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Last updated 10/10/2023 - Originally published 10/10/2023
Written by SimpleTire
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Best tires
What do you think of when you think of today’s performance coupes? Maybe the Toyota GR86, Chevrolet Camaro, BMW M3, Audi TT, or Lexus LC? Those would all be right on the money; they’re all designed with plenty of horsepower plus torque and suspensions with vehicle stability control systems that deliver sharp, responsive, decisive handling, and sticky cornering ability. Coupes like that need tires that can really complement their performance potential and can let a driver safely push that performance envelope with confidence.
But more than that, they need to be capable of long wear, dependable year-round traction, a luxurious ride and low road noise for long trips on the interstate. Here at SimpleTire, we’ve rounded up a collection of what we feel are some of the best tires for coupes, including all-season, ultra-high-performance (UHP) and winter tires (as well as tires for drivers on a bit of a budget). This isn’t by any means an exhaustive list, but we did take a scientific approach with SimpleScore, averaging the results of reviews in terms of traction, longevity and handling and then arriving at a composite average score for each tire. So without further introduction, let’s dive in for a closer look at some of these best coupe tires:
Our pick for the Best All-Season tire for coupes is the Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS. We’ve long felt that the Potenza RE980AS is a great choice all the way around, not just for coupes but also for performance-oriented sedans and crossovers. Bridgestone built on the proven success of previous iterations of the Potenza tire family, with handling and braking that are even stickier than before, and wet-weather traction that’s a step up. Its rubber formulation is designed to stay flexible for improved grip regardless of the weather (including sub-freezing winter temperatures) while being durable enough for a 50,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty. Experience superb cornering and braking with an asymmetric all-season tread that optimizes the tire’s contact patch to put more rubber on the road, with wide shoulder blocks and a semi-solid rib design that resists deformation and tread squirm while you push the limits. Traction in wet or light wintry conditions is surefooted, with circumferential and angled grooves to sweep water away and fight hydroplaning, interlocking full-depth 3D sipes, and chamfered slots that add a little more of an edge in braking performance. After taking that all into account, we give the Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS a very solid SimpleScore of 9.5.
To really get the most out of a vehicle’s handling and braking qualities, sometimes the only thing for it is a set of ultra-high-performance (UHP) tires. Our pick in the UHP category is the Continental ExtremeContact Sport 02, a tire that represents a nice balance of quiet comfort, tread life, short braking distances, civilized road manners, immediate response, and predictable, stable handling (even at higher speeds). The ExtremeContact Sport 02 uses Continental’s Silane+ summer-only tread compound (note: summer and UHP tires use a softer, stickier tread formulation that will stiffen up and lose traction on colder days – they shouldn’t be used if temperatures are colder than 45 degrees F) that provides great adhesion to the road on hot days. A continuous center rib delivers great steering feedback and straight-line stability, with wide shoulder blocks and a footprint optimized to put more rubber in contact with the pavement for improved braking performance and cornering. Deep circumferential grooves cut through water to avoid hydroplaning, and high-speed stability comes from a nylon casing with two steel belts and a spiral-wound polyamide cap layer. The ExtremeContactSport 02 is backed by a 30,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty (notable for a category where many tires don’t offer treadwear coverage at all. We give the Continental ExtremeContact Sport 02 an all-in-all SimpleScore of 9.3.
Sottozero is Italian for “below zero,” and that’s exactly what the Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 was built for. Pirelli is synonymous with performance and it was their conviction with this third-generation Sottozero that a winter tire didn’t have to be clumsy, noisy, rough-riding and sluggish. The Winter Sottozero 3 is designed to get you through the roughest winter conditions without a serious trade-off in ride quality and handling. Its tread compound is designed with specialized polymers for flexibility and traction at low temperatures, with a directional tread pattern consisting of arrow-shaped center blocks, more rounded shoulders, and a high-density 3D sipe design that chews its way through snow and slush. The Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 offers confidence and stability at highway speed, with a pair of steel belts and a spiral wrapped polyamide cap layer that makes the tire less sensitive to changes in road or air temperatures. The Winter Sottozero 3 is Three Peak Mountain Snowflake rated for severe winter service, and boasts an average SimpleScore of 9.2.
Now we come to our pick for a Great All-Season, the Falken Azenis FK460 A/S. The Azenis FK460 A/S is designed as an all-season tire that can deliver UHP levels of handling, braking, steering response, and cornering performance – but can do it year-round. The Azenis FK460 A/S’s Emerging Grooves are engineered so they will continue to deliver wet-weather grip as the tire wears down, with high-grip chamfers that enhance braking performance on dry pavement. Interlocking sipes and Canyon Groove tech work together as a system for traction in wintry conditions, and the Azenis FK460 A/S is tuned to keep your ride quiet by reducing air channeling noise around the tire. Its rubber compound features 4D Nano Technology for a combination of all-season performance and long tread life – so long, in fact, that Falken backs the Azenis FK460 A/S with a 50,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty. Our average SimpleScore for the Azenis FK460 A/S is a great 8.8.
The Yokohama Advan Sport V601 is designed for razor-sharp steering response and precise, sticky cornering thanks to a micro silica-enhanced tread formulation that stays soft and pliable for unbeatable grip. Wet and dry-weather traction comes from an asymmetric tread pattern with a 3+1 design and solid center rib, and a robust sidewall and shoulder help deliver excellent handling. The Advan Sport V601 is covered by a 25,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty, and boasts an overall SimpleScore of 8.8.
Here’s another Three Peak Mountain Snowflake rated tire, the Winter i* cept evo3 (W330) from Hankook. This studless winter tire features a directional tread with wide lateral grooves, kerfs, and V-shaped grooves to drain away water and slush to avoid hydroplaning. Sipes and snow pick traction grooves deliver the grip you need in deeper snow, and the Winter i* cept evo3 (W330) matches its softer winter tread formulation with a stiff dual structure carcass that enhances handling performance, high-speed stability, and tread life. The grooves of the i* cept evo3 (W330) are 20% wider than those of its predecessor, the evo2, for measurable improvements in braking and handling performance. This is a tire that offers excellent control and traction in winter weather, and we give the Hankook Winter i*cept evo3 (W330) an overall SimpleScore of 8.4.
Don’t let the lower price point of the Vercelli Strada II fool you – this is a tire that punches far above its weight class when it comes to performance and value. It’s durable enough for a 45,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty, with a unique twin center rib that improves road manners and steering response at high speeds. Its semi-directional all-season tread features angled and circumferential grooves with a robust slotted shoulder for great wet traction, and we give this tire a very respectable SimpleScore of 8.2.
The LXUHP-207 from Lexani might come in at an affordable price point, but that doesn’t mean it’s a slacker when it comes to performance. The LXUHP-207 is a tire you can count on for short braking distances and tight, consistent cornering ability, even when pushed to the limit. A V-shaped tread pattern and circumferential ribs boost wet-weather grip and resist hydroplaning, and its advanced tread compound is designed for a combination of long life, persistent traction and low noise levels. The Lexani LXUHP-207 is backed by a 40,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty – and we give this tire an overall SimpleScore of 8.1, which was made possible by scores of 8.3 in handling, and 8.1 in longevity and traction.
We’re going to round out these affordable tire picks with a great winter tire, the Winguard Winspike 3 from Nexen. The Winguard Winspike 3 is pre-drilled for easy installation of studs in case of really severe winter weather (the kind of winter weather that turns your roads as slick as a hockey rink), and it features a directional winter tread pattern with V-shaped grooves, longitudinal grooves, and sipes to funnel slush and water away from the tire’s contact patch and easily grip deeper snow to get you where you need to go. The Winguard Winspike 3 has an overall SimpleScore of 8.3 from us. Despite that aggressive winter tread and the presence of studs, the Winguard Winspike 3 isn’t a loud tire – it’s designed to keep road noise low and the placement of studs delivers excellent grip on ice while suppressing noise. Remember that studded tires aren’t legal in all states and are only legal for use during certain months in others – check your state laws.
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