.. after about a good 15,000mi I'm in the market for new tires.

Looking at the Dunlop Z1 Star Spec, Hankook Ventus R-S3 and the Bridgestone Potenza RE-760.

I've heard great things about each tire but this is my first time buying tires for the Evo and I'm replacing the factory Advans. Mostly DD from school to work and a little "spirited" driving here and there. Don't Autocross (yet) but something i've been really looking to get into. Looking into the 500-600 dollar price range but would be willing to go a little higher for a better tire. I would love to pick up a set of Advans but that price is just killer! Any input would be great and feel free to suggest other tires too. Thank you guys

 

My vote would be for the Star Specs. At the same time, it sounds like youir not set on an "Extreme Performance Summer Tire" so I would recommend also looking into the Hankook V12 EVO

 

Ive got the Z1's and i absolutely love them. My driving habbits seem to be about the same as yours and the Z1 has been pretty good as far as tread wear goes. I have about 8k on them, but they have a ton of life left. It looks like the will last around 20k miles if i had to guess.

 

RS3s are better than Z1 * specs, theyre the new extreme summer tire

 

Well thats a bold statement.. do you have evidence to back this claim up? I just tracked my car for 2 days on *Specs and I can honestly say they didn't get sloppy or greasy on me once. They did everything I asked from the word go. I know a lot of poeple on here are going to the RS-3 due to the lower cost, but with that you also get 20% less rubber. *Specs come with 10/32nds, RS-3 have 8/32nds. Now I haven't driven on the Hankooks, so I can't say which is a better tire, but I will say its hard to beat the Dunlops if you want an Extreme Perfomance tire.

To the OP, buy a tire that will do what you need it too for the majority of the way use the car. You may not need a RS-3 or a *Spec..

 

Good point, especially as the stock Advans lasted the OP 15K miles.

 

Well if OP or whomever wants to be really serious he'd go with R compounds.. in terms of summer tire, RS-3 will be the better choice for dry grip. My information comes from people who have autocrossed and tracked both tires and the grassroots community, albeit the people I know are more focused on autocross than track. It's got more dry grip but slightly softer sidewall and it is sold out everywhere anyway. I doubt it'll make much difference. There are plenty of threads on this forum and others discussing the RS3 that OP or anyone else can look up.

To note, neither tire are all that great for just regular driving. BEST option would be to pick up a second set of wheels and mount all seasons on one set. Otherwise, *Specs are better in the wet, something to consider if OP is gonna be driving around daily

Double note, just looked at where OP is from.. you're gonna want another all seasons with good snow capability (DWS) or dedicated snow tire eventually. We get some sick snow around here during the winter

 

BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KDW 2 might be a good chose for you.

 

Thanks for all the input guys.. Yes living in Chicago we do get a bit of snow but i have a set of dedicated snow tires for that time of the year.. Honestly I'm just really looking for a good set of summer tires for the summer and to get into AutoCross. Out of curiosity has anyone ran the Nitto NT-05's. They look like great tires and I’ve heard are really comparable to the *Spec's but there cut at 6/32" :? any idea how long did they last?

 

If you plan on track time I'd do the Z1's or RS3's. If its within the budget I'd stick with the Z1's. Proven tire on EVO's and should have no problems with an occasional auto-x event.

 

This tire is outdated and for the price I wouldn't even consider it. I would recommend Hankook Evo's over KDW 2's. If you are only driving on the street then Hankook EVO's for sure as they have performed decent even during an autox. All the faster guys out on the track are on RS3's and I am patiently waiting on my set.

 

I run with the top street tire autocross guys, and I recommend the Z1s. Compared to other top tires, the Z1s wear well, they have a wide usable temp range, the stiff sidewall works well with the nose heavy Evo, and they're quick! Also one of the best rain tires, unlike the Hankooks RS3 or Kumhos XS, that are scary in cool wet conditions. The NT-05 needs more heat to work for AX.

I would look into the 245/40-17 size for stock rims. That size also allows you to run in the lightly modded SCCA Street Tourung Ultra class later on.

Rick

 

none of those are better then the factory Advan tire...

 

That may have been true when the factory tire came out in '03. But now there are other tires that offer higher grip better and better steering response.

Rick

 

Yokohama advan ado8 are pretty nice tires. I have around 5000 spirited miles on them and they still look like new. They ride nice, and they hook pretty well.