What's the Current Preferred Hi Performance Steet Tire for DD use?

Have a handshake deal for a G35 sedan on stock suspension, wheels, and tires.  Wheels are 18x7.5 with worn out 235/40/18's all around.  Car will become my DD. 

Looking for tire recommendations as I haven't had to buy any in 4 years.  Used to be the Continental ContiSport DW and/or DWS were some of the preferred tires, but they seem to have gone up a good bit or I got really good deals.  I have had both in the past and was very satisfied, but those were at least one generation ago.  I live in the land of hot & humid with the frequent torrential downpour but I don't need to worry much about snow or extreme cold.  We normally have a few mornings in the mid to high 20*F range each winter, but that's about it.

Do I need to consider different wheel sizes?  Willing to consider going down to 17" wheels or wider 18's for better selection.  Not willing to go up to 19" or 20" wheels due to crappy roads.  Not sure if the stock size is limiting options and keeping prices high.

tl:dr What are the best reasonably priced options today for a sporty DD with all street use?  .

The Conti DW was superseeded with the Continental ECS. Still a good tire at a great price.

No first hand experience, but I see people talk about the ECS and the Firestone Indy 500.

I run the Continental ECS and find them to be pretty excellent. 

That is the size my car uses, and it turns out to be the same size as Focus ST.  I rather liked the ST's OE Goodyears that I got as takeoffs.

Probably will buy a set of BFG SC2s next year because I have had a lot of good luck with them.  I've been thinking of getting a dedicated set of 17" summer wheels, but interestingly the price difference in tires is small.  The wheels should stay rounder at least, with the increased sidewall height of going to a 235/45.

Just bought a set of Conti ECS for Mrs. Sonic's Mazda 3 for summer use only.  My CLS63 runs Michelin Pilot AS3+ all year and I wish that I had the ECS.  Pirelli PZero+ are another decent choice, along with the different Continentals.  I really wish that Continental made the ECS in a size that fits the front of the NSX (215/40/17) and I would use it in a heartbeat, but as they don't I run Azenis, which last about 15k in the rear, because NSX.  

2004 lancer Ralliart wagon. 

I'm going to stick with my Conti DWS for the next six months or so, then try the ECS. I've been highly impressed with the DWS tires, except for the time I tried to autocross on them. That was more an issue with the open differential and automatic transmission than the tires.

ECS.
Long wearing, inexpensive, predictable, pretty sticky...
oh, and they're holy-shnikes amazing in the wet.  

AXing in the winter has informed me that DWS wins out only in snow or standing water.

I did a wet track day on stock size Conti ECS in a stock suspension 2015 WRX and was pulling 1G in the corners. They're amazing in the wet and I would highly reccommend them.

In reply to secretariata :

Michelin PS4S.  Drawback is they get slippery under 37F.  They are great at 40F+ and are great in the rain.  Also have a 30,000 mile treadlife warranty.

Michelin Pilot Sport 4S - seems to be the gold standard in this category at the moment

Continental Extreme Contact Sport - not quite as fast in the dry or wet as the Michelin, but is priced lower so it may offer a better value

Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3 - This is the OE tire on the Camaro ZL1 and is currently coming to the market in more sizes

I think the Kumho SPT is a great tire for that kind of use, it lasts forever, has very nearly as much grip in the wet as in the dry, and overall grip is quite decent.

My go-tos are usually Kumho Ecsta and Toyo Proxes in whatever designation they iterate for that year.  I have not been impressed with the Pirellis I've had with the exception of the P-zeros which were just fair.

Michelin still does some wonderful things in this UHP-4 and UHP-S category, but I'm not convinced I need to spend 40% more for a set of tires that is 10% better than something like Toyo or Kumho.

I'm running Firehawk Indy 500s in a 235/45R18 square fitment on 18x8" wheels on my G35 sedan. High limits for a 340TW tire, good auditory feedback, progressive dry breakaway. They're also fairly secure in the wet, so long as you're not driving like an absolute buffoon. I quite recommend them for a G35.

RX8driver said:

I did a wet track day on stock size Conti ECS in a stock suspension 2015 WRX and was pulling 1G in the corners. They're amazing in the wet and I would highly reccommend them.

Okay, sold.

I'm a cheap man. I have the Sailun Atrezzo SVA1 and the Federal SS595 on my M3Ti and have been very happy with both for dry, wet and summer. Not as good in the wet as my old BFG Sport Comp 2 but those were like cheating. It get's parked Nov-May so I can't say much about cold. They've been quiet enough, wear even and roll on pavement.

G_Body_Man said:

I'm running Firehawk Indy 500s in a 235/45R18 square fitment on 18x8" wheels on my G35 sedan. High limits for a 340TW tire, good auditory feedback, progressive dry breakaway. They're also fairly secure in the wet, so long as you're not driving like an absolute buffoon. I quite recommend them for a G35.

Slight derailement... My how times have changed.  Last set of 500s I had was somewhere around 2005, but they were very surely NOT a performance tire.  They were an all-season passenger tire, H-speed, bordering on a touring tire.... as in... one step away from having optional whitewalls.

Just looked them up and they're... um... wow.  Different from what I remember.  I thought you guys were all smoking crack when you were recommending them, but they really look nice.

The PS4S is a better tire unless it's below freezing. If you're not chasing the last few tenths then the ECS is a better value. Good tire. I love them. 

BFG SC2's cuz they have far exceeded all the other alphabetsoup......YMMV

Answer changes a lot based on your budget. If money is no issue, there's no reason not to get Michelin ps4s. A little budget consious, go for the Conti ecs. Super budget limited, Indy 500s are hard to beat. Having had both on the same car, I don't think I'd get bfg sport comps over the Indy 500s unless they're noticeably cheaper.

Nankang NS200 

In reply to secretariata :

Also to derail  Tell us more about the G35.  I test drove one over the weekend, 80k mile sedan with the six speed.  If they weren't firm on the $12k price it would probably be mine.  It was great, other than the clutch engagement point, which you can fix with a new pedal.  I'm seriously considering getting one too and wondering how the automatics compare.

According to tests in this mag PS4S are really awesome in the dry, the Contis ECS are a tick behind in the dry and great in the wet.

If you want a value oriented option I have experience with the Firestone Indy 500 and the Falken FK510. The Indy 500 are really strong in the dry. I haven't had a much of a chance to drive them in anger in the wet, but my initial impression is they're better than their tread pattern would expect. The FK510 seem really strong in dry and wet. Tire rack testing shows both tires similar in the dry, FK510 much better in the wet. They're a lot better in the dry than you'd expect for the tread pattern (big voids). Tyrereviews test data shows the FK510 in a very favorable light, particularly for the cost. I think the FK510 are very compelling. I'm not so sure you can exercise the full performance envelop of the PS4S/ECS on the street.

In reply to G_Body_Man :

I'm going to back you on the Indy 500s, I have them on my New Edge and you really can't beat them for the money.

That being said, I'm going to counter your tire measurements with a square fitment of 245/40R17s on 17x8s - it's a daily, I feel like 18s are slightly a bit much. Also feel like you can't go wrong going a bit wider all around.

OP, I'd also consider 245/45s if your roads are that bad

In reply to Snrub :

From my experience Indy 500s are good in the rain, but only when warmed up