I have the Star Specs from a weekender, occasional use, and I absolutely love them. Highly recommend, especially in 225F, 255R.

 

i had the star-specs on my stock ap1, and i LOVED them. i am currently running the rs3's but restassure when it comes time for the dragon i cam buying starspecs again.

 

bumping this to the top as ive added some pics i didnt realize i had


also im adding a wet driving review as i had to take the car in an emergency situation the other day.

 

I love my starspecs as an all-around tire (DD, autox, no oversteer in the rain) but the 225s I have on the front notably dull the steering response the car had compared with OEM RE050s. Thanks to the OP, you can see how much 215 SSZ1 bulge compared to the stock tires, so going the popular 225/255 route will be even more exaggerated. However, ride quality does feels slightly improved thanks to the softer, bulgier sidewall.

Overall grip is higher, but I miss the "darty-ness" 050s provided... it's an awesome feeling considering our EPS lacks feedback to begin with. This is why my next tires may be RE11, AD08, or a smaller 215 SSZ2.

Not knocking a great tire, especially at its price point.. just another perspective

 

Another option is to go with wider wheels to get the wider tire profile right again, adding additional camber can "lighten" the turning response as well. Adding a wider rim/tire usually equates to more negative camber anyway. But yeah its hard to beat the feel of a RE50 or S02. You can come close though, just may have to readjust a little and enjoy the added grip instead. Stiffer suspension and a ap1 steering rack helps as well.

 

Im currently running 245/40 star specs on 17x9 all around... There is absolutely no delay, lag or anything sluggish as far as response to inputs. Especially on the street where I typically inflate the tires to 45psi cold. Its been almost 3 years since I bought the car with RE050s on OEM AP2 V2s and switched to 215/245 star specs on the stock wheels, but I swear its just as quick as the stock pizza cutter tires on the stock wheels. Either way there is so much more lateral and especially longitudinal grip.

 

I've run 205/55-16 and 225/50-16 StarSpecs on the S2k several times, never any issues/complaints on the street or track other than early-onset of hydroplaning in standing water once past ~1/2 worn.

But the first set of tires I had on the LS2 RX-7 were 255/40-17 front, 265/40-17 rear StarSpecs (had them delivered/installed right before I picked the car up), and the feel was always heavy, numb, non-responsive, sluggish-feeling, from brand new to ~10,000 miles (~1/2 to 2/3 worn). I seriously thought there was a problem with the steering geometry (V8 swap moved the rack down, supposedly fixed with spacing the tie rods at the wheel end).

When I had to get a set of (Y)-rated rubber for the Texas Mile, I went with Michelin Pilot Super Sports in 245/40-17, 275/35-18 (on slightly heavier same-width PF01 wheels in place of 17x8.5/17x9.5 TE37s).
What a HUGE difference! The ride is much smoother, but also the feel is tremendously improved. The handling is MUCH more communicative and more responsive. Even driving in a straight line, the car feels more *alive*, where the steering just felt dead numb with the StarSpecs.

It felt like going from wooden clogs to lightweight minimalist running shoes.

It must be more of an issue with the larger sizes, I dunno...

 

Thanks for the info. I'm running in stock class SCCA so I can't change the wheel width. If I go with SSZ2s I'll be sure to go with 215s this time.

It's often recommended to run as big a tire as you can, but I've seen some hardcore track cars running a slightly stretched tire(probably to retain steering response and minimize sidewall deflection). 225 SSZ1 on stock AP2 fronts visually bulge, and along with softer sidewall construction than the RE050, it's gonna translate into more deflection and vagueness in the steering.. (255s on the rear don't seem to bulge, strangely enough)

This article explains: http://blog.tirerack.com/blog/letter...me-of-the-time

I'm really curious how those PSS stack up to Star specs and RS3s in dry grip.

 

Very well: http://media.caranddriver.com/files/...res-tested.pdf

 

^^^ Those test results are misleading to say the least. All they tell you is how the tires stack up their first auto x run hardly any heat in the tires. R-S3, Z1SS, RE-11, ect don't give you all of their grip until you get a good amount of heat in them whereas the PSS and other max performance and UHP tires are giving their full grip at these lower temps. They need to run a test on a road course or for several consecutive auto x runs to truly compare the tires in a way most people who buy them are concerned with.

Also this kind of testing isn't very accurate in that every tire has a "sweet spot" and needs to have the car set up and pressures set specifically for that tire. These tests are done with the manufactures suggested cold pressures for the OEM tires and OEM alignment... not ideal. I know it will never be viable to test tires like this as it takes way too much time and effort but I felt the need to say something.