Star Spec 2's are out on Tirerack!

[L8 apexr]

ordered my z2 in 225 45 16 and they are back ordered god damit with no ETA at the moment.

Hmm,just looked and the it said there were 4 in stock.Hope they don't pull a fast one with my set to ship in a week when the weather warms a little.

[L8 apexr]

Called and my set are there waiting to ship so I'm happy,sorry to those that want but can't get just yet.

[akorcovelos]

I wonder what actual section width is. The 225/45/16 z1 I ran last season were a full inch wider than the 245/35/16 T1r Toyos I ran the year before.

[Wh33lhop]

You mean tread width.

[BlackbirdM3]

Don't put too much faith in TW ratings. These ZIIs could very well prove to outperform RS3s. On heavier cars autoxers seemed to like even the old star spec better than RS3s.

How do you define heavy? My M3 is a fat pig at 2800 lbs, and I beat a lot of people on R compounds running my RS3s (That I just coreded on the insides with 18K miles and likely 200 autoX runs.) I'm going to go for another set of RS3s. They were fast enough and seemed to last pretty well. Heck, had it not been for the toe and excessive negative camber on the rear I bet I could have pulled 30K miles out of them. The outsides of the tires still look good.

Will

[Wh33lhop]

Heavy = Evos. I like RS3s too, but the general consensus is that they don't get to temp very quickly. I never autoxed on them so I don't know first-hand, but Star Specs seem to be a better autox tire.

[nrubenstein]

Waiting for the first E30 enduro guys to run these in Chump/Lemons. Perhaps it's time to ditch the so far problem free Azenis.

On another note why in the heck are the BFG Rivals so heavy?

Thick sidewalls. I'd bet that they also have a bit of extra rubber on the shoulders.

[akorcovelos]

You mean tread width.

no I don't.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=200

[Wh33lhop]

lol. Thanks for tire 101. Thing is, section width is a lot more arbitrary (and meaningless) than tread width. I'd rather worry about how much tire I had on the ground. If you are really worried about strut clearance, that's a slightly different matter.

[akorcovelos]

Considering I had to make major fender modifications to fit the Z1, I consider section width to be as important or more than tread width since tread width means nothing if the tire won't fit on the car. If you think any information related to tire fitment is arbitrary and meaningless they you may need a bit more tire 101. ;)

[Cabriolet]

^ I want what ever you are smoking. rim width has nothing to do with tread width. you try to fit the most tread width you can get under the fender. Nate also has an early model car and therefore can get wider in the rear without fender modification.

[Wh33lhop]

Considering I had to make major fender modifications to fit the Z1, I consider section width to be as important or more than tread width since tread width means nothing if the tire won't fit on the car. If you think any information related to tire fitment is arbitrary and meaningless they you may need a bit more tire 101.

Tread width is a better yardstick of actual tire width. Section width as well as the diameter the maximum section width is attained at varies widely based on the width of the rim you're running. So, yes: arbitrary. Tread width doesn't (if you want to nitpick, it does a little). You're trying to compare section width across tires; tread width will give you a very similar, more relevant comparison while being more pertinent to the actual contact patch.

Anyway, compare whatever you want. Back on topic.

[BlackbirdM3]

Heavy = Evos. I like RS3s too, but the general consensus is that they don't get to temp very quickly. I never autoxed on them so I don't know first-hand, but Star Specs seem to be a better autox tire.

People say the RS3s aren't good cold, but I've only had one issue with them, and it was very random (It was a bright sunny September day no less). It wasn't just me, everyone else running them had the same issue on that day. I've run really well in the rain on them, and in the dry but 40 degrees. If I can beat guys in lighter cars running Hoosiers with them, I'll roll the dice with them again. I'd love to give the dunlops a try, but I think stepping down to a 205 might be a step backward.

In comparison to the Falken Azenis, there is no comparison. The Falkens are crap. I have them as street tires on the Datsun and the car is scary on the street in the dry and down right terrifying in the rain. We've run them in 24 Hrs of Lemons and they have worn poorly, and get really greasy when they get hot. The Dunlops are hands down better. They are fantastic in the rain. I really hope Dunlop didn't change the tire any more than the tread pattern.


Will

[Cabriolet]

ive heard a lot of people complain about RS3s at the marina autox, they never get warm enough and dont stay warm. but that probably bc it's pretty chilly there.

[akorcovelos]

when did I say anything about rim width? Maybe this picture will help you understand.



notice how the tread width of the z1 is slightly larger than the T1r, yet the section width is significantly larger on the z1? Do you understand how that can affect ones ability to fit the z1 on a car versus the T1r? If you only looked at tread width it would be easy to say it will fit no problem, but when you look at section width its pretty obvious its going to take some work to run the z1 if the T1r was a tight fit. Both tires in that pic are mounted on the same wheels.