two different tire models.The first is the Fuzion zri by bridgestone. I have these tires on the rear and they grip well. At this past weekends autox I was able to launch hard and didn't seem to have any problem keeping the rear end in line while cornering.

The second is the Sumitomo HTRZ. From what I've found out, this tire is an older dunlop design and is supposed to have great grip, especially for its price which is under $70 for the 235/45-17 size I need.

However, I was a little unsure of something. It's treadwear rating is 160, which is a lot lower than the Fuzion's. Would it be right to assume that these would give better grip than the Fuzion's? I know there are other factors that effect grip, but compound has to count for something. Also, both tires are in the same category (ultra high performance summer).

Thanks.

[AZhitman]

TW ratings are NOT standardized across brands.

That only means it's a 160 compared to other tires of the SAME brand.

That being said, it should be a nice sticky tire, and I like the HTRZ.

[crackler]

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/...id=48

[TerminalVelocity]

Oh, I wasn't aware of that. Thanks. I'm gonna go with the HTRZs.

Cracker: There's some good info in that link you gave, especially in the most popular links area.

EDIT: I just saw that the HTRZs come in 315/35-17. I wonder how well those will work on my 17x10 in the back on the track.