I had good experience with the Falken FK-451's. So far it's one of the best bang for the buck tires I've ever used. I ran it in 225/45-17 on my Audi and I rode them hard on the street and worked them very hard on a track day.
The only better bang for the buck I've experienced were the Falken Azenis RT215's and Hancook RS232 - outstanding grip and they were cheap. The Azenis are terrible in the rain though, and their replacements, the RT615's, are better in the rain but now are fairly expensive. Very choice for street tire autox classes.

I autocrossed a set of Hancook RS232 in 215/45-17 on my WRX and was very impressed with their grip in such a small size. A little bit of a soft sidewall, but more than made up for in grip. For the savings over the new Azenis RT615's, the RS232 win's my vote in spite of the slight performance loss.

I hated my Sumitomos HTR Z, they were hard as rocks, unimpressive grip and heavy, they outlasted my patience with them and I replaced them well before the tread was worn. The FK-451's are a bit heavy, and can get a bit loud, but for the level of grip they provide at the price it was a sacrifice I could live with. I found them to be nearly as good as the excellent Bridgestone S-03's - which is one of the best performance tires on the market.

I don't care for the ES100, turn in felt like jello and the grip was so-so. Quality tire though, just not up to the performance levels I've come to expect for UHP (ultra-high performance) tires.

The Kuhmo MX offers a very high level of performance for a decent price (haven't checked the price in a while). Some say they are a bit soft, but they grip very well. A lot of people choose them over the Azenis to autox in street tire classes. One benefit is that they are a bit lighter than the Azenis, which are very heavy.

For your price range, if you want the most performance, you can do pretty well as long as you are willing to live with some sacrifices in comfort. That's where the best tires really earn their price of entry.

It's none of my business but it seems that you don't have nearly enough tire for the amount of power you're working with. But squeezing a wider tire isn't always the right answer if your wheels are not wide enough to take advantage of it. I do have 225/50-16's on my 16x6.5 and they are a bit squishy and pudgy, so I'm not sure there is a performance gain over 205's. Even with my low power levels (less than 200whp) there is not enough grip at low speed.

Anyway good luck with your tire choice, I hope my ramblings weren't too confusing.