BFGoodrich Tires
g-Force T/A KD
The g-Force T/A KD's tread is an asymmet-ric design under the guise of a directional tire. To make the tire perform as well as it does, BFG took a directional design and added tread blocks that were specifically designed for the left and right side of the car. Combining a directional tread design with asymmetric technology, BFG has managed to produce a tire that, despite being a couple of years old, can keep up with, and beat, the newest tires on the market (in the dry). Since this tire is marketed as a dry tire, with the KDW model assuming wet duty, we can't really complain about its wet-weather performance.
Tread Depth: 9/32 inch
Tread Design: Asymmetric
Tread Wear: 200
Traction: AA
Temperature: A
Load Index/Speed Rating: 90Y
Contact Info: www.bfgoodrichtires.com
WET
Slalom: 4.556 sec
Skidpan: 0.771 g
Lap Time: 33.674 sec
Braking from 50 mph: 100.4 ft
DRY
Slalom: 4.136 sec
Skidpan: 0.946 g
Lap Time: 29.474 sec
Braking from 50 mph: 79.4 ft
Driver's Comments
DRY
Don: The 10th tire driven in the dry, these were one of the best so far and in the top three. You could be very precise turning-in and around the skidpan. The level of grip wasn't quite on par with the Michelins, but they were very good.Will: These had awesome grip. They stuck the whole time and had the best high-speed transition of any tire so far. They inspired confidence because you could place the car very precisely.
WET
Don: As the seventh tire tested in the wet, this wasn't the best or worst. They were probably just slower than the Falken and Dunlop. They weren't as good on the skidpan and needed a gentle throttle because they would break away quite suddenly compared to those tires and the Goodyear, but they were better than the Toyo.Will: These were consistent through the skidpan but the front would let go in the last third, which the good tires didn't do. These were just average tires -- not the best nor the worst.
Bridgestone
Potenza RE050A
With derivatives of the RE050 offered as OE on the Mercedes-Benz S55 AMG, Ferrari Enzo, and BMW Z4, we figured it should perform well. Bridgestone supplied the RE050A, with the 'A' designating an asymmetric tread pattern (whereas the
RE050 is a directional tire). With the addi-tional asymmetric technology, we figured the RE050A should fair better in the rain than its little brother. As expected, it did finish in the top half in the wet, but came in second to last in the dry.
Tread Depth:10/32 inch
Tread Design:Asymmetric
Tread Wear:140
Traction:A
Temperature:A
Load Index/Speed Rating: 91Y
Contact Info: www.bridgestonetire.com
WET
Slalom: 4.496 sec
Skidpan: 0.840 g
Lap Time: 32.278 sec
Braking from 50 mph: 94.4 ft
DRY
Slalom: 4.197 sec
Skidpan: 0.920 g
Lap Time: 30.136 sec
Braking from 50 mph: 84.1 ft
Continental Tires
ContiSportContact 2
The Continental brand doesn't jump to mind when you think of performance tires, but the ContiSportContact 2 is a capable tire. It has what's called Bionic Compound Technology, and its Bionic Contour asymmetric tread is based on the same principles as a spider's web, with Continental's goal being to keep the tread both firm and flexible during performance driving, particularly in the wet.
Tread Depth: 10/32 inch
Tread Design: Asymmetric
Tread Wear: 280
Traction: AA
Temperature: A
Load Index/Speed Rating: 91W
Contact Info: www.conti-online.com
WET
Slalom:4.556 sec
Skidpan:0.832 g
Lap Time:32.278 sec
Braking from 50 mph:95.7 ft
DRY
Slalom: 4.147 sec
Skidpan: 0.897 g
Lap Time: 30.169 sec
Braking from 50 mph: 85.7 ft
Driver's Comments
DRY
Don: As the second tire tested in the dry, these had less overall grip than the Goodyear but were more predictable. They didn't brake as well and were worse for lateral grip. I could feel lots of tread block movement.Will: These went away on the skidpan where I lost the front end easily and had less overall grip than the Goodyear. They weren't as good under braking either, and I could feel the tires squirming underneath me.
WET
Don: As the twelfth tire tested in the wet, these were above average with impres-sive braking and grip. They were controllable despite not having huge levels of grip, although there was good traction. They're definitely in the top five, but it's getting harder to differentiate between the tires that went before.Will: They were confidence inspiring and controllable. There was good grip for acceleration and braking. They were very consistent and in the top group.
Dunlop Tires
SP Sport Maxx
Dunlop's high performance SP Sport lineup is joined by a new addition -- the SP Sport Maxx. The tire is so new that little informa-tion was available when we tested it, but based on its performance, we're glad it's going to be sold here. It obviously still uses the company's wet weather HydroMax technology, as the tire finished in the top three in our wet weather testing, thanks to a substantial number of open grooves, which slightly hurt the tire's dry track performance.
Tread Depth: 10/32 inch
Tread Design: Directional
Tread Wear: 240
Traction: AA
Temperature: A
Load Index/Speed Rating: 94Y
Contact Info: www.dunloptires.com
WET
Slalom: 4.476 sec
Skidpan: 0.848 g
Lap Time: 32.100 sec
Braking from 50 mph: 97.2 ft
DRY
Slalom: 4.186 sec
Skidpan: 0.941 g
Lap Time: 29.712 sec
Braking from 50 mph: 85.4 ft
Driver's Comments
DRY
Don: The ninth tire tested in the dry, these didn't have the greatest grip but were predictable. You can drive fast but they slide more than I'd like. They feel like they should be right in the middle of the pack, but you have to work hard to get a fast time.
Will: These were fun. They weren't the best tires but performed consistently and were well balanced.
WET
Don: The fifth tires driven in the wet, these were not as good as the Goodyear, but better than anything else so far. The braking is OK, but they are very good at everything else. They seem like good compromise tires with predictable behavior and plenty of grip.
Will: These were the most stable. There were few surprises to be found, but they had lots of grip and you knew what they would do. They stayed on line in the skidpan and were better at high speed than most, although they weren't as good as the Goodyear.