I have 28,600 miles on my '03 Cobra, the first 12,000 on the OEM Goodyear F1s, and the next 16,000 miles on Goodyear GS-D3s. I was happy with the F1s, even happier with the GS-D3s. But at nearly $900/set (not including shipping and mounting), I wanted to see if there was a less expensive alternative. My research turned up the new Avon Tech M500 275/40ZR17. Avon is owned by Cooper, and despite Avon's limey heritage, the Tech M500 is made in the U.S.
Tire Rack considers the Tech M500 an "Ultraperformance" tire, which is one notch down from their top "Maxperformance" rating, which they give the GS-D3. However, Tire Rack reviews place the Tech M500 at the top of the class. I'm not sure how much credence this should be given, because the reviews are done by different drivers with different expectations in different cars, but I guess it is still a plus. Tire Rack sells the Tech M500 for $136ea ($544 set), so that's a big savings.
The Tech M500 is an asymetrical design, but not unidirectional. So they have to be mounted the right way on the wheel, but they can be rotated from side to side. The GS-D3 is unidirectional, so it can not be rotated side to side, only front to rear. The GS-D3 has 9mm tread depth with no sipes and only a few outwardly spiraling grooves provide any sign of a tread pattern. The Tech M500 has 7mm tread depth and a more conventional tread pattern with sipes. I would say the GS-D3 has a more aggressive, race-inspired tread pattern, but that may not be what works best on the street. Both the GS-D3 and the Tech M500 have stiff sidewalls and carcasses, much more heavy duty than the OEM F1.
Keep in mind that my Cobra is not used as a street/strip car. It is used as a GT, as an all-around performance car including some 1500+ mile days at way extra-legal speeds and some 8-9/10th driving on twisty back roads when conditions allow. My driving also includes around town traffic.
With 600 miles on the Tech M500s, including some backroad bombing, I am very impressed. There is no facet of this tire's performance that I find a letdown or noticeably inferior to the GS-D3. Its soaks up broken pavement better than the GS-D3, and accelerating full throttle second gear exiting a tight curve on broken pavement, grips the pavement more consistently than the GS-D3. This reminds me of a test I use for dirt bike tires, where I find one of the biggest differences between knobbies is that some will allow me to accelerate full throttle over a series of roots on a test loop, while other less absorbent tires will cause the rear end to kick out, forcing me to let off the throttle.
The Tech M500s seem to be ordered around by grooves and road ruts less than the GS-D3s. Steering feedback and accuracy is excellent with slightly less steering effort than the GS-D3s.
So while it is too early for me to give a full review, and I can not yet comment on tire wear, I give an initial thumbs up to the Tech M500.
For more info:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...earch=true&partnum=74WR7M500&fromCompare1=yes
Tire Rack considers the Tech M500 an "Ultraperformance" tire, which is one notch down from their top "Maxperformance" rating, which they give the GS-D3. However, Tire Rack reviews place the Tech M500 at the top of the class. I'm not sure how much credence this should be given, because the reviews are done by different drivers with different expectations in different cars, but I guess it is still a plus. Tire Rack sells the Tech M500 for $136ea ($544 set), so that's a big savings.
The Tech M500 is an asymetrical design, but not unidirectional. So they have to be mounted the right way on the wheel, but they can be rotated from side to side. The GS-D3 is unidirectional, so it can not be rotated side to side, only front to rear. The GS-D3 has 9mm tread depth with no sipes and only a few outwardly spiraling grooves provide any sign of a tread pattern. The Tech M500 has 7mm tread depth and a more conventional tread pattern with sipes. I would say the GS-D3 has a more aggressive, race-inspired tread pattern, but that may not be what works best on the street. Both the GS-D3 and the Tech M500 have stiff sidewalls and carcasses, much more heavy duty than the OEM F1.
Keep in mind that my Cobra is not used as a street/strip car. It is used as a GT, as an all-around performance car including some 1500+ mile days at way extra-legal speeds and some 8-9/10th driving on twisty back roads when conditions allow. My driving also includes around town traffic.
With 600 miles on the Tech M500s, including some backroad bombing, I am very impressed. There is no facet of this tire's performance that I find a letdown or noticeably inferior to the GS-D3. Its soaks up broken pavement better than the GS-D3, and accelerating full throttle second gear exiting a tight curve on broken pavement, grips the pavement more consistently than the GS-D3. This reminds me of a test I use for dirt bike tires, where I find one of the biggest differences between knobbies is that some will allow me to accelerate full throttle over a series of roots on a test loop, while other less absorbent tires will cause the rear end to kick out, forcing me to let off the throttle.
The Tech M500s seem to be ordered around by grooves and road ruts less than the GS-D3s. Steering feedback and accuracy is excellent with slightly less steering effort than the GS-D3s.
So while it is too early for me to give a full review, and I can not yet comment on tire wear, I give an initial thumbs up to the Tech M500.
For more info:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...earch=true&partnum=74WR7M500&fromCompare1=yes
