My 555G2 street tires need replacing and I’m looking for modern recommendations. Front 285/35/19 and rear 305/30/19 (or 305/35/19).

These tires will be driven <1,000 miles per year. Just Sunday drives around town plus driving to the track. They will also be my backup/rain tires at HPDE days, so decent rain performance is important. I have a separate, dedicated set of wheels/tires that I transport to the track for primary HPDE duty.

I hope to keep the price low since these tires will likely have an easy life. I drive like a grandma on the street.

Thanks

Not sure if the price will be budget friendly, but the Conti ECS 02 is proven killer rain track and autocross tire. Just go look at the Tire Racks testing for wet performance tires. Most of our local TT guys have picked those up as our rains on pony cars and corvettes.

I like Kuhmo Ecsta PS-91

What about the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S ?

The Conti breaks away more gently and has more wet grip than the ps4.

Thanks for the suggestions. Conti ECS02 seems like a great option for my needs.

Any thoughts on the Firestone Indy 500 or the Falken FK510? They also look to have good rain performance and are significantly less expensive.

I personally still use the old Michelin Super Sport (basically a 4S) for street and rain and it’s awesome but not the cheapest. I’d second the Conti recommendation. I use 275/40/18 square.

285/305 sizing is going to be a bit of a compromise for a rain setup no matter what model you choose and of course square is always better for any track work. Can you go narrower? I assume you’re limited by your current wheels?

Junkyard Dog said:

What about the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S ?

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Kuhmo Ecsta PS91 is basically the same thing only a lot more cost effective. And I feel they handle better on wet roads / track

stevbd said:

I personally still use the old Michelin Super Sport (basically a 4S) for street and rain and it’s awesome but not the cheapest. I’d second the Conti recommendation. I use 275/40/18 square.

285/305 sizing is going to be a bit of a compromise for a rain setup no matter what model you choose and of course square is always better for any track work. Can you go narrower? I assume you’re limited by your current wheels?

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I have had some scary times in the rain on the Super Sport. I did not even realize Michelin still made them. That is why I went to the 4S after one turn on some sort of 3 season Michelin.

That’s the first time I’ve heard the SS described as “scary” in the rain but I don’t doubt the 4S is improved. New to new comparison? I’ve used the SS for years as my track rain tire with good success, partly because 4S doesn’t come in a 275/40/18. But sounds like it’s time to try something new.

stevbd said:

New to new comparison

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No, actually, old to old. I know that sounds backwards, but the 4S is much better in the rain when old. And this is interstate. I have never driven on a track in the rain. Maybe I should not have posted anything.

Ah, gotcha. Your experience with the 4s being a pretty exceptional high performance rain tire is consistent with everything I’ve seen.

I've been thinking of replacing my worn ECS02 in the next few months and discovered the new Indy500 V2.

10 years ago, I was considering the original Indy500 but stuck with more premium and performant contenders like MP4S and ECS02. Now I am willing to give a more budget option a try and another chance for street use only.

MP4S and ECS02 were both phenomenal dry and wet street and light track day tires, I would 100% consider them as the best do it all tires.

Does anyone have any feedback on the new V2 Indy500?

For a comparison, ran a 305 Nankang CRS in the wet and was aquaplaning on the front straight at about 87mph. The first group all got caught on the dummy grid as the rain arrived and out we all went on drys. That was interesting.
Thankfully i had thought ahead and had a set of stock size Michelin 4S's with full tread in the truck. New top speed was 112mph in the wet. This is where the fun part comes in. I run Pagid RSL29's. Just because you are fine at speed in the wet doesn't mean there is a lot of grip to slow down in the wet. The Pagids have great bite in the dry, in the wet they instantly set the abs off at speed, well they may not have had a chance as i think i lifted instantly i felt a front wheel lock at said 112mph. And i was very gentle with the brake pedal. Very butt puckering moment.

This is a limited data point but I recently put the Firestones on my Boss Laguna Seca. I’ve only driven the car a couple hundred miles before beginning a Tremec swap where it is now. During that time I drove on the street in rain. It seemed pretty good except for the one time I got a pucker in rain while crossing a painted stripe where the car slid a foot or so. I can’t say that would have been different with any other tire. Other than that incident the tires felt good in relatively agressive street driving on country roads.

My Roush 427R has Michelin 4S tires. I have more time in the saddle on the street they are impressive. How do they compare to the Firestone? For your intended purpose doubt you would find one better than the other. The Firestone are definitely cheaper.

In case your are counting, yes I own 3 S197 Mustangs.

Another vote for the ECS02s. I’m running a 275/40/18 square setup.

Absolutely killer in the rain. Yesterday was my first event and they were not the limiting factor by a long shot. I was thoroughly impressed considering there were multiple places with standing water.

Rodpwnz said:

I've been thinking of replacing my worn ECS02 in the next few months and discovered the new Indy500 V2.

10 years ago, I was considering the original Indy500 but stuck with more premium and performant contenders like MP4S and ECS02. Now I am willing to give a more budget option a try and another chance for street use only.

MP4S and ECS02 were both phenomenal dry and wet street and light track day tires, I would 100% consider them as the best do it all tires.

Does anyone have any feedback on the new V2 Indy500?

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RedStallion27 said:

Thanks for the suggestions. Conti ECS02 seems like a great option for my needs.

Any thoughts on the Firestone Indy 500 or the Falken FK510? They also look to have good rain performance and are significantly less expensive.

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I bought a set in Jan and am super happy with the Firestone Firehawks V2. Can't beat the price for performance and I'd say they are comparable to the Conti ECS 02s I had on my GT500. I have gone to track night 4X this year and I like the grip. I'd get another set without hesitation.

..and price wise they definitely are a 'budget' tire compared to C, M & P.

MBalboni said:

I bought a set in Jan and am super happy with the Firestone Firehawks V2. Can't beat the price for performance and I'd say they are comparable to the Conti ECS 02s I had on my GT500. I have gone to track night 4X this year and I like the grip. I'd get another set without hesitation.

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Thanks. It looks like they don’t make a 305 or 315, but according to Tire Rack their 325 is oddly only 11.1” wide and should work fine on an 11 inch wheel.

That 325 is a little pricey though.

MBalboni said:

I bought a set in Jan and am super happy with the Firestone Firehawks V2. Can't beat the price for performance and I'd say they are comparable to the Conti ECS 02s I had on my GT500. I have gone to track night 4X this year and I like the grip. I'd get another set without hesitation.

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I hope this is not a stupid question, but you have been to the track four times in the rain this year?

I see your location as PDX, which I recognize as Portland, Oregon, so maybe that goes with the territory. I am from coastal Oregon, so I understand doing things in the rain sometimes, or you might not get to do them at all.