lookinco

Are you referring to driving in the rain?

I believe the wider tires are just more prone to hydroplaning because of the wider surface area. Plus the fact that our cars are relatively light, which makes it worse.

SeekeR1

I'll be needing new summers next spring / summer, and am interested in the comparative effects of wider fronts (I currently have the OEM 215 fronts and 255 rears; RE070; ideally, I'd keep the stock wheels).

With our Vancouver weather, driving in the rain is a serious consideration; however, I am looking for input for wet or dry - my car is my daily driver, all year round.

I have no plans to track my CaR - it would be awesome (I've watched some of the posted vids), but I cannot afford the cost and time requirements at the moment.

Just wondering if there was any difference in the different tire brands, or did the main differences come from the different ratios of widths front to rear? (did that make sense

lookinco

If you ask me, I would say go for Dunlop Starspec as they are priced very very well compared with the other brands with similar performance level.

I think 225/255 is a good combo especially if you don't track your car. There are many who do track with this setup as well.

In my experience 225/255 gave me the best compromise for wet/dry daily driving. It does under steer at the limit but you shouldn't even get there when you are just driving on the street.

legin_k

I have no complaints whatsoever about the Star Specs - I run the oem ap1 205-225 sizes, (although the oem tires actually measure out closer to 215-225, i believe). Amazing dry grip and incredible wet grip. I wore out the rears in less than a year of driving, but I do drive very hard at times, and you can't expect all that much life out of ultra-high performance tires anyway.

That being said, Star Specs are the only uhp summer tires I've tried, so far.

The difference between the top brands of uhp tires, (Dunop Star Spec, Advan AD08, Kumho XS, Bridgestone RE-11, Hankook RS-3, etc), will be very difficult for most drivers to distinguish. Unless you are auto-xing or tracking for times, any tire on that list would likely satisfy you. That being said, an experienced driver conducting a back-to-back test would definitely detect a difference in feel, warm-up characteristics, wet and dry grip, and heat capability of the tires.

Anyway, both width and brand will make a difference, but it will take a discerning driver to tell. I'd say the more important factor to look at would be front to rear grip balance - understeer vs. oversteer, and choose tire sizes that will give you what you want for that. Remember that the oem tire sizes have some odd characteristics, in that the ap1 fronts are wider than labeled, and the ap2 rears narrower, if I remember correctly. Just do your research, and keep in mind that these tires likely won't be the last you buy for your car, so the option is there to try different ones.

P.S. As far as I know, if you're below the hydroplaning threshold for the given PSI, car weight and tire width, wider tires than stock should give you more grip - even in the wet... At least until you get to some crazy wide sizes.

SumAznGuy

AP1 rears are the ones that are wider than advertised.
They are called 225's but in reallity, they are almost 245's.

If your car is for street only then don't bother with an extreme summer tire like those listed above. Get something like the Kuhmo SPT's or General Exclaim UPH. Both tires are very good in the wet due to their tread design. Very efficient when it comes to dispersing water.

Kumho XS is very bad in the wet, and require quite a bit of heat or they act like pucks which is bad.

Personally, if you are just street driving, then go with 225/255's as the extra tire might be enough to protect your rims from nasty curb rash.
At most, people on the street only use 10% of their tire's capabilities. To really push the tires, you need to be going/doing very fast turns.

As for track, if I had my way, I would run a 255 F and R setup. Add an adjsutable front bar and no rear bar and stiffer shocks/springs. A 225 tire is just too narrow for the front of the S.

SeekeR1

I'll start off by saying that I am glad I'm not the only one up late

Very useful input about sizing & what to expect - you have confirmed what I have felt and what I "figured" would be a resolution to my experiences. Although, I am the kind of guy that would prefer to hear / read from those more experienced than I rather than base things on "what I figured" Much appreciated Clement.

I completely agree - I should never get to feel what happens at the limit on the street... but things happen At least they "happen" less nowadays

SeekeR1

[QUOTE=legin_k,Nov 9 2010, 02:21 AM]The difference between the top brands of uhp tires, (Dunop Star Spec, Advan AD08, Kumho XS, Bridgestone RE-11, Hankook RS-3, etc), will be very difficult for most drivers to distinguish.

SeekeR1

[QUOTE=SumAznGuy,Nov 9 2010, 09:33 PM]AP1 rears are the ones that are wider than advertised.
They are called 225's but in reallity, they are almost 245's.

If your car is for street only then don't bother with an extreme summer tire like those listed above.

SumAznGuy

When the MX's were in their prime, they were meant to compete against the Falken RT-215's. For dry grip during the summer, that is not where the SPT's really shine, but they aren't bad. Ask Mavm86. He autox'd with his SPT's and can give you better insight on them on how well they did in the wet. IIRC, he placed top time in the rain back in September. And we are talking about mini lakes at the autoX pad.

I can almost gaurantee you that you will not be able to push the limits of a UHP tire like the SPT's or Generals on city streets (legally) anyways.

Another thing to consider is that tread wear ratings are not the same for all manufacturers. They rate the tires against their own tires, so a 300 rating on one brand is not the same as 300 from another brand.

I understand you bought the CR to have a little fun in, and the Starspecs or Nitto NT05's are both really inexpensive extreme high performance tires. For a little more money, you can go up to the Hankook RS3's which are pretty good and the new Falken RT-615K's.
The Yoko AD08's, Toyo R1R, and Bridgestone RE011R are also very good tires but also more $$$.

I would definately go 225/255.