Need help deciding tires..NeoGens or S.Drives?

[$amGD3]

Ok so I will be purchasing a new set of wheels and tires for the fit in about a day or so. I would like to ask for your opinions on which tire I should go with, I've always gone with the cheapest one available (which is usually the falken ziex line) but I've tried autocrossing in them and they are just simply garbage. So I'm gonna bump my budget a little bit and get something a little better. The wheels I'll be getting are just your run of the mill Drag wheels. 15x7 +40, nothing special there. The tires I was looking at are the Yokohama S.Drives in 195-50-15 http://www.discounttiredirect.com/di...w=false&cs=195 or The Nitto NeoGen VR in 205-50-15. http://www.discounttiredirect.com/di...w=false&cs=205 The tires will be used for DD duties and the occasional auto-x once a month. What do you guys think? And if you have any other suggestion as to what tires are better in this price range, go ahead and post it up,but please make sure it is available from www.discounttiredirect.com because that's where i'm gonna be buying the package and it will be cheaper that way.

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[nsxtasy]

First of all, no matter what tire you get, get the right size for your car. 195/50-15 is too small for a Fit! Fits came from the factory with any of three sizes: 175/65-14, 195/55-15, or 205/45-16. You need to get a tire whose outer diameter is close to that of the stock tire size. That means either 195/55-15 or 205/50-15. NOT 195/50-15, which is too small.

As for the choice between the NeoGen and the S.drive, they are different types of tires. The NeoGen is an all-season tire, and like all all-seasons, it provides the added flexibility of grip in snow and frigid cold, in exchange for somewhat reduced performance in moderate to warm temperatures. The S.drive, OTOH, is a summer tire, with better performance in moderate to warm temperatures, on dry pavement as well as in rain, but doesn't grip well in snow. If you need to use these tires in occasional snow during winter as well as in warm weather the rest of the year, get all-seasons (although the Kumho ASX is as good as the NeoGen). If you don't need to use these tires in snow, either because you live in a warm area where it doesn't snow or because you have another vehicle or other tires to use when it snows, then get summer tires (in which case the S.drive is an excellent choice).

Just to throw another choice into the mix... The S.drive is a good choice if you want a longer-lasting (20-40K miles is typical) tire that does well on dry pavement and in rain. If you want a tire that is even stickier on dry pavement, so it will grip even better than the S.drive in that occasional autocross, and you don't mind a little less treadlife (maybe 15-25K miles) and a slightly higher price, consider the Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec. It's the stickiest street tire you can buy, which means it's perfect for autocross.

Here are current prices at Discount Tire Direct:

Nitto NeoGen all-season 205/50-15: $78
Kumho ASX all-season 205/50-15: $80
Yokohama S.drive summer tire 195/55-15: $76
Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec summer tire 195/55-15: $94

The ASX is also available in 195/55-15, and the S.drive is also available in 205/50-15, but prices for those sizes are not shown on the Discount Tire Direct website. I'm sure they can order them for you, though, if you'd rather have the non-listed size.

[skylinetph26]

I myself can only speak for the Kumho ASX. I have had them on my old EM1, my old Protege5, and I just ordered them for my Saab. They are a great bang for the buck tire that does very well in all weather, so if you need an all-season tire, I would seriously consider them. Plus I only payed $84ea. for 225/45-17 from TireRack...great pricing!