Cars We Drive!

[JohnGalt]

Originally Posted by junkyard_sal

Daily Driver (PO photo)

Summer Sunny Day Driver

At the Track

you already posted this

Originally Posted by junkyard_sal

In the winter or when I need a beater:

In the summer and when I want something nicer:

At the track or when I need a fancier beater:

 

[Chico2007]

Originally Posted by junkyard_sal

Daily Driver (PO photo)

Time for an inspection?

 

[roycel]

Originally Posted by ramuman

Does anyone have any thoughts on the Hankook V12 Evos vs. the other usual suspects like Michelin PS2s? I'm specifically asking as it applies to the E46 M3.
I replaced my Yokohama S.Drives with V12 EVOS on my E36 M3. I like the S.Drives more, but the EVOS are definitely a great value. I've now driven ~25k miles, and they are wearing correctly. I run a staggered setup (225 front 245 rear), so I cannot rotate. In addition, I do some spirited driving. I rarely peel out. Sometimes I let the tail slide out through the corners bringing my RPMs to 6k... Anyway, the tires are holding up well. I will buy these tires again for my 2nd car (E24) that sits on Style 42's or at times Style 19's.

 

[dcg]

Originally Posted by JohnGalt

you already posted this

I noticed that as well but didn't say anything because it was awesome both times!

Love E30s.

 

[mkarim]

Originally Posted by A Y

Get the Kumho Ecsta LX Platinum.

--Andre

I will do that. Thanks. These are about $100 less per tire than the Michelins. Are the as smooth and comfortable? Are they compatible with the car's suspension?

 

[A Y]

Originally Posted by mkarim

I will do that. Thanks. These are about $100 less per tire than the Michelins. Are the as smooth and comfortable? Are they compatible with the car's suspension?

To be honest, I have no idea, but things like that are pretty subtle in general. They won't change the character of your car for general driving.

--Andre

 

[dah328]

Originally Posted by BrianVarick

I have DW's and I hate them, they have a soft sidwall and it just makes my car feel sloppy. I really wish I would have gotten the DWS just so I would have the snow capability just in case it snowed. Also the DWS are rated to last longer which is a big plus for me.

Originally Posted by A Y

I just put the DW tires on my Cayman, and drove them at Laguna Seca shortly after break-in (800 miles), and they were OK, coming from the N-spec PS2s that Porsche specs. I didn't mind the turn-in, but the most different thing was how quiet they were at the edge of traction. You had to listen carefully or you wouldn't hear anything. Of course, my car has the 17-inch wheels with the clownishly tall sidewalls (205/55 front and 235/50 rear), so perhaps a little bit more sidewall flex doesn't really matter for me.

Squishy sidewalls really bug me. Nothing ruins the feel of a well-maintained suspension more than hitting the turn-in point and having to wait for your tires to catch up with your steering wheel's orientation. Having been pleased with Pilot Sports in the past, I put some Pilot Exaltos on my E36 last year hoping that the entry-level Michelin tire would have similar characteristics. They do not.

Now the wife's E46 is going to need tires soon. What would you recommend for a summer tire that has decent handling, turn-in, and tread life. I.e., it should still feel like a BMW but it won't see any track time or particularly aggressive driving (unless I'm borrowing it).

 

[A Y]

Originally Posted by dah328

Squishy sidewalls really bug me. Nothing ruins the feel of a well-maintained suspension more than hitting the turn-in point and having to wait for your tires to catch up with your steering wheel's orientation. Having been pleased with Pilot Sports in the past, I put some Pilot Exaltos on my E36 last year hoping that the entry-level Michelin tire would have similar characteristics. They do not.

Now the wife's E46 is going to need tires soon. What would you recommend for a summer tire that has decent handling, turn-in, and tread life. I.e., it should still feel like a BMW but it won't see any track time or particularly aggressive driving (unless I'm borrowing it).

I really like the PS2s, but if you're going to spend that kind of money, you may as well wait a couple of weeks and see if the Super Sports (which are supposed to be the same price, but have better performance and durability) are available in your sizes.

For turn-in, I meant to say that I had no issues with turn-in on the Cayman. What I did notice is there was some squirm you normally associate with tall tread blocks, especially when a tire is new. The DW is pretty fantastic in the rain, too. When the PS2s on my E46 give out, I'll be replacing them with the DW.

Bridgestone and especially Yokohama are known for better turn-in, but at least for the Yokos, that comes at the expense of comfort, and the worst road noise you have ever heard (imagine a UFO trying to land on your roof) when they get old. A lot of people like the new Dunlop Star Specs, too, but they may not last too long on the street.

If a tire (or suspension) is especially squishy, one thing you can do is to start your turn-in sooner, but slower so the car has time to react and get its set before you get to your turn-in point. A variation on this is to pre-set the car by giving it a bit of early turn-in, and the rest of the turn-in when you actually need the car to turn. The initial pre-turn-in sets the suspension, but doesn't really rotate the car. Again, this is all pretty subtle: this all usually happens in less than a second at speed. Obviously, this won't help you if you have a bunch of quick transitions in a row, like a slalom.

--Andre

 

[JayJay]

Originally Posted by M.Perez

I have somekind of a crush on Audi..
I've never owned an Audi, but I'm starting like them a lot.

 

[roycel]

Car and Driver tire review:

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...mparison_tests

Reviewed tires:

Benchmark: Michelin Pilot Sport PS2

Ling Long L688, Nitto Invo, Falken Azenis RT-615, Yokohama S.Drive, BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KDW, Bridgestone Potenza RE760 Sport, Kumho Ecsta XS, Hankook Ventus V12 Evo, Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec

 

[GROPO]

this is my DD, an 87 Toyota Cressida.

And my weekend/Rally-x Toy a 2003 Evo VIII

 

[Huntsman]

Originally Posted by A Y

Thanks, but only for certain values of guru.
Well, that's always the case. Here, at least, I'd call it an assignment statement rather than an equality. Your posts on all matters car are always extremely well considered and well spoken. ~ H

 

[Jbreen1]

Originally Posted by M.Perez

I LOVE this car.

I have somekind of a crush on Audi..

Thanks man. I just ordered some springs and wheel spacers. It should give the car a much more aggressive stance. I'll post pics once the parts are installed. I also just put 20% tint on all the windows. Doesn't sound like a big deal but it helps with the appearance a lot. I'm going to get all the chrome trim pieces painted black as well and debadge whatever I can.

 

[junkyard_sal]

It was a moment of weakness on my part to post it again and add the track photo. I think I thought it was in another thread and was too lazy to check.

See you at the track.

Originally Posted by dcg

I noticed that as well but didn't say anything because it was awesome both times!

Love E30s.

 

[Jbreen1]

Originally Posted by M.Perez

Will wait for your pics. How's the interior btw?

It's ok. Audi uses really nice materials, but I never understood the people who splooge their pants because of Audi interiors.

The one thing I'm really disappointed with are the seats. I didn't get the sport package because of a couple reasons. I wanted a more comfortable ride. I would have gotten an S5 or something if I wanted a sporty car. And I also didn't know the sports package came with different seats. The base seats are garbage imo. They are too small and they need to be longer front to back. The sports seats have a thigh bolster that can be extended to give extra support. People give me a lot of crap for complaining about the seats, but that's where you spend all your time in the car, so to me, it's a pretty important thing.