Need help with tire and size

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GhostMercury

Member
:
MazdaSpeed 3 08.5
I am choosing between 2 tires,

Dunlop Direzza Star Specs

Hankook Ventus v12

I am looking for a tire for the street, and maybe 1 track day. I have a winter set of tires, so these will be summer only tires. So which one should I get. I am leaning towards the Hankook because they are pretty cheap and seem to place just behind the Dunlops. SO which one should I pick up? It would be nice to get good mileage out of them as well, so which one will last longer?

I have a set of 5Zigen ZR+ wheels 18x7.5 with 48 offset. I am lowered on COBB springs as well. So I am trying to decide if I should go with 225/40 or 225/45. I don't want to loose side wall because I think running on rubber bands looks stupid. So how much sidewall will I loose by going with a 40 vs. 45?
 
Im in the same boat as you. though I'm choosing the star specs cause in the end I'd rather have the higher performance. The v12's will last longer and have a slight edge in the wet. not sure how well they will hold up on the track though.

the OEM 215/45 tire is closer to the 225/45 in tire wall section than 225/40.
Since you are lowered you might rub in the rear with the higher 225/45 tire, but will be just fine with the 225/40.
 
I'm running very similar wheels (18x7.5 +43) and have 225/45's, in an attempt to keep as close to stock sidewall height as possible & keep the speedo accurate. My offset is only +43, so my wheels will protrude 5mm further than yours, but I did have a minor rubbing issue on bumps & such. (No problem with cornering, etc.) The inner fender lip was slicing into the tire shoulder. Slowly, and only small cuts, but I did have to roll the fender lips in the rear to correct the problem. Of course, I am on stock suspension, and you're lowered, so YMMV.

From everything I have read, the Direzzas will perform better on the track, but the Hankooks should outlast them in daily driving, and will satisfy most street driving needs admirably. I'm on Yokohama S-Drives, which seem to perform in a similar manner to the Hankooks, but cost a few bucks more. Eyeing the Hankooks as possibly my next tire.

Haven't heard about how the Hankooks hold up to track abuse, but if they don't die a horrible death, I'd lean that way, since the Direzzas are overkill for most folks. Save a few bucks. And if you want to reduce the chance of needing a fender roll, go with the 40's. As long as you're not anal about the speedo. Should only make a 1-2mph difference. That'd be my $.02, anyhow.
 
Biggs said:
Im in the same boat as you. though I'm choosing the star specs cause in the end I'd rather have the higher performance. The v12's will last longer and have a slight edge in the wet. not sure how well they will hold up on the track though.
Click to expand...

V12's may last longer, but they will not perform better than the Starspecs in the wet. Starspecs are absolutely phenomenal in the wet.

I have had Starspecs on my Mazda for almost 2 years and they are the best tires I have ever owned.

A little bit noisy and no good at all below freezing, but other than that, they are the perfect tire!
 
I've been considering these 2 tires also, and I'm going with the Hankooks. The MS3 is my daily driver, I put nearly 50 miles on it each day, the StarSpecs do not seem to be the right tire for me, I enjoy spirited driving but the StarSpecs are overkill.
 
jabba said:
I've been considering these 2 tires also, and I'm going with the Hankooks. The MS3 is my daily driver, I put nearly 50 miles on it each day, the StarSpecs do not seem to be the right tire for me, I enjoy spirited driving but the StarSpecs are overkill.
Click to expand...

If you are OK with downgrading the tires (performance wise) on your car from the OEM tires, perhaps you will be happy with the Hankooks. With that in mind, maybe a standard Mazda3 would have been a better car for you. A MS3 is a performance car and it will only perform as well as its tires allow.
 
Rix6 said:
If you are OK with downgrading the tires (performance wise) on your car from the OEM tires, perhaps you will be happy with the Hankooks. With that in mind, maybe a standard Mazda3 would have been a better car for you. A MS3 is a performance car and it will only perform as well as its tires allow.
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You're kidding, right?

If not, then I assume that you will have data and references showing me that the Hankooks are so much worse than the Dunlops? I'll help you out my pointing out that Car & Driver rated the Dunlops at 116 points, and the Hankooks at 113 points, with the Dunlop having the advantage in autocross dry performance, otherwise the tires were nearly the same, with the addition that the Hankooks were less noisy and cheaper. I don't autocross, so it's a win-win for me with the Hankooks.

As well, I feel I must pull out my internet dick and remind you that my last car was a 2001 Audi S4, modified with K04 turbos (up from K03s), dynoed at 460 HP (on a Mustang dyno, which can be considered conservative). That car was a damned beast, yet wore aggressive all season performance tires, and I never had issues with my spirited driving, but I chose the right tires for my needs.

If you're autocrossing and tracking a lot, then by all means, buy the Dunlops, that's what they are marketed for. Otherwise, waste your money, at least you're helping the economy.
 
I Have put 10,000 miles on my V12's and they are holding up well. They handle better than the stockers did, are much quieter and ride better. The only downside is the sidewalls will start to flex at the extreme but the tires do not break loose easily. I have never broken them yet. For the price you can not find a better tire for this car. I bought when they had the $50 rebate and ended up getting them for around $105 a piece in stock size. Would buy them again.
 
Just 1 Track Day? Hankooks all the way.

You would never drive aggressively enough for long enough periods of time to appreciate the difference in performance.

Rix6 said:
If you are OK with downgrading the tires (performance wise) on your car from the OEM tires, perhaps you will be happy with the Hankooks. With that in mind, maybe a standard Mazda3 would have been a better car for you. A MS3 is a performance car and it will only perform as well as its tires allow.
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lol.

Unless you cut around neighborhoods at 80+ all day the difference is going to be marginal at best. Extreme performance = TRACK tires. The OP is not a track rat.
 
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Yes - I am an autocrosser so I put dry performance at the very top of my wish list when shopping for tires. I have used race tires for autocrossing and I can tell you the Starspecs are not all that far off in performance from RComp slicks.
 
Let me say I am sorry for my comment about the standard Mazda3 being a better choice. I just have a pet peeve about people buying performance cars and then either not ever using that performance or degrading the performance by going cheap when it is time to replace tires or brakes.

My neighbor has a beautiful C5 Corvette and to see him drive it brings a tear to my eyes. That car has never seen wide open throttle and certainly has never come close to maximum lateral grip. He bought it because he thinks he looks good in it but he drives it like a Prius. Maybe a better choice for him would have been the Prius... OOOppss - there I go again!! Sorry!
 
Lowered application go with the 225/40. I'm running a 225/45 Dunlop star spec on stock rims/springs with good results. I autox too, this star spec is an amazing tire for sure...
 
I used to autocross then I got a new track/speed/fun toy

63454777.jpg

This is an old picture from when I first got the bike so it's stock but back on topic...

I don't need an autocross tire for the street. In my opinion thats ******* retarted, because if you need to reach the grip limit of a high performance summer tire on the street your driving like an idiot and I can't wait to see you in a ditch. Not saying I don't drive hard on the street at times, but there is a time a place and a limit. If you autocross then you should save your pennies to have an autox set of wheels and tires, you have to pay to play.

Rix6 if you are as much of an autoxer as you say you are, then you have alot to learn and need to work on your maturity. Hang around the guys that have been around a while and learn as much as you can from them...And don't tell me what I should and shouldn't drive, if I wanted a regular 3 I would have bought one. The v12 tires placed second out of 9 of the top summer tires, so don't proceed to tell me that they are such a down grade from oem.
 
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I say 235/40/18's. I ran 225/40's and thought they looked too small. I've also ran 225/45's and although the extra height in rubber was nicer in ride comfort, the 235/40 tires are cheaper and closer to the stock tires rolling diameter.
 
Uh oh, here comes the name calling! I am plenty mature and doubt I could learn a dang thing from your friends about autocrossing. Been doing it for going on 20 years. I am just offering my opinions and you can like em or leave em.
 
08cosmic3 said:
I Have put 10,000 miles on my V12's and they are holding up well. They handle better than the stockers did, are much quieter and ride better. The only downside is the sidewalls will start to flex at the extreme but the tires do not break loose easily. I have never broken them yet. For the price you can not find a better tire for this car. I bought when they had the $50 rebate and ended up getting them for around $105 a piece in stock size. Would buy them again.
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How long did it take for them to break-in ? I just installed a set of v12's on my rx8's (235/40). So far they feel very soft, and a little unstable, but I only have 70 miles on them. I will report more info as they break-in. No rubbing issues as of yet, even with the kids in the back seat. Stock height.
 
GhostMercury said:
I think that is to wide though, I'm not down for any rubbing because it's something I can avoid
Click to expand...

You won't rub. The Cobb springs don't even lower you that much. I ran BC's slammed and even raised to about 1/2-1" gap, never rubbed. If you rub, just roll your rear fenders.
 
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