Tire recommendations - 2 different vehicles

[99S8029]

Looking to hear from the tire performance guru's...

The 1st vehicle is a '99 S80. I have the stock 16" rims running Yoko AVID V4S's size 215/55-16's for the all-season set. I like the V-rating, and make use of it often for road trips (unofficially, of course, but still looking for a H-rating or better as the volvo gets "really good gas mileage" at ~ 120MPH

For the summer fun on the S80 I have been doing the 18" Pilot Sports (225/40-ZR18), but they are quite pricey and from what I have heard there's some more positive input on the following, and much less expensive:

POTENZA RE 750, ContiExtremeContact, and ZE 512 ZIEX...
I also considered moving from the Pilot Sport to the Pilot Sport A/S's

As a side note I got to road test some Blizzak's - possibly the best performance winter/ice/snow tire I have ever had the pleasure to drive. Still, the budget for these being really only useful in the winter, as they seem to melt in the late spring into summer heat. The bottom line here is that I am quite happy with the AVID's - I suppose the 1st vehicle question is really in regards to the summer "fun" 18's as I will likely wind up with another set of the 16" AVID 4VS's, unless someone can convince me otherwise.

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The 2nd vehicle I believe is a bit more challenging. It's an '04 Denali, currently running 265/70-17's. The rims are not going to be changed, stock Denali wheels ae fine by me, but I don't care for Goodyear tires. They were stock and are wearing fairly evenly so I am going to run them through the next season and am very open to sugggestions here!

For whatever it's worth I am most concerned for treadwear (350 or so mi, prefer closer to 400), then traction (AA minimum). I am not so much into temperature. In a past life I sold tires so I know the nomenclature, but these days' I am far from an expert.

Moreso, the Denali is "the family car" - so an S or T speed rating is fine by me, no H+ required - I just want the best year-round tire for my family.

I welcome your advice and look forward to your replies ~M

[drdisque]

the falken ZE512 does not offer performance anywhere near your Pilots and are a very loud and unrefined tire. The bridgeston RE750 would be a good substitute, but is probably almost as expensive as the Pilot. Continental still makes lousy performance tires in my opinion. If you were going to go to Falken, I'd go with the Azenis ST-115 which should offer just a slight drop in traction from your pilots. You might also want to look at the Pirelli P-Zero series of tires as they are very good large car performance tires.

For the denali I'd recommend the Pirelli Scorpion STR.

[93Stocker]

Since not many guru's have replied, I suggest you go to the Tirerack.com website and read the consumer reviews. You can narrow your search to the specific type of tires you're looking for. I found the site very helpful when I was shopping for tires. For the Denali check out the Michelin LTX M/S. I bought them for my 4WD half ton Chevy pickup, living up to their billing so far. I've seen them on many full size SUV's.