Finally got the money together and bought new tires...
Goodyear Eagle F1's (215x45x17).
I'm really impressed with them as they work really well in both the wet and the dry. Pretty cool (different) tread pattern as well.
They come with what they call a "rim saver" - which basically means that the side wall of the tire has an oversized lip so it is this that hits the curb (sidewalk) before your rims do...neat!