Thanks for the replies, opinions and reviews. I'm going with the Avon M550 Tech 235/50-17's because of price, review opinions, and the fact that a buddy of mine that owns a local tire store can get me a little break on them plus mount & road-force balance them correctly, plus do an alignment on them all in one whack. I really wanted the Michelins, but can't see spending that kind of money on a tire that doesn't perform that much better (according to customer reviews), and is almost twice the price. If I was the "speedracer" type that would be one thing, but my car is a daily driver that I drive aggressively only infrequently. So, the Avons seem like the best value for the dollar to me.

I'll give a review after a few thousand miles. Thanks again!!

 

Got my Avons on today, and there is a huge difference between them and the Goodyear RS-A's they replaced. The M550's feel more planted and they are tons less noisy. I can feel the tread width difference in the slightly slower steering, but they don't feel "skatey" like the RS-A's did at all. It rained today also, and the car felt a lot more secure on the wet road than the Goodyears too so that's a plus.

So far, I am really happy with the new shoes...although time will tell. For the price, they seem to be a great deal.

 

Avons .....

http://forums.freshalloy.com/showthread.php?t=151553