Sandbags

I had H-rated 205/60 15s on my 1992 100S a few years back and loved the tire. It provided what I felt was a very good balance between performance and ride comfort for that car. One of the tires did develop a sidewall bubble, but I was happy enough with the tires generally not to get overly concerned about it.

My first question is, has the quality deteriorated on this tire, as evidenced by the negative reviews from numerous survey participants?

Second question: Should I go with the H-rated 205/60 15 or the V- or W- rated 195/65 15? Will I get better responsiveness from the slightly lower profile tire, even though its speed rating is not as high?

Gary@Tirerack.com

There is very little difference in sidewall height between the two, so I'd lean towards the WR rated one for the most stability. Although this tire really gets hammered on the surveys, the summer version seems to do fairly well on smaller cars. If you're open to other suggestions, we've had good experiences with the Sumitomo HTR200 in these sizes for a good summer only tire value.<ul><li><a href="http://www.tirerack.com/a.jsp?a=AR8&amp;url=/tires/index.jsp">Tires</a></li></ul>

Sandbags

Thanks, Gary, for the advice. Ironically, I bought the HTR200s last year and fundamentally despise them. They are a good value for what they are, but they are definitively not a performance tire. While they stick well in the dry and wet, and are a very comfortable and quiet riding tire, the sidewall is so soft that it's just no fun to drive them hard in the twisties.

My recollection regarding the P6000s is that they were a much more responsive tire, with excellent progressive feedback in turns. Which is probably the most important criterion for me in choosing a tire, together with good wet performance... Have their performance characteristics changed in the current design?

Or am I better served going to a 16" wheel and getting some Dunlop SP9000s or Michelin Pilot Sports?