Most 15" street tires you can actually find now are the farthest thing from sticky. I like 15s fine, but I can do much harder braking with these 17s before I lock the wheels. I do have the later "cop" 11.75" rotors up front now, but the tires were a bigger help. The biggest braking improvement on a few of my cars has been more traction. Of course they do handle better. The ride is no worse, in my opinion, compared to the 15s--I have stock suspension.