Need to switch up my rear tire setup for the dragon. Taking Christie with me this year and not willing to take the chance on a stretched tire in the back even though it's less I a stretch than previously.

I've heard really good things about the Fedral RS-R, but want to hear about what everyone else is going to run.

 

Truth is there are a lot of great tires available for the S it really is a matter of budget and preference.

I prefer Bridgestone tires and I use the Re-11's now. I have used the RE-50's which was the OEM tire for most AP2's and I started on Bridgestone SO-2's which was the OEM tire on the AP1. The RE-11's were OEM on 2009 and CR (I think).

Many others run the Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec and love them, I know some are now running the Hancook Ventus R-S3, I ran a set of Firestone Wide Oval Indy 500 a few years a go and they were great on wear and awesome in the rain but not near as good as the RE-11's for grip.

I would say the best value for performance is probably the Dunlop Direzza's, a set of four in OEM staggered sizes is $638 + shipping from Tire Rack.

If you have never ordered from Tire Rack they are great to deal with. I just ordered a new set of RE-11's for the rear last Tuesday evening online, they shipped on Wednesday and arrived on Thursday via standard UPS for less then $28 for both in shipping cost.

I'm sure others will chime in with their opinions. Good Luck in your choice

 

I just ordered the Kumho Ecsta Le Sport on tirerack because they were on special. I got them in 225/255 sizes. I really like them after this weekends autocross. They are $99 each for 225 and $114each for 255. Can't beat that price for max performance tires.

I agree, they are not as good as RS3 or Star Specs, but handle very well.

 

Hankook v12. A little easier on the wallet than the Dunlops and plenty of grip for the dragon.

 

I don't use tire rack simply due to the fact that I can always beat their prices locally down here either at my friends shop or any other local stores. IMO TR's prices are ridiculously high.

 

I wish I was down there then. I can not find anyone who can beat TR up here.

 

they are expencive but I really like my Michelin Pilot PS2s. Great tire for wet and dry traction, quiet and I have never had an issue with a Michelin tire failing

 

I'm a huge believer in the Continental Extreme DW... so was the Nissan GTR parked next to me at the gym. I've never been on the dragon so I can't speak from personal experience up there but down here, it's been my favorite tire. One of the highest rated tires on Tire Rack for our car.

 

I have run the dragon on both the star specs and the RS-3's. These are really sticky tires that are most likely overkill for the dragon. They won't last you very long either. I have run the dragon twice on star specs and once on RS-3's. each time the tires were installed new right before I drove up to the dragon.

Star specs had lots of grip, probably more than I needed. I drove up on a Wednesday with new tires (10/32nds of tread) and returned on Sunday with 6/32nds of tread on the rears and maybe a somewhere between 7 and 8/32nds on the fronts. These tires only have 8 useable 32nds of tread, and this trip to the dragon used 50% of the tire's life. The fronts I was able to make last two trips to the dragon.

Ventus RS-3's had about the same grip as the Star specs. I couldn't really tell any kind of difference, they both have lots of grip and you would probably have to be on a track or driving too dangerous for public roads to notice a difference. I went for the same amount of time (drove up on wednesday and returned on sunday). I also installed the tires new right before I went up to the dragon. The RS-3's have almost 9/32nds on them new and by the time I came back I only had 5/32nds on the rears. I had used up almost 60% of my tread in this one trip. If I were to take these up there again I would have really low tread on the way home.


I would suggest you try something that will last a bit longer. A friend of mine had a great time running the dragon on continental DW tires in his 350Z. I will probably try those or the hankook V12's this year.

 

Here is my 2 cents...........

In my opinion, you can never have enough "sticky". My life and that of my +1 (if there is one in the car that day) as well as that of all of the other drivers cannot be put into jeopardy based upon "cost". If you are going to use this as any part of the criteria, just be sure to balance your driving skillset and the road conditions as a catalyst to drive in a more reserve way that the rest of the drivers that my seem to be pushing it a little harder than you are.

What we find are guys start to push their cars beyound what they are capable of and then, will bad things happen, they blame it on the tires. I totally respect the thought of getting the best bang for wear and tear as these tires are just escalating like everything else associated with petroleum. But, I have been to the Dragon and other roads in between on So-SO Tires and had to hold back because I did want to become another victim (for a second time). I already totaled my first S2K in NC on "cost effective tires" and have no plans of ever taking shortcuts to safety again. Better to be in debt than to be in a ditch ..............

That said, the Dunlop Star Specs are the tires for me. They do not deliver any false sence of security and are amazing in the rain. The day that I cannot afford them any longer is the day that I stop going to the Dragon.