N0P1st0ns

I plan to buy these this winter and put them on in the spring in time for autocross. I was wondering if these were good tires for what im after. Which is autoX probably 1-2 times a month and probably one or two track days. Will these tires be good and grippy for me for autocross? also will they last? Or will i need to replace after the season? or will they last me a year or two. ThaAny oppinions are appreciated. Also a better tire recommendation would be greatly appreciated. My second choice was teh dunlop direzza dz102. I'm basing my choice off tire rack reviews, friends, and what little info I can find here on the forum. Thanks all!!

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

They are decently smooth, decently quiet, but I had them on my MSM for 20k or so (came with a set of RPF1s I bought), including 2 track weekends, and their grip level is ... poor. A commuter tire, not a performance tire. Good to learn on, but I really wouldn't recommend them for any autocross or track unless you were starting out as a raw beginner, which i am assuming you are not.

They are basically an all season tire that you can't use in the winter. So worse than a normal "no-season".

N0P1st0ns

Well that settles that. thank you haha. Any recommendations?

N0P1st0ns

BUMP...
Does anyone have tire recommendations for Grippy Autocross tires and a Durable Daily.??
My current pick is Dunlop Direzza Dz102

*****If a moderator sees this can they move it to the Series 1 wheels, tires, suspension, brakes section. Please. and thank you.********

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Moved.

Didn't see your response earlier.

My personal preference for a daily tire is the Yokohama S.Drive. Fantastic wet traction, both damp and standing water. I get ~30-35k out of a set. The dry grip is pretty good. You MUST obey the wear bars on the tire though, because as good as it's wet traction is, i've never driven on a tire with less wet grip than they once you hit the wear bars.

However, they easily overheat on repeated autocross runs.

Just about anything grippier you go for will also end up being less durability. If you think about it, it will make sense. Most performance driving organizations rate their tire's grip by the treadwear, which is the manufacturer's rating for durability. Raise one, drop the other, no way around it really.

If you are ok with ~15k lifespans, then the Star Specs are a very popular tire that will serve you well. If you want ~20k lifespans, look at options in the ~250tw range. The S.Drive is a 300tw. Which should give you an idea on the comparison tot he Conti DWs, which are 420s i think.

N0P1st0ns

Okay I understand what you mean. Im having trouble finding a medium. I want a grippy tire but i would prefer them last for at least a year. (20-25k). I don't want a tire that will overheat quickly. I need a tire that will last me 6 runs back to back. Price is also a concern. Is what i'm asking even achievable? Can i even get a decently priced tire that will perform as good as i want? what are your opinion or experience (if any) with the Direzza dz102/dz101? These have been personally recommended to me. They are very fairly priced and was told they perform well for autocross. if no, any others besides the s.Drives? I Considered the star specs but wasn't pleased with the 15k lifespan.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Frankly, no, it isn't viable.

Think of it as a 'budget' of money for any one metric on a tire. The more of that purchase price is spent on durability, the less is spent on any other area. You can get better in multiple areas, but you have to increase the price of the tire along with it.

And regardless of how much you want to spend on a given metric, they are all present:
- lifespan
- dry grip
- wet grip
- anti-hydroplane
- road noise
- uni vs omni directional

And then there are other metrics that aren't even measured. Like The Star Spec and the Khumho XS both have the same treadwear, and are considered similar dry grip tires, however the Star Spec will overheat in a few laps on track (far beyond autocross heat though), where as the XS is slower to heat up, but enjoys the heat far more and is stable at high temp.

The more 'reasonably priced' you want your tires, the less money you can spend on any one of these points, and some of them are directly opposing until you get to absurd tire prices. Like Hoosier A6s last a few laps on track, R6s will last for several events. Michelin race slicks have the grip of the A6s but last as long as R6s (roughly), but at a significantly higher price point. In the consumer DOT tire world though, lifespan and grip are directly opposed to each other, you can't get one without giving up the other, at any price-point.

The 102 hasn't ever been on my radar. The 101 is "roughly equivalent" to the S.Drive, however at much worse wet traction, slightly worse dry traction, and slightly better durability.



Given what you are looking for, what you need to do is increase your price point to where it will cover a 2nd set of wheels and tires, so then you can have a tire dedicated for each purpose. Much bigger up front cost, but not actually that much more expensive over time, since you wear each set significantly slower.


If you can't do that, then you will have to pick the tire for the occasion you want the most, and deal with it the rest of the time. If you think you might be able to get a 2nd set of wheels/tires later, like in 15k, I'd recommend getting the star specs.

N0P1st0ns

Fair enough, i need to not let price be my breaking point. I have always liked the star specs and the rs-3s. ill do more research and look at reviews of the star specs. thanks for your help.

40w8

Continental DW is 340 treadwear, while DWS is a all season tire at 540 treadwear.

They are continually mixed up in conversation.

The DW is a great tire in wet and dry, but look at performance comparisons and tests on TireRack with Michelin Pilot SS (300 treadwear). The Michelin performs better, and lasts longer than DW. Maybe enough longer (up to 30k miles total) to offset higher price. I hear Michelin is stiffer to give better response.

gwilliams6

Yea they are two different tires. The DWS are a fairly popular all-season ultra performance tire among many RX8 owners. (top or near the top rated for this segment of tires, on Tire rack survey) DWS tread life is warrantied to 50,000 miles. I have 34,000miles on my set of DWS and they should easily make the mid 40k mile range with my energetic driving. No all-season tires would be a choice for track duty however. The Michelin Pilot Sports would be on most folks wish lists for track duty.

N0P1st0ns

Im familiar with the DWS. i had two sets of those. thats why i looked at the summer option from continental. Which is the DW. To no prevail haha

TeamRX8

iTrader: (25)

I have a set of fairly new DW on my Civic Si and think they are pretty awesome. Better than the Michelin IMO (which I raced on in the street tire class with the RX8, wish I had chosen the DW now) even though they somehow seem to test the same. Where they really shine is in the wet, where it's almost as good as some racing rain tires.

N0P1st0ns

Good to know. I wouldnt want tires that make a rainy autoX day be basically a drift event. hahah

the stig

those are hands down the best day to day tires. smooth and quiet, with lots of traction and super good in wet. i had my set for 40k miles already and still have plenty life left

N0P1st0ns

Well what do you know. All this time later and i ended up getting these! Went with the 245/40 as well for a little more meatiness.

ShellDude

iTrader: (12)

Have had both and prefer the DW.

They are quieter and last just as long.

And don't be fooled by the "S" designation. The DWSs are horrid in the snow.

All street use. Checked that we were not in the race forum before posting.

If you need snow traction buy a frickin snow tire.

gwilliams6

I found the DWS great in light snow, up until you have worn down the S on the thread indicators, then they are only good for dry and wet. They rank highest of all other Ultra-performance all-season radials in the snow and ice category in Tire Rack's survey ratings. However, the reality is they are not as good as dedicated snow tires for heavier snow.

Yes I will buy them again when these wear out, sometime in the fall, before snow comes again. I have tried just about every major brand of ultra-performance all-season tire on my Rx sports cars over the decades and the Conti DWS are hands-down the best performers, for my money.

ShellDude

iTrader: (12)

I still had the S and it meant **** as I lost traction and slid 30 feet in reverse down a hill. Fortunately there was a snow bluff to absorb the stop.

I'm back to dedicated tires for winter.

dmp

Old thread - I had the S and I did NOT like them. At all. Street or snow. Got about 10-15k miles on them before hitting the wear bars.

gwilliams6

Hey sorry you guys had problems with your DWS. I have driven mine already nearly 40,000 miles and while I don't have the S anymore, I drove it with the full DWS all over the country in winter, and as long as it was light snow I had no traction problems or slipping at all. They are not for deep snow, for that you need dedicated snow tires. But if you know how to drive in light snow, they work great. They are NOT meant for heavy snow, and I drive accordingly when I am in heavy snow and have no problems by just taking it easy in heavier snow. In light snow I can drive more aggressive and have loads of fun with these tires.

Sorry your experiences weren't as good as mine have been. I live and travel in the NE and also travel to all parts of the USA, and I have never needed another tire, year-round on my RX8 since 2008. Cheers!

r0tor

iTrader: (1)

I'm glad my DW contis wore out after about 15k miles... Horrendously noisy after a few thousand miles, never did have any grip, flat spotted in a day or two, and had poor steering feel.

I much prefer my old RE050A or current michelin PSS.

TeamRX8

iTrader: (25)

I have over 10,000 on mine and they still look fairly newish in terms of tread depth

Gerald Nunn

I had the Conti DW on my RX-8 the last couple of years. I was pretty happy with them and my thoughts follow the typical review of good grip and excellent in the rain, only downside was that the turn-in didn't feel very sharp. Just got a new set of summer tires as the DW were worn out and decided to try the Michelin Pilot SS for a change, in Canada it was only an extra $140 over the DW and Michelin as a $70 mail-in-rebate going on at the moment.

I just got them today so not much driving so far but initial impression is good, the turn-in response certainly feels better then the DW.

gwilliams6

Yes, as a summer tire the Pilot Sports will have quicker turn in than the all-season DWS. But folks if you don't want to switch tires every winter, or have extra rims, then the DWS (which scored highest among Ultra-Performance All-season tires in Tire Rack survey, outpointing the all-season versions of Michelin Pilot Sports and Pirelli P-Zeros), then the DWS are a good choice for good grip for multiple road conditions. Despite the nay-sayers here, they ARE very popular among RX8 owners.

Gerald Nunn

I was comparing the DW to the Pilot SS, not the DWS. The DW is a high performance summer tire, as you noted the DWS is an all-season tire. I assumed this thread is about the DW summer tire not the DWS given the title but I know the two are often confused.