Car and Driver Tire Review

[junior40er]

I have been running starspecs front and back and just switched to my rears to Michelin Pilot SuperSports and I notice a tad better performance despite the starspecs rated as max performance. Seems like the rubber is a bit softer also. I think I will keep using Michelin rear/Starspec front since they dont offer the right size for front.

 

[nsxtasy]

I have been running starspecs front and back and just switched to my rears to Michelin Pilot SuperSports and I notice a tad better performance despite the starspecs rated as max performance.

The Star Spec is rated as "extreme performance", a higher performance category than "maximum performance".

I think I will keep using Michelin rear/Starspec front since they dont offer the right size for front.

In general, you really shouldn't use different brand/model tires front vs rear unless their performance is very similar to each other. And it sounds from your description that these two are not. If the grip is different front vs rear, the car can tend to oversteer or understeer, depending on which end has more grip (and what's worse, it can shift between oversteer and understeer in different conditions, such as when one tire has more grip on dry pavement and the other in rain).

 

[TURBO2GO]

Star Spec ZII out in Japan already. It has less grooves and looks even more like a track tire. I'm sure it will be very very good.

 

[imflipside]

Not sure if this will add any value to this discussion because I don't track my car, but I run Bridgestone Potenza RE-11's on my daily driver. They're fantastic on dry and wet pavement. My only complaint is some vibration in the steering until they warm up (a few minutes on the highway). Does anyone else use R compound tires on their DD?

 

[LJSB]

What can I put on the stock 16 front, 17 rear wheels?
It looks like none in this review and even the Goodyear F1 GS-D3 that I was using no longer don't have a size for me.

There are the OE Bridgestones but for the cost they wear out so fast.
Suggestions? Ken? You out there?:biggrin:
You're usually good for help on this.

 

[Nero Tenebre]

Star Spec ZII out in Japan already. It has less grooves and looks even more like a track tire. I'm sure it will be very very good.

Dammit I just ordered my AD08s! May try this out next time once there is more info on it.

 

[TURBO2GO]

Dammit I just ordered my AD08s! May try this out next time once there is more info on it.

I will. I have loved the Z1 so I will probably go with the ZII next.

 

[robbiedawg]

What can I put on the stock 16 front, 17 rear wheels?
It looks like none in this review and even the Goodyear F1 GS-D3 that I was using no longer don't have a size for me.

There are the OE Bridgestones but for the cost they wear out so fast.
Suggestions? Ken? You out there?:biggrin:
You're usually good for help on this.

joe, i'm running the bridgestone potenza re-11's on stock 16/17" wheels. the trick is that they don't have them in the 215/45-16 oem size for the front (there's almost nothing in that size at tire rack),so you go down to a 205/45-16.shop for the fronts and the backs separately,because they have different speed ratings-(ken's tip). i did that based on the advice of ken and others on here that 205 works fine,and the tires have been great.i have never reached the limit of their grip on the street,good steering response,quite low noise,and decent ride for an extreme performance tire. i have sometimes noticed a bit of bumpiness when cold,but it does go away. 3k miles on them and they look fine,have not tracked them.

 

[LJSB]

joe, i'm running the bridgestone potenza re-11's on stock 16/17" wheels. the trick is that they don't have them in the 215/45-16 oem size for the front (there's almost nothing in that size at tire rack),so you go down to a 205/45-16.shop for the fronts and the backs separately,because they have different speed ratings-(ken's tip). i did that based on the advice of ken and others on here that 205 works fine,and the tires have been great.i have never reached the limit of their grip on the street,good steering response,quite low noise,and decent ride for an extreme performance tire. i have sometimes noticed a bit of bumpiness when cold,but it does go away. 3k miles on them and they look fine,have not tracked them.

Yeah I saw them. Some slim pick'ns for stock wheels. I thought there might be a few more. Thanks Robbie

 

[robbiedawg]

Yeah I saw them. Some slim pick'ns for stock wheels. I thought there might be a few more. Thanks Robbie

yeah,slim pick'ns,but one real fine tire among them.i might have gotten the re-11's even if all the other high performance tires were available in the right sizes

 

[DeVinci13]

I was reading this article yesterday. I am going to be replacing my tires in the next year, so I found this article very helpful. Especially the part on page 85 that states the Toyos and Yokohamas can not be exposed, used or stored at temperatures below 15 degrees F. They call this extremely low temperatures (HAHA). My car is winter stored in a garage (unheated) and it gets to below minus 30 degrees F. It would be interesting to see the tires after a 6 month winter storage at these temperatures.
I will be going with the Continental DWs. I drive daily drive my car in the summer, rain or shine. The Tread Wear rating is important, and it also earned top honours for ride comfort and noise, and it was also the cheapest. I don't track my car, don't do "spirited canyon driving", I live on the prairies. I just need a reliable, good, everyday tire.

 

[etang789]

Yea I wonder why they did not include RE11 in the test...

Yea Dunlop Z1 no longer relevant since Z2 is out soon

 

[nsxtasy]

What can I put on the stock 16 front, 17 rear wheels?
It looks like none in this review and even the Goodyear F1 GS-D3 that I was using no longer don't have a size for me.

There are the OE Bridgestones but for the cost they wear out so fast.

Unfortunately, for 16"/17" wheels, there are no longer any "max performance" tires like the F1 GS-D3, at least not since they discontinued the Continental ExtremeContact DW in 205/45-16. You can still get the OEM Bridgestones, as you mention. You can also still get "extreme performance" tires, which are even stickier:

Bridgestone Potenza RE-11 205/45-16 and 245/40-17
Toyo Proxes R1R 205/45-16 and 245/40-17
Kumho Ecsta XS 215/45-16 and 245/40-17
Falken Azenis RT-615K 215/45-16 and 255/40-17

They probably won't last as long as the F1 GS-D3, but they'll give you even better grip. You might want to give one of them a try, such as the RE-11 recommended above. Otherwise, you'll need to step down in grip from the F1 GS-D3 by getting one of the "ultra high performance" tires, the best of which are the BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KDW 2, Bridgestone Potenza RE760 Sport, and Yokohama S.drive.

 

[nsxtasy]

Star Spec ZII out in Japan already. It has less grooves and looks even more like a track tire. I'm sure it will be very very good.

Even if you don't read Japanese, you can see photos and get the gist from Dunlop's Japanese website.

At least in Japan, NSX-friendly ZII sizes available include:

15"/16" 205/50-16 and 225/50-16
16"/17" 205/45-16 and 245/40-17
17"/17" 215/40-17 and 255/40-17
17"/18" 215/40-17 and 255/35-18 ('94-05) or 265/35-18 ('91-93)

The Dunlop Star Spec is an "extreme performance" tire, but up until now, it has not been sold in North America in a 16" size for the NSX front.