Hankooks are another option - just have to be careful in the rain. Both the Dunlops and Hankooks have been known to go 250-300 autox runs without heat cycling out or going bald.

 

Thanks everyone, as close as the Z1 and RE11's are in competition, both autox and track, I cant really justify the extra $350 for the Bridgestones, I think I will try the Z1's out.

 

$1K for RE-11's? I just paid $650 for my set from Tirerack, Ap1 sizes though. Starting today they also have a $100 rebate on the RE-11's. I was also on the fence about the Star Specs and their wear rate. Ended up just going with the Bridgestones. Can't wait to try them out in comparison to the RE-01R's I'll be taking off. Good luck with the Z1's, hope you like them!

 

NT-01. 'Nuf said.

 

Oh damnit LOL, its $936 for B-Stones, I have RE11's on my AE86, they're badass, most people only say they dont like the break away tendencies and are not as capable in the rain. so if its $804+shipping vs $586 hmm I'm poor so prolly still Z1's haha

 

I'm running 255/40/17 X 4 thats why

 

I'm also in the same situation so I'm subscribing to this. I've decided to go the Star Spec route myself and we'll see how long they last me.

[Edit] I'm running on AP2 wheels and I'm planning on getting 225/45 front and 255/40 rear. Car is completely stock. Let me know if you'd chose something different with this setup.

 

I've only had the RE-11s on the street so far, but I've also used RE-01Rs and Star Specs. I'd say the ultimate grip of the Star Specs is about the same as the RE-01Rs, but they didn't provide the same confidience in 'feel'. Something different about the tire construction or something, but the RE-01Rs felt more stable in high lateral G situations, especially if the surface was a little rough.

To me, the extra cost of the Bridgestones is worth it. I'm itching to test out the RE-11s on the track.

 

Dunlop Star Specs are probably the best balance of grip, tread life, and wet weather capablity for use on a DD.

If you are that concerned about longevity then the best solution would probably keep a second set of rims/tires and swap them out between events.

IMO, a person is really splitting hairs to try to tell which is best out of the current crop of extreme class tires. Unless you are really keeping tabs on every last .10 on the track then any of the extreme class tires will suit you well. I've had a set of Kumho XS, Nitto NT05, and Dunlop Star Spec and truthfully I'd be hard pressed to pass the pepsi challenge if someone was swapping my tires. I might be able to tell the Nittos because of the increased grip between lap 1 and 3.

 

I feel the need to chime in I had a set of star specs that I just got rid of after about 14k of street and one trackday. The grip was much better than the original tires which were well worn when I changed to the stat spec my problem was I had flat tires on five different occasions with these tires, and had to replace two of them because of it. I don't know if to chalk it up to bad luck or just xs road debris on my daily commute but most of my miles are highway. I really liked the tires but I replaced them with a set of ad07 just to play it safe. Has anyone had a similar experience?