Opinion on Dunlop Direzza Z1 Star Specs?
 

So before consulting the wise forum (and yes I searched for a review/opinions on the tire; all I found was "it's a good tire") I went and bought a set of four to put on next week for the summer. Please tell me I did not make a huge mistake (i.e. my research wasn't botched) and wasted my money.

I choose these over Kumho Ecsta XS, which my friend has and says are great tires. The Kumho's were cheaper but I found better research on the Dunlops.

I also ran on Dunlop Wintersport M3's this winter and I was/am (as they are still on) very impressed with that tire. So with the good reviews on the Direzzas and a highly positive (man those Wintersports were great tires) experience with my first set of Dunlop's, I snatched a whole set of Direzzas for a slight hair over a grand.

I'll be running 275/35ZR-18s on Enkei RPF1 18 x 9.5 +45, if that affects professional judgment at all.

So am I good to go?

Those tires will kick ass, TONS better than the Kumhos

You did read the ratings on TireRack, right? I think you're gonna love them ...... I hope they last you a while. TireRack and users rated them # 1 .

BTW, I love my Dunlop Wintersport M3 too. My new summer tires are going to be Bridgestone RE760s ... nothing near yours.

I did read the TireRack ratings and reviews and I also read some other material from a pro engineering group... one of those long research studies on rubber compounds used.

You really think they'll be that good!? I know a lot of people swear by RE series tires and also the F1s. But that's great news! Hot damn! :smoker:

Thanks for the confirmation.

I considered them for a while, but I am thinking of going with Nitto NT-05s instead...mostly because of it's better response to wet conditions

From everything I've heard/read they should be great tires. I hope your autocrossing with tires that wide. I wouldn't have got that size for the race track or general street driving.

Great grip, but mildly dissapointing subjectively, IMO. This is 245s on 8.5s. I find the turn-in to be a bit sloppy compared to Toyo T1-Rs, even though the Dunlops are ultimately faster.

I think 275s on 8.5s is asking for turn-in sloppiness.

Nobody knows yet how these will compare to the XS, which is brand new this year. It's a topic that is hotly discussed by the Street Tire autocross crowd. Last year, the SS was one of the hot tires. But there is some feedback that this year's newer tires (XS, Toyo R1R, Bridgestone RE11) are even faster.

There will be a tire test in next month's Grassroots Motorsports. However, it will be based on a Miata (I think) so it's hard to say how accurate it will be for us.

They both are great tires and are very fast - the absolute difference on the street is probably moot.

[edit] I see you have already bought the tires. Didn't mean to dis your purchase. You may have to run more pressure to make them work well. Good luck.

he has 9.5s...he made an error.

Great choice of tires; my stock Dunlop 8090's have been excellent.

Edit: 275x35x18 on 18x9.5 Enkei RPF1s is the way to go. Enjoy!!.

^true that i do. edit of OP immediately following this. thanks ray.

Then you are good to go. Enjoy!

I think I'll be alright with 275/35 on the 9.5. It's a good stretch and a good ratio, almost the same to 240 on 8s, which I always thought was a good autox set up.

Since the MX5 and the RX8 now share the same platform, it should be a decently accurate estimate.

And I'll try running them a little bit higher than normal at first. It seems to be a good suggestion if you think they're sloppy. I usually run a tiny tad soft... but I'm weird like that.

I race seldom. I don't have much time too... but I'm not rich enough to support two sets of summer (street/race) wheel/tire set ups and a winter set. So I keep one set of summers and winters... besides... I drive so spirited on the highway and city sometimes it's like I'm autox all of the time. :-p

No, as I said, my comments were directed to a 275 fitment on an 8.5 in wheel. Now that you have corrected your post, I think you have choosen well. No reason to run abnormally higher pressures on the 9.5s.

I'm going to be purchasing these tires in about a month from now. I'm planning on getting 245/40/18 all around for my stock wheels. I'm upgrading from Bridgestone G-Force sports. I'm hoping for a huge improvement. Everything I've read has been great regarding the star specs.

I was going to go Goodyear F1 Asymmetric (Max performance), but now you've got me (again, again ..) reconsidering. Let us know how the Z1's (Extreme performance) run for you and I would like to know about the relative road noise level.

I'm also interested in the road noise when compared to other tires. Also some information about the wet weather performance would be helpful. The bridgestones I have now are terrible in the wet.

:icon_tup: Gotcha, thx!

Yeah, everything I read on specs, reviews, and professional papers was quality!

I am getting the tires on Saturday and should have them mounted on my RPF1s by next Thursday. I'll give you all an initial review by the next Sunday and a follow up whenever I get them really wet and then again after I break them in.

Stay tuned!

Hell yeah - I think they'll be good! (I ordered a set then canceled). But I'd like to hear you confirm that they deserve to be rated #1.

I'd get Dunlop Z1's too if I did not have such a long f***ing commute - this is my daily driver.

I'm hoping the RE760 will be great for my needs. I wish their tread pattern was symmetric like the Z1 :(.

BTW, I'm sticking with stock size and I don't have the knowledge to comment on size you've chosen.

Thanks; looking forward to your review.

You're asking for opinions AFTER purchasing? :dunce:

:dunno: Why not? Not shipped yet.

They're great tires, even on a heavier car like mine(which I believe is heavy enough without affecting its efficiency and effectiveness) you'll get a scrubbing feel like on R-comps while taking hard turns. The best street tires like that of the star specs are similar to grip with R-comps on the track, but don't last as long in terms of greasiness. They're loud imo when coming to a stop, you'll find out soon enough, lol. Have fun with the tires, they're a step down from R-comps imo, which is a good thing.
Pros: Sticks, looks great
Cons: Decent tread wear for its stickiness, loud.

I like to switch hit... keep the board members on their toes...

interesting i have about 8k miles on a set and three track days. not loud at all..

great tires. and wearing much less than i would have thought..

beers :beer: