Down to THREE tire options -- advice greatly appreciated!
 

Based on price, test results (Tire Rack, GRM), and anecdotal reviews on here, I have narrowed it down to three possible set ups.

Assume all are within $100 for the set, so my major goal here is to select the tire combo that will afford the BEST dry (even at the cost of some wet, but it can't be strictly for dry days...) traction for spirited DD, and possible random Autox day.

Wheels are 19" sport pack with 20mm spacers in F and 25mm in R.


Here are the contenders with links to Tire Rack reviews:

1. BFG G force Rival: 255/40 F, 285/35 R

2. Dunlop Direzza ZII Star Spec: 245/40 F, 275/35 R

3. Potenza RE11s: 245/40 F, 285/35 R


Relevant Comparison tests:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...t.jsp?ttid=197

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...t.jsp?ttid=118


I prefer a wider rear (i.e., prefer 285 over 275), but the Dunlop's seem to blow away the other two so much in performance, it's tempting to go back to OEM widths.

Is wider in the rear preferred over stickier but narrower?

Thoughts, suggestions? Alternate recommendations (provided they are not approaching $1200 for a full set -- I have to pass on the Advan Neova's because they're just too pricey....)?

Again, goal is unparalleled bubblegum sticky dry, decent wet, and ultimate performance summer with UTQG ratings <200 defining the short list. Noise is not an issue to me.

NOTE: If I'm mistaken and the Dunlop's DO come in 285/35/19, then please post link to purchase and I'm set on those!

EDIT: Whoops -- the RE11's should be listed as 245/40 F in the poll :o

I only have direct experience with RE-11s. In the wet, they leave A LOT to be desired. However, they are perfectly manageable with decent tread. Once you get down to ~4/32 or less tho, I recommend you stay off the highway if there is any water collecting on the road surface. Even at 40 mph I found myself hydroplaning occasionally when driving through a puddle with any sort of depth.

Also, take a look at the Tire Racks Survey results. I've used this in the past with success.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...ay.jsp?type=EP

Edit: Looks like my personal bias made me blind to what the Tire Rack Surveys were reporting. Looks like both wet and dry the Yoko wins, but with some penalty to hydroplaning resistance. That combined with JAR's experience with wet traction on the RE11. Maybe the Yoko Neova is the right choice.

Yeah, but check out the Dunlop ZII in the spider charts linked in my OP. They just decimate everything, but I'd have to go back to OEM rear width :(

The BFG's are close to the Dunlop's in dry, but fall short on the wet...

This is my quandary....

EDIT: So far, I see a lot of love for the Hankook RS3's in that thread -- I thought about them, but it seems they only really excel in the wet.

Id suggest running a wider front, I'm using 285 rival squared at the moment and like the set up a lot. The more front tire you have the better you'll turn in, but if you up to a 285 you might need to loose the spacer

If you want dry traction Kumho XS is a pretty grippy tire for the price and mine seem to wear very slowly. I use them for track days/autocross only but drive to events on them.

I'm actually looking to "upgrade" to all seasons on my Z next time around.

I absolutely LOVED the XS's, and ran them on my old SC'd Celica -- but I don't think they have sizes for me for the front.

I could run mismatched tires, I guess... but they don't seem to really excel relative to the other three options I arrived at :(

What do you guys think about going back to OEM widths vs. wider rear? I definitely felt running 285's to be superior to 275's in straight line, and (at least given my limited abilities) more stable on turn in too.

But those ZII Dunlops are pretty beloved right now... arghhhhh.....

P.S. I should mention I live in Floriduh, so notwithstanding torrential rain, I can run ultimate summer madman tires all year long -- no need for all seasons.

Hmm. I'm pretty biased towards over as is, the little extra push of the wider rears made the car feel more neutral on turn-in (assume I am very modestly skilled diving into a corner). Of course, I could go back to OEM 275 rears... I'm really torn on the loss of wider rears.

Which is "better" -- grippier but narrower or not quite as grippy, but wider? I realize that's a potentially tough call...

Reviewing the data again, I'm leaning towards the BFG Rivals -- they lag behind the Dunlop's in the wet, but they are no slouch either. Also, I could run wider F and R tires (255 F, 285 R).

I think I'm leaning towards them now... anyone prefer the RE-11's over those?

I wouldn't go with the xs if you're going to ruin stock class autocross.. stock class requires 200 treadwear now. .
Everyones driving style is different, I like the widest front tire possible with whatever rear will hold the car in place and not spin out of corners. 285 so far is good, I ran the xs in 285 wit a new tire up front and old ones on the rear and the car lift off oversteerd quite a bit, now with the rival I can turn fast and power out quick so I'm happy.. but everyone drives different. You can run a 285/305 setup and still get great turn in

I'm definitely not going with the XS's -- good tires, but I'd be forced to mismatch F and R, and there are others that outperform them now.

This is mainly for spirited DD -- I'm leaning towards the BFG G-force Rivals now, which will give me a 255/40 F and 285/35 R. They seem to dominate dry traction, even over the RE-11's, although the latter are a bit more predictable in the wet.

If anyone knows whether the Dunlops ZII's come in a 285 or 295 for 19" wheels, I will go with that. I can't find them in that size...

I liked the RE-11's, but I feel stickier tires are out there.

Anyone here running BFG GF R's?

Edit: Are you running the BFG Rivals?

im glad you arent asking between v12, falkens, and some nitto tires.. lol :rofl2:

RE11 no question.

Yes I'm using the rivals. So far I like them a lot, warm up quick, stiff sidewalls, great traction

I go through about 3 sets of tires/year and have tried a lot of different tires on my Z as well as other people's cars at the track.

I think the ZII's are the fastest cold and thus probably best for autocross, but they don't like heat. (I ran ZII's on my brother's Mini)

Star Spec ZI's may have been the fastest tire I ran on my Z. (Haven't ran ZII's on my Z yet)

The Rivals are "good" cold and hot, but the set I just took off of my Z ran out of grip long before they ran out of tread. (Heat-cycled kind of soon)

I have only driven the Bridgstones on other people's cars and liked them, but I have been told by other competitors that they are not as fast as the other options.

I'm now running RS-3's and they are a top-tier tire. (at least when they are new)

Thanks guys!

I think, given that the Dunlops would require me to run a narrower tire than I'd prefer, and I've already tried (and not been overly impressed) with the RE-11's, I think I'm going to give the BFG Rivals a try :tup:

Loled at BFG

Besides re11 only other choice is PSS and DW or S04 for most

They show excellent dry grip mannerisms (although apparently I am mistaken on them being superior to the RE-11's, BTW -- maybe about equal -- the test numbers seem wildly different, even for the same tires [Neova] across tests... driver maybe?) -- is it because of their generally poorer wet performance?

Compare http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=118 vs. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=197

EDIT: Aha, different cars. Okay, using the Dunlop's as the benchmark then, it would be down to RE-11's or BFG's, so I will defer to novelty and stick with the BFG's for now.

EDIT #2: Also see here for the newer RE-11A's vs the BFG's.... http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=172

OK. Sticking w BFG's then.


While the DW and S04 are pretty inexpensive, the PSS's are around or over $1200 for sizes I would want, and not in the same category -- I realize category judgments are somewhat arbitrary, but the price is prohibitive for me.

Also note, that (category aside), while personal feedback on preference matters to me (e.g., anecdotes, review survey data), I'm using track test results as my key metrics (dry slalom, dry stopping, g), and price/available sizes of interest to me as major determinants.

If you look at dry times on the detailed charts (ignoring more subjective opinion-based survey data, noise, comfort, and -- not at all subjective, but of lesser importance to me -- wet traction) the BFG's GF R's blow away the PSS's, DW's, and the S04's, and at a reasonable price point.

All three that you listed are shown to be better in the wet, but I drive gently in the rain, so my primary desire is ultimate dry grip, where all three are lacking.

With that in mind, as far as tire footprint, usually I'm less pleased when tires have smaller tread blocks and many water channels -- that's better for the rain, but that design tends to be slow on dry pavement by comparison.

Similarly, although UTQG's are somewhat arbitrarily determined, I find that when they are over 200, you can expect tires to last longer but not grip very well. As you creep over 300, we're talking a tough, rather than sticky, tire, generally.

If I regret the BFG's, I'll try something else next time, but none of the test data I've reviewed suggest it lags except in wet track conditions. I'll risk a bit of that for max dry grip.

These are new. Supposed to replace the RE-11s?

Tire Rack - Bridgestone Potenza RE-71R

maybe for the sport compacts ? the sizes are kinda tiny..

^^^ yeah. Not much for 19's :(

I wish the Dunlops came in a wider size for the 19's -- I'd almost definitely go for them.

Well they have stock sizes at least. 225/245/255/275 widths available in 19s.

I was really tempted to go with them on stock sizes, but I definitely prefer a wider rear tire. If they came in 285's I would go with them.

Basically it looks like Dunlops are overall excellent -- but narrower widths available than desired for me.

RE-11's excellent dry and wet, but not the absolute best on either.

BFG's, kinda suck on wet, but seem to fare generally better than the others on dry, come in sizes I want (and, curiously, have lower rolling resistance, so that means slightly better gas mileage) -- and I kind of wanted to try something new.

Compare and contrast here, BFG vs RE-11 vs Dunlop's: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=172

They are within $6 from the RE-11's, so I think I'll try them out and see what I think. I kind of expect to like them more than the RE-11's except when it rains, but we'll see.

I went through this sort of back-and-forth between the Falken Azenis/RT-615 and the Kumho Ecstas/MX's on my old SC'd Celica -- sadly neither come in sizes I can use on the Z.

I considered Advan's too, but too expensive for sizes I want.

Thanks again, folks, for all the input! :tup:

The ZII in stock sizes feel awesome and I would go that route in your shoes. For me they lasted about 12 track days and ~2500 miles.
I heard the RS3 handled the heat better and I wanted to stuff more tire on the stock Rays so for my current set I went with the RS3 in 275f/305r. This combination is faster around the track but the car doesn't feel as sharp. I suspect that is a combination of the softer side walls and the wider tires but since it is faster I'll stick with it until I go to a square 18" setup.

ZII when new
http://www.the370z.com/members/dr_-a...dunlop-zii.jpg

^^^ One of the things that makes the BFG's sound especially promising is they are alleged to have pretty stiff sidewalls.

Commentary here https://www.facebook.com/notes/holli...09412972476008

I found some other commentary in that vein, which of course I cannot locate now...

EDIT: Hey, bonus -- the tires are also a few lbs lighter than the RE-11's :tup:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....=g-Force+Rival

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....=Potenza+RE-11

RE-71R in 255 front/ 275 rear!!! guinea pig for us! :stirthepot:

Hmm. I like the tread design -- maybe a bit more oriented towards dry grip.

Check out the crazy tread pattern on this one...

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....=Potenza+RE070

Argh... long story short, I've ended up going for the Advan Neova AD08 R's.

Now for the part I'm unsure of -- and yes, I should have checked this before ordering...

Should there be any issues with running 295/30/19 in rear, stock Rays, 25mm spacers on swift springs and about -2.38* rear camber.

I'm pretty sure that will work, but confirmation would be greatly appreciated :o

nice jordo :tup:

wish they were asymetric.

Same here -- and thanks :tup:

More than I had intended to spend, but it was looming in the background as a fourth option...

But, just to ease my overly neurotic nature: You are indeed confirming that these should definitely fit without rubbing, and without any issues given my setup:
295/30 in rear, stock 19 Rays, 25mm spacers on swift springs and about -2.38* rear camber ? :o

ahhh, no. i was only referring to the tires themselves.

Very little owner like Michelin Pilot Super Sports now.?

Erm... okay. Well, can ANYONE confirm these will fit without rubbing?

Okay... well, here's the longer version of my imbecilic attempts to get cheap stickier rubber with the potential for better performance than the fucking Potenzas.

The BFG's, it turns out are NOT available in the sizes I wanted, which I found out after placing my order.

So that led me to reconsider the (pricey, but well liked) Advans... but, this required some experimenting with size and fitment.

After a good deal of playing with fitment calculators, it seemed they would fit. I bit the bullet, placed the order (more than I wanted to spend) and then suddenly realized the fucking sidewall is too short, and overall diameter for the R's would end up being shorter than the F's.

ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH :icon14::icon14::icon14:

So, in the end: I am just getting the Potenza RE-11's, which, to be fair are awesome tires, and not too expensive. At least I know what I am getting.

So, could be worse... although I could have just gone with them from the start... nothing ventured, nothing gained, but this venture led me to a big faceplant :shakes head:

Sigh :facepalm:

Well, thanks again to everyone for their input, which was indeed helpful (and in the end, I wound up going with the most preferred option...)

So, winner by TKO: Potenza RE-11's.

Unless i find out they are out of stock too. Then I'm back to square one :rofl2:

I don't recall why the PSS's didn't make my short list... like the Advan's I had seriously considered them at one time.

I'm so burnt out on tire research... I'll have another look at those before I commit to the Potenzas.

I still need to ship back the Advans... :facepalm:

EDIT: Ah ha -- they are not "Extreme Performance Summer Tires"... anything over a 220 UTQG I usually find to be not so sticky.

PSS is a great tire for the sports car owner who does plenty of daily driving and maaaybe some infrequent track days. These extreme summer tires can pull double duty much better from what I've seen.

They'll fit. 10.5 +12 with 305s fit with almost no camber at all. You're setup will be effectively 10 +5, which is 1mm less outer clearance than my setup.

and I didnt see the last page. Nevermind :)

Nevertheless, thank you for the helpful reply :tiphat:

If the sidewall were just a bit taller, I would go for it -- I got so wrapped up in trying to figure out if they would even fit, and how far off it would be to 285/35, I neglected to consider the change in diameter between F and R :facepalm:

I'll attempt to experiment again on the next round of tires -- maybe a wider range of good sticky tires will be available.

i placed an order for the pss.. got them for 1,133. hopefully they'll be good o.0

jordo-so you came to your senses finally and chose the RE11's? those are good tires and they look very good too, sidewall and tread. it's amazingly comfy for an extreme perf tire too.

running RE11's almost feels like cheating cause of how communicative they are at the limit of adhesion. like taking a block of wood over #400 sand paper. confidence inspiring controlled hold while rotating the car with your throttle.