13 inch tyre reviews for performance purposes - what tyres are good and what aren't?

Thought I would try and get everybodys' opinions of their 13 inch road tyres. Not interested about clearance issues or anything like that, purely how well the tyre grips. Its hard finding a road tyre these days for a wider 13 inch wheel (6-7inch) let alone one that handles well without going a semi-slick.
 
I need a tyre that grips hard for spirited weekend drives, hillclimbs and wet weather track use and I'm sure a lot of others will too.
 
This is what I have tried and what I thought of them:
 
Yokohama 352
-205/60 all round: Handled pretty well due to them being a softer compound however they aren't made anymore.
 
Falken ZE912
-185/60 front and 205/60 rear: Great tyre. Although the 185/60 are relatively hard they grip very well and are predictable. You can lean on these tyres hard and be confident they will get you round the corner. 
 
However the ZE912 205/60R13 aren't made anymore (not sure about 185/60) so when the rears clapped out I tried something different....
 
GT Champiro 60
-205/60 rear: Don't do it. My delaminated Falkens gripped better than the GTs. Very disappointed in this tyre. Tried a range of pressures in them and they don't get much better. Ok in the dry but very spongy however in the rain they are just dangerous. Taking off in the wet is like someone is squirting oil under the tyres, which is just dangerous. I used these for 3 laps at mallala when it was raining and was spinning up 3rd gear with 63rwkw. I am hoping I just have a bad batch.
 
So what are your opinions? If you have opposite thoughts to mine about any tyres I mentioned I would love to hear.
 
Also, has anybody tried Yokohama A539s? Used in the UK on a lot of escorts but not sold here. I can get a set shipped here for around $850 and contemplating that.
 
Cheers,
Ryan

I was a big fan of the yokohama 352's they had tread like a tractor tyre, lasted ages and would dig a hole in dry tarmac, lol... I've also used other yoko 175/13 variants like S707 etc over the years, always been great tyres...
Trying the Hankook Ventus V2 this time around after a good review from a forum member... I'll let you know what they're like in a couple of months when the cars going...
Cheers Drew...
 

I've got a set of Nexen in 185/60R13 on my mk1. I haven't really driven it enough to see if they do more than just keeping the wheels off the road. Can't remember what model of Nexen it is. I'll shoot down to the shed a bit later and have a look.

Nexen CP641 tyre on mine.

Not 100% sure on full specs, they came on an Anglia I got.

 
They are 13x6 though, and look like an ROH widened one from the stamping inside them.

what?
If i had 13"s id be looking at these new Nangkang ns2r's. Available in 180 and 140 treadwear.
http://www.demon-tweeks.c...ng-sportnex-ns-2r-tyre

I called Nankang Australia a week ago regarding these. Sadly, they don't bring them into Australia in 13".
I have the Hankook Ventus V2 185/60/13 and they're a very good road tyre. Look great as well (nice side walls & tread pattern)

I don't think the Champiro 60s are available anymore either; at least judging by their website.

The other consideration is that numbers aren't always what they seem. Two different 175/60-13 tyres side by side can be very different. The 175/60-13 AO50 looks fine on a 7" rim. Also most manufacturers measure the width as a SECTION width. That is the width of the tyre at it's widest point including the side wall, so the tread width may be much less or similar. Where as almost all competition tyres the 175 is the tread width. Also some manufacturers just either get it wrong or state a size to suit other requirements. Below is a 175/60-13 Michelin TB15 on a 7" rim. Technically you can't use this in competition but obviously it's fine in the picture.
[image]C:\Users\David Vervaart\Pictures\Escorts[/image]