Published August 01, 2024
Located adjacent to our South Bend headquarters, our test track allows our team to discover how each tire will behave under the extremes of emergency situations on the road or the limits of performance in competition.
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Each tire model is tested and independently scored 1-10 on comfort and performance. We are the only retailer performing in-house, independent tire tests.
Length: (22:25)
Extreme Performance Summer
275/35R19 96W
Extreme Performance Summer
275/35R19 100W
Extreme Performance Summer
275/35R19 96W
Max Performance Summer
275/35R19 (100Y)
Extreme Performance Summer
275/35R19 (100Y)
Extreme Performance Summer
275/35R19 (100Y)
Extreme Performance Summer
275/35R19 100W
2024 BMW M2
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The time of each season we get to test Extreme Performance Summer tires is among our favorite times of the year - as the tires we're examining are the peak of true "street" tires. They're the only category of street tires Tire Rack recommends for use on the track. It's an incredibly fun spot to exist in, and especially paired with the right vehicle, like our BMW M2, they're a blast to test, delivering experiences that are some of the best driving has to offer.
Like with some of our other tests this season, we're mixing in a competitor from a different category, one of the best - in this case, the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S representing Max Performance Summer tires - and discussing some of the differences that change can really make.
In most passenger tire tests, we introduce each tire, break down our experiences on our real world road ride, talk about their behavior at the limits, and so on. We're still going to do that - but these aren't your average daily drivers or grocery-getters; they're purpose-built tools and we'll be talking about them like they are - for better or worse. We expect this echelon of tires to be loud, firm and punishing on the road largely because that's historically been part of the trade-off they make for dramatically improved traction, handling and responsiveness on the track. That performance will ultimately be the main focus of this report, including the dry lap times for each tire, with at least some expectations of their capabilities if it happens to be wet.
Still - tire technology has experienced manifold advancements over the years, and we've tested some known contenders alongside the latest and greatest newcomers, and couldn't be more excited to share the results.
Let's get into it!
Extreme Performance Summer
275/35R19 96W
The Potenza RE-71RS has enjoyed a few years on the scene, an evolution of the very popular Potenza RE-71R, we've been impressed in past testing by its ability to not only outperform its predecessor, but hang with some of the best in the market. During the road ride on the new M2, the experience was pretty expectedly stiff, transmitting all the details of the road in clear detail - but without quite rising to the level of being harsh, and remained composed throughout. Noise was a kind of generalized cacophony that was either well-blended or masked by a consistent roar over most surfaces except for ultra-smooth roads where individual tones could stand out. The steering and handling were a pleasure to direct, appropriately hefty, building exactly right into every turn, ramp and lane-change, with only a tiny delay off-center that kept it from feeling absolutely immediate.
The steering on the wet track was just as immediate and responsive, complementing what was evidently strong traction, with communicative braking that was easily competitive with the rest of the class. Any kind of standing water, however, and hydroplaning becomes a very real problem. The overall traction and handling were still strong and balanced enough that, in practiced hands, it could turn laps well ahead of most of the competition. In the dry, it was even better - the strong front axle traction joined with the already reactive steering were a perfect match, making the front end feel better than it already did, constantly tempting drivers to add more speed and brake later, promising it could handle more. It was patient, professional and effortlessly competent throughout.
Average Dry Lap: 27.39
Extreme Performance Summer
275/35R19 100W
Falken is a brand born in, and still largely caters to, motorsports. The Azenis RT660 has been a known quantity to our team for awhile now, having been through multiple rounds of testing and has always been very competitive. It was unapologetically stiff and unyielding during our road ride, communicating everything through hands, feet, and cabin. Noise was the same way, with a variety of tones rising to our drivers' ears, culminating with an outright howl on smooth surfaces. The steering was nice and accurate, but felt a bit light, not building effort the same way as other tires - it was just direct and pointy, always ready to move off-center.
Wet track driving was a joy, with slightly lower average traction but impressive steering and balance. It handled hydroplaning better, though the rear occasionally stepped out abruptly, it was easy enough to control. It navigated the slalom smoothly and felt consistent and forgiving at the limit, despite slightly reduced cornering ability and braking compared to some others. It was largely the same story in the dry: ever so slightly less ultimate traction but was such an excellent pairing with the car, working with the M2's front-end to neutralize its slight understeer while loosening up the rear. The steering was urgent, responsive, and sharp, making the driving experience balanced and easy. The tire provided consistent laps and strong braking. It felt less "locked down" but offered such a responsive and precise handling experience that it was ultimately one of our favorites around the track in dry or wet laps.
Average Dry Lap: 27.40
Extreme Performance Summer
275/35R19 96W
One glance at the Ecsta V730 makes its performance aspirations clear: the broad outboard shoulder, low-void pattern, this is a tire engineered for exceptional traction and performance handling. It has impressed our team in the past with its authoritative steering, and we were eager to test it out on a new platform. On the road on the M2, it stood out as the least harsh in the group, though for what it's worth, while habaneros are less spicy than ghost peppers, both will kick. The Ecsta V730 is the same, hopping a bit over various bumps, hitting harder on the big ones, and while it created a mix of different tones, overall it was remarkably subdued for a tire in this category, particularly on smooth surfaces, comparable even to a Max Performance Tire. The steering was very quick, but not quite as weighty as some of the other options, so we were left with a tire that was linear and direct, but not quite as sophisticated.
Switching things over to the wet track: the Ecsta V730 performed well with smaller inputs at low speeds, providing good front end traction and quick response. However, cranking up to larger turns, at higher speeds, it understeered significantly, and struggled to regain control. The rear axle traction was decent, but the traction breakaway was more abrupt than we appreciated, ultimately making the tire feel edgy on the wet track. While general traction was strong, it reached its limit a little too quickly to feel comfortable in the water. However, on the dry track steering was strong, direct and allowed for graceful rear rotation, making the car feel agile. The performance did deteriorate as it heated up, resulting in imprecise handling and a lack of foundational grip. It struggled with combining inputs and, again, felt edgy, easily losing composure under pressure. While it offered significant grip initially, it wasn't as precise as some of the other tires during extended use.
Average Dry Lap: 27.61
Max Performance Summer
275/35R19 (100Y)
The Pilot Sport 4S is a tire that almost needs no introduction - it's one of the most popular Max Performance Summer tires by a wide margin, tests well, reviews well, and has served as a category benchmark nearly since its introduction. During the road ride, it was firm, but effectively rounded over bumps, albeit with some noticeable reverberation from impacts. It did have some stand-out tones, as well as cyclical noise on both concrete and smooth portions, but kept the volume to a lower degree than its Extreme Performance Summer counterparts. Steering was sharp and responsive with a narrow on-center, offering a solid sense of straight ahead.
On the wet track the Pilot Sport 4S demonstrated at least a little of what makes it such a category star - dominating every Extreme Performance Summer tire by any objective metric we test for. It was the fastest around a wet track by nearly a full second, and was able to hold strong grip despite the lower traction environment. That isn't to say it was an ideal experience: the tire could be kind of edgy in the wet, would chatter if it went over the traction limits and was unhappy and unwilling to combine inputs. It had to be driven a specific way, and would play along as long as you played by its rules. Comparatively in the dry, it was still very good, with steering that felt weighty, responsive and direct - but with traction that was just lower than the other products being tested. This meant that, while it felt very natural and athletic, it had a bias toward understeer that would emerge and punish if it wasn't handled just right.
Average Dry Lap: 28.35
Extreme Performance Summer
275/35R19 (100Y)
One of the newest additions to our lineup, the Sportnex CR-S has been around for a few years, but it wasn't until 2023 when Nankang released an updated version that it rose to the level of being a serious contender. During our road ride, it was on the nicer side of the group in rounding over impacts, though it was still performance-tire firm and big hits were still pretty hard. More impressive was the noise, it did a remarkably good job blending tones, and while it's in no danger of being accused of being quiet, it was at least reasonable. The steering was unfortunately a bit too light and loose around the center, even if it was very quick to respond once it weighted up and could stand to feel a bit more locked down.
Once our team got it onto the wet track, the steering was nice, reactive, and on-par with much of the field here. Less on-par was its ability to maximize that reactiveness, with the Sportnex CR-S simply having lower levels of traction in the wet, requiring gentle application of throttle to avoid spinning tires or sliding around. It wasn't until the team had a dry track to really bring the tire to life - and the experience was mostly positive - with quick, authoritative steering, and consistently strong braking. It had the traction to set, stick and perform with almost anything our drivers could put it through, recovering from overfast corners and just moving on. However, despite its outright ability to perform, it lacked a certain degree of communication, making it feel numb, closer to a simulator than a fully natural experience.
Average Dry Lap: 27.45
Extreme Performance Summer
275/35R19 (100Y)
Historically one of the fastest tires in our previous testing - the ADVAN A052 is a fundamental benchmark in the Extreme Performance Summer category, it's also been notable for its surprisingly comfortable attitude on the road. When we took it out on the road for this test, what we found was an experience that largely matched its past reputation: it was firm, as all these tires are, but rounded over bumps with little complaint or secondary motion. Noise was equally well-managed, and kept tones well-mixed to a nice even level on all surfaces while still keeping the overall volume below its competition. The steering was fast and responsive, but would benefit from just a bit more heft and precision, as it leans toward the lighter side of the spectrum.
This was just as true during our team's wet laps, it wasn't the most accurate or direct, but responsiveness was among the best and the results - some of the quickest laps and shortest braking - were hard to argue with. Hydroplaning was still an issue with any standing water, but most grip loss was reported as manageable and easy to corral. It was even more capable in the dry - delivering impressive grip with a balanced feel, not too loose, not too pushy. The steering was still a bit vague, but offered very usable feel and feedback. Lateral traction was also incredibly strong, holding through corners and making for fast, consistent laps including pole position for best times and the shortest braking distances in the test.
Average Dry Lap: 27.33
Extreme Performance Summer
275/35R19 100W
A more endurance-focused entry among the speed kings, the ADVAN NEOVA AD09 has aimed to find the right blend of longevity and performance, and since we're only testing one of those, it's simply a question of how much it has given up to achieve that goal. On the road at least, the ride was stiff and choppy, harsh over impacts, with small hits being acutely felt. Noise levels were high, producing a warbling, cyclical moan on smooth surfaces and more volume on coarse roads. However, the steering was exceptional, providing excellent on-center feel, fast response without being too sharp. Weight and precision were great, making it one of the best in the test for steering.
It was just as communicative during our wet laps and had balanced, easy handling, but its traction limits were noticeably lower; it pushed around tight turns and the skid pad and could spin the tires in a straight line with little provocation. It wasn't unpleasant overall, but at best it was manageable, not outstanding in the wet. In the dry, it felt initially solid with good front-end grip and controllable tail-out balance. However, as it heated up, it became smeary and less trustworthy, with higher slip angles and reduced stability. The steering lost crispness and moved around under lateral force. Overall, it was manageable but not impressive, maintaining a mostly balanced performance but not excelling in any area.
Average Dry Lap: 27.96
If you're here, you don't need this category explained to you - and while the data available does tell part of the story, there's more to each one of these tires than just lap times and braking distances. Understanding the "personality" of a tire can go a long way in finding the right fit for the way you drive, and because the gap between some of these tires is so close, knowing the conditions, track, temperature and driving style might make all the difference in the world from one tire to another.
Starting with the Yokohama ADVAN A052 - our testing only reiterated its position as a category benchmark. There's very little it doesn't do incredibly well. It may not be the best on wet surfaces, but even there it's not unhappy to dance around. We'd love to see a bit more precision in the steering, but there's little room to question its performance. Michelin's Pilot Sport 4S is a fascinating tire here among the Extreme Performance Summer options. It's behind everything else in the dry, by a second in lap times, a foot in braking, it's close but not quite there. Conversely, it outpaces every other tire in the wet in the same way. It speaks to the highly specialized nature of these tires that there's such a clear divide, but it also speaks to the capability of the Pilot Sport 4S that the divide was as narrow as it was. The Bridgestone Potenza RE-71RS is another option that typifies the kind of narrow performance tradeoffs each tire has. It was a joy to turn dry laps on thanks to its incredible traction and eagerness for speed, even if it wasn't our absolute favorite. It was our top subjective choice in the wet, despite not being the quickest tire tested in those conditions, it was the fastest for the category. A wonderful option that drivers can set without sweating the weather as much.
Nankang's Sportnex CR-S could perform, on a level that matches some of the best options out there, but its lack of feeling made every action require thinking about it rather than being able to utilize all senses to react and move intuitively. The Azenis RT660 is another particularly interesting case in this test. For sheer performance, it easily runs with the best in the test, both in subjective and objective measurements, and in both dry and wet laps, it lives and breathes the category of Extreme Performance Summer. However, it definitely does so at more of a cost to comfort on the road than most tires in a category that already doesn't place a strong emphasis on it. Whether or not that matters here is an individual preference, but it's good to know beforehand.
Kumho's Ecsta V730 is in the unenviable position of just being a really good tire surrounded by really great tires. Its steering and handling in the wet were no slouch, but it always seemed to be working with a little less grip than the others, and the deterioration in performance was too notable not to ding it. Finally, the Yokohama ADVAN NEOVA AD09 makes its aims clear from the onset - a bit more longevity for a bit less performance. Unfortunately, it's a story that plays out exactly like you might imagine - since this is a performance test, it isn't advantaged by much here, and the sacrifices it does make put this tire just a step behind the rest of the class.
That's it! Keep an eye out for the second part of our Extreme Performance Summer Test when we take each one of these tires up to our favorite racetrack to really let them stretch their proverbial legs!
We can't help ourselves, we're always testing more tires out on the track. It's a good thing too, because with so many different categories and so many different features to evaluate, there aren't many places you're going to find this type of in-depth analysis. It's not a stretch to say with each tire test we do, you're going to learn something new - and maybe even find your next set of tires.
We took nine tires from five performance categories to truly demonstrate what each offers and the gains and tradeoffs that exist as you move from one category to another.
Using our new BMW M2 high-performance test vehicle, we ran two Ultra High Performance and four Max Performance summer tires through our litany of tests to find the true kings of summer.
We tested six Extreme Performance Summer tires on the road, our test track, and at a road course to measure their performance, nuanced differences across each venue, and even threw in a Max Performance Summer tire to illuminate how EPs came to dominate.
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