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Help looking for a summer only tire

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First, to give some of my background, prior to my Model3 I had a WRX and I ran Hankook Ventus V12 Evo tires on it for the summer and was a big fan. I found the traction was good, they lasted a respectable number of miles, and the price was good.

I now have had my model 3 for coming on 2 years, and I need to replace the stock tires. I have been planning on getting a tire with a little more grip once the OEMs ran out. I'd love to keep the level of grip I had with the hankook, but also realize that will have a hit on efficiency. I'd like to balance the efficiency with the fun, so I'm looking at recommendations to do that. I'm on the 18" wheels BTW.

This is a heavy car, so I know it's important not to only check the tire size, but also the load range and service description. I saw that I could get the Hankook Ventus V12 evo again in a 235/40/18 95Y. But i know the stock tires have a 98 service description, so I'm not sure if that would be suited enough for the weight.

I know I've seen the Michelin PS3 recommended, but it's also quite a bit more expensive. I also saw the Yokohama Advan Apex mentioned, but that brings the same concerns as the Ventus.

What are people suggesting to be used as a good summer street tire for the M3?
 
I have gut based resistance to buying a tire named the Indy 500 :) But it does look like a pretty well performing tire based on the tire rack reviews. Would end up saving $180 overall, factoring in the current rebate on the PS4.

BTW, is the PS4+ the same as the PS4s?
 
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Well it comes in 19", just not the exact same size as stock. You'd just have to deal with the speedo being off a bit.

But I have 18" so that's not an issue for me.

Any other personal experiences with the indy 500? Or any other good go-to options?

Would a tire with a 95Y rating be ok?
 
Check TireRack for reviews. You’re going to hear more road noise with non-foamed tires but coming from a WRX you know about noise. The other consideration, if it matters to you, is you’ll see less efficiency in a sportier tire. Good luck and let us know what you go with
 
I spoke with the local firestone dealer, they'll sell a set of 4 Indy 500 mounted and balanced with tax included for $690. Sounds like a pretty good deal, better than tirerack when you include mounting and balancing.

Check TireRack for reviews. You’re going to hear more road noise with non-foamed tires but coming from a WRX you know about noise. The other consideration, if it matters to you, is you’ll see less efficiency in a sportier tire. Good luck and let us know what you go with
Yeah I'll certainly give up some efficiency for grip, do you think the PS4s would have less efficiency hit than the Indy500?
 
I spoke with the local firestone dealer, they'll sell a set of 4 Indy 500 mounted and balanced with tax included for $690. Sounds like a pretty good deal, better than tirerack when you include mounting and balancing.


Yeah I'll certainly give up some efficiency for grip, do you think the PS4s would have less efficiency hit than the Indy500?

I think you won’t notice the efficiency hit between two non-efficient tires. My worry is you’re going too cheap for tires, do you autocross or time attack the car? If so, move up to serious summer performance tires. I loved my Pilot Super Sports (discontinued I think) on my ‘13 Golf R, grip for daaaaays.

Definitely get the road hazard warranty if you can.
 
I spoke with the local firestone dealer, they'll sell a set of 4 Indy 500 mounted and balanced with tax included for $690. Sounds like a pretty good deal, better than tirerack when you include mounting and balancing.


Yeah I'll certainly give up some efficiency for grip, do you think the PS4s would have less efficiency hit than the Indy500?

CR says General GMAX has less rolling resistance than either the PS4s or the Indy 500; it also has MUC better behavior in the wet than the Indy and better wear (newer design, no surprise), and is cheaper than even the Indy at TR. Only sl issue is you would have to go up to 245/45, but that is only .4" bigger diameter so I am sure will fit no problem as long as you get 4, but can always double check with TR. You'll gain width on tire patch and less stretched look on the wheel.
 
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https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=248

Above freezing the PS4s continues to beat everyone at virtually everything- except efficiency- but that's kind of the OPPOSITE of sticky/great handling and braking tires.

I love the stock performance tires (PS4S) and really get confused by people who want to "save money on tires" when the TIRES are the actual thing that contacts the road. Its the one thing one SHOULDNT skimp on, yet people do. I get not wanting to "waste" money but the PS4S are far from a waste, and worth spending a bit more for... at least for me they are.
 
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I have nothing to add from a value standpoint, I just wanted to echo that the Pilot Sport 4S is the best summer performance street tire on the market by a pretty good margin. I ran them on my 620rwhp Corvette for years successfully and won’t put a different one on the Model 3 (except for RE71R for Autocross duty)
 
Definitely don't go cheap on tires, saw someone on facebook with tons of body work (ebay parts) on their car and some Lionhart tires, it was very cringey.

That said i'd suggest you check out the Bridgestone S007A, its pretty nice as a street tire and is normally about 60-70% the price of a Pilot Sport 4S for a given size. I just used them for about a year with a few track days as well and was pretty happy overall, though they aren't great as a track tire compared to the PS4S. Treadwear for the S007 is 240 vs 300 for the PS4S, so you can see they are designed to have more grip and wear slightly faster. The Hankooks you had before are a 320 and stock model 3 18" are 500 btw.

Looks like they don't quite have them in a size that works for the 18" without throwing off diameter too much unless you went with a 255/40/R18 which would be a good bit wider and more aggressive, but you'd lose more efficiency. At that size they are $193 versus a 235/45/R18 PS4S which would be $227 which is stock size.

There is also the slightly less aggressive brother of the S007, the S-04 Pole Position, with treadwear of 280 and that is available in 235/45/18 for $190
 
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The Pirelli P Zero (PZ4) also seem very very close in performance to those Pilot Sport 4S... maybe actually a little better when it’s wet.

They’re about ~$52/tire cheaper right now (if you don’t factor in the rebate). So ~$208 cheaper before rebate, ~$138 after the rebate.

They should last about as long as the 4S and efficiency should be about the same if just a very slight edge with the Pirelli (1.7%, like ~5 Wh/mi better at highway speeds).