I'm gonna buy tires for my '06 cooper to mount on 16" Xlites. Strictly street car. Want good ride, low noise qualities in a high perf tire. Want light weight. Narrowed down to Toyo T1Rs, Falken Ziex & Conti Sport Contact 2. Price isn't an issue & I'm going 205/50/16 unless I go Toyo, in which case I may go 195/55/16. Would appreciate anyone's experience with these tires, particularly from noise standpointe.

 

I don't have first hand experience, but i hear that the Ziex are very quiet
a/s tires. i know a couple of people who are satisified with those.

 

When switching from stock runflats to the Ziex 512's there was a remarkable improvement in ride quality and lower noise. The Falkens didn't wear very well for me. I rotated every 3k or so and they all wore out evenly near 10K miles with no track time or ax's. Must be just my driving style? I replaced the ze 512s with Toyo T1Rs. No increased noise, better ride qualities but it's too soon to judge how they'll wear. They do seem to have more tread depth from the start than the Falken but they have a lower UTQG rating (which is subjective between brands anyway). The T1R is a summer only performance tire while the Falken is an all season. Depending on your location that might make a difference. I know nothing about the Contis. All the above info was for 205/45/17 sizes.

 

Vader,
Thanks for your comment, was pretty sure I was going w/ TR1s, and now I am. BTW, what rims are u running?

 

Rims are Konig Holes from Discount Tire. 17X7 et45
I use Falken Azenis rt615s for track events and the T1Rs for the street.