I'm on my 4th set of tires, and I agree that buying in the U.S. is cheaper if you're buying at retail. However, if you can buy tires in Canada at wholesale prices then it works out to be a little cheaper than Tire rack.

On that note, here's what I can tell you about the tires I've had...


Stock Conti's
Dry: Decent grip
Wet: OK grip
Noise: Moderate
Braking grip: Decent
Mileage:29,000km

BFG G-Force T/A KDW2
Dry: Sticks like glue
Wet: Worse than Conti's slightly
Noise: LOUD.. like truck tires
Braking grip: Excellent in dry, not so much in wet
Mileage:27,000km

Kumho Ecsta SPT
Dry: Decent grip
Wet: Worse than Conti's
Noise: Quiet when new, louder than Conti's when half worn
Braking grip: Slightly better than Conti in dry, about same as BFG in wet
Mileage:23,000km

Sumitomo HTRZ III
Dry: Almost as good as the BFG
Wet: Really good... Better than the other 3
Noise: Extremely quiet
Braking grip: Excellent in dry like the BFG, Slightly better than the Conti in wet
Mileage:8,000km so far, and not much wear

Honestly, if you are looking for a 3 season tire, the Sumitomo's are the way to go... I purchased mine from CCW in abbottsford (they ordered them in for me), but TireTrends also carries them in Canada as well.

I have a lot of camber (3 degrees in rear, 1.8 in the front), and trips on winding hot roads to the okanagan/Winthrop in the USA for the weekend aren't easy on the tires... That being said, the Sumitomo's are wearing more evenly than the other 3 tire brands I have tried, since they are designed for cambered suspension.

Hope that helps someone....