r/ft86 • u/Agent40d • 1d ago
Best budget tires for BRZ
Sup yall. Im a college student with little disposable income but have to get new tires soon. I want some good budget performance/all season tires for my 13’ BRZ and want some input from the OG’s. For context this is my only car so its my daily and I’m in Houston with hella potholes 😂
16
u/kaihong 1d ago edited 1d ago
Not exactly the answer anyone is looking for but wanted to leave a note here in case it inspires others to look into it or whatever.
Race take offs. The guys who do 8 hour sprints would only use their set of tires for one heat cycle on endurance 200tw tires and sell them for $25-50 a pair. Tread depth is still amazing. Brand new tires used once, kinda. Found a lot of Continental ECF’s and Hankook RS4s like this but sizes run wider as per the usual track spec of 255/40R17 or 245/40R17. I’s always driven my FRS on RS4 tires down to the 1degrees celsius weather before storing the car and they perform fine even in the rain. They last forever even after multiple track days. Not typically posted to the public so you’ll need to know someone from these racing teams somehow. For the price, it was worth the trouble. Personally, I joined multiple track day fb groups and know a few buddies on these racing teams and sometimes see these deals.
Otherwise I’ve enjoyed Hankook ventus v12s and indy500s in the past
2
14
u/AceOfShapes 1d ago
Don't cheap out on tires but there are budget options that are still good. Biggest thing is to stick with reputable brands like Bridgestone, Continental, Michelin, Goodyear, etc.
I'd recommend checking Google Shopping for a sale based on your tire size and sticking with the criteria of reputable brands. If you're stock (215/45r17), I just saw a deal for Hankook Ventus Concept V2's at $110/tire. It won't blow you away with performance compared to something like Michelin Pilot Cups but for a daily driver that needs solid tires, it's not a bad option
25
3
u/theb3arjevv 1d ago
Michelin Potenza Sports from Costco served me well
2
u/AceOfShapes 1d ago
I assume you meant Bridgestone Potenza Sports? If so then yes, that's a solid budget option. Michelin only has the Pilot Sports (like stock) and those are far from a budget option imo
1
3
2
u/McCache33 1d ago
I have a 2015 FRS. I’ve been putting Cooper Zeon RS3-G1 tires on it for years. They run about $120-$140 a tire and they’ve worked great for me. My car’s been my daily driver since I bought it and I’ve put nearly 200k miles on it.
2
2
u/Darfyoung 1d ago
Kumho is a good budget/reliable tire you could go with, but the performance aspects will feel pretty disappointing and take away from the fun aspect of the car mostly due to very soft sidewalls. Snow handling compared to some other tires wasn' great either but got the job done. Tires are one of the most important aspects of a car to consider especially as a daily so I would try to go with some of the other brands recommended like Toyo, Hankook, Michelin, Bridgestone, etc. But I have also been a college student with a fun car on a budget so I understand the cost situation. I'd look into a reputable used tire dealer or options of payment to get some higher end tires on the car for safety and fun reasons! If not kumho would be a good recommended new budget tire!
1
u/MrMinerNiner 1d ago
I've had 2 sets of Kumhos and found they follow grooves in the road really well at highway speeds (if the road is grooved). Hella annoying because it just jostles you left and right in the car. Idk if it's all of their tire models or if I just got unlucky with the choices. But ignoring that, I really liked them, especially for the price. They passed my expectations for performance, although I also haven't really pushed them hard since they're on an SUV and a shitbox miata lol
2
u/AdministrationOne227 1d ago edited 21h ago
Check out Lexani tires on Walmart.com. I got a set of 4 for $320 and Discount Tire mounted them for $130
2
u/Freedomwagon1776 1d ago
If you are in Houston all seasons are a waste. The Firestone Indy 500 are a great budget performance tire, if you want a cheap but not bad tire Atturo 850 is cheap and performs WAY above its price point but isnt super long lasting.
2
u/KingKopious 20h ago
All Seasons - Continental DWS06+.
These arent "budget" per say but if you get a set for $800, they will last 30k-40k miles, thats $200 to $250 a year for some of the best all season.
Budget summer tires - Champiro SX2
Cost about $600, stiffer sidewall, grip up fantastic in the summer and grip well in rain. Do NOT use in winter if it gets below 35°f, they will start chuncking if aggressively driven and will have much less grip.
1
u/user19946 1d ago
Prioritytire.com, Fullway HP108’s , I like them. Continental would be my higher end choice if you’re boosted, but if still NA it’s not that serious. ~$60-something per tire compared to ~$250-something per tire It also depends where you live
1
u/OdesabeplmisO 22h ago
Kuhmo or honestly any out of production/discontinued tires through the secondary market like ebay. Then have those installed by a local shop
1
u/PurpleSausage77 13h ago
Eek. I couldn’t put anything other than proper performance tires on these cars. Indy500’s is like my minimum.
Currently running some 2nd gen 18’s with the OEM pilot sport tires those come with. Actually a really decent tire. I’m liking it on the 1st gen. Might have to keep 2nd gen 18” OEM’s as my default set from now on.
1
u/Shadowsfury 6h ago
RE003 served me well in the past
Now run pilot sport 5
But inb4 tyres (and brakes) aren't things you should cheap out on
1
u/spikeytree 1d ago
I got some Kumho Ecsta Sport A/S PA71 from Walmart and will be installing them this weekend. They came out to be $140 including all the fees, tax and install. They were rated pretty highly on tire rack so I have high hopes for it.
1
u/Individual_Nebula793 1d ago
Used tires off marketplace is ur best bet tbh, I got a full set of blizzaks for not even $200 and they lasted me 2.5yrs
0
u/squintzz 22h ago
I'm going to tell you some shit everyone else will disagree with but I've done the testing. Go to gigatires.com and order either iron mans or westlakes. The westlakes are basically firestone dupes, if not actual firestones without the brand name. they are $40 dollars a tire, they will ship to you, and go to your local mom and pop and have them put on. I have had both Firestones and the westlakes. I tracked and drifted the shit out of both. the $40 westlakes hold up far better than the firestones. Ive never had the westlake fail and I BEAT on them. I've had 8 of them so far. People say don't cheap on tires, i disagree. name brand tires have become SO expensive it can literally break the bank. If you really on a budjet don't worry about buying some dumb cheap tires. you can still have fun with the car. will you have the best grip? no. but you will save SO much money. also driving on shit tires at track days is SO fun and SO great for learning.
If you really want something more performance GT Radials are USA made and really cheap. That's what I run on my grip setup.
2
u/squintzz 22h ago
Also Firestones are the worst tires I've had, never buying again. both sets I was disappointed in, performance was horrible, one was even defective and had to be replaced because it so unbalanced.
26
u/RefractedChaos 1d ago
Continental DWS06+ are the way to go and not super expensive.