Dunlop Tires
 

What exactly is the difference between the Star Spec and the Direzza DZ101 tire -- both look way better than the stock but i just wonder if anyone has used the DZ101's-- or should i just skip that and go with Star Spec..

thanks

Star spec is a softer compound (stickier) the dz101 is a summer performance tire

If all you care about is max performance with some daily driving (and I mean serious autocross or track duty) then get the Star Specs. If you want a high performance tire that is much better than the Michelins in the stock car, then get the DZ101s. Also, the DZ101s will probably last twice as long as the Star Specs due to the higher treadwear rating.


I think you can only purchase the Star Specs directly through Tire Rack these days as well.

Thanks,

Just looked up the DZ101 and it gets some bad reviews from owners.
Which is a shame because I had the Star Spec high on my list until I realised how soft they are and the DZ101 sounds ideal.

http://www.1010tires.com/Tires/Revie.../Direzza+DZ101

Some other alternatives to the DZ101s that offer as good if not better performance, and price, and also have strong treadwear ratings are the following.

Hankook Ventus V12
Continental Extreme Contact DWs
Sumitomo HTR ZIII
Kumho LE Sport

Thanks, i'll look those up.

The others on my list were-
Federal Ultra High Performance
'' EVO 595

For daily driver tires/ some autocross ues the michelin pilot supersport. It is winning alot of max preformance summer tire comparisons.

I love my star specs. They're a great tire but don't last very long if you autocross them like I do. If not you can probably get 15k+ miles out of them. The grip levels are ridiculous on them and is addicting.

For more longevity and cheaper go with the Hankook Evo or Continental DW.

Michelin also more longevity.

track=starspec
pilot sport=commute where it could rain
DZ101s=commute in san diego

I own the Michelines on other cars, and run the PS2 over the PSS all day.
I prefer the tacky feel of the star spec but its not a good tire at all in the wet
its ia an amazing tire once warmed up in the dry, and blows away the Ventus whic is the only other tire to use in place of the star spec on track that I see

the Conti is a shitty commuter and I'd NEVER track it
the sumitomo, I wont buy again
I dont touch kumho witha 10 ft pole

wow, the more i read about this the more i wonder why i am even changing the stock fR-S tires.. I mean, i know they arent StarSpecs but i guess they are all around good enough. i was thinking of DZ101's -- but hard to tell what I want right now.

maybe ill just run the Primacy a little more till i decide. the DZ101s are pretty cheap ($) -- so i wonder if its u get what you pay for... ?

I'd avoid the DZ-101's based on experience with them on a '90 Integra track prepped car - they had very weird handling traits (like you could saw the wheel back and forth quick while going highway speeds [60-70mph] and be yawing the car side to side while still traveling in a perfectly straight line... Just to be sure I aired up the tire to maximum pressure and same basic result - the tires are marshmallows that could not keep up with the chassis. The DZ-101 is a downgrade...they are actually the worst performing tire I've ever had on a vehicle. The stock Primacy's are a much better tire.

If you want an inexpensive maximum performance street tire look at the Kumho Ecsta LE Sport... those are some really good tires that outshine the older Hankook RS-2 for wet driving and are on par with its dry driving. I would go with 205/45-17 size to maximize performance for the stock width wheels as that size has a 7.7" tread width and 8.1" section width with a slightly smaller than stock diameter at 24.3".