Thread: Tire Talk.....

I have the NT-01's in 225/45-15 front and 205/50-15 rear as my "serious business tires"



And the Kumho XS as my street tire:


I will say that the NT01's truly transform the car... just don't get caught in the rain.

I agree with Ben on the Hankook RS3s, the Rs2's were amazing and the 3's seem to be shaping up even better... last i checked they weren't available in 205/50-15 so some work may be needed to squeeze the 225's in the rear.

Thanks for the input guys. I will let you know what I decide. Keep the input coming...

This right here is why I went with the Dunlop Direzza Star Specs.

Tire Test: Nine Affordable Summer Tires Take On the Michelin PS2 - Comparison Tests

That Azenis came in 7th. The Dunlops 1st.

Cliff reminded me of that article when I was buying tires.

I bought the Star Specs in 205/50/15.

Brilliant street performance tire. Best I have ever had on any vehicle.

From that article on the 3rd place Kumho Ecsta XS


I guess if you're sure about that, then the Kumhos could still be an okay pick. But...


The Hankook Ventus V12 Evo got 2nd place to the Star Spec. If they'd tested the comparable Ventus R-S3 instead of the lowly, completely pedestrian Ventus V12 Evo it would have been a completely different result.

I read that and found it a little hard to believe... i drove 200 miles home from the convention in the rain and never felt anything squirly, even in the mountains.

How hard were you pushing them in the rain, in the mountains, in that very fine B13 of yours? Till they "broke away"? Which is how far the C&D guys pushed the tires, when doing documented testing of the tires.

I would say I was pushing them "harder than recommended" given the conditions and speed limit. I don't doubt their test methods one bit, I just think I'd have to get way beyond my "this is stupid" threshold to get in real trouble with these tires in the rain.

That said, I had been driving on 90% bald RS2s prior lol.

Check out this article, They talk about the performance of RT-615k's , Kumho XS's, Star Specs, and RS-3's. They tested them at a autocross event so this should give you a good idea how they'll perform. Top Tires: Grassroots Motorsports Magazine Articles

I was going to proudly suggest the Yokohama S. Drive tire but after reading this I hesitated: Yokohama S.Drive6 - Car and Driver. They finished sixth in the Car and Driver test. But, despite this article, I must say I love these tires! This is the fourth summer in a row I have had these tires on my B15, with enough tread left to do one more summer atleast. My car is a DD so these tires have seen a ton of highway and a bunch of city driving as well.

Things I notice about these tires: tremendous dry weather grip in a straight line and when cornering. I'll sheepishly admit that I have taken more then one circular highway on-ramp at more then double the speed limit and never once worried about the grip failing or the tire breaking loose. These tires grip!! I thought they would not last very long because of the "summer grip factor" but as i said above, I will be using them again next year for DD'ing anyway. However, I wouldn't want to push these tires ultra-hard next year on an auto-x course on year 5 of the tire. The only downside i have noticed is the wet driving conditions. Despite the C&D article linked up above, I am not overly impressed with driving in these conditions. In a straightline, when wet, they perform above average for sure, I have only noticed hydroplaning a couple of times this year but the tires are nowhere near full tread anymore. The issue I have with these tires in the wet is they slip/skip when starting from a red-light or stop sign. Even when going easy on the gas they have a tendency to slip and this unfortunately makes me look like a drag-racer leaving the grocery-store .

All in all though, these tires have exceeded my expectations and are a quiet and grippy tire in almost all conditions!

I should also say that I have never done an auto-x with these so I don't know how they would stack up, but I feel they would be more then adequate, just my .02.

I should also note that the tires I had before these were the Firestone Firehawk GTA02's that came with the car, so stepping up to the S. Drive was a huge step for me. I'm sure there are much better tires out there but for the price and the performance and for the light abuse, dry-weather, occassional auto-x "Garage queen", I would think they would more than fit the bill.

I will switch to a better tire for light-dragging and auto-x'ing next year but these tires have done me well.

I am curious to know other people's thoughts on the S. Drive though, as I have known nobody else personally that used them.

I see they have been reviewed in the ultimate tire thread here: http://www.sr20-forum.com/suspension/29119-definitive-tire-thread-2.html#post380438....and this seems to support my thoughts, I think.

-Thanks.

Rob for you, I would recommend the RE-11, not to toot my own horn but most of the guys I have hooked up with wheels and tires have nothing but good to say about them. I am talking about my recommendation not the specific tire I sold Tomas.

Randy (NY5Speed) got the XS tires because they are what I could get right before the convention, at the time the 205/50/15 Direzza was out of stock. That being said for a second choice I don't think they are much behind as far as what he was looking for.



For example: