RX-8Newb

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....1=yes&place=40

they look awfully tempting for that price and the 245/45/18 sizing should be a nice improvement over the stock 225. I think i would just be a little worried driving in the rain. I do live in TN and we get our fair share of rain.

Easy_E1

iTrader: (2)

I would be considering the rain factor in a tire purchase. It doesn't rain much here so I have a wider range of tire choices.
Personally if I were you I would be looking for an All-Season High performance tire.
That particular tire is made for warm and dry conditions.
I would keep looking unless you want to get a different set for the rain.

SouthFL

It looks like it would channel water just fine, yet I'd be more concerned with that tire's performance during Tenn. winter months.
It should be a very decent track/street tire. If you're not tracking the car, it may be overkill.

RX-8Newb

well i do a lot of spirited driving on very twisty roads. the dragons tail is about an hour away, and i drive through the mountains all the time. i have noticed the dunlops that i have ( the dz 101's ) are a little squirmy now when cold and it is not even December yet. So i am also worried about that. But if they are the same compound just better tread blocks then it should be too different from what i have now http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....=Direzza+DZ101

RX-8Newb

oh and one more thing, does anyone have any skid pad comparo's for going up to wider tires or track data like lap times with the same conditions just the bigger tires. A 30mm wider tire should give a better contact patch (assuming 255 are used)

SouthFL

You're comparing the new Z1 (a 200 treadwear tire), to the DZ101 (a 300 treadwear tire).
300 is more of a UHP tire geared towards performance, ride comfort and somewhat of a 3 season capability in terms of the compound being in its operating temperature zone.
The Z1, is a Max/Extreme summer tire geared towards performance alone.

The new Yokohoma S Drive or the Falken FK452 is more comparable to the tire you're using right now.

RX-8Newb

i used to have dunlop sp sport 9k's on my old wrx and they seemed good but not too grippy, but that might have been due to the fact that i had 215/50/16's (i think been a while) on an wrx that plowed like a tractor in tight turns.