FocusCanada Forums

i hate to say it but best summer tires and "CHEAP" do not go together at all.

$125/tire would put you into the economy low profile sector of the market. while there are some decent tires in there, non of them can even compare with the top summer tires on the market.
if you are looking for great tire at a good price, the Falken FK-451s are hard to top
they fall between the Kumho 712s and the Kumho MX and the 451s are a general "all-round" better tire than either.

i personally don't see the point of putting anything less than a ultra high performance tire or Max performance tire on a large diameter wheel or in a low-profile application. economy tires are what you put on the stockers that came with your car! ;)

in a thread where the title is cheap + summer tire i can't believe no one has brought up azenis sport.

my RT215 version in 195/60/14 were insanely cheap.. $42usd/tire.. and they provide a very reasonable amount of traction

that's gotta be the best bang for the buck performance oriented tire out there. i am very careful in the rain just in case, but so far i have driven on them through a couple of thunderstorms and i am still in one piece

I have 195/60 HR15 Bridgestone Potenza RE950's on my stock trend rims...they cost me about $170 each installed...

I'm looking at getting a set of Firestone Firehawk Wide Ovals next spring in a 215/45/17 at around $253.00 each installed and balanced...or a 205 width if they have them...

Hesmer Motorsports in Brantford sells both Nexxen and Hercules Z rated tires, and I remember he said about $120 per corner...that's if you want El Cheapo tires. If you want something decent, look at the Fuzion ZRi in a 215/45/17...around $175 each installed...

DO NOT BUY FIRESTONE TIRES!!!
i have never seen a firestone tire worth the price they want for them and perform any better than an entry level performance tire.
i can get you into a Falken RT615(the best summer performance tire on the market) for about $190cnd/tire. after shipping and M&B you'd probably be in and around the $250cnd mark plus tax

I have done an enormous amount of research on tires and all the manufacturing processes. I have come to a few conclusions regarding the focus:

1) The focus is not a high performance car no matter what you've done to it, therefore get something that will provide adequate traction and that will last long.

2) Spending a ton of money on brand name tires isn't always the way to go.

3) Eagle RS-A is a complicated tire designed by Goodyear that has a soft compound and doesn't provide any traction.


I have Ventus (made by Hankook) K-102 on my car and they perform just as well as my Pirelli SP9000's did. The only difference was that my Pirelli's were worth twice as much and the Ventus' last longer.

The best rated tires on the market that would fit our cars are probably one of the following two:

Michelin Pilot Sport PS2:



Goodyear Eagle GS-D3:




I would take the Goodyear's over the Michelin's because they have a better wet traction rating and longer treadlife. But the best tire ever created are the Michelin Veyrons. Specially made for the 1001bhp Bugatti Veyron, these were the only tires that could stand up to it's blistering top speed.

Quote:The focus is not a high performance car no matter what you've done to it, therefore get something that will provide adequate traction and that will last long.

i don't want to do autoX with OEM pirelli P6. The grip is 0, the stifness of the sidewall is 0. When i'm on track, i use different tires because each tire have a utility. azenis are better on track, Falken ziex 512 are a good bang for the buck on the road and a 400-treadwear tire is good for 3 years(but where's the grip ???)

you have to chose the tire you need and not a tire that ''will provide adequate traction and that will last long''

my 0.02 cents

djrard,Sep 22 2005, 01:50 PM Wrote:

Quote:The focus is not a high performance car no matter what you've done to it, therefore get something that will provide adequate traction and that will last long.

i don't want to do autoX with OEM pirelli P6. The grip is 0, the stifness of the sidewall is 0. When i'm on track, i use different tires because each tire have a utility. azenis are better on track, Falken ziex 512 are a good bang for the buck on the road and a 400-treadwear tire is good for 3 years(but where's the grip ???)

you have to chose the tire you need and not a tire that ''will provide adequate traction and that will last long''

my 0.02 cents
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Who are you kidding! I agree with you at the track you need a good tire but even the best tire money can buy may shave a second or two off of you lap time in a focus over the pirelli's you have. It's still a focus no matter what shoes it's wearing.

i disagree to a point...

yes it will always be a focus but 2 secs on the track is HUGE!
that's upwards of 20 car lengths!

and how do you define a high performance car?
i don't know about you but if my focus is as fast as a vette, handles as well as a vette and runs lap times as quick as a vetter if not better in all aspects, is that focus still a commuter car even though it matches or out performs a "performance" car by all rights?

there are not many cars at the locak tracks that are quicker than my focus, and i'm talking about almost any car in the sub $100,000cnd range.
no it will never be a TRUE "performance car" but with the level of performance you can gain out of this platform buying a high quality tire that suits your needs is by far a better idea than buying a ''will provide adequate traction and that will last long''.


it all comes down to your NEEDS.
i would never put either of those tires on my car the way the car is now. i can break traction with the RT615s and they are pretty much the best performing street tire available without going into a DOT R-compound. putting a tire with less grip means more wheels spin and less control in the corners... why would doing something like that be a good idea on anything but a mildly modified car?

yes, if you have a mildly setup car then you probably shouldn't be buying a top of the line tire. HOWEVER, a top of the line major brand name like toyo or pirelli or mich or bridgestone are rarely the best tires anymore. you can find better performing tires for less.
Kumho 712s and MX, Falken FK-451s and RT615s are what i consider some of the best tires on the market and they are all also very reasonably priced! the goodyears you suggested are comparable, i just don't like goodyears myself nor do i deal with any suppliers that carry them.

You guys both make valid points but we have to remember that 99.9% of the people on this board use their focus as daily commuters first and foremost. Mitch your car is the exception to the rule. I agree that those falken RT615 are an unbelieveable tire. My comment about

''will provide adequate traction and that will last long''

Was meant as the following. I personally have a very mildly modded car so I don't really need the RT615's like you do. I can get away with the Ventus K-102's because they provide the adequate traction I need. If I went with the RT615's then I still wouldn't have anymore traction than with what I have now because my car cannot perform outside the boundary of the lesser tire. Also if the RT-615 is only going to last me a summer and the ventus 3 summers then I would definitely choose the ventus tire. They provide the adequate traction and lifetime I need.

You wouldn't put RT-615 on some grandma focus now would you. They would never drive faster than 60km/h. They just need something they won't have to worry about.

no no, i understand that. my comment was more of a rebuttle to your statement:
"The focus is not a high performance car no matter what you've done to it, therefore get something that will provide adequate traction and that will last long."

while as arrogant as this sounds, my car is an exception to the rule, i still think the use of the car should dictate the tire purchased. but also the use of the car should be considered on far more levels....
if the car is 100% street driven over long distances to and from work then a tire that will last long is the best choice.
if a car has a modified suspension and is driven agressively then something with more grip should be the choice of the day.
if the above car sees the odd track/autoX event then a tire near the upper limits of the spectrum should be on the car.
if the car is a serious autoX/track slut then a dedicated set of rims and tires for that purpose should be purchased.

being that i have more than a few cars to drive and i just purchased a beater, and my focus never sees the street when there is snow, a max performance tire suits my needs very well. well that and snow tires for a 17" rim(only thing that will clear my brakes) are not what you would call cheap or even useful with this much power. ;)

FociBC,Sep 16 2005, 02:41 AM Wrote:Falkens hands down.....

if your looking for a good tire all around you should try out the 512's or for a touch more 451's
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that's what I run now, I didn't like them at first but now I enjoy them, sidewall is a lil too soft though.

too soft on which model?
the 512s are really soft i found and the 451s are a little sider than my old Kumho 712s...

what sort of sidewall stiffness were you looking for?
something like the brick hard ride of the Yoki A032R-hards? :)

ZX3TUNING,Sep 29 2005, 04:05 AM Wrote:too soft on which model?
the 512s are really soft i found and the 451s are a little sider than my old Kumho 712s...

what sort of sidewall stiffness were you looking for?
something like the brick hard ride of the Yoki A032R-hards? :)
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yeah I have the 512s only reason Ibought them was cause I never had a falken before and I read good things about them and they were only like $60 a tire at the time. I honestly don't mind a rough ride, I would choose a rough ride over a smooth soft one anyday. I am a driver that likes feeling the road and getting feed back from the car, you don't get that on a soft silky smooth driving car

try the 451s or even the RT615s if you want more "feel" the 615s will give you great feel with tons of grip!

ZX3TUNING,Sep 30 2005, 01:02 AM Wrote:try the 451s or even the RT615s if you want more "feel" the 615s will give you great feel with tons of grip!
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what's the price point on those and how would you compare them to Kumho Ecsta 712?

the 451s are priced around the same or slightly more than the 712s and i would place them at a slightly lower level than the Kumho MX.


as for the RT615s, they are pretty much the best max performance street tires on the market. not the best in the wet like say a Toyo T1-S/T1-R. they are basicly a step down from a DOT legal R-Compound race tire. they are the dominant tire to run in the SCCA Street-tire class in AutoX.

you can check out all these tires and prices out here: http://www.tiretrends.com/catalog2.php3?tireID=478 <=== RT-615
http://www.tiretrends.com/catalog2.php3?tireID=369 <=== FK-451

ZX3TUNING,Sep 30 2005, 03:59 AM Wrote:the 451s are priced around the same or slightly more than the 712s and i would place them at a slightly lower level than the Kumho MX.


as for the RT615s, they are pretty much the best max performance street tires on the market. not the best in the wet like say a Toyo T1-S/T1-R. they are basicly a step down from a DOT legal R-Compound race tire. they are the dominant tire to run in the SCCA Street-tire class in AutoX.

you can check out all these tires and prices out here: http://www.tiretrends.com/catalog2.php3?tireID=478  <=== RT-615
http://www.tiretrends.com/catalog2.php3?tireID=369  <=== FK-451
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I had Toyo T1-S on my Audi 90 Quattro.... simply amazing but back then I had money to spend on those types of things :(


I'll take a look at those even though I won't need tires for a good 2 years now heh :) thanks for the info

oh i agree, the T1-S is simply a great tire pitty about the price. out here in Vancouver the T1-S is one of the bst tires you can run in the spring and fall because of all the rain and how solid of a wet weather tire it is but it tends to be surpassed by other tires come summer time; Kumho MX, Bridgestone S0-2 or S0-3 standard or PP, Falken RT-615s and Sport Conti 2's.

if you want a strictly dry weather tire designed for the utmost grip and performance, look into the Kumho V70a's or V710s. they are the shortest lasting, highest grip, DOT approved tires on the market today. you'll see these on many track and AutoX cars and will almost bend the laws of physics if you have the balls to push them... not something i suggest on the street but they will bring a new meaning of "fun" and "grip" to your favorite twisty back road! ;)

i have RT215 on my car for almost 7000mi on the street and a few autoX events now and i'm not at 1/2 tread yet. i think i will be able to get 2 seasons (appx 15000mi) out of them. i was worried about wet performance before i got them.. but driving granny style in the wet has worked for me.