Tires Options for Gen 3 with stock wheels

[Aevus]

It's no secret that tires options are very limited for the Viper in general. And I'd like to keep my stock wheels, which makes it even more complicated.

So I bought my 2005 SRT10 with Nitto Invo 275/345 which are excellent if you're only driving to church, but I'm not. So I got 355 Kuhmo ACR's and (stock 18s front, eh!) 295 Yokohama A052... Very satisfied with that match. It grips like there's no tomorrow, but probably a bit overkill for street use.
Was planning to track the car more often but finally didnt.

Now, I'm thinking to downsize to 285 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S and keep the rear Kuhmo's (probably no better option)

Very good reviews/tests

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=270

I'm just a bit worried to get into ''mismatch'' territory, especially in regards of grip. I had very good past experience with Michelin (Cup 2) that were used for both street and track and the thread pattern looks very similar, so it's tempting to give it a try...

But first, is any of you experienced that new Michelin Pilot Sport 4S (Viper or else) ?

Or is there other options available in sizes 285/295 35 18 that could match the Kuhmo's ?

Pirelli P Zero and Bridgestone Potenza RE050A are good all-around tires, but did not find them very impressive.

I have zero experience with CONTISPORTCONTACT 3, PILOT SPORT 3, PILOT SUPER SPORT, PILOT SPORT PS2, EXTREMECONTACT SPORT and P ZERO ROSSO (COLLEZIONE)
maybe there is some very good tires in that. And maybe even outside of what Tire Rack is listing

[13COBRA]

I think you win an award for most threads in a 30 day window.

There are tons of threads on tires.

[Aevus]

is it a tshirt?

I want a red one

[Aevus]

oh cool, the ignore list feature works

tadam

[1Willy1]

In all fairness this site is half dead , it needs more threads and people chatting before it dies completely

[sonnyboy]

In all fairness this site is half dead , it needs more threads and people chatting before it dies completely

Sad but true. I check this webpage every morning and let out a WooHoo whenever a new thread appears. LOL

[Steve M]

To the OP - based on what you wrote, this is what stood out to me:

I can't tell what your intended use is - you say you aren't driving it to church, and you aren't tracking it, so what exactly are you doing, and how is what you are currently using falling short of your expectations?

If you are looking for a tire that can do it all, that is:

1. Great street manners - quiet, doesn't tramline, etc.
2. Great tread life
3. Looks great (does that matter to you? It does to some...)
4. Doesn't cost a fortune
5. Great track performance

It doesn't exist. Everything is going to be a compromise. So what compromises are you willing to make?

More importantly, why can't you just keep using what you are using? If you've already found a combo that works for you, I'd say just keep on rolling with it until it either doesn't work anymore, or they stop making them.

You really need to define what you are intending to do, though, and you also need to identify what you dislike about what you've used so far. What didn't you like about the Invos? Sidewalls too soft? Too squirmy? Do you want excellent handling in the corners, or do you need straight line acceleration performance? Depending on power levels, you may never get a tire to hook in first gear on the street outside of a set of drag radials, and not everyone wants to run those all the time. Does straight line acceleration performance even matter to you?

I've only had 4 sets of tires over the ~10 years I've owned my car:

1. Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 C1 - OEM tires, but they had ~10,000 miles on them, and needed replaced immediately after buying them.
2. Michelin Pilot Super Sports - these were good all around street tires, but they would not hold up to heavy track use. They also didn't hook for shit at the drag strip.
3. Pirelli PZero - these did not inspire confidence like the Pilot SS. They weren't bad, but I just wasn't all that thrilled with them. For straight line acceleration performance, they couldn't hold first or second gear WOT pulls on the street at my current power levels (I'd guess I'm around 520 RWHP or so, but the 3.55s don't help).
4. Toyo R888R - the noise. My god the noise. I know people like Jon B look down their nose at guys like me that complain about tire noise, but it's a big problem if I can't tell if the racket is being caused by tires or a serious mechanical issue with my car. They are THAT loud. They also tramline like a mofo on anything but the smoothest, newest pavement.

I've also tried two different drag radials, but I'm not going into either of those since I don't think that's what you are after here.

I will not be going with the R888Rs again, so I consider my lesson learned. For my application (99% street, 1% drag strip), I need a good all around street tire that has at least somewhat reasonable straight line performance (I need it to at least hook on a 2nd gear WOT pull). Due to that, I will likely try the Continentals next (the street tires, not the competitor with the R888R). I'm also heavily considering going back to 3.07s out back with a revised 5th and 6th gear that will help reduce the burden on the tires, but that's a different discussion for a different day.

Bottom line: if you have something that works, just keep using it. Sometimes you have to waste money to figure out what you like and don't like, but I'm starting to grow tired of that method, and I'd never recommend it to someone else. Be honest about how you use your car and what you are willing to tolerate out of a tire - I found my limits with the R888R, but others love them. Can't please everyone I suppose.

Good luck...if you try something new, please provide feedback so the community can benefit.

[GTS Dean]

Like Steve says, NO tire will do all things well. Many of us have several sets to swap out based on intended duty. Use the suspension tools you are installing to help the tires work to your liking, whether it be street/highway, strip, or full track setup. It's what I do. I keep those wishbone bolts and shock adjusters pretty shined up.

[Steve M]

Like Steve says, NO tire will do all things well. Many of us have several sets to swap out based on intended duty. Use the suspension tools you are installing to help the tires work to your liking, whether it be street/highway, strip, or full track setup. It's what I do. I keep those wishbone bolts and shock adjusters pretty shined up.

While it isn't necessarily the cheapest way, I've found that this works for me as well (swap out wheels/tires depending on what I'm doing). For drag racing, that isn't a huge deal since I'm only changing out the rears - my drag radials are on a separate set of wheels with cloned TPMS sensors so I don't get any lights on the dash. Where it gets a little more dicey is driving to/from the event - I don't have a trailer, so I end up having to drive it on the street in whatever configuration it's going to be in at the track. Not a huge deal for what I do, but would become problematic for stuff further away.

[13COBRA]

While it isn't necessarily the cheapest way, I've found that this works for me as well (swap out wheels/tires depending on what I'm doing). For drag racing, that isn't a huge deal since I'm only changing out the rears - my drag radials are on a separate set of wheels with cloned TPMS sensors so I don't get any lights on the dash. Where it gets a little more dicey is driving to/from the event - I don't have a trailer, so I end up having to drive it on the street in whatever configuration it's going to be in at the track. Not a huge deal for what I do, but would become problematic for stuff further away.

Can't fit one wheel/tire in the trunk and 1 in the passenger seat? lol

[viperBase1]

I will likely try the Continentals next (the street tires, not the competitor with the R888R)
The Conti Extreme Contact Sport+ is a great tire.
I will be doing the same ..depending on timing, availability and news about the Conti Extreme Contact Force tires.

[Rally]

To the OP - based on what you wrote, this is what stood out to me:

I can't tell what your intended use is - you say you aren't driving it to church, and you aren't tracking it, so what exactly are you doing, and how is what you are currently using falling short of your expectations?

If you are looking for a tire that can do it all, that is:

1. Great street manners - quiet, doesn't tramline, etc.
2. Great tread life
3. Looks great (does that matter to you? It does to some...)
4. Doesn't cost a fortune
5. Great track performance

It doesn't exist. Everything is going to be a compromise. So what compromises are you willing to make?

More importantly, why can't you just keep using what you are using? If you've already found a combo that works for you, I'd say just keep on rolling with it until it either doesn't work anymore, or they stop making them.

You really need to define what you are intending to do, though, and you also need to identify what you dislike about what you've used so far. What didn't you like about the Invos? Sidewalls too soft? Too squirmy? Do you want excellent handling in the corners, or do you need straight line acceleration performance? Depending on power levels, you may never get a tire to hook in first gear on the street outside of a set of drag radials, and not everyone wants to run those all the time. Does straight line acceleration performance even matter to you?

I've only had 4 sets of tires over the ~10 years I've owned my car:

1. Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 C1 - OEM tires, but they had ~10,000 miles on them, and needed replaced immediately after buying them.
2. Michelin Pilot Super Sports - these were good all around street tires, but they would not hold up to heavy track use. They also didn't hook for shit at the drag strip.
3. Pirelli PZero - these did not inspire confidence like the Pilot SS. They weren't bad, but I just wasn't all that thrilled with them. For straight line acceleration performance, they couldn't hold first or second gear WOT pulls on the street at my current power levels (I'd guess I'm around 520 RWHP or so, but the 3.55s don't help).
4. Toyo R888R - the noise. My god the noise. I know people like Jon B look down their nose at guys like me that complain about tire noise, but it's a big problem if I can't tell if the racket is being caused by tires or a serious mechanical issue with my car. They are THAT loud. They also tramline like a mofo on anything but the smoothest, newest pavement.

I've also tried two different drag radials, but I'm not going into either of those since I don't think that's what you are after here.

I will not be going with the R888Rs again, so I consider my lesson learned. For my application (99% street, 1% drag strip), I need a good all around street tire that has at least somewhat reasonable straight line performance (I need it to at least hook on a 2nd gear WOT pull). Due to that, I will likely try the Continentals next (the street tires, not the competitor with the R888R). I'm also heavily considering going back to 3.07s out back with a revised 5th and 6th gear that will help reduce the burden on the tires, but that's a different discussion for a different day.

Bottom line: if you have something that works, just keep using it. Sometimes you have to waste money to figure out what you like and don't like, but I'm starting to grow tired of that method, and I'd never recommend it to someone else. Be honest about how you use your car and what you are willing to tolerate out of a tire - I found my limits with the R888R, but others love them. Can't please everyone I suppose.

Good luck...if you try something new, please provide feedback so the community can benefit.

Great response!