Need Better Tires

[Jinx]

I drive a 2003 GT daily to work, about 5 miles one way.

Due to economic reasons, I have been driving on some p.o.s. Tiger Paw GTZs. I hate them. They don't hook up on regular street roads on a dry sunny day and they've actually been known to break loose while accelerating in 2nd gear. I now have some budget to start looking at some new shoes for the pony and want something that will grip 1st through 2nd without hesitation. I live in Florida (north) and have no need for winter tires nor all season tires probably. We get a few weeks out of the year where the temps drop below 40 and usually not for long. From discussion in another thread, I think my tires are not warming up enough to grip properly, which is why I'm looking for something a little softer/stickier.

I used to run Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3s but they were kind of pricey (still are) and when I was driving 40 miles per day they wore pretty quick. What I am looking for is something with the grip of those tires but with a little more tread life. I'm only driving 10 miles per day city, vs. the 35 highway that i used to, so perhaps tread life should not be too much of a factor. We use the wifes Fuzion for weekend errands and road trips.

Current specs:
Tiger Paw GTZ
all season
speed rating 95w
traction AA
tread grade 400

Previous specs:
Eagle F1 GSD3
Summer
speed rating 98Y
traction AA
tread grade 280

 

[Dark04GT]

Nitto is always a popular choice because of its bang for buck. I still have great traction in 2nd on their max performance NT05’s. The only downside is that I have to change out tires every 2 years because of the 200 treadwear.

For a little more treadwear look at the NT555 G2’s. Great all around summer tire with good bang for buck. https://www.americanmuscle.com/nitto-nt555-g2amm.html

If you are still rocking the stock wheel size you save enough money with these that it is worth it to get a wheel upgrade if your budget can afford it.

 

[Chris98Cobra]

When I had my 88 Coupe, daily driver, I got the most out of Nitto 555R. I know drag radials aren't meant to last, but since they didn't slip they seemed to work best for me. I tried a number of different types, including Goodyear supercars, but they just didn't last due to them slipping all the time. I have Nitto 555s now, but have only had the car for a few hundred miles so I can't speak for them yet. They don't spin as easily as other tires, but I still have to be slightly careful at red lights.

 

[RaggedGT]

I’ve had really good luck with Cooper/Mastercraft tires .
I bought a wheel/tire package once that came with brand new summitimo tires-they where like driving on ice at all times lol

 

[Jinx]

The reason I'm not too worried about tread wear is that if I only drive it as a daily to and from work, I will average less than 3,000 miles per year. So far to date this year, I have only put 876 miles on the car.

 

[RaggedGT]

The reason I'm not too worried about tread wear is that if I only drive it as a daily to and from work, I will average less than 3,000 miles per year. So far to date this year, I have only put 876 miles on the car.

Ive has a few sets of Hankooks on my SN car,and have been really happy with them

I’ve had two different sets of Cooper tires on my wife’s Lexus,equally as happy with them lol

I was guessing at your tire size, so this is just for reference

https://www.discounttiredirect.com/.../245-45-17?q=:price-asc&sort=price-asc&page=1

 

[Chris98Cobra]

The reason I'm not too worried about tread wear is that if I only drive it as a daily to and from work, I will average less than 3,000 miles per year. So far to date this year, I have only put 876 miles on the car.

In that case, I absolutely recommend Nitto DRs. When I had my coupe I drove about the same as you, roughly 2k a year. They didn't spin so I didn't wear them down like I did with other, non-sticky, tires. Every time I used any other tire I had to be extra careful taking off from stops, with the DRs I was able to drive normally with no wheel spin.