Interesting new street tire choice...
 

255/40R17 RE070s at TireRack.

I think I'm still going to go with the Dunlops, but those are tempting.

Do you see some sale I don't?

Otherwise, I believe these have been available for years...

Not in that size.

What are you fitting tires that wide on Kev?

What about the new Kumho XS $151 each or the Bridgestone RE-01R $231 each? I just give you more choices to mess up your head. :)

Kumho XS or Dunlop star specs are likely going to be the tire of choice this year.

17x8.5 CE28s

Not really. The RE-01Rs are more than I can justify spending given the cost of the the Dunlops, and the Kumhos are too unknown to be justified by a mere $64 savings.

The RE070s are also too expensive, but I know some people here might be interested in them given that they are slightly cheaper than the RE01Rs and the only flaw to the stock STi tires (for autocross) is that they're not as wide as other tires like RE01Rs.

Ha, nice wheels. I meant what car?

99 RS coupe in SM. :) May or may not be ready for April, in which case we'll be out there in Nina's Mazda3 for a bit.

How do you like the 3? Amanda wants one.

I can't wait to see the RS! Have any more info on it on I-Club or anything?

Nah, I haven't bothered with a project thread or anything. It's basically going to be like Cory's DSP car, only with some basic engine work bumping it to SM.

The 3 is awesome. If it was AWD, I would totally covet it. It's a bit faster and lighter than an RS, in a hatchback that didn't cost us a mint and so far is cheap to maintain and insure. I even love how it looks. Still no AWD means I wouldn't want one as my primary DD or autocross car, though it's far from sucking at either one. Heck, you can fit 255s underneath it if you want to.

Awesome, do the Volks fit the 3?

Wait, Cory's running DSP this year?

No, the wheels I got from Scott that had some leftover 255/40 RT615s fit on the 3. The Volks are the ones I used to have on my blue coupe, then sold to Chris Miranda, then bought back last year.

And I still refer to Cory's car as a DSP car because the things that used to bump him out of SP (CF hood, WRX brakes) didn't affect its performance.

I see. So the 3 has the same wheel fitment as an STi/SVX?

Almost. The offsets aren't identical, but close enough. What sucks is that Subaru hubcentrics are smaller than Mazda's, so Mazda wheels fit the STi/SVX but Subaru wheels don't fit the 3.

So, there are 4 or 5 excellent street tires to choose from...I don't know which way to go... I think I am going to try for 255's this time. We shall see. Where are you guys reading about the Dunlops and the Bridgestones? I can't find any trustworthy reviews.

You are probably going to have to wait until after the first tour event on March 14th or San Diego on the 21st for any good data...

On the Kumhos maybe, but I would say the rest are known commodities.

Well, I'm no national competitor, but I can definitely give the Dunlops two thumbs up!

Not sure if this is trustworthy, but: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=107

If I were buying tires, I'd be all over the Starspec's in a heartbeat.

Unfortunately, that is from last year, so the new Kumho isn't on there.

I agree on the Star Spec, though if money was no object and you only ran on smooth dry pavement, the Nuevas might be a hair better for autocross only due to higher G support.

When I can finally get some money, the first thing I'm buying is the Star Specs.

Save $50 on Star Specs: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/specia...n_rev_0309.jsp

Awesome. That really clinches the Dunlops over the Kumhos for me.

There's a box to check for that on the MIR form. :lol: