are you just trying to be a postwhore tonight? lol

Quite a bit softer. Makes for a more compliant ride.
I like it. You do lose a little turn in because of it, but I prefer it this way.

I was gonna post about this, funny you should ask, I beleive its softer, and I think that is the main reason for its differences in handling. But the reason why I say this, I think the rubber isn't any softer than the stock rubber but it launches a whole lot harder than it did with the stock rubber. I NEVER see the traction control light anymore.

I can't tell you because I went from 18" stock tires to 17" wheels and tires. There's more sidewall, so I can't do a direct comparison.

Damn.. mailed my rebate stuff in around the beginning of the month, received my check today. Fuckin fastest refund ever..

Hey, FF, I just found this thread. Glad the tires are working out for ya, and they look almost as good as my same size Star Spec's :)

Which, BTW, once they're scrubbed in real good (takes a long time and they need to be driven hard over a distance before they really start hooking up), they have considerably more grip than the Bridgestones ever dreamed of!

They ride surprisingly well too, better than stock, but oddly enough they can get a bit skittery on rough, choppy pavement. Still, on a relatively smooth surface, with a little bit of heat in them, they grip almost as hard as an R compound. Tread noise was high at first, but that went away, yet developing grip took a while.

And they have "Dunlop" stamped right on the sidewall. As in the Dunlop bridge at Silverstone. Not "Hankook," which sounds like something I could get for $75 tip at some massage parlors. :)

Just giving you a hard time. Glad to hear they're working well.

No problem, hard time appreciated.
I read your thread about the Dunlops, glad they worked out in the end, sounded like you were worried there for a while.
I just didnt want to take the risk on the noise.
I hate road noise....... and exhaust drone.
I just got the resonator in front of the rear wheels cut out and a Magnaflow 12616 welded in its place, wish I had done it much sooner.
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showt...3736377&page=6

I like the exhaust noise, myself. Distracts me from the mechanical noise of the 4 cylinder motor (was driving a super smooth V6 before this car). Hearing it on the highway doesn't bother me a bit, and it doesn't bother my wife either, who has the hearing of Doberman. Fortunately, she doesn't have the personality of a Doberman. :) When I drive her Lexus SC430, I just get bored because can you barely hear the motor at all.

You can definitely hear and feel the tires though; low-profile run flats are freaking harsh!! Totally out of character with the car, and they're the smoothest RF's on the market (which isn't saying much).

Yeah that extra $75 per tire is paying for that bridge, because in all honestly their aren't too many differences between the two. I'll take the 300 I save over the dunlops and get some seat team at a driving school or actually get some track time at Silverstone and smile as I drive by your Dunlop bridge. Just giving you a hard time :D Oh and dunlop sounds like a description of fat people, because guess what? IT IS Dunlops Disease.

FF, just re read this thread and noticed your issue.

Tires have a run out, not to different then the run out on a brake rotor. When a tire is new you will most likely have seen the paint lines running around the center of the tires caucus. Those lines are for tire matching purposes, they mark the center of the tires run out. Ideally a tire guy should match the axle so that the tires balance out. But most people don't even know that's what those lines are for.

One must be pretty off for your to notice a trim difference driven the car. Or your just as anal about this stuff as me lol.

My re050's are about shot at 9k miles. Can't wait for one more mountain run to finish them off. I think I am going to give these a try. Thanks for your review.

I saw those lines, never knew what they were for.
Lines are long gone now.
Swapping the tires around did the trick.

When I first installed the Star Spec's, and got a precision alignment, the car pulled to the right just a bit. They swapped the RF with the RR and the problem was solved. For now, anyway. I guess even well paid Japanese workers can screw up a batch just as well as Chinese slave labor can. But at least we have a bridge on a famous race track. :)

Hey FF, a friend of mine does leather restoration work on old Rolls Royces, and I've been talking with him about making a leather covered knee pad for the lower center console. It'll be a glue on piece but will wrap around the corner and (maybe) have some faux red stitching to match the interior. I want it to look OEM.

Interested? We're working on a prototype shape and foam material on paper now. Nothing to show for it yet, but it should really help the problem of shin/knee bracing against the center console, which is driving me crazy too. I have a screw and a staple in my right knee that rubs against the console in very quick driving which is really annoying.

The main problem is where the two parts of the console join, don't want to cross over the gap for servicing reasons. Which part of the console are you having trouble with?

We -could- do a two part thing, but that's going to add cost to what should be a very nice, but somewhat expensive accessory, and if people are rubbing at the gap point, it might do more harm than good.

But it would be cheaper per unit for him to make 10-20 of them, which I'd obviously sell. The guy does super nice work, the leather texture and color will match perfectly. And it would still look sharp and function well with the MZ3, regardless of interior color.

I am about to buy these tires so any more impressions that you guys have after putting more miles on them will be most helpful.

I still love mine and they are wearing pretty well. I do miss the immediacy of the bridgestones but at more than half the cost with comparable grip and less road noise I am quite happy with them. They have also saved my wheels in cases where they would have been tore up if I was wearing the bridgestones.

Consider that Mazdaspeed tuned the car's steering to the stock tires, and did a nice job with that. The on center feel is great, and at regular and medium speeds they have a very precise feel to them. It's only when you really start to push them that all that goes out the window.

I lost some of that precision with the Star Spec's, and frankly I miss it for regular driving, it makes the car feel a bit more expensive than it is.

But in terms of sheer performance, like a much wider temp range, ultimate grip, and most importantly: quickness, no comparison. The payoff for street driving is much better ride comfort on choppy roads, which is kind of ironic.

thank you, just placed the order. will report back soon. $50 m.i.r. still available on tire rack.

Which did you order? the Hankooks?

kwsmith's feedback is on the Dunlop Star Specs. I don't see a rebate on tirerack for those.

The thread is about the Hankooks if he was looking at the star specs he would have posted on the star spec thread. I could garuantee the star specs are a better tire but at the price they are asking for the and the tread wear rating they have you are just better off sticking with the bridgestones again

yes. ordered the hankooks. unfortunately my wife lost the rebate form... i emailed hankook to see what needs to be done. did you have to send back proof of purchase with the rebate form?
ordered on thu, arrived on fri and were installed on same day. i was out of town so couldnt test drive much.

You can download one here: Promotions - Discount Tire Direct

i love v12's.
I had mine for 1000 miles so far, so much better than stockers.

Does anyone have at least 10-15k miles on these yet? Curious as to the wear compared to the stock bridgestones.

LOL, my bridgstones didnt last 15K............ about 13K ish IIRC, but with 4 hard track days included.
The Hankooks have been on for approx 8K and are due for a rotation, I have not tracked the Hankooks...... yet.

I rotated tires and replaced rear pads and rotors today @ 21.1K on car, definitely glad I did the pads, one inner pad which was the lowest had only about 1mm remaining. :eek:
I have an estimated 8K on tires. (didnt note mileage when I put them on, just going by some other maint. records)
Hankook Ventus V12 tread remaining estimated 6 to 7/32 (now in front) and 4 to 5/32 remaining (now in rear).

I like these tires MUCH more than the Bridgestone OEM, I would definitely be tempted to buy them again, unless a better value for money came along.

I know you drive hard but it seems like the rears are wearing a bit fast, especially without any track time. I've heard spurratic reports of shorter tread life as more owners put miles on these. Not a bad thing considering what you get for the price.

Getting ready to purchase my next set farily soon. Have it narrowed down to the V12's, Khumo SPT's and General Exclaim UHP's. Might take a small hit in performance to go with the Exclaims as they're priced about $80 less. I will keep an eye on this thread to see how the V12's fair in the coming months though...

Those rears have been on the front for the whole time.... about 8K.
I just put them on the rear.
I will try to take some pics with a coin...... it may be too dark right now.

REAR:

Quarter
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y11...uarterrear.jpg

Penny
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y11.../pennyrear.jpg

FRONT

Quarter
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y11...arterfront.jpg

Penny
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y11...pennyfront.jpg

Crappy cellphone pics in twilight, but give the idea. I would say they are wearing faster than stock would have without track, BUT, I like them MUCH better than stock and after rebate they cost only about 115 each less than half the price of the Bridgestones.
I would never buy the Bridgestones again, I would get these again, or ??? some other high performance, good valve, relatively quiet tire.

Surprised to hear that after replacing your stockers under 10K (even with 4 track days). Don't the V12's have a treadwear rating of 280 or so? That's roughly twice the level of the RE50's IIRC. I know manufacturers utilize different standards, but I'd still like to think the V12's "should" last longer than the RE50's under similar conditions. Perhaps I'm missing something?

Actually it was about 13K for the stock tires.
They still had a little life left when I dumped them too, I dumped them early because:
a) they got chunked at a 95F track day

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y11...Pics/tire2.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y11...Pics/tire1.jpg


b) I couldnt stand the road noise any longer.

It is hard to compare the treadwear, being that these have 8k and have never seen a track.
But just looking at what has been used from the worst worn tire with only 8k and no track days........

Anyway, my main point is they were perfect for what I wanted, road noise was my main concern with the stockers.
I wanted the same performance but quieter, and I would definitely buy these Hankooks again as they fulfilled these goals better than I had hoped, and were MUCH cheaper to boot.

I've had the V12's for around 8000 miles and like them. Quiter than stock, much better straight line grip, a little more side wall lean than stock but they don't give up and break loose. Great price at onlinetires .com with $50 rebate. Best deal anywhere on a tire this capable. Not sure if the rebate is still on. My price shipped was $466.08 - $50 rebate = $416.08 total. I bought stock size.

how do these tires compare to other tires in the same width? Do they run a little narrow? wide? average? thanks

They run wide compared to the bridgestones.

I had these tires at the track for the first time recently, they are not as good as the OEM tires at the track.

I am not saying they are bad by any means, just not quite as grippy as the stock potenzas were on track.

I have to say though, for the street, I think they are perfect and would most definitely buy them again for that purpose.

Thank you very much for the detailed review. The info in this thread has helped me decide on the V12s. Should be getting them in a few days.

When you say they are not as good as the Potenzas on the track- I am hoping you mean they just don't turn in as crisp?? I didn't like the Potenzas for any reason aside from the razor sharp initial turn-in.

Not that I will be doing any more autoX anytime soon (guessing that is the type of track racing you are talking about?), but I used to surpass the limits of the Potenza sidewalls frequently durring spirited road driving. The Khumo tires I have now don't have sharp turn-in feel, however; I feel they would most likely make the car quicker around a track, due to the great ability to modulate controlled skidding mid-turn, and good "past the limit" handiling so to speak.

If the V12s are at all like the Khumos in this respect, I could care less that they don't have the initial bite of the $200+ a piece stockers.

By the way is that you and your V12s in your avatar? ahhh lol. And I am curious- what's up w/ only 16.2 mpg? I get an indicated 30+ on the AP econ map?! Thanks.

Not as crisp and not as grippy, not much down on the grip, but down some no doubt.
But I would buy them again for the street, I hated the stockers.

Nope. I have never done autocross and have no desire to. This is my type:
http://www.mazdaspeedforums.org/foru...-2010-a-49590/

Yes, I just put that up there as a temporary avatar. Ir was yesterday. LOL

I dont run the econ map. I get........ well click on the banner below to see more detail other than the average. That average was recently brought down by 5.8 mpg at the track.
vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

Ha ha, your 16.2 average including track time is still better than my normal driving in city traffic, just keeping pace with no shenanigans.

But on the track, I need to fill the tank after just 3 sessions. If I'm doing really well, I'll burn through half a tank in 25 minutes!

And yesterday I burned up half a tank in about 80 miles just driving on public mountain roads at 8/10ths. I drove it just fast enough to get keep my chops up without putting anybody in harm's way, even at 60ish degress ambient with a low sun angle, which keeps surface temps down, especially in shady spots.

My Star Spec's were super glue compared to the Bridgestones. Not by much though, I gotta admit, but the road surface was colder than average. It's still mid winter, even in SoCal. :)

Anyway - you say you felt faster on the REO5A's last weekend, but I bet the track was much warmer then. Makes a huge difference.

ive had the hankook v12's 225 45 18 for about 8K miles now. didnt ever have the bridgestones because the previous owner already put dirrezza z101 on them, but ive found the hankooks to ride much better than the z101's. much much smoother and quieter. i dont do a lot of hard driving though cuz its a DD but when i whip through some turns, i am verry surprised at the amount of grip these babies give me. don't necessarily think the tread looks that good but performance>looks FTW! if i dont have enough $$ to pick up star specs next time, def gonna get these!

I bought these back in November to get in on the rebate. The check came super fast. Didn't get them mounted on the rims until two weeks ago. So far they are quieter than the stock tires (RE050s). I won't be tracking them any. Just wanted something for good DD and for occasional spirited drives. Very happy with the purchase. I only wish that the rim guard came out further to protect the rim. I got 235/40/18 for my RX-8 rims and they protrude out ever-so-slightly past the tires. The stock tires that came on the RX-8 rims were 225/45/18 and the rim guard came out as far as the stock MS3 tires. Oh well...

I did the same thing, bought the tires last fall and just mounted them this week. I ended up with the 245/40/18 for the RX8 wheels, that should protect the wheels better too.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...s/IMG_6598.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...s/IMG_6594.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...s/IMG_6593.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...s/IMG_6592.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...s/IMG_6591.jpg

I noticed that too, and now that my aftermarket rims bubble out slightly, there is more rim sticking out. Im not so worried about myself, but my girlfriend sometimes drives it :crying:

dbrier - they look great.

Looks like even the 245s the rim guard doesn't protect the rim all too much. It's a little more even with the rim, but not nearly as much as the 225/45/18 Bridgestone RE076, or the RE050s did on the stock rims.