NC tires

[12MX5]

Can anyone recommend tires for 07 NC?
I'm currently running on very thin leftover thread layer of original Michelin Pilot Preceda 205/45 R17 84W.
Requirements:
- Daily commute 20-30 miles, need to be quiet and comfortable.
- Auto-X once a month or so, looking for superb grip on dry roads, care less about wet conditions.
- Not too expensive - max $150 per each.

Thanks in advance!!

[Nails]

Have you considered the Dunlop Direzza Star Specs? Very popular NC street tire for autocross and track due to quick warmup and exceptional grip. 215/45/27 at Tire Rack for 121 each.
Welcome to the forum.

[Miatamoto]

The Star Spec is a fantastic tire, but may be too aggressive for mainly daily driving. Take a look at the Kumho SPT in 215/45/17 for under $100/ea at Tire Rack. It's a good all around tire with very good wet weather performance.

[miata_racer]

+1 to the SPT. Not a great AX tire, but great all around for everything else.

I've also been VERY happy with my Fuzion Zri tires. They're made by bridgestone and seem to be comparable to the SPT in all around performance. And they're about $10 each cheaper :)

[Geckotek]

My buddy has the Hankook Ventus V12 on his S2000. Think I had a previous model of the Hankook as well. Good bang for the buck.

I'm currently on the Falken Azenis, but debating switching...

[CosmosMpower]

Sumitomo HRTZIII

[altiain]

The SPT and the HTRZIII are mediocre autocross tires at best, compared to the Star Spec, Kumho XS, Bridgestone RE01R, etc. I had two sets of SPTs and a set of the HTRZIIIs on the RX-8 - they were all round and black and held the car off the ground, but they weren't that spectacular.

If it were me, I'd buy the Star Specs. Honestly, I'd be buying a second set of Star Specs for my car, but I've decided to try out the Nitto NT05s instead. Unfortunately, Nitto doesn't make a size that would work for you.

[Miatamoto]

Ok looking back on your criteria again I'd also suggest the Kumho XS. Similar grip to the Star Spec, great dry grip, not as good wet grip, and cheaper than the star spec so who cares if you're commuting on them everyday.

[CosmosMpower]

The SPT and the HTRZIII are mediocre autocross tires at best, compared to the Star Spec, Kumho XS, Bridgestone RE01R, etc. I had two sets of SPTs and a set of the HTRZIIIs on the RX-8 - they were all round and black and held the car off the ground, but they weren't that spectacular.

If it were me, I'd buy the Star Specs. Honestly, I'd be buying a second set of Star Specs for my car, but I've decided to try out the Nitto NT05s instead. Unfortunately, Nitto doesn't make a size that would work for you.

Awww what happened to your "I datalogged over 1G in my RX-8 in the rain on SPT" speech :)

[altiain]

Awww what happened to your "I datalogged over 1G in my RX-8 in the rain on SPT" speech :)

Bite me.

The SPTs were pretty good three and a half years ago. The state of the art has improved dramatically in extreme street tires since then.

[Miatamoto]

Bite me.

The SPTs were pretty good three and a half years ago. The state of the art has improved dramatically in extreme street tires since then.

I may not be able to spell Dunlop right all the time, but I know that the Dunlop Z1 has been around for over 3 years, my RE-01Rs have an '05 build date and the Yoko AD07 was a hell of a tire that can probably give any of the new offerings a run for their money. There were a lot of good (state of the art) tires around then, you just weren't using them.

[altiain]

You have a very, very early set of RE-01Rs then, since people were discussing the tire's pending release back in mid-December of 2005.

You're right about the AD07, but the Star Spec was released early last year, iirc. The standard Z1 is a totally different tire.

[Miatamoto]

You're right about the AD07, but the Star Spec was released early last year, iirc. The standard Z1 is a totally different tire.

Star Spec release was in '08 not '09 plus Dunlop said the compound changes were just to increase it's capability to handle heat. :)

[CosmosMpower]

You have a very, very early set of RE-01Rs then, since people were discussing the tire's pending release back in mid-December of 2005.

You're right about the AD07, but the Star Spec was released early last year, iirc. The standard Z1 is a totally different tire.

The Z1 was not a totally different tire, just a slightly different compound and it was not out for very long (maybe 1 yr) before the Star Spec version was introduced. The Star Spec was brought out for autocrossers and offers a compound that gets up to operating temp faster. The totally different crap tire you're thinking of is the Dunlop Direzza DZ101 which was a cheaper "performance" street tire that failed at everything.

[Titus]