Why do so many get lesser tires for the Z?
 

Now don't get me wrong, MANY tires are underrated. The Ventus V12's for instance has scored very high on several tests, but they aren't a tire with the grip of say the OE or the RE-11's.

Obviously price comes into play and for a set of OE tires or RE-11's you're looking at a pretty penny.

I myself would really like to try and may when I get to the point of needing tires the Vrdestein Sessanta's. Very good ratings... very popular over in Europe, great in the rain and sun, and one of the coolest looking tread patterns i've ever seen.

So who here has changed tires? To which? and why did you choose them?

Michelin Pilot Super Sports

Amazing traction, (advertised) long treadlife, we'll see, cool tread pattern, quieter (not substantial but still) than stockers, definitely not for the thin wallets though lol my set ran me $1850 installed with the lifetime warrantys from discount tire.

ouch... why not the V12's?

Heard from people with similar driving styles that they did not have the cornering ability as good as the stockers or re-11's. We barely ever get moisture here so wet traction wasn't a major concern (Michelin says the SS' have good wet traction as well, but haven't been able to find out yet) Boring tread pattern lol And Michelin has always been a well regarded brand. I had the cash so I said f*** it. Abby deserves the best! :rofl2:

That's cool, I was thinking it seemed like a lot for tires... but i'm still thinking of 245/18/40's and not with the larger Z tires.

lol Yeah mine weren't stock sizes. (255/19/35 F 295/19/30 R) I wanted 305's but to go to them from a 295 was $40 more per tire. I'm happy where I'm at. :icon17:

I have the V12s, 275/30 f 305/30 r and have no issues. Guess it all depends on how you drive...

Oh and I have a SC if that plays any factor on you buying tires. All above options are great though.

People go with the V12s because it's a great bang for the buck tire. Grip is comparable to the OEM RE050As. The only difference is in sidewall stiffness. The V12s are softer so you get a little less immediate feedback as the sidewall rolls more than the Bridgestone. It's also fantastic in the rain.

For a car that only sees street driving, the V12s are a good tire. I don't necessarily see them as a "lesser" tire than OEM considering they are better on wear, noise, and wet traction.

Got the Continental ExtremeContact DWS because it's good for an all season tire and is not too expensive. I DD my Z and will have to drive through snow and rain this winter. Don't have enough money for a separate set of winter wheels/tires.

Hankook Ventus V12's for your bang for the bucket. Unless you're hitting some serious G's in the street, you wouldn't need anything else better. It's like needing 500hp just to take your car to go to work (unless you live next to the autobahn).

As for me, I live in sunny/rainy California, so I probably gonna switch to Nitto NT-05's once the stockers are done in about 7000 miles or 2 auto-x sessions, whichever comes first.

if you're on a budget go with the continental DW's. they are by far big bang for the buck and will keep your car performing very well (like a sports car, not just another street car).

i gave these a try for the lower weight savings vs RE050A's. they are good tires.

To answer the header question.... opinions are like a$$holes.... everyone has one.

I approach this as an engineering/economics problem (I r 1). I also believe the tire tests (when done properly) and try not to let my preconceived notions get in the way. I read personal reviews, but take them with a grain of salt.

Some of the variables we consider are price, performance(grip - dry and wet), durability, summer/all-season, noise level, and ride quality. So, when you say "lesser tire", what exactly do you mean? Cheaper? Less grip? Best or worst wear?

With so many variables and humans being humans, it's no wonder we choose different tires. Are they "lesser"? No, they're just judged on differnet criteria.

By the by, I'd bet money that Nissan chose the tires they did based heavily on what kind of deal they could get from the tire manufacturers - sometimes the bean-counters win.

A longer lasting tire would be nice, but you give up grip for tire life.

I have the v12's and love them. Good overall tire, quiet, rides smooth. For the price you cant beat it.