I learned years ago that the most expensive tire doesn't mean the best performance. One of the biggest factors is how and where you are driving the car. A street tire is completely different from a race tire. Most people on here, I'm assuming are referring to street tires for street application. There is a lot more to performance then just sheer grip. You have rolling resistance, road noise, lateral grip, wet & dry, wear, etc. No one tire can be better in all categories, for all cars, FWD, AWD, RWD.
Some of the so called budget tires that are spoke of, can provide 96-98% of the performance of the more expensive brand in some areas, and better performance in other areas, all while saving you hundreds of dollars. I think that's a smart choice, regardless if your a college student or earning $100K plus a year. Now if your looking for tires for the track, and shaving .05 seconds off your lap time is worth it to you, then buy a more expensive tire, but don't be surprised if your staring at the guys rear bumper with the less expensive tires.
