Tire Choices - Star Spec, Super Sport, other?

[Pedal-Force]

So I need some new tires for my Gen2. Got about 23.5k miles out of the stockers, but they're starting to get close to wear bars so it's time to start looking around.

After some reading I was thinking Star Specs. But then I read about the Super Sports, which have a 30k mile warranty and from what I can find are basically exactly the same price.

I can get the Star Specs for $225/tire, and I can get the Super Sports for $225/tire. For what's likely an extra 10k miles, same cost, and similar performance, it seems like a no brainer. Are there other tires I should be looking at? Should I definitely do the Super Sports? Should I wait until I can get a deal on the Star Specs (they're really hard to find, only Tire Rack and Discount Tire have them)?

There's a thread from last year (here that suggests the Star Specs are better, but doesn't seem to discuss the cost or mileage as much.

Please to help me shod my car.

edit: the size consensus seems to be 235/40/18 on stock wheels. Is this correct?

[Black Metal]

You will get 15k out of the Star Specs max. They have a very low tread wear rating. Sticky as fuck = Wears out faster. What are you wanting to do with your car? AutoX, Lap Battle, Time Attack, or just new tires cause the stockers wore out?

[Oliverms3]

^this

if you're planning on using those tires for any motorsport.. they're great.. .but if you're just going to DD it... might as well get some Potenzas or Kuhmo ectas

[865ms3]

i got 13k out of my stock dunlops. im sitting at 16k on some nitto neo gens with some life left right now. ive been happy with them.decent enough for twisties and what not. with that said....ive got some FD wheels and a new set of rs3s that are getting mounted monday for dragon trips and future autox only. they will wear out quick on daily driver duty as would the star specs.

[Pedal-Force]

Just DD. I mostly just want to be able to put my foot down in 1st and 2nd and not spin the tires. Occasionally I'll drive hard in the corners too. Just want something sticky but good for DD and not ridiculously expensive.

[865ms3]

Originally Posted by Pedal-Force Just DD. I mostly just want to be able to put my foot down in 1st and 2nd and not spin the tires. Occasionally I'll drive hard in the corners too. Just want something sticky but good for DD and not ridiculously expensive.

look at nitto neogens, hankook v12s etc then.

[specvspeedfreak]

235/40/18?
Get these and save yourself a bunch of money. Great for daily and limited track/autocross/autoX

Continental—ExtremeContact DW

225/40/18?
Get these. Save even more money if you are only really going to DD them. It can take some heat on the track as well..
Kumho—Ecsta LE Sport

[forcedinduktion]

Yea I was in the same boat. I really wanted the starspecs, but just not practical and cost effective for DD. I think I will go with the Coni extremes when they are shot. Getting close, 18k and almost at the wear bar.

[Standsideways]

ive got 7 track days and 10 000kms on a set of star specs

they are MAYBE half way done.

[Crarrs]

Originally Posted by specvspeedfreak 225/40/18? Get these. Save even more money if you are only really going to DD them. It can take some heat on the track as well.. Kumho—Ecsta LE Sport

Another recommendation for the LE sports. I have about 2,500 miles on them and they're a good DD tire. When you push them, they squeal a lot more than any other tire I've driven on, as opposed to the lower pitch sliding sound. Other than that, they're quiet on the highway and have adequate grip.

[BLK_MS3]

Originally Posted by specvspeedfreak 235/40/18? Get these and save yourself a bunch of money. Great for daily and limited track/autocross/autoX Continental—ExtremeContact DW

Great price on a top rated tire. I have 5,000 miles on mine. I like them a lot more then the stock Dunlops.

[minger]

I'm on Firestone Firehawk Oval Indy 500's, and I'm pretty happy with them. Stickier than stock, but I only had ~3k on stock before switching to these and probably 3-4k on these. About to switch wheels/tires again lol

[Sarsabious]

I would love to get some of those Continentals. Unfortunately, my car has less than 6k miles and the wife doesn't think an extra set of tires in the garage is such a hot idea. Alas....I'll have to hope there's another awesome deal when it's time to buy.

[Don06speed6]

I run the DW as a summer tire and their DWS for winter. I know Anthony runs the DWS year round.

[Mchart]

Because most places are carrying the Super Sports for the same price as the Star Specs it's a no brainer.

The Super Sports are the best tire. They have the performance of 'Extreme' category tires, but don't sacrifice treadwear rating as most Extreme's tend to do.

I've seen a number of reviews on the Super Sports when they first came out and they pretty much wipe the floor in every performance category. So the fact that they also maintain a 300 treadwear rating is impressive.

[Teal]

I was going to get star specs but because of the low treadwear I found a tire that has a higher treadwear and still awesome in the wet... and seem to grip very well and look good.

I got a set of 225/40/18 BFGoodrich Sport-Comp 2's They just came out earlier this year and so far so good on my set. I'll be taking the car to mid-ohio at the end of the month and will be able to comment on the overall grip better with heat. I"ll see how they hold up too....

Also the actual tread appears to be slightly larger than the stock 225's so you do get a little bit of a bigger footprint.

Oh and they were very very reasonably priced... one of the lowest costs for a high performance summer tire. I had them installed for $640USD (where I got $90 off from a promotion special... which basically took care of the $80 mount/balance/lifetimerotation yadda yadda).

BFGoodrich—g-Force Sport COMP-2

[dbrier]

Tread life has as much to do with alignment settings and driving style as tread wear numbers. Always take someone mileage numbers with a grain of salt. I've seen guys get 30,000+ miles from Star Specs while the next guy gets less than 10,000.

I'm a big fan of the Star Spec and have had numerous sets. However, I use them for autocross. Since you won't be, get the Michelin, they make a hell of a tire.
The Dunlop is a pretty loud tire, I don't like daily driving them, I put them on day before a race and take them off when I get home. The Dunlop will offer more grip, but you'd have to be a track with a timer to know it.

[Mchart]

Originally Posted by dbrier Tread life has as much to do with alignment settings and driving style as tread wear numbers. Always take someone mileage numbers with a grain of salt. I've seen guys get 30,000+ miles from Star Specs while the next guy gets less than 10,000. I'm a big fan of the Star Spec and have had numerous sets. However, I use them for autocross. Since you won't be, get the Michelin, they make a hell of a tire. The Dunlop is a pretty loud tire, I don't like daily driving them, I put them on day before a race and take them off when I get home. The Dunlop will offer more grip, but you'd have to be a track with a timer to know it.

If there were actually a guy getting 30k from star specs then they would be getting at least 15k more miles off of super sports.

Also, the Super Sports are supposed to offer performance on the same level / better then most extreme performance tires currently available.

[VT2WA]

Originally Posted by Mchart Also, the Super Sports are supposed to offer performance on the same level / better then most extreme performance tires currently available.

"Supposed" being the key word. I'll believe it when I see a national class driver actually using them. Until then, I would be under the assumption that the Star Specs are stickier.

[dbrier]

The Tire Rack test data shows the Star Specs have more grip as well. You're right when you noticed what the national level autocrossers use.

Michelin Tires are generally priced very high and for most of the race crowd, bang for the buck is a factor on a set of tires that may only last a year. Very few of us will pay 30% more for a tire to get 2% more performance. As I said earlier, Michelin make a great tire, but they aren't cheap.
The RS3 is very good in this department, but the guys that I know that have run them competitively have returned to the Star Sped after as season. I run with the Subaru crowd, but I here good things about the RS3 from the lightweight FWD guys.

Most of that is irrelevant if you aren't racing. For the OP, the Super Sport should be all the tire he needs.

[Standsideways]

Originally Posted by Mchart If there were actually a guy getting 30k from star specs then they would be getting at least 15k more miles off of super sports. Also, the Super Sports are supposed to offer performance on the same level / better then most extreme performance tires currently available.

UTQG numbers also include Treadwear Temperature, and Traction, and when im comes down to it, the #'s arent spot on, and most of the tracky tires are a slightly skewed #'s just to let people clear classification and run the tire in alot of regulated series that require street tires.

i wouldent be using anything over 140 for a summer tire, but im on track alot.

[Neverlift]

NT450 if you want Nittos... but I recommend Yokohama S Drive... it is the best all around tire @ 300 treadwear I have driven on. Good life, grip, and wet traction... and to that effect, the AD08 > Starspec.

Originally Posted by 865ms3 look at nitto neogens, hankook v12s etc then.

I went through 9 set of tires just last year alone, I would never ever tell anyone to buy v12s. I don't understand this forums love affair with them but they are terrible tire. Their wet traction matches an Ecsta AST lol

[865ms3]

Originally Posted by another 6cms6 NT450 if you want Nittos... but I recommend Yokohama S Drive... it is the best all around tire @ 300 treadwear I have driven on. Good life, grip, and wet traction... and to that effect, the AD08 > Starspec. I went through 9 set of tires just last year alone, I would never ever tell anyone to buy v12s. I don't understand this forums love affair with them but they are terrible tire. Their wet traction matches an Ecsta AST lol

ive never ran them. just going off of everyone elses reviews. ill be getting something with a decent tread life soon since i have the Fds w/ rs3s for my shenanigans. ive got two brand new 225/40/18 kumho asx's that came off the wifes car when we traded it in. odds are ill just get 2 more and make those my dailys.

[atvfreek]

I just picked up a set of nitto neo gens. First impressions are that they are quiet, absorb bumps very good and have excellent straight line traction. Only thing is miss is the stiffer side wall for those on ramp, and high speed corners. I got them in 235's and they are about the same width as the stock Dunlop 225's. Overall, not bad for a DD tire, I'm sure once I get used to the tire roll, I will get a little more comfortable pushing them through corners.

Freekn tappin

[Neverlift]

Originally Posted by 865ms3 ive never ran them. just going off of everyone elses reviews. ill be getting something with a decent tread life soon since i have the Fds w/ rs3s for my shenanigans. ive got two brand new 225/40/18 kumho asx's that came off the wifes car when we traded it in. odds are ill just get 2 more and make those my dailys.

Avoid the ASX like the plague. I understand they are just laying around, but continuing down that road, by choice, is a poor decision.

[865ms3]

Originally Posted by another 6cms6 Avoid the ASX like the plague. I understand they are just laying around, but continuing down that road, by choice, is a poor decision.

lol believe me..i know they are junk.i wont be continuing down that rd. just have 2 brand new ones sitting in the garage. and 2 tires vs 4= more money towards BT

[YABBAMZR]

Originally Posted by Pedal-Force So I need some new tires for my Gen2. Got about 23.5k miles out of the stockers, but they're starting to get close to wear bars so it's time to start looking around. After some reading I was thinking Star Specs. But then I read about the Super Sports, which have a 30k mile warranty and from what I can find are basically exactly the same price. I can get the Star Specs for $225/tire, and I can get the Super Sports for $225/tire. For what's likely an extra 10k miles, same cost, and similar performance, it seems like a no brainer. Are there other tires I should be looking at? Should I definitely do the Super Sports? Should I wait until I can get a deal on the Star Specs (they're really hard to find, only Tire Rack and Discount Tire have them)? There's a thread from last year (here that suggests the Star Specs are better, but doesn't seem to discuss the cost or mileage as much. Please to help me shod my car. edit: the size consensus seems to be 235/40/18 on stock wheels. Is this correct?

I run the michelin super sports on my gen2 for DD. They are 80% better in all summer conditions than the stock oem dunflops so far. They tread water like a beast. Quiet and smooth but can handle corners like no other tire ive tried. I use Continental extreme contact dw on my 02 wrx and they don’t compare to the super sports thats also a DD . Imo Id lean towards michelin. Both cars are stock and have about 6000miles on both sets of tires

[SLOWHATCH]

1 NEW FEDERAL SS-595 TIRE 225/40/18 225/40R18 2254018 88W | eBay

Just something to consider on the cheap. They have great reviews.

[SPEEDRAC3R]

What about the Nitto NT555's? I had a set on my Mustang and loved them.

[forcedinduktion]

For the price, I don't think you can beat the conti extreme DW

[Standsideways]

Originally Posted by YABBAMZR They are 80% better in all summer conditions than the stock oem dunflops so far.

Lol love that one

[BJSpeed3]

Kumho 4x's all the way.

[Neverlift]

YOKOHAMA S DRIVE

[IPuOnU]

Look up fuzion ZRI's I got them on the cheap, 400 mounted and balanced, have about 20k on them now and prolly have a 10k or so to go. Straight line traction is awesome, they are soft in the sidewall compared to the dunflops but with the stockers and a loaner set of kdw's I couldn't even roll into the throttle in second with out getting a little bit of spin, with these tires I barely chirp second, and launching has been so much easier, before my buddies WRX would eat me alive from a dig up to about 60, now by about 30 I've got easily a half car on him. Being in FL, I deal with rain, a lot especially during hurricane season, and they have been pretty good, nothing to sketchy other than occasional deep rut from trucks causing a bit of pull in the water.

This is just my opinion, others may think they are shit, but for a cheap daily tire, they do an awesome job. Ive already got a second set sitting in the garage for when these are done. Check tires-easy.com they have bomb ass deals on tires.

[gogogadgetspeed]

I just put these Star Specs on this morning and they are a little pricey. I only drive about 10k a year but I do autoX so I wanted something that is sticky as hell. I will keep you posted on there performance. Size 235 40 R18. They look HOT!!!!

[Mizzle]

Extremecontact DW

[hemlor]

Has anyone tried the Continental Barum Bravuris 2? They have been reviewed generally well, but the speed rating appears to be W, and not Y, as is the OEM. The price is great, and they will be used as a DD, but has anyone used them at all?

Thanks

[ChimmyChong]

Just bought a set of Hankook v12's in 235/45/17

FYI, Hankook is having a $80 rebate on these tires untill the end of november

[Pedal-Force]

Alright. So I've gotten talked into the Continental DW I think. They get great reviews (not only around here but elsewhere) and they're not too expensive.

Now I'm just deciding on the size. Most people are saying 235/40/18. A few people (@Tokay444) are saying that's too wide on stock wheels and will bulge the center and you're better off with 225/40/18. Is there a consensus on this? The 225 is slightly cheaper, by about $36 for a set. Not a ton, but something to think about too, especially if there's nothing to gain from the 235.


The DW are currently around $750/set shipped. If there's something considerably cheaper and almost as good I'd have to consider it. There's just so many choices.

Wish I had moved on the DW when they were on clearance.

[Ferdball]

I've had:
Bridgestone RE01 (Stock)
Yokohama S.Drive
Hankook Evo V12 Ventus
Bridgestone RE760
Continental Extreme Contact DW

The Conti are the best, by a significant amount, in my opinion. The RE760's are a close 2nd.