I'm struggling right now trying to decide on tires with this exact question in mind: What tires will give me the best ride quality without sacrificing too much in performance.

I don't want to sacrifice too much handling for ride quality, BUT ride quality it definitely up there on the list. The car isn't daily driven nor is it a track car, just a Sunday driver if you will.


Anyhow, I'm split between the Continental ExtremeContact DWs and the Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Specs. The ONLY reason I even consider the Contis is 1) I am in Miami so getting caught in the rain is a given 2) The reviews on them are very convincing (although I always wonder what the MFG is behind in 'stacking' the reviews).

The darkhorse is the Yokohama ADVAN Sports, but I see very little advantage they offer over the Dunlops.

If you're wondering, the plan is to run 275/40/18 on a 9" wheel out back and a 245/40/18 up front on an 8" wheel. I have Pettit coilovers and rolled fenders, so I should be good on dialing them in without rubbing.

Anyhow any input is appreciated.

 

+1 for Star Spec but I avoid rain with my FD. But I dont think you can compare those two tires directly since the are different class.

Somthing comparable to the Conti is maybe Hankook V12, which I also highly recommend.

But if you want tire capable at taking abuse from the track I would go with Star Spec

 

The Direzza's are getting good reviews of wet performance. Granted, probably not as good as something like a Goodyear tire, but considering the level of performance it offers; it's no slouch in the wet. I, personally, would have no problems running that tire in the rain.

I haven't used that particular Conti tire, but I have used several other Conti tires over the years. They all have had similar characteristics which were: good ride quality, low road noise, good wet performance, good longevity, soft sidewalls. They have always been a great street tire, but just so much on the road course. When I ran them, they were not all that great on the track, but they were at least consistent.

Another option for a decent all around tire is the Nitto Invo.

 

Those tire sizes are way too tall for an FD, at least with 18 inch rims. 275/40 and 245/40 is exactly what i ran for years, but on 17 inch rims. Consider 255/35 and 225/40 for 18 inch rims as thin as 8 and 9 inch.

I'd choose the Dunlop Star Specs in a heartbeat over any continental tire.

 

Yeah, your latter statement was my initial sentiment... but those reviews can be convincing.

As for tire sizes, I actually lifted those from what Cam recommends - http://pettitracing.com/rx7/a_trakprowheels.htm - which also surprised me. I was initially planning 235/40/18 and 265/35/18, but after reading the above link...I got to thinking I could squeeze a bit more rubber under the rolled fenders / coilovers.


That said, I'm leaning towards the Dunlops (as I was from the beginning)... I guess now I just have to confirm sizes.

-M

 

I'd be curious to know if Cam actually typed that writeup. That rear tire size yields 26.7 inch overall diameter, almost two full inches more than oem. Don't believe everything you read on the internets

Those wheels arent wide enough, and with that much overhang (ie a wider tire on a thin wheel) and that much sidewall, you're squeezing the wrong kind of rubber (height) in there. I can't think of one good reason to do it. There is, however, a reason FD road race guys have been running 285/30-18 on 10 inch wheels at each corner for many years now.

While those wheels are cheap, how much do they weigh? RPF1s aren't much more, and are very light.

 

Oh, I'm not going to get those wheels... But they happen to be the same size as the BBS RGRs I'm putting on... I had only referenced that for putting 245/40s on 18x8s and 275/40s on 18x9s.

I will call Cam and confirm, but perhaps the reason for the 40series is ride quality. I mean, if you're able to adjust the suspension accordingly and the fenders are rolled, I'm trying to figure out where the detriment is.

-M

 

Out of the two I would go with the star specs.

You might want to consider the Kumho ECSTA XS, it was rated very well in grassroots motorsports tire test. Other tires tested are Falken Azenis RT-615, Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec, Toyo Proxes R1R and Bridgestone Potenza RE-11.

Here are the specs:



For the full story, part 1:
http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/art...-tires-part-1/

part 2:
http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/art...-tires-part-2/

 

The current Grassroots Motorsports actually has a wet tire test

 

The detriment? It will look horrible (monster truck ride height) and slow your car down considerably via longer effective gearing. Your stock FD 4.10 final drive becomes closer to a 3.70......no thanks.

Personally, from where I'm sitting it looks to be all negative with zero positive.

 

I'm very happy with my AD08's (even more than my prior AD07's), 255/35 in the front and 285/30-18's rear. I can corner on throttle, and it's actually hard to drift with them because they grip the road so well. I'm actually having more fun with "grip" driving, and there are no surprises, just lots of grip. 285 AD08's on an FD just do not want to slide. They're not loud either, and tread life is much longer than people who don't own them will claim. That's all I can say about the dry handling.

I personally don't care about wet racing. I value my life and others', and my FD is the only car this broke Med student has. No tire will make up for a driver speeding in the wet. Anyone who drives fast in the rain will get what they're asking for.

MattGold,

If you would like to see what 235/40-18's and 265/35-18's look on 9" and 10" wheels, click on my avatar, as you'll see that was my old setup. btw 285/30-18's match the original FD tire diameter exactly, and my 285 AD08s are 11-1/4" wide, measured off the rim. (btw a 10" wheel is actually 11" wide.) For what you're trying to accomplish, however, it sounds like you need wider wheels. Aside from what other people say wherever on the internet, I recommend considering the advice from people who actually have aftermarket wheels and tires on their FDs, as we know what works from experience.

Good luck.

 

Really? You're saying going from a 35 to a 40 series tire is the difference between 'ideal' and monster truck? Sounds like quite a jump. =)


Thanks Josh,

I actually have 235/40/18s and 265/35/18s on my car now (on 18x8s / 18x9s respectively). I'm just trying to dial in a new setup, truth is, my real concern was over the Conti vs Dunlops... but I'm confident I'm going with the Dunlops.


I'm gonna make some calls tomorrow and hopefully order by Friday.


Thanks for everyone's input.

-M

 

Believe it or not Matt, I've been doing this for awhile and know a thing or two about tire quality and sizing 275/35-18 isn't 'ideal,' it's already almost 1 inch taller than stock.

Josh is spot-on wrt the AD08s. I posted previously about them--- simply amazing tires, both on the street and the road course. The only tire thats offered so much grip that it convinced me to move to harnesses on track.... it also holds over 500 rwhp on the street in a 265mm rear width

 

I know tire size effects gearing but his setup (from the wheel calculator I used) is only going to be ~1.0" taller than the stock setup. Will it really change the gearing that much from a 1" gain?

I used the stock setup of 225/55/16 8"+50 (correct me if im wrong, as I don't own an FD)

 

I agree with your choice to go with the Dunlaps however, if you were driving more then I would consider the Conti as you would get more out of them. As tires age they get harder and loose grip so it makes no since to put on a tire that wont even get a chance to run it's normal life cycle.

 

You're wrong

Just messin' with ya. Stock FD tire sizing is 225/50-16, so you were off on the aspect ratio..... it's a 2 inch gain, not a 1 inch.

If you read above, I posted that a 1 inch gain already moves your effective final drive from 4.10 to 3.90, not desirable in most cases.

 

^Thanks for the info.