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jrotax101 - This guy races a lot and I think the Michelin is one of his usual tire recommendations.
The Michelin PSS is a great tire from what everyone says. It's not in the extreme performance category but it's very very close in terms of performance and it will last a lot longer.
I would make the suggestion to change the tire size to a 235/40/17. You will maintain almost stock sizing but by dropping the sidewall you will be able to maximize the low torque the car already has instead of trying to turn a taller tire. Also your speedometer will be more accurate.
Stock tire: 215/45/17
Diameter: 24.6"
Width: 8.46"
Sidewall: 3.81"
Revs per mile: 819.7
Your tire: 235/45/17
Diameter: 25.3
Width: 9.25"
Sidewall:
4.16" (Lots taller. This will cost you torque which is important on tight auto-x courses)
Revs per mile: 796.7
At 60mph on the stock tire the new tire will be doing 61.7mph
Better tire size: 235/40/17
Diameter: 24.4"
Width: 9.25"
Sidewall: 3.7" (Almost stock but with the added performance of the larger contact patch.)
Revs per mile: 826.9
Speed comparison: Yes, this tire is slightly slower than the stock tire according to the speedometer but only ever so slightly.
At 20mph this tire is 19.8mph, at 30 its 29.8, at 60mph on the stock tire this one is 59.5mph
You barely lose anything compared to the stock size and gain all the advantage of the wider tire. There are less choices from tire rack in that size but the awesome Dunlop Direzza Z2 is available. I just got a set of Bridgestone RE-11A put on my car and they are fantastic. I was a toss up between those and the Z2 but the Bridgestone was a little better as a DD tire.
