240zip Posted May 15, 2011 Share Posted May 15, 2011 I'm running Konig Rewinds 15x7's with 215/60/15's. That gives me a 25.2" radius and 5.1" sidewalls. I'm thinking about either 225/50/15's or 205/50/15's. The former will yield 23.9" radius with a 4.4" sidewall and the latter will yield 23.1 radius and 4" sidewall. What are other people running on their Z's? I'm looking at the Kumho Ecsta AST's which are rather reasonable and available in a wide range of sizes. My 215/60/15s tend to rub a hair and yield a bouncy ride. I'm leaning towards the 205/50/15s, but I'm worried about the ride off the track. Any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h4nsm0l3m4n Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 (edited) Unless you feel that .4" of side wall will make or break your ride quality I think you should look into 205/50-15 size tires. Most popular street/track tires (potenzas, star specs, etc) are only offered in the 205 size. There are many more tires to choose from in this size so you should have a much easier time finding something that fits your performance needs and your budget. 225s are wider but you will be more limited in which tires you can buy. This may require you to settle for a "worse" tire (more expensive, less grip, harsher ride, or anything else) for your application. For what its worth I use 205/50-15 Michelin Exalto A/Ss. They have been great all season tires, on daily driven z car during a VERY rainy oregon winter. For the track I picked up a used set of shaved 205/50-15 RA-1s. For a street/track tire I would recommend a high performance summer tire such as the ones I mentioned above. I do not have the experience to say how well all season tires do on the track. Edited May 16, 2011 by h4nsm0l3m4n Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19762802+2 Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 (edited) I work at Discount tire and my buddies aren't Fans of Kuhmos They aren't the best all around tire, They swear by Falken ZE512's as cheap performance tires and I trust them, Different Kuhmo styles will be different but I have ridden in my buddies Mustang with Kuhmos and he doesn't get much traction and they take a while to heat up to a good temp. My friend had some Ecsta's on his Escort and he said they were really noisy and wet traction was terrible. I've heard Michelin Pilot Sports A/S are very good tires as well. Michelin's tend to keep in balance and wear far better then other tire's such as BFG's. Edited May 16, 2011 by 19762802+2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
30 ounce Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 I'm running Dunlop star specs. 225/50x16 but they are available in 205/50x15. Open invitation to come drive them, I live right around the corner... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashintar Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 if your running stock engine 205/50s will be more than enough tire for you. It should have a pretty good improvement in turning response with the 50 sidewall. The star specs are a great tire as well as the kuhmo 200 treadwear option for the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padam07 Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 Definitely Dunlop dirrezza star specs. We use them on our Lemons race car. Amazing grip in the dry and wet. We ran a full 24 hour race at Nelson ledges in Ohio, finished 16 out of 120+ on one set of star specs. On May 7-8th we finished 1st overall by 14 laps at Loudon International Motor Speedway in New Hampshire also on one set of star specs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240zip Posted May 16, 2011 Author Share Posted May 16, 2011 The Star Specs (Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec) sound interesting. I could keep the T-rated 60 / 215 balloons for cruising and put the 205/50/15 Star Specs for other events since I have two sets of rims. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h4nsm0l3m4n Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 (edited) The Star Specs (Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec) sound interesting. I could keep the T-rated 60 / 215 balloons for cruising and put the 205/50/15 Star Specs for other events since I have two sets of rims. I was in your position earlier this year after I bought my Michelin all seasons. I considered buying a set of Star Specs but ultimately did not like the idea because I felt silly buying a set of "street" tires I would use as "race" tires when they werent true race tires at all. In this case I feel that a set of used race tires is the best way to go. 205/50-15 is a common size (especially for spec miata race cars), so you shouldnt have any trouble finding a set of RA-1s, or some other race tire. These should serve you just as well (or better than) the Star Specs, last a long time, and might even be cheaper to buy. Edited May 16, 2011 by h4nsm0l3m4n Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240zip Posted May 24, 2011 Author Share Posted May 24, 2011 I just picked up the Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Specs (Tirerack) and am very pleased. They even came with an $80 rebate. Got them mounted today. Car dropped a bit but clearance is no longer an issue. Was way too high before. Should be fun on track days and seems streetable. More rubber than I thought there would be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240zip Posted May 24, 2011 Author Share Posted May 24, 2011 I'm running Dunlop star specs. 225/50x16 but they are available in 205/50x15. Open invitation to come drive them, I live right around the corner... Are you going to the club track day? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
30 ounce Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Yes!! Going to tech inspection this Saturday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashintar Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Yeah the star specs seem to be pretty wide for a 205. From my experience with them on a ae86 they were very predictable on track and seemed to last a bit longer than the other high performance street tires before they start giving up grip. I had to run >140 treadwear for the class at the local time attack and went through ventus, falken, kuhmo and yokos and other than the AD08s i liked them the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240zip Posted May 26, 2011 Author Share Posted May 26, 2011 OK, here's the car with the tires mounted. Not bad, they don't rub. Car 'could' drop another inch, especially in front, but we're going to take it to the track as it. It rides better (no bouncing around) and isn't harsh at all. From a pure aesthetic standpoint, I like the fatter tires. From a ride, performance, and handling feel, I like the 205/50's. Unfortunately it really rubbed up front before and they were T-rated M&S tires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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