Totally agree with your comments regarding the Star Specs' performance *beyond* the limits of adhesion, particularly in the wet. The sliding wet grip is far beyond anything I've experienced at the track. In the rain at NHMS, I was passing much faster cars on Hoosier wets! The forgiveness of these tires is amazing.

 

Well, I put the new StarSpecs on the front last friday. I still have the almost new SO2s on the rear. After an alignment, as expected, the car handles great. I've taken a few exit/entry ramps rather quickly, and the car still handles extremely neutral. I love it. I haven't had them in the rain yet, and I'll let you know how that goes.

 

Hmm.. interesting. I'm basing my statement strictly on the numbers. When I say stickier, I mean the S02 is a softer compound, with a treadwear rating of 140. Compared to the StarSpecs rating of 200, this would make the SO2 a "stickier" tire. Although, I do agree you can't always judge seat of the pants feel, or car handling, strictly by the numbers. Tread design will also come into play. But, by definition a harder tire tends to break loose faster than a softer one.

 

not all compounds are created equal

softness and compounds are different things, is what I assume

my explanation is that a newer technology can result in a harder tire with better grip
i'm probably wrong

 

The treadwear number is just that, a number representing relative TREADWEAR, not GRIP. Newer tires are capable of giving more grip while lasting longer.

Also, you can't compare treadwear numbers between manufacturers, anyway. From the Tire Rack:
"The problem with UTQG Treadwear Grades is that they are open to some interpretation on the part of the tire manufacturer because they are assigned after the tire has only experienced a little treadwear as it runs the 7,200 miles. This means that the tire manufacturers need to extrapolate their raw wear data when they are assigning Treadwear Grades, and that their grades can to some extent reflect how conservative or optimistic their marketing department is. Typically, comparing the Treadwear Grades of tire lines within a single brand is somewhat helpful, while attempting to compare the grades between different brands is not as helpful."


You can rest assured that the Star Specs, B'stone RE11's, and Yoko AD08's will all outgrip the OEM S02's in any contest of grip, wet or dry, despite all of them having a higher UTQG treadwear rating.

 

The S02's command a premium because the sidewalls are ridiculously thick. When I removed them, every shop I stopped by could not believe how stiff they were, as well as difficult to mount/unmount for a relatively small 16 inch tire. I can tell you myself as I remounted my bald S02s onto crap track rims for the heck of it, and it was a challenging experience.

The Star Spec are like jello next to the S02's, not even in the same class. They are like moosh in your bare hands when brand new. I miss the S02s.

Anyway, here is what I thought of the Direzzas, I would have recommended keeping S02s on the front and Direzzas on the back, but I have not tried it yet. Will try in the spring prolly.

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showt...post&p=16328499

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showt...post&p=17219836

And I'll repeat, its the tall sidewalls that go on AP1 wheels that I don't like, AP2 size or 18" would be much much better. I will actually be ordering an 18" set of Direzzas for another car.

 

so, that should give better initial response at turn-in?

the StarSpecs had interesting "straight" sidewalls, while the s02s have curved ones

 

When you get your car aligned, you might want to consider changing your alignment spec's. Some of us have gone to the 'UK' specs. which tend to do two things (in my experience).
--Provide better rear tire wear (my last set of rears wore dead even side to side).
--Give a little better 'turn in' and feel more stable while cornering, which allows higher cornering speeds.

That said, I DD my car, and Autocross (no track days), so your results might be different.

Do a search if you're interested, there have been alot of posts on making this change.

 

UPDATE: I've spent the whole week driving in the rain.. the car handles great even with this mis-matched set of tires. So, don't hesitate to use StarSpecs up front with SO2s on the rear.. it handles fine. Just make sure your alignment is good. When the rears wear out, I'll probably just put StarSpecs back there as well, to save a few bucks.