First of all, the proper size for 17" wheels on your ITR is
205/40-17, not 215/40-17. 205/40-17 has the same outer diameter as the stock size (195/55-15), which means that the speedometer and odometer will be accurate, and you will minimize the chances for rubbing. It also won't slow down your acceleration the way oversized tires like the 215/40-17 will (like putting taller gears on your car).
As far as which tires to buy, let's start by taking a step back for an overview. Think of tires across a spectrum from the stickiest, fastest-wearing tires to the less sticky, longer-lasting tires, and you come out with a list that looks like this, starting with the stickiest and working down from there:
1. Drag Radials: BFGoodrich g-Force T/A Drag Radial (won't last very long)
2. Other R Compound Tires: Hoosier R3S04 and A3S05, Toyo RA-1, etc (typical treadlife 2-4K miles)
3. Specialty Super-Sticky Street Tires: Falken Azenis RT-615 (typical treadlife 10K miles)
4. Best Top-of-the-Line Street Tires: Goodyear F1 GS-D3, Bridgestone S-03, Dunlop SP Sport Maxx, etc (typical treadlife 15-25K miles)
5. "Value" Top-of-the-Line Street Tires: Toyo T-1R, Kumho Ecsta MX (typical treadlife 15-25K miles)
6. Budget Performance, "Bang for the Buck" Tires: Yokohama AVS ES100, Kumho Ecsta SPT, Dunlop Direzza DZ101, etc (typical treadlife 25-40K miles)
7. All-season tires: Kumho Ecsta ASX, Pirelli PZero Nero M+S, etc (typical treadlife 25-50K miles)
The tires I've listed are the best tires for the money in each of these categories, IMO.
So now you have to decide which category of tires to get. Since you don't plan on driving the car in the winter, there's no reason to get all-season tires. So eliminate "category 7" (which includes the Ziex all-season tires). Remember, all-season tires are really "compromise" tires for people who have to drive on the same tires all year round, in snow as well as warmer weather. In moderate to warm temperatures, all the other tire categories will give you better traction and handling, on dry roads as well as wet, than all-season tires. So don't get all-season tires, and don't get the Ziex.
Since you plan to use the tires for autocross as well as daily driving, you can eliminate categories 1 and 2, which will wear too rapidly to be suitable for daily driving.
So you're left with categories 3 through 6. Now, it depends on how much you're willing to trade off performance against value (price and treadlife). For the best performance, get a tire from a lower category number (although you spend more for them, in purchase price and/or by replacing them more often); for the best value, get a tire from a higher category number.
Here is IMHO the very best tire in each category, along with the price in the correct 205/40-17 size for your car:
3. Specialty Super-Sticky Street Tires:
Falken Azenis RT-615 $102 (at Vulcan)
4. Best Top-of-the-Line Street Tires:
Goodyear F1 GS-D3 $143 (at Tire Rack)
5. "Value" Top-of-the-Line Street Tires:
Kumho Ecsta MX $101 (at Tire Rack)
6. Budget Performance, "Bang for the Buck" Tires:
Kumho Ecsta SPT $67 (at Tire Rack)
Incidentally, the Hankook tires just aren't as competitive for the money as the ones listed. For example, their Z212 tire is the one that gets a lot of press, but it was beaten substantially by the Goodyear F1 GS-D3 in the test of 11 top-of-the-line tires in the current (December) issue of Car and Driver (which did not include the Azenis RT-615). Besides, the Z212 doesn't come in the proper 205/40-17 size. Oh, and the Kumho MX came in
dead last in that test, which gives you an idea of what you get for the money by paying more for category 4 than for category 5. Pick up a copy on the newsstands!
