Bigbacon

iTrader: (4)

With spring approaching I am starting to look what summer tires to get.

I had SP Sport 8090s (Dunlop?) before and they were fantastic but they seem mighty pricey (like 250 a pop)

Is there something that is an awesome grippy summer tire that isn't so mad expensive?

I really do want something that is as good as what I had or better.

how bout something like the
Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec
Hankook Ventus R-S3
Kumho Ecsta XS

all show as extreme summer at tire rack and are less than 600 bucks for a set of 4. I am not against spending $1000 bucks as I have budged for that much but, but the less I spend, I can use the left over for other stuffs

TopGear8

iTrader: (3)

Hankook RS-3 is the cheapest, and offers the most grip of the 3. I'll be on a set of the RS-3's at Nationals this year. After running on the Dunlops all season last year.

Bigbacon

iTrader: (4)

So they are better than the Dunlops I had?

my choice doesn't have to be one of those 3 btw.


NM, tirerack doesn't have them in an 18...(the Hankooks)

they have these Hankook Ventus V12 evo K110

TopGear8

iTrader: (3)

The Hankooks will have better grip in the dry, Dunlops in the wet. And are you looking for 225's? Why not just upgrade to some 245's.

Bigbacon

iTrader: (4)

are 245s going to work well on the stock wheels?

some wet traction would be good as I will have to drive it in the rain, the Sport SP 8090s we decent in the rain, I really only had problem once they were pretty much shot.

alnielsen

iTrader: (4)

They should be fine on the Mazda wheels. I've had several sets of that size (245/40x18).

Bigbacon

iTrader: (4)

should be or will be

oddly enough...tirerack sells unmatched sets with 225/45 in the front and 245/40s in the back. seems kinda weird to me. you could never rotate them (if thats important)


i tink I'll stick with the 225s only because the price difference. It is almost $100 difference unless the 245/40s are really going to make a difference.

kinda fear the 245/40 might look kind weird though, do they stick out or look funning if the car isn't really lowered cause they are wider and not as tall?

pretty much only looking at the max performance stuff.

off topic: $100 prepaid visa card when you buy 4 kuhmos

The Reverend

iTrader: (1)

they will be fine and will not look bulgey.

245/40 is only .1 inch lower sidewall. its a good look but not make-or-break for $100. If you budgeted for $1k though I say do it

edit to save you some time https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...ight=245+stock

Bigbacon

iTrader: (4)

I was just looking through the will it fit thread for pics. thanks,

and lowing the car won't be an issue? I am planning to add the MS shocks to the MS springs later this year as well which I think it suppose to lower the car a bit more than the stock shocks + MS springs.

and if I happen to autox or track this again, no issues there ( i have dedicated track/autox car now but don't rule out using the 8 again)

you'll have to excuse my tire idiocy. It took me forever to figure out what to buy for my MR2 toy...like months but I also was getting wheels with that on a stiff $650 dollar budget.

The Reverend

iTrader: (1)

yeah you'll be fine on the MS setup

Bigbacon

iTrader: (4)

kewl, I guess I'll put the Hankook Ventus R-S3 @245/40 on list for now. decent deal for 4 and seems like between this thread and another one some just posted, the seems to be praised fairly well.

GeorgeH

iTrader: (2)

I agree, the RS-3s are awesome - I ran them for the second half of the 2010 solo season, and have also had R1-Rs, RE-11s, and Star Specs on my car. The RS-3s had the best grip, although I never did get to compare them side-by-side with the Toyos so I'm not 100% sure which would be faster.

That's for autocross. For pure street use, I'd be tempted by the Falken RT615K. In a Grassroots Motorsports test, they bested the RS-3s (by not a small margin) in skidpad grip, but were too sensitive to heat to be a good autocross tire. Could be a great street tire, particualrly in a cooler climate, where the tire doesn't get super hot.

Just something to think about.

Bigbacon

iTrader: (4)

thanks for the tip

I do think I'll got for the Hankooks though, the price is right and the performance, as reading, seems to be very good. $1000 is my budget, but less is always better

So many other things I would like spend some money on car wise.

KimiFelipe

With the wider tire you will have more slop in the sidewall and suffer some loss of crispness on turn-in. If you want to go 245/40 you should really go to a wider rim. Stick with 225 on the 8 in stocker imo

987HYS

iTrader: (1)

Just remember that the Hankooks have a 140 tread wear rating. Lots of grip but very soft and will wear out very quicly... just saying

NotAPreppie

I seriously doubt that anybody but seasoned autocrossers are going to be able to empirically tell the difference between 225/45 and 245/40.

Their butt-dyno might have something to say but that's as good as talking out of your ***.

TopGear8

iTrader: (3)

^This.

Yes the 225's will be more responsive and it will feel faster through offsets and transitions on an autox course. But the 245's will generate faster times overall.

KimiFelipe

Only in the hands of a good (OK, not average) driver =)

Bigbacon

iTrader: (4)

i be confused now....

I will need something that will at least last me from, march-ish till october/november

I do drive fairly spiritedly and I do love to push the car through corners pretty hard (specially the clover leaf ramps)

I consider myself slightly above average of a driver

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

BigBacon, I'd recommend Yokohama S.Drives for daily drivering. Very good dry grip, and you have to REALLY stretch out the limit of the tires to feel the difference on dry up to the high end star specs, but they have absolutely fantastic wet grip and anti-hydroplane resistance, and last a decently good time. I got 35,000 miles off my first set of S.Drives, went to Star Specs after that, and while I enjoyed the increased dry grip on auto-x, it was rare that I could use the extra on the road, and I HATED the lack of wet grip and how it hydroplaned at a smeering of water on the road.

S.Drives went on my Miata just after purchase, and they will be going back on the 8 in about 6 weeks.

Bigbacon

iTrader: (4)

I have S.drives on my MR2 and they have been fantastic so far both one the road and with autoX

I just want to make sure whatever I get is equivalent or better than what I had before. Thats really the only requirement.

GeorgeH

iTrader: (2)

I agree that it is relatively rare (for most of us) that you can take advantage of that last 5% offered by top-tier street tires whilst driving on the street. I've autocrossed on R1-1/RE-11/RS-3 for the last two years, but currently run Goodyear Assymentrics daily on the street (which I like a lot) and have no complaints, but then I get to bolt on the "good stuff" two weekends a month in the summer to get my fix, so...

Anyway, I ran Star Specs daily on the street for two years (including two winters) here in Oregon and NEVER had a problem with wet grip or hydroplaning. I do agree that some of the top-tier tires, like the R1-R, might be sketchy in deep water, but the Star Specs are not. Are they the *best* tire for avoiding hydroplaning? Certainly not, but neither are they a safety hazard.

If I had to have just one set of tires for my RX-8 (oh the horror) I'd get Star Specs again.

If I wanted a tire that lasted a bit longer at the expense of a bit of ultimate grip, there are several good options. Conti DW, Goodyear Assymentrics, S-Drive, etc. They all have their trade-offs, and this is where spending a little time on the Tirerack site and browsing owner feedback can be enlightening.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

I certainly can't argue with your point of view George

The conditions that the tire sees regularly is where perspective and different attributes change in priority. I tend to think that selecting your tire to be able to handle the worst condition that you will regularly see is a good way to go. After all, if you buy a tire for the best conditions, but regularly see far worse, then you can't take advantage of the attributes you purchased, and depending on how far off the mark you are, can be putting yourself, your car, or others at risk for those bad condition periods.

For me Star Specs had lots of hydroplaning problems, mainly because I live in one of the top 5 cities, ranked by annual volume of rain. Standing water is a regular and common hazard that I have to deal with, and no tire I have ever driven on handles standing water like the S.Drives. There are probably a few tires out there that handle it better, true, but I'm sure they are garbage for anything else I'd rather have 5% less grip in the dry to be confident that I can handle heavy rain without an issue. Add the cheaper price and how much life you get out of the tires, and It's a winner in my book for any daily driven car.

Sometimes I do forget to mention that my regular heavy rain and standing water influences my recommendations.

If I end up getting a different car for my wife and the Miata becomes basically track only, and I just stick with 1 set of tires, 100% agree on the Star Specs.

Bigbacon

iTrader: (4)

The SP 8090s never gave me any troubles in the wet until they were toast, then I started having tons of problems.

GeorgeH

iTrader: (2)

^That common of many tires.

And, RIWWP, thanks for clarifying comments. I agree, it's all about context and personal objectives. If you know that, the whole selection process becomes a lot easier.