I'll never understand this RS-2/RS-3 terrible in the wet for DD use. I've done at least 30k combined on both of them and have never had an issue hydroplaning any more than any other tire in standing water. They suck in the cold, but not any more than an all-season.

 

What's your ride height?

 

uh...
4.5"/4.75" pinch weld I think. plus minus 0.25". RACE CAR low basically.

I agree with this. Never had issues with my RS3 in the wet. In the cold though... they aren't bad, they are DANGEROUS. I don't know what kind of all seasons you drive but RS3s were worse. Granted, I'm still alive but I didn't really want to drive my car in near-freezing temperatures.

 

Keep in mind guys that top tire manufacturers (excluding Hankook here) do a lot of R&D on giving the largest range of operation (temperature, road textures and carcass/alignment) on road going tires. RS2/RS3's are tires that are more at ease on tracks but are homologated dot tires that can be used on the road. Compared to the re-11 and star specs that are road going tires primarely and can be used on the track with the same performance. Versatility vs. a more focused track tire. Bridgestone compounds are, in my point of view, the most evolutioned compound on the market. Followed by Yokohama with their AD08 compound then Dunlop Star spec. Anyone riding R888 daily??

 

So I'm barking up the wrong tree I suppose... Star Spec over Azenis 615 for fun daily driver? 195/60/14 on 7" RPF1's?

n/m. Just a little more reading and I answered my own question. They are easily worth the extra money over the garbage Azenis.

 

Azenis RT215s were the jammy jam. In 2004. They weren't the stickiest tire you could buy, but they were far-and-away the best tire you could buy for the money. The RT615K is better than the RT215 was, but only a little, and certainly not worth double the price.

 

Ran across this on m.net. Might be relevant for the track guys here. These few threads indicate Star Specs are probably not the ticket for hard track use

Shave Overheated Star Specs? - MX-5 Miata Forum

 

Appreciate your explanation on the tires design origins - I find it vital to buy road going tires morphed into track stars rather than solely track stars, as I don't have a trailer and drive to track days and occasionally use it for road trips. Rain and unexpected freezing weather happens more than I care for so I like the extra envelope of all around performance road going tires offer. One day I'll make the car fully track dedicated and give up this juggle of priorities to the R compound gods.

Also, thanks for mentioning the other tires, I'll add them to the pool of possibilities when the time comes.

Agreed. I have issues with buying performance tires and performance video cards. My purchase cycles are long enough I sometimes miss one or two steps in technology and have such an old frame of reference I need to do deeper research again.

Almost bought a set of RT615 (non-K) Azenis back when they launched on brand and model loyalty but luckily I found a new-old-stock set of RT215s for cheap at that time in 2006ish. When I popped my head up with enough money for track days again in early 2010 it turned out RT615K's were out but I was swayed by this article written 7/2009 to go with the Star Specs and that my local chain tire store sold the Dunlops and not the Falkens or Hankooks.

Tire Test: Nine Affordable Summer Tires Take On the Michelin PS2 - Comparison Tests

Unfortunately I last-minuted the purchase and got stuck with Star Spec tires too tall and had to raise the ride height. Even with the annoying ride height I still was impressed by the grip and handling. Just sucks having tall sidewalls - most of my track pics show the tires leaned over, not rolling, but obviously too tall. Still love the Star Spec experience, dozen HPDE track days and lots of road trips. Next tire purchase for me will be a way down the road and governed by price. I need to calculate which is cheaper with consumables in the long run - keep running 16" BBS wheels or go to 15" 6ULs with those tire selections.


Also while searching for that older C&D tire shootout linked above I found these tire shootouts from a couple years ago to be informational if not fully current or balanced:
Top Tires: Grassroots Motorsports Magazine Articles
Track-Tire Test: BFGoodrich, Toyo, Michelin, and Yokohama Tires Rated – Feature – Car and Driver

 

Slapped some Yoke AD08's on the car for some AX-these transformed the car compared to the older 615's. The Yokes are comparable to the Star Specs but seem to have better on road ride quality.

 

I figured I'd give my $.02 for daily driven Star Specs. 195/60/14 on RP-F1 7". The ride is better by a long shot than any of my previous 205/50 tires, both the RE-11's (awesome tires) and the ZE-912's (garbage all season). They are also more predictable, I guess from the additional sidewall. They won't bite you in the *** when you get too close to the limits like the RE-11's would. Overall cornering is about on par with the RE-11's and blows away the **** 912's. Of course it's hard to compare a 195/60/14 against a 205/50/15, but that's my only comparison. Overall, I'm happier with the Star Specs than I have ever been with any tire.

 

Those of you driving Star Specs primarily on the street, what kind of tire life are you getting?

 

I do an 80 mile commute three times a week and typically put about 300 miles a week on my NB1. I got over 16k on mine with the FM "sport" alignment and five or six autox days (205-50-15). They still were not at the wear bars, but I pulled them to put on a separate set of wheels so I could finish them off doing autox. I picked up some BFG Comp-2s which I really like for a DD tire(195-50-15) . I would expect that with a reasonable alignment, and regular rotating, 18-20K is easily doable on the star specs as a DD tire. I have not read much info on the new star spec yet.

 

Z2's should be coming stateside next year.

DIREZZA ZⅡ??????? ??????/???????? ????????

1% increase in performance? I can dig it.

 

Cool, thanks. My nearly-bald Star Specs have been doing street duty to and from the track for two years. Was thinking I might just get a fresh set soon.