Ok, still got the sucky RS-A OEMs on my car and I think it's time to replace them. What are the advantages/disadvantages to going from XXX/50/17s to XXX/45/17s? Road noise? More prone to pothole damage?

On the same note, I'm torn between the GoodYear Eagle F1 GS D3 (the one that won Car and Driver's comparo) and the Avon Tech M550 A/S. Now I live in SF and won't have to deal with snow but the Avons are $250 less. Do you guys think the performance I get with the Avons will be pretty decent and is it a pretty quiet tire (and maybe even quieter than the GoodYears)?