Star Spec 2's are out on Tirerack!

[peytonracer4]

The Michelins are very good all around tires, but they are still compromised. They also overheat very quickly. Z1s do not.

how do the star specs handle colder temps? like 60 degrees outside?
i may be getting some new autocross tires

[Wh33lhop]

Star Specs are actually very consistent over a wide temp range.

Frankly, anything's better than a set of watermelons.

[Nsquared97]

Frankly, anything's better than a set of watermelons.

Seriously though, a set of current 'extreme performance summer' tires will make a difference. Especially for autoX, having good rubber is extremely important.

[R3Z3N]

Roll/pull fenders, don't run Stance ride heights and slap the 245/40 on a 17x8.

I have 17x8.5, fenders are rolled, and ever so slightly pulled due to it. 245/40 will be much much too tall in the front. Rear will be no problem, but I don't like a staggered setup unless there is gobs of power and rear weight bias. Currently even my 235/40/17 cause problems in the inner fender well, so I will be switching to 245/35/17 IF they are still available when the time comes.

...in 3-4 months. ;) 225/45s are coming soon though.

Still too tall on 17s

[z31maniac]

The Michelins are very good all around tires, but they are still compromised. They also overheat very quickly. Z1s do not.

Are we talking about the Super Sports or ?????

[FredK]

Roll/pull fenders, don't run Stance ride heights and slap the 245/40 on a 17x8.

That fits? I'd love to run that size.

[R3Z3N]

^Front no, the diameter is too large, unless you use a 4x4 ride height.

[z31maniac]

What offsets are your 17x8.5?

[R3Z3N]

et40, and I run a 12mm spacer up front, and think I could run a 5mm spacer in the rear, but it might rub during hard cornering. Limiters are needed to prevent inner fenderwall rubbing on the firewall side.

[Wh33lhop]

Are we talking about the Super Sports or ?????

Yes. Great DD tire, bad track day tire.

[z31maniac]

Yes. Great DD tire, bad track day tire.

Really? A lot of guys with bigger/heavier cars seem to use them to great effect.

[kts]

Really? A lot of guys with bigger/heavier cars seem to use them to great effect.

Yea I'd also think they are a good track tire considering how many Lemons teams use them. Lemons/Chump have minimum tread wear rules so its been pretty much the Z1s or RT615ks as the only options until now but they seem to keep their stick and wear well with the Lemons cars I know.

Sure not an R comp but a lot more affordable.

[Wh33lhop]

I guess I should rephrase--FROM WHAT I HAVE HEARD, they are a DECENT track tire. The Star Spec is better.

I have read everything from them being very near dedicated track tires (Star Spec equivalent) but falling just short, to them overheating and getting sloppy. Nobody has touted them as equivalent or better than a track tire, and given the amount of variables involved when comparing tires I'd be inclined to say that they are decent, but not amazing. They also likely last longer than the typical track tire--only the outside 1/5 of the tire is a soft compound, supposedly at negligible performance detriment, so it's a cool compromise.

I can only keyboard jockey so much. Go buy a set and see for yourself. :)

[BlackbirdM3]

Well, I just committed to another year + of RS3s. None of the others were available and with the start of my autoX season less than a month away with two corded street tires, I didn't have a choice. (That, and I'd rather not have a blow out while I'm driving someplace.) Who knows, perhaps the weather will be great and I can run the roadster all year on the r-compounds and not have to worry about tires on the M3, but in the event that something goes wrong with that plan, having a backup car that is capable of winning the class on hand is never a bad thing.

Will

[z31maniac]

I guess I should rephrase--FROM WHAT I HAVE HEARD, they are a DECENT track tire. The Star Spec is better.

I have read everything from them being very near dedicated track tires (Star Spec equivalent) but falling just short, to them overheating and getting sloppy. Nobody has touted them as equivalent or better than a track tire, and given the amount of variables involved when comparing tires I'd be inclined to say that they are decent, but not amazing. They also likely last longer than the typical track tire--only the outside 1/5 of the tire is a soft compound, supposedly at negligible performance detriment, so it's a cool compromise.

I can only keyboard jockey so much. Go buy a set and see for yourself. :)

I'm planning on buying a set of 265/40/19s Super Sports for the GT once the Pirelli PZero's are done. :D