Stock dunlop tires
 

Hi Guys,

I was checking the reviews of our Dunlop 2050 tires on tirerack.com. The reviews are just scary for the speed3s.

Did you guys also have the same issues as listed on tirerack.com?

1. Sidewall failure?
2. Bald tires in less than 20k miles.
3. Tires getting out of round.
4. Some feel they are driving on rims and not the tires.

Thoughts?

I think a lot of people have no idea how to describe what is actually happening. Those review need to be taken with a grain of salt. I can tell you from personal experience that many consumers don't understand the stresses a tire endures and often assume that one is defective after they hit a pothole and blow it out or get a nail in the shoulder.

Fact of the matter is that these tires are not designed to last over 20k miles, nor are most tires in this category


Those things said, when compared to the better tires in the category, our stock Dunlops are heavy, noisy, low on overall grip, and very expensive. They are nothing to be scared of, but I'd sure as hell never buy a set at retail price. I'll be getting one of the many better options (Michelin pilot super sport in my case.)

#2 definitely. In my case they had less than 30% tread left on rear and less than 50% left on front when I got my car used with 8004 miles... They're typical OEM tires that wear fast, grip bad, and just suck overall. They perform like 120 dollar tires for the price of $250 each. Best bet is to kill them in a year and get some new better tires that actually perform at their price level.

My Dunlop's lasted 35k longer than the Falken zeix and the bridgestone potenzas.

Are you talking about the sp sport 2050s or a different model? Also, every sporty car tire Bridgestone makes is called a "potenza " so you aren't being very specific. Some are designed to last 10k and some 50k. There will always be people who get absurdly high life out of a tire, but you're the exception, not the rule imo.

The 2050.
Mazda gave me a 40k tread life warranty on the bridgestones, can't wait to see the look on their face when they see I've only put 11k on them.

I've noticed these tires are very sensitive to road conditions. On one road it's smooth and on others it makes you feel too much through the steering wheel.

While the Dunlop 2050's are by no means an "excellent" tire and severely over priced, they are not as bad as everyone makes them out to be. I think it was a poor choice to use them as oem tires, but under the right conditions, they seemed to do good and lasted me 30k.

I autocrossed with them for an entire season and drove them DD for 20k miles. Not a terrible tire at all. About what I expect out of an OEM tire.

Use em till they're dead which probably means about 15-20k miles for the average aggressive speed3 driver and then get some Michelin Super Sports, the only tire worth their premium price tag and relatively high treadwear rating for the grip. They have a 30k mile warranty which is extremely unusual for summer tires.

I read all the same reviews everyone else did with Google bang-for-the-buck comparos, and consumer and MSF reviews have been almost unanimous in agreement that the SS is currently as good as it gets for a daily driver.

19k when i bought the car.....Rear dunlops are almost shot and the fronts are new. I believe my WRX had similar dunlops and I had to replace them at about 20k.

I got 24k off the stockers with 80% highway miles.

I murdered a few sets of dunflops. They suck. Only good for impressing people when I go wot and do rolling burnouts on the hwy.

I apologize for bringing up an old thread, but why are stock dunlops so expensive? I have been looking at Michelin pilot super sports and then the Hankook Evo V12s(because of price point), but my second question is are the Hankook a downgrade in tire from the stockers?

I hear V12s are some junk. And they've stopped making the Michelin Super Sports, so I wouldn't recommend picking them up. If you ever get a nail and only need one you might find yourself SOL.

Wow thanks, my research is totally off. Any recommendations similar to the super sports or a little less performance tire like the hankooks?

What kind of tire are you looking for? You're talking about a summer tire and an all-season, yet you live in the virgin islands. I can't imagine you get much snow there. lol

You have to take these reviews with a grain of salt, and look at the cars the reviewers own. I don't give a fuck if you drive a civic and say that a hankook has great dry traction. If you have an SRT4 or something comparable to the speed3 then I care, because you know what lack of traction is like, and how they perform when the car has a lot of power.

Something like a Continental DW or sport contact might work well enough for you. Just depends on what you want to get out of it.

The Hankooks aren't all that, I had them on when I bought them and replaced them shortly after with the same ones, not gonna buy them again. Not the worst but not for me

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Well it looks like the hankooks are out, lol. I'm looking for summer tires, I thought both those tires were. But I'm lookin for good high performance summer tires so I can skid across the water one island to the next. But seriously, I would like to spend between 700-1000 and get roughly 18k miles out of them. What about star specs? (And does anyone know why the stockers are so expensive, everyone says there shit?)

Edit: I guess I want sticky tires that are good for cornering and an occasional launch (and a civic for lunch).

I have bridgestone pole position P1 tires and they are pretty good on price and over all performance.
My first set of dunlops lasted me 7.5k miles before the cords started showing lol

Maybe @Mike@Stratified; can give you some insight on the star specs.

Where exactly did you hear that? I sell them on a regular basis as a michelin dealer and I haven't heard anything about michelin stopping production on the super sports. This is a newer tire(only been out 2 years) and it should have another solid 3 years of production. I'll ask my michelin rep but I believe you are mistaken.

Correction, I'm thinking of the Sport A/S plus.

So I have to agree with taking most of those reviews with a grain of salt. People who drive a prius or Corolla will not have any idea what your after in your MS3. I'm probably going to get flamed for this but..... BF-Goodrich G-Force Comp2.

I have a friend who I trust that works for a big tire chain. When the Dunlop's where toast and I was ready for new tires I went to him ready to buy Michelin Pilot Super Sport's. He recommended to me the G-Force from experience he had running them on his car. At the time they were a lot cheaper and if I didn't like them they allowed me to trade up within 1,000 miles for the cost difference. Nowadays my driving is 75% highway so I like the mileage/wear I'm getting out of them but they still provide relatively good traction during my spirited street driving. I have driven in rain and light snow with good results. It's not a quite tire but the Dunlops where worse. Just another data point for you.

Gotcha. I agree fully. Nobody should get that model when the newer and far superior A/S 3 is available, among other great options.

The Star Specs are great for lateral grip; you'll be hard pressed to find a better tire that you'll get more than 15k miles our of. Having said that the sidewalls are too stiff for launching at the 1320.

Sent while Stratified.

Forgive my ignorance, what is the 1320?

1320 feet = 1/4 mile.

I should have known that.

Found sidewall bulge in my Dunlops yesterday... its hot, I have bulge envy... but seriously.. wtf?? Just had em rotated and had them check alignment. 300 miles later I has da bulge....

@Mike@Stratified, what would you recommend that is good for launching, but still decent enough stiffness for hard cornering? Or are the two mutually exclusive?

There's nothing good for a "launch" that is streetable on our cars if you're 300+whp - you'd need drag radials / slicks or to simply tune out a bunch of power in 1st and 2nd.

To directly answer your question cobi, basically yes they are mutually exclusive, as even the softest tread compounds don't fare well for straight line grip when coupled with very rigid sidewalls. You're going to have to compromise.

I mentioned the Michelin pilot super sport earlier in this thread, but I ended up going with Nitto Neo Gen 235/40/18s instead. They are UHP all season tires with a soft 280 TWR, soft sidewalls, and high rubber content to stay pliable in winter temperatures. There's a pronounced difference in their response to steering inputs, but the actual lateral grip is at least as good as the Dunlops, and they do far better making the top of 2nd gear sometimes useful.

There are probably a handful of other soft all seasons out there that cater to the compromise, and plenty of super sticky max performance summer tires that'll wear out very quickly and still spin on launches. Be mindful of tires like the NT-O5 that have very little water channeling and siping to get you the maximum contact patch - that's great for dry roads, not so safe for standing water. I put daily safety pretty high on my priority list when choosing my compromise.

2¢

I love my NT05's, and they have been ok even in wet conditions.

Hit any potholes or curbs? That's by far the most common cause of a sidewall bulge.
If you didn't, I'd contact Dunlop and try for a replacement. But given that virtually all bulges on low-profile tires are from potholes or other obstacles, it's a tough road to go down.

I actually have not hit anything that would make me think that I would cause it. I got the number for Dunlop and was going to wait till after the holiday to contact them. I am not expecting much, but its worth a shot.

I have owned a genwon - put 50k miles on it in 2 years, had the Pirelli PZero Nero all season(http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....3&autoModClar=) - lasted 40k miles.

Bought a genpu last year, put on the Conti DWS http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....3&autoModClar=, had these for about 10k miles.

IMO - if your looking for the BEST "ultra high performance all season tire" - either of those should do quite well for you. The stock tires are the biggest pieces of shit next to the infamous Shityear Eagle RS-A's I've ever owned. The fact that they cost 1k for a set of 4 is hilarious.

I loved the Pirelli PZeros when I had em on my truck. Took a minute to warm up but man could those tires take a beating and last forever. Got a steal on em. If you need a hook up in San Diego for tires go to El Amigo tires in Imperial. Bring cash! Got my four pirelli 275/40/18's for $300. :eek2:

they will make an authorized dealer dismount them.. and most of the time when you dismount the tire and look on the inside of it where the bulge is, you can usually see where the wheel pinched the sidewall.. but goodluck with the claim if you go through with it

+1 on Conti DWS's. Great DD car tire.

The only thing I liked about stock dunlops was the turn in response. There was no delay unlike some other sporty tires. The sidewalls were very stiff, which is awesome for a sporty car. The grip wasn't terrible, but they definitely liked to hydroplane during moderate to heavy rain.

I got bf goodrich g-force sport comp2s and they're awesome! The sidewall is not as stiff, but it's tons better than the s-drives and the potenzas.