Tires for Gravel/Rough Roads

[Bballearl12]

Living in the North East part of the US, our roads are never truly “clean.” Lots of cinders at intersections and general road debris all year round. On top of that I have a long driveway coated with compacted asphalt millings. Needless to say the sticky Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires are constantly throwing gravel and what not all over the place. I have the ZL1 rock guards installed, but I honestly don’t think it’s enough protection. Does anyone have a tire suggestion that may be better for this environment, but not make the car too unsafe for typical daily driving?

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[exe36m3]

So less sticky tire? The Hankook Ventus V12 EVO2 might work, It's more of a touring car (just driving around town/commute tire) that delivers maybe 75%-80% of the performance of the Michelin. It's also pretty cheap at around $1000 for a set of 4. If it helps, it's A LOT quieter tire than the Michelin. If Michelin was a 100 in road noise, the Hankook is an 80.

Rock/mud guards, not a fan of the ZL-1 style...

As much as the ZL-1 guards are the popular choice, OEM designs tend to work a bit better and are bigger. If you are a project guy, the BMW F30 mudflaps can be had for around $30-ish for a full set off ebay - OEM versus BMW factory, no difference in build quality or materials. With a test fit, the fronts seem to fit with the only modification being drilling holes in the flaps to match the body. The rears would require more work - looks like an ABS spacer here and there.

I'll post the result of this project when I get around to it - but you see, it's a much more substantial area of coverage.