A good set of tires can make or break a car’s handling. Most enthusiasts will agree that performance mods should not take priority over basic upgrades like a good set of wheels and tires.
A good set of tires offers a bunch of notable improvements to your car’s handling, due to their tread patterns and their design.
There’s always heaps of great options to choose from. With everyone vehemently defending their own personal choice of performance tires, it can be a bit tricky to choose the right set for your needs.
To make things easier, we’ve listed and reviewed of some of the best street performance tires that you can buy.
Best Street Performance Tires for the Summer
Several manufacturers are competing for the top spot in the world of ultra high performance tires, but only a handful of them are truly worth spending the money on.
We’ve singled out some of the best ones on the market, across various different budgets, manufacturers, and seasons. If you’re looking for a new set for your project car, these should definitely be on your radar.
Falken Azenis RT615K+
Manufacturer: Falken Tire
Season: Summer
Width: 195-315mm
Wheel size: 14″-18″
Falken Tire has become a household name in the automotive business, known for managing a highly successful drift team and being the go-to choice for a lot of OEMs as well.
While they offer a huge variety of tires, for street performance, you should look no further than the Azenis RT615K+.
That “+” is very important, as it means these tires feature Falken’s state-of-the-art nanotech tread compound, which dissipates heat from the tires and improves the flexibility of the tread, all with the intention of maximizing grip on any surface.
When the Azenis RT615K+ gets up to temperature, they are fantastic for on-road and on-track performance.
Even in the wet, the grip levels are excellent, and the same applies to traction off the line. All of that comes at a cost, however, as the Azenis RT615K+ do produce a noticeable roar, and you can expect them to wear a little faster.
While you can use them on the road, the tread pattern on the RT615K+ is approaching semi-slicks, so performance in the wet won’t be exactly stellar. Still, the one environment where this tire is on its best behavior is on the race track.
Surprisingly, the RT615K+ undercuts a lot of its competitors in price, so if you’re working on a tighter budget, these are definitely a good option.
Toyo Proxes Sport A
Manufacturer: Toyo
Season: Summer
Width: 225-255mm
Wheel size: 17″-20″
When the original Toyo Proxes Sport came out a few years ago, the competition ran rings around them. They didn’t have the best grip and traction properties, and they had problems with braking, particularly in the wet.
Toyo listened to the feedback carefully, and put together the much improved Proxes Sport A.
These tires improve just about every aspect, especially the dry as well as wet grip. They also improve on comfort levels, and because they’re primarily designed for street use, you can install them on any type of race car and use it on the street.
As for cons, the Sport A still suffers from precarious braking distances in wet conditions, and they have pretty high levels of rolling resistance.
They do undercut the competition in price like the Azenis, but the sizing options are severely limited, both in terms of width and the size of wheels they can accommodate.
What’s more, they’re not available in the U.S. at the time of writing, so you might have to import. Still, the Proxes Sport A offers up some impressive qualities for a pretty competitive price.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4S
Manufacturer: Michelin
Season: Summer
Width: 215-325mm
Wheel size: 17″-22″
The undisputed king in the world of high performance street tires; Michelin Pilot Sport 4S quickly climbed the ranks and evolved into being the go-to choice for basically every OEM performance car.
Of course, mere mortals can also purchase a set of Pilot Sport 4S, and there’s a multitude of reasons why you should.
Pilot Sport 4S tires have been around for a few years now, and not many challengers have shown up to dethrone them. They are the perfect balance of grip, traction, wet performance, and road comfort for those days when you just have to daily the race car.
No matter what it may seem like, even the Pilot Sport 4S isn’t perfect. Tread wear is pretty pronounced, and they also have a tendency to crack on the sidewalls. Depending on how you use them, you can wear these out pretty quickly.
That might not sound too bad, except for the fact that Pilot Sport 4S are some of the most expensive tires on the market.
Minor cons aside, and they really are minor, there is very little to fault about the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S.
They definitely deserve the top spot and if you want some of the absolute best performance out of a set of tires with just a little bit more budget, this is your best bet.
Hankook Ventus S1 Evo3
Manufacturer: Hankook
Season: Summer
Width: 205-305mm
Wheel size: 17″-22″
It’s no secret that tires can get pretty expensive, depending on who makes them and what they were designed to do.
What happens when you want an excellent street performance tire, but you’re on a tighter budget? That’s where the Hankook Ventus S1 Evo3 comes into play.
Hankook tires almost always undercut all of the competition, while still providing some pretty solid value for money.
The Ventus S1 Evo3 is no exception, as they don’t undercut other street performance tires by a little, the price difference is pretty significant.
This might give you the impression that performance will suffer as a result of the lower price, but that’s not the case at all.
The Ventus S1 Evo3 is a fantastic all-rounder tire, with excellent performance in both wet and dry conditions, while also providing a good balance of performance and ride quality. If they do have one downside, it’s steering response.
That said, the benefits far exceed the drawbacks, and it’s an excellent high-performance tire that definitely won’t break the bank.
Best All Season Street Performance Tires
It’s tough to go wrong with the options mentioned above, but they all have one thing in common that may or may not be a downside—they’re all summer tires. For many enthusiasts, this won’t work.
Some people want a more versatile set of tires that will provide excellent performance both on the road and on the track, no matter the temperature or natural occurrences falling from the sky.
If this sounds like you, don’t worry. Just because you want a high performance tire for your car doesn’t mean that you should sacrifice usability and performance when the season changes.
Pirelli P Zero All Season Plus
Manufacturer: Pirelli
Season: All
Width: 215-275mm
Wheel size: 17″-20″
With all of the recent attention and talk about Michelin Pilot Sport tires, Pirelli has been shoved to the sideline. That’s a shame, because Pirelli still knows a thing or two about how to make a good performance tire.
As we all know, if a new performance car doesn’t come with Pilot Sports from the factory, there’s a very high chance it’ll come with a Pirelli P Zero of some kind. Not to mention, Pirelli is still the supplier of tires for the Formula 1 championship.
P Zero is the Italian company’s flagship product line, and they offer a tire for just about any application.
This includes a tire for all seasons, aptly named the P Zero All Season Plus. This set is a fantastic all-rounder for performance no matter what time of year it is.
Great comfort, excellent performance no matter how slushy the road is. Also, if you want little to no tire noise, this is the way to go.
Unfortunately, Pirelli tires have garnered a bit of a reputation for faster wearing, so this is something to keep in mind if you’re eyeing up the All Season Plus. If you’re ready for them to wear a little quicker, this is an excellent all-season option.
Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+
Manufacturer: Bridgestone
Season: All
Width: 245/265/305mm
Wheel size: 18″ or 20″
Another excellent all-season all-rounder comes from Bridgestone. The Potenza RE980AS+ is an all-season tire that offers up some pretty great stats.
Excellent braking distance in both dry and wet conditions, good grip and traction, and a surprisingly good showing in the snow.
However, the RE980AS+ has a few caveats. For one, they are pretty expensive, and they only come in a handful of widths and wheel sizes, which is a shame. They also tend to be a little louder than most all-season tires, and their comfort levels can be a little spotty.
These aren’t exactly cons that you should brush off, as they could be deal breakers. Despite that, the Potenza RE980AS+ still shows excellent performance in the crucial conditions for an all-season tire, so depending on your noise tolerance, they may be worthwhile.
Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4
Manufacturer: Michelin
Season: All
Width: 205-315mm
Wheel size: 16″-22″
Judging by the fact that these tires are made by Michelin and are part of the Pilot Sport family, you can expect them to be very, very good.
They definitely don’t disappoint. The Pilot Sport All Season 4 aims to bring all the best qualities of the summer Pilot Sport variety, and make them available and usable year round.
As well as showing excellent performance in just about every condition, with excellent grip and traction, the Pilot Sport All Season 4 also puts on a great show in snowy conditions, which is not something you can say of every all-season tire.
Another strongsuit of the All Season 4 is its incredible braking performance, in both dry and wet conditions.
Noise and comfort levels aren’t the best, however, and they carry the same burden as every other Michelin tire: they’re very expensive, and they’re significantly more expensive than the competition.
Concluding Summary
The importance of choosing a good tire for your car is undeniable. A good set of tires can be the difference between a car that handles great, and a car that handles like a bar of soap.
While it can be intimidating to trail the market for good tire options, as there are dozens out there, these are our top picks for every application.
If you’re after a good set of high performance tires for the summer that won’t break the bank, the Hankook Ventus S1 Evo3 should be right up your alley.
They provide excellent performance in just about every category, from grip in cornering, to handling in the wet, and even comfort levels and noise. If you don’t want to spend massive amounts of money on your next set of performance tires, this is the way to go.
What if your budget stretches higher? This one is really a no-brainer, just pick up a set of Pilot Sport 4S. There’s a reason why these tires consistently win awards and we see them so often fitted to the best performance cars from the factory.
They are more expensive, and they don’t offer a lot of flexibility when it comes to sizing, but the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks in this case.
Finally, if you’re looking for the best all-rounder for an all-season high performance tire, the Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 is your best bet.
Once again, the budget does stretch a little higher, but when it comes to what you’re getting for the money, basically nothing compares.
What’s your go-to all season tire? Let us know by leaving a comment below!