$100-125
Comments, Rumors and Hearsay: A longtime favorite (though not nearly- unanimous as it once was). 215/65VR15 seems to have been discontinued. Good wet handling, though one SHOtimer with the H-rated variety reported very serious loss of traction in winter conditions. Another reports excellent winter traction. Good treadlife (maybe 40% more than GT+4's).
From Steve Reynolds :
Comparing the Comp T/A vs the stock GT+4 tires I observed the following.
In snow the VR4 has better acceleration and braking than the GT+4s. In cornering however the GT+4 were better. I've had the tail come out several times (traveling on straight roads) with the VR4s but I never experienced that with the GT+4s.
In the dry the GT+4s would brake at a maximium of .96Gs while the GT+4s with only brake at a maximum of .91Gs (using a G-Tech PRO). The maximum cornering force I recorded with the GT+4s was .89 Gs while I read .99Gs several times with the VR4s. This comparison may be biased agaist the GT+4s because the VR4s readings were obtained during an autocross.
Both tires seem about equal in the rain and noise level. The VR4s are a little softer riding over sharp bumps such as tar strips.
Both tires were 215/60 16". The VR4s appear to be wearing slower than the GT+4s. The GT+4 would wear the centers out regardless of tire pressure where the Comp T/A tend to be more even with more outside tire edge wear (from hard cornering). The GT+4s would chunk when autocrossed. The VR4s do not. I've never had the out of round symptoms with the VR4s or ZRs but I did have a problem about 10 years ago with a VR (earlier generation) on a different car.
Touring T/A
R1
CR&H: Yee Ha, 0.9G measured on the dry skidpad, turns-in yesterday. Drive thru a shallow puddle, car spins.
Bridgestone
CR&H: This is a fantastic wet and dry tire, good tread wear too, the fronts were only half gone after the 4300 miles of One Lap. ;-) Had our first significant snow of the season this week, pins and needles again, gotta' get the VR-4's back on for Winter.
CR&H: Bridgestone's top performance all-season tire, with an asymmetrical tread pattern. Compared to the GT+4, more comfortable and quieter ride, and provides sharper turn-in and steering response, with apparently better grip. Better traction in rain seems better, and in snow (Western Canada winter) seems much better than the GT+4. Tread life looks to be similar to GT+4.
D40M2
CR&H: Quiet, smooth, good autocrossing tires (one recommendation known of).
D60A2 all-season
CR&H: Excellent overall performer, especially in heavy rain. Rated for 50,000 miles, so when they wear out at 25,000 get a new set at half the price.
D80V4 all-season
CR&H: Much better than GT+4's in wet handling & noise level. Hard to find. OEM on Infiniti Q45.
SP Sport 4000 All Season
CR&H: Much better than the GT+4's in wet, dry, and snowy conditions. Also quieter, but with a noticably stiffer ride. Lateral handling is so much better than the OE tires that I've now noticed some negative handling characteristics (rear end jacking) from the SHO that I never uncovered before.
From William Lorman:
Today was another day in snow w/SP4000's. The original GT+4 tires had more bite in deeper snow. In general the SP4000's are just fine. Compared to original GT+4's, they make less noise, stick to pavement under most circumstances, and do a better job in rain. Considering there's no place for speed in snow storm weather I can live with that.Part of my choosing the Dunlop models was the number of you who said they were quiter and age better than the BFG tires. Don't take this as a "stay away from the SP4000" message, but food for thought if snow performance is important. A friend who changes his Pirelli P4000's with Bridgestone Blizzak models in winter says that is the ultimate solution.
SP Sport 8000
CR&H: According to autocrossers in NESHOC, the tire to go with for serious fair-weather driving. OK in wet, not for winter.
Falken
Firestone
SZ50
General Tire
Eagle Aquatred
I'm running the Eagle Aquatred 215/60/16. I've got 12K miles on them and can say that they are exceptional in rain and snow and get better wear than the Eagle GT's that were OEM on the car. I don't believe they have the grip of the GTs in the dry although I don't have any numbers to back this up. They just seem to break away a little earlier on some of the interstate ramps I use as a test track. They seem to be about the same as the GTs in terms of road noise and harshness (both okay).
Eagle GA
CR&H: very quiet and smooth, but suffer from extremely poor wet-weather
traction and a somewhat disconnected feel.
Kelly Springfield
Charger VR-4
Energy MXV4
Michelin Sport XGT V, XGT V4
215/65VR15, 225/60VR15, 225/55ZR16 (XGTV)
$125-150
CR&H: Noisy, stiffer ride than GT+4, but good dry & wet handling. [At least one netter disagrees with me, calling the V4 'absolutely terrifying in rain' based on experience with a Dodge Spirit R/T.] V4 good on ice & snow. Tends to follow grooves in pavement. Expensive (I only have them 'cuz I got a special deal when the local NTW screwed up my Pirelli order). Treadlife only slightly longer than OEM. One (mine!) recommendation.
Another netter reports good results after 20k miles. Expects to get 40k out of them with frequent (2-3k miles) rotation.
Re: XGTV (215/65VR15) awful rain tires, smooth ride even at 40psi, quiet, good snow experience (only once, though), poor steering response and OK grip, stayed balanced, 40,000+ miles: Liked 'em.
One more opinion on the XGT V4 (215/60R16 95V): Wet handling is MUCH improved as compared with the Goodyear Eagle GT+4, and road noise is virtually nil. Cornering is also much better. Interestingly, Motor Trend did a article in November 1995 on this tire, comparing it favorably with another Michelin model, a pure performance tire. Granted, the Goodyears were about gone, so anything would have been an improvement.
P4000 Super Touring
CR&H: Much superior to GT+4's in noise, dry & especially wet traction, though perhaps too much give at the ragged edge. These are new in the past year or so and have gotten lots of good press.
215/60HR15
CR&H: Softer ride than OEMs, better in wet and snow, but lack rigidity in sidewall. Steering feels vague.
Toyo
F600
CR&H: Don't know much apart from less wheelspin than GT+4's.
Proxes Z-1
CR&H: Two recommendations, better ride, lower noise than GT+4's, better handling.
A008
Price about $185
CR&H: Street legal slicks, with just enough tread to pass inspection. *The* tire for autocrossing. Could be a handful in the wet, and forget snow or ice.
A509
CR&H: Two enthusiastic recommendations--better grip than OEM, good wet traction, low price, quiet ride. One recommender reported 36,000 mile treadlife.
A540
CR&H : I have to take them off now because I overheated the outside
sidewalls with my "performance driving". They roll-under/ tuck-in
in curves, and are now practically 'shot'. This after only
7000 mls. The tires were riding very good, traction, handling, etc.
everything, but
the soft sidewalls DO NOT stand up to high performance driving.
AVS Intermediate
CR&H: EXCELLENT steering response, EXCELLENT grip, ride worse than Michelins. About as noisy as the OEM Goodyears.
AVS U+4
CR&H: I had 215/65VR15 of these. Very good ride. Mediocre straight-line traction. Good braking traction. Very good lateral traction. Mediocre wet traction. OK snow traction, but these aren't snow tires. Nice crisp turn-in. I got less than 20k miles out of mine. Downright scary in winter after 10k miles; OK when new. (Mike Schwartz)
S4-V
CR&H: I now have these. In almost every way superior to AVS U+4 except for turn-in response. Incredible wet traction; feels like the road is dry.