Definitions
Car : Proton Satria 1.8 SOHC, lowered.
Budget : Under RM$200 each (in my case 195/50/15)
Category : Performance Wet/Dry
Use : Daily driving, Touge, limited track laps.
Bridgestone MY-01
Value : Poor
Despite it being one of the more expensive budget performance tyre, performance both in dry and wet is poor. Breakaway characteristics can be abrupt if you do not manage the weight transitions well. A hugh dissapointment. Paid $150 a few years ago, but it looks like this will go for about $190 now.
Yokohama Parada Spec II
Value : Very Good
Very good performance in the dry (almost as good as its more expensive AD07 brother)but sidewalls a little soft. This is Yoko's cheapest tyre with its silica compound. Wet performance is so so, but the biggest con is its asymmetrical thread design, which means you can't flip the tyres inside/outside to even out the wear. If you run aggressive negative camber or toe, this is not the tyre for you. On the flipside, the thread looks really good. I never got more comments on a tyre before than with this one installed.
Silverstone FTZ Sport
Value : Excellent
Perhaps the best bang for the buck for an entry level performace tyre. Last paid price of $125 can't be beat. This is the only tyre I've used so far that the wear layer gets worn off until the nylon without thread separation. It has stiffer sidewalls than the rest and water evacuation in deep puddles is excelent. Both wet and dry grip limits are not overly high but have very progressive breakaway characteristics. But sadly, it has been discountinued last year.
Silverstone FTZ Evol 8
Value : Decent
On par with the FTZ Sport, but durability is compromized due to what looks to be a softer compound. Sidewall is soft, forcing one to pump it up during track days. Wet performance is good (due to its silica counpound)with progressive breakaway although in heavy downpour and through standing water, the old FTZ Sport does better (the FTZ Sport is narrower despite the same spec). Last paid $155 for them, but it looks to be about $180 now. Remains a contender for my next set.
odd that the newer tyre almost looses to the old model on all levels.
Its worth it noting that these 2 silverstones are less prone to thread separation when it wears thin. The worst offenders are Yokos and Bridgestones.
So what will it be for the next set
Dunlop Direzza DZ101?
Probably the current Champion of value for money. Last qouted price was $155 (yesterday) so it is the top candidate for my next set.
Hero Milanza HZ1?
New Chinese made tyre (Federal Tyre company), looks aggressive but has mixed reviews so far. Quite difficult to get a good indication of just how well it performs since there are so little reviews out. Last quoted price of $180 (This week)
Elang Perdana (EP Tyre) Accelera 651?
Indonesian Tyre company. Very aggresive thread design. Priced about the same as the Dunlop. Looks a bit like Dunlops very own SP Sport 9000.
There are almost an unlimited choise of tyres in this price catagory and a little above it. (Ie. Nanking, WanLi, Yoko ES100, Hankook ) Making a selection wont be easy.
To be honest, none of these tyres will probably work very well on the track, as all seem a little soft under a heated track. They will basically desintegrate after about 50 or so fast laps (if you are lucky, you might get about 100 or so laps on our tight home circuit), so a better alternative (maybe only alternative) is to get harder compound semi slick performance tyres. Counpound notwistanding, the semi slick design will allow the tyre to dissipate heat better, making it last longer.
Since I have a spare set of wheels, the higher end semi slicks (AD07/A048 etc) will be used for track use.
