I am overwhelmed with tire choices. I have stock RE070 with 11,000 miles here in S Cal- no winter issues.

I am only a little aggressive on hyways, no track, or 1/4 mile.

Why do people abandon the stock tire, I understand from searching that it is very good, esp the hard sidewall.

I DO NOT WANT TO LOSE HANDLING. i would not mind costing LESS money, less noise, equal or better wear. But it seems the stock tire with that sidewall is the ticket

Are there really many tires to choose from, other than stock?

i still have a little time before I have to pay for 4 tires ( I assume $1000 for 4 RE070's ) .

What tire handles as well, is no more money, better less, and perhaps less noisy?

I have read many posts, but I am not clear about my choices. i do not want to end up with an inferior tire to stock.
Thanks

I did love my 070's, but they were so expensive. Other tires you may wanna look into are falken azenis rt615's, very good tire there, Also Yoko Advans seem to be pretty popular as well. Other tires that may lose a bit in certain areas are Kumho Ecsta MX, which a lot of people really like, and General Exclaim UHP's (I am using those. They are really inexpensive (75 a tire from tirerack) Have a really aggressive tread pattern, Amazing wet traction, and Awesome treadwear. The only downside I have noticed have been more sidewall flex. They haven't treated me wrong and I think that they would be a good match for your driving. I have yet to take them to their limit. By the way, I have had them for about 18k miles I think.

Check out the surveys on Tire Rack. I found them very helpful. I chose Conti Extreme Contacts for all seasons. They ride smoother than the RE92s and are quite good in rain. Have not had them in snow yet.

I agree on the RT615's. It's a very popular choice as a replacement to RE070's. Sidewalls are not as stiff as the RE070's so it's a tad quieter; but the 615's are still considered stiff. The RT615's are very grippy. Since it's not an OEM tire, they're more affordable.

Check out Vulcan Tire. They have good prices on them.

Since you have an 05 I would get some 255 40 17 RT615's. They are a good replacement for the re070. THe re070's are great tires though. I don't know why so many people replace them soon quickly.

I got 33k out of my RE070's, and they were used with 70% tread when I got them. I took the RE070's to the track, on spirited drives in the mountains, and I even "rallied" them through some of the offroad stages during the X Games 2006. Who says you can't take tarmac tires on the dirt (although I don't recommend this). I wish I had a set of gravel tires.

....might try the re01-r

OK,

RE01-r
Falken 615

Rallyroo, what tire pressure to get such great wear?

I guess my biggest issue is the money per mile for the tire

Noise is another issue

but here comes cake and eat it too- i do not want to lose any lateral handling, hairpin turns etc!!

The RE01R is the only tire that I think might actually be a better handling tire (not r-comp) than the RE070 (for a given size).

"The RE01R " vs RE070
How is RE01R:

treadwear wise?

cost wise?

noise wise?

thank you

"The RE01R " vs RE070
How is RE01R:

treadwear wise? any 'MAX' performance tires life will depend greatly on its use......some have had re070s last 4-5k miles(or less) and some have got 25+k out of them......personally, I kinda think anything over 20k is gravy

cost wise? depends on size
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Sizes.jsp?make=Bridgestone&model=Potenza+RE-01R

noise wise?likely not as bad as the re070s

thank you

....the re050 PP may be another option, as well

Rallyroo, what tire pressure to get such great wear?

I guess my biggest issue is the money per mile for the tire

Noise is another issue

but here comes cake and eat it too- i do not want to lose any lateral handling, hairpin turns etc!!

I run 36/33 for daily driving. I check my tire pressure once every two weeks. And rotate tires on a regular basis. Do those two things and it should help your tires last longer.