Looking for more thoughts on these Dunlops

[Seraphinwolf]

I missed out cause inwaited too long on whatbi was looking at.
Round Two!:
http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direct/tires/dunlop/home.do
Anything look good? Experiences with other Dunlops? I need some tread life so trying NOT to get Star Specs just yet.


Original post:
TireRack is running a clearance and in a size I'm interested!
Was starting to hunt for replacing my 245/40/18 Dunlop Sport Sp600's and wanted to stick 245/40 or up it to 245/45 or 255/40. Been pricing out and looking at a lot of different tires. Found these:
http://www.tirerack.com/survey/SurveyComments.jsp?additionalComments=y&commentStatus=P&tireMake=Dunlop&tireModel=SP+Sport+Maxx&tirePageLocQty=%26partnum%3D445YR8SPMAXXXL%26i1_Qt y%3D4
And at $140 each in a good size! Reviews are always hard to tell cause some people just don't know how to drive and roast tires and other baby and sy they last 50 billion miles. I drive spirited but also comute 23miles to work over both back roads and highway. I just don't want to go with the 600's again as they held up okay but not enough to pay for brand new ones... SVX is heavy so it does add wear to tires a bit but also gonna run whatever I get on my OBS as soon as she's ready to take flight again.

Please chime in and feel free to mention other models and brands as well. I run summer/ winter split so I'm not looking for all seasons at all.

[adam]

When i first put the BBS RE's on my spec.B I had the Sport Maxx tires and I LOVED them. They are a really nice handling tire and they dont war down super fast.

They also do really well in the rain!

[Seraphinwolf]

I would have to say that is a VERY high level endorsement. I would only take maybe one or two others as a higher opinion on these. That may just lock up on my picking up a set of these. They are a bit higher on weight but then again that much rubber... That's a lot to grip with.

[LostinMaine]

come on your wimp get the star specs :-P

[Bu11dogg2]

90% of those tirerack reviews are garbage.


Look for a review where the person has proper spelling, grammar and doesn't call "tires" "wheels"

[Seraphinwolf]

90% of those tirerack reviews are garbage.


Look for a review where the person has proper spelling, grammar and doesn't call "tires" "wheels"

+1 You read the Mustang guy one? That's actually a proper review though so can't knock that one. 500RWHP and drives it that way and STILL lasted 8k miles. Talk about impressive tread life! I most look at miles before what they say.

[Seraphinwolf]

come on your wimp get the star specs :-P

I'll get those in 275/40/18's for the OBS as my weekend set. These need to not get eaten durring DDing. I drool over Star Spec's all the time!

[afbeefcake]

I had 225/40/18 Yokohama AVS ES100s on my svx and I loved them.

I just checked tirerack and they don't sell the ES100's any more.

[Bu11dogg2]

Gaddis,

your car is heavy and AWD, both not good for tires.

[Seraphinwolf]

Gaddis,

your car is heavy and AWD, both not good for tires.

Oh believe my I know. :( Hence my work at finding ways to lighten the boy up. Making friends with a composite fabricator was one of the best ideas I ever had.

[tehsbean]

come on your wimp get the star specs :-P
This. I'm pretty sure the Star Spec compound was made with super glue, they're damn sticky.

I do know the SP's are designed for "Sporty Luxo Cruisers" more than they are for extreme stickiness. They're intended to balance performance with road noise and comfort rather than the Star Spec's et al. which are designed with very little consideration of their impact for NVH and such.

Cman has the SP Sport Maxx's on his Lego's Rota's. He's never complained about them, and seems happy with them, but I've never driven on them so I hold no worthwhile opinion of them.

[tehsbean]

Made up your mind yet? Need other recommendations?

[Seraphinwolf]

Yeah gonna buy a set of GForces with 08' spec SP 600 Sports and then buy these. Be all set wheel and tire wise with both the SVX and Impreza. Then just to figure out which wheels I like on which car more. ;)

[shtbxr22]

255/40? that'll look like a balloon.

255/30? now we're talkin' :D

[Seraphinwolf]

Nope would look just right. But I'm gonna go with 245/45/18"s Fill my wheel wells nicely. :up:

[shtbxr22]

balloons! you'll see. :lol: I have 215/45R18's on the "B", and they look too big.

[Seraphinwolf]

Well that's your problem. I like how mine is right now but want a little more meat. 245/40/18's are where I am at right now and the 45's will give me a little more for the Imprezas future wheel wells.

[Seraphinwolf]

Bump. OP edited. Let's hear thoughts.

[Robk0000]

What are these tires for, dd racing or just show?

because i want to recommend these. They look badass!

http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direct/tires/dunlop/product/byName.do;jsessionid=kSnbMp3TgsZFQMJk0cQhc6QwG0DL3 9223vL1Vn2BHJpQ24Q8KNHvSFr58Rbg6vMpQPtp71TFPWzcNbQ 2phptdlqxSnPnL0mGhQSh1x1p7SwH3jyl6zcVrGsHVyHhKf7T!-1812431741!69084246?tmn=KT335+Radial&typ=ATV

[Seraphinwolf]

DD with some autocrossing in the future.

[mdungelman]

Ever think about the BF T/A KDW's?

[Seraphinwolf]

Same reason I'm not looking at Star Specs, road noise and tread wear. A weekend warrior seperate set i would but not right now. Not when I need DD tire with "spirited" traction. I burn through tires quick. :-/

[civic si hb]

I know 3 people that have these Hankook Evo's and are very happy with them (GTI/WRX/Supra). Price is right and people say they stick well for events and make great for a DD for tread life for what u get too. $159.00 shipped a tire plus u get back a $50.00 rebate...

http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direct/findTireDetail.do?pc=11198&counter=1&ar=45&rd=18&sw=false&cs=245

[tehsbean]

Ever think about the BF T/A KDW's?

Meh. They haven't refreshed them in a long time, not worth buying as they're overpriced and underperforming compared to better/newer choices (they were more expensive than my Star Specs in 215/45/17. What is up with that?)

I know 3 people that have these Hankook Evo's and are very happy with them (GTI/WRX/Supra). Price is right and people say they stick well for events and make great for a DD for tread life for what u get too. $159.00 shipped a tire plus u get back a $50.00 rebate...

http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direct/findTireDetail.do?pc=11198&counter=1&ar=45&rd=18&sw=false&cs=245

The V12 is an excellent tire for a spirited daily driver. I second this recommendation.
TireRack has them a bit cheaper: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Hankook&tireModel=Ventus+V12+evo+K110&partnum=44YR8K110XL&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes

I would also look at the Dunlop DZ101. It's a little bit more sports oriented than the Hankook's, but without being as aggressive as the Z1s.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Dunlop&tireModel=Direzza+DZ101&partnum=44WR8DZ101&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes

[Seraphinwolf]

I just may have settled on the DZ101's last night. Still kinda debating. Mostly narrowed down to:
Dunlop
DZ101 $672 shipped + $20 rebabte
tirerack for 636 +shipping ($40-45) + $20 rebate
SP Sport Signiture $624 shipped + $40 rebate
tirerack for $600+shipping ($40-45) +$40 rebate
Falken
FK 452 $620 shipped
Ziex ZE-912 $604 shipped

[tehsbean]

Don't do the Sport Signatures or Ziex's. The Ziexs are good for an all-season as far as wet and dry traction, but they're still all seasons. They'll still exhibit a lot more unnecessary tread squirm and won't take heat and abuse the way a real summer tire will. The SP Sport Signatures are largely the same, although unlike the Ziexs I can't comment on their abilities, as I haven't heard of many people who use them nor do I have any personal experience with them.

Go with the DZ101's or the 452's. I would recommend the DZ101's for your uses over the 452s though. They'll be worth the slight extra cost.

Edit: Additionally on the topic of heat and abuse, at SLMP last year I managed to take quite a bit of tread off the shoulders of a set of Exclaim UHPs (a dedicated summer tire.) This year on Z1s, there was hardly any excess wear. The better of a tire you get, the better they will take to abuse. The flipside of the coin is that the higher end, grippier tires (Z1s, XSs, RE11s, and AD08s for extreme examples) will wear faster in normal driving.

[civic si hb]

Don't do the Sport Signatures or Ziex's. The Ziexs are good for an all-season as far as wet and dry traction, but they're still all seasons. They'll still exhibit a lot more unnecessary tread squirm and won't take heat and abuse the way a real summer tire will. The SP Sport Signatures are largely the same, although unlike the Ziexs I can't comment on their abilities, as I haven't heard of many people who use them nor do I have any personal experience with them.

Go with the DZ101's or the 452's. I would recommend the DZ101's for your uses over the 452s though. They'll be worth the slight extra cost.

Edit: Additionally on the topic of heat and abuse, at SLMP last year I managed to take quite a bit of tread off the shoulders of a set of Exclaim UHPs (a dedicated summer tire.) This year on Z1s, there was hardly any excess wear. The better of a tire you get, the better they will take to abuse. The flipside of the coin is that the higher end, grippier tires (Z1s, XSs, RE11s, and AD08s for extreme examples) will wear faster in normal driving.


You seem to be very well versed in the tired world. How would you compared the Hankook V12 Evo K110 vs the Nitto NT NeoGen ZR vs Dunlop Direzza DZ101??

http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direct/findTireDetail.do?pc=11193&counter=1&ar=45&rd=17&sw=false&cs=225


http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direct/findTireDetail.do?pc=40218&counter=2&ar=45&rd=17&sw=false&cs=225


http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direct/findTireDetail.do?pc=28242&counter=3&ar=45&rd=17&sw=false&cs=225

[tehsbean]

You seem to be very well versed in the tired world. How would you compared the Hankook V12 Evo K110 vs the Nitto NT NeoGen ZR vs Dunlop Direzza DZ101??

http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direct/findTireDetail.do?pc=11193&counter=1&ar=45&rd=17&sw=false&cs=225


http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direct/findTireDetail.do?pc=40218&counter=2&ar=45&rd=17&sw=false&cs=225


http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direct/findTireDetail.do?pc=28242&counter=3&ar=45&rd=17&sw=false&cs=225

Heh, I'm a bit of a tire nerd. Not a bad thing seeing as they're the most important part of the car (the only part that touches the road and allows you to use all the other fancy parts one puts on their car to make it better.)

The Hankook is an excellent daily driver tire. Plenty of grip in wet and dry, and quite comfortable compared to similar tires. The downside is the sidewall is a bit soft compared to other options. They're also the cheapest of the 3 by a bit. An even better deal when you factor in the $50 rebate going on right now.

The DZ101's are a little bit more sporty. Not quite a Z1, but quite capable in their league. Depending on your preferences and intentions with the car, they may serve you better than the Hankook's, but they may not.

The Nitto's... Well... I haven't heard much nor do I have much experience with the NeoGens. What little I have heard about them indicates that they're better suited for cars with aggressive camber settings (i.e. that hellaflush whip dawg. :lol: ) Also from what I understand, they're less of a performer than the other two. I will say that given I haven't heard much about them, I would probably avoid them -- the places I draw my knowledge from (outside of limited personal experience -- college students can't afford to swap tires for fun after all ;)) typically focus on tire performance combined with daily driveability, or straight up no-holds-barred performance.

Well, that ended up being a wall of text...

C/N:
For a somewhat comfy but still sporty DD usage: Hankook's.

For sport over comfort: Dunlops.

Loser: Nitto's. (Although they do have good race/near race tires in the NT01 and NT05's, I would steer clear of the NeoGens and the Invo's for that matter.)

[98Wagoon]

I have Nitto NT450's and really like them. they seem to claim here and there on some tire sites that they're "all-season".. thats a load of ****... BUT! for a summer tire, Im on my second season and I still like them a lot and they're pretty affordable..

also, 04wagoon just got a set of yokohama S Drives for his car. on discounttiredirect they were pretty cheap and got really good ratings from everyone.

[tehsbean]

I have Nitto NT450's and really like them. they seem to claim here and there on some tire sites that they're "all-season".. thats a load of ****... BUT! for a summer tire, Im on my second season and I still like them a lot and they're pretty affordable..

also, 04wagoon just got a set of yokohama S Drives for his car. on discounttiredirect they were pretty cheap and got really good ratings from everyone.

No, those are all seasons, and not particularly notable ones at that.

Straight from their website:
The NT450 is an entry level ultra-high performance radial designed for all-season performance.S.Drives are alright, I almost bought them in place of Z1s to be honest. On the other hand, they were overpriced at the time (in 215/45/17) and exhibit the same issues that the AVS ES100 did (precursor to the S.Drive,) in that they get greasy and slick very quickly.

In the same price range or cheaper (assuming 205/55/16, as I was looking at tires in that size recently since I just acquired new WRX wheels for the beater,)You can get DZ101's cheaper than both, or Kumho Ecsta SPT's (which are also an older but capable design, due for redesign replacement soon, which I think the new Ecsta LE Sport is intended to do,) or even FK452's.

I also don't believe in all seasons in New England. They're a joke in more than a dusting to maybe a few inches of snow. They're a compromise tire, and they usually are bad at compromises to boot.

[98Wagoon]

I still disagree that the nt450 is ANY kind of all season.. even the maaasssiiivvee powarr of my ej22 has kicked the ass end out with them on during and after a light rain :lol: theyve been good to me. I treat them as "summer only" wheels. also, +1 on no all-seasons in new england. you need snows. period. haha

[Seraphinwolf]

Price point is what had me saying no on the S. Drives. Also cause I have not had dirrect dealings with Yokohamas outside of the OEM tires on my GF's Mazda 3 which seem nice but it's only been a couple months since she got it and I haven't inspected them nor tried to push them.

[mdungelman]

Same reason I'm not looking at Star Specs, road noise and tread wear. A weekend warrior seperate set i would but not right now. Not when I need DD tire with "spirited" traction. I burn through tires quick. :-/

The BF's have a 300 treadware. Rob K. got a ton of miles out of his, if my memory serves me correct.

[Seraphinwolf]

I'm just not interested in that dedicated a tire for right now. Maybe the next set. I just don't want to find that I will eat through those too as quickly as I do every other tire is drive on. The Dunlops have been great tread wise and I'm sure the SP 600 Sports would have lasted longer had I not been stupid with them in the first real snow last year.( I wonder if those neighbors ever woke up that night or realized come spring that part of their yard was a little ... "off")

[DHGurs]

It sounds like you really want another set of new SP600 tires.

Voila. $450 picked up in NJ

http://www.iwsti.com/forums/gr-wheels-tires-lugs/194722-wts-almost-new-less-than-5-miles-stock-dunlop-tires.html

[Seraphinwolf]

IDK the 600's lasted okay... But they kinda got killed quick this year. :shrug: You should look into another set for when yours die out.

[DHGurs]

I'm getting Star Specs next. 265/35 :devil:

[tehsbean]

I still disagree that the nt450 is ANY kind of all season.. even the maaasssiiivvee powarr of my ej22 has kicked the ass end out with them on during and after a light rain :lol: theyve been good to me. I treat them as "summer only" wheels. also, +1 on no all-seasons in new england. you need snows. period. haha

Wet weather traction has little to do with tread compound. It has to do with water evacuation from the tread blocks. Summer tires are usually considered good in the wet because they have more open tread to evacuate the water from the tread blocks. In contrast, most summer tires exhibit better wet weather traction because when they reach pavement, they stick better. It's also a trick used in some tires construction that when the tread gets low the compound gets softer and stickier so when the tire starts hydroplaning, there's more traction available when they reach drier pavement.

I don't know how you can disagree that they aren't an all-season. I'm not saying you can't like them because they aren't a dedicated summer, just pointing out that they aren't the ideal tire for the use of the car. When they wear out, you can take it as an opportunity to try a real summer and see how they compare.

[Seraphinwolf]

Yep so just need to pay some bills then DZ101's here I come!