I have an '02 E46 and am running 18" Bridgestone Potenzas that need to be replaced. I have Bilstein coil-overs and camber plates added to the car and it handles great but feel I need more tire. I don't want to buy a third set of rims and would prefer to race the occasional autoX on the street tire. What should I buy? Also, can I or should I use a wider tire?
I've been running the Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 as a 'dual purpose' tire for about a year now and I love them! I use them on the street, at the autocross and on the track and they have not let me down once! At the autocross, they give up a little bit to a true R compound but hey, it's a street tire! Everybody has very passionate opinions about tires and if you asked 10 people, you would probably get 10 different answers. This is just one persons opinion but I think the tire is definitely worth looking at. As for running a wider tire...what size are you running now and what size rims do you have?
I appreciate the feedback. Gary at Tire Rack just recommended the same tire. So you're in good company. He also gave me the info on size. Thanks
You might want to look at Falken Azenis, too. It would fit your needs if you do not want to go to a dedicated set of autocross tires and wheels (in which case go with Hoosier Racing Tires, the A6).
hi akoglin! there's a guy here in houston that has been telling everyone about his miracle direzza's. oh....hi, dan! actually, i will be trying the miracle direzza's as my next autox/street tire. are your potenza's the re-01r's? if so, i have run one event on mine on concrete and love them so far. i will see how they do on an asphalt course next weekend. *crossing fingers* another tire to consider are the yokohama advans. in terms of the azenis, i used to run the old falken azenis rt-215s (which i loved) but they stopped making them. everyone i know that moved on to the newer azenis (rt-615s) do not like them as much as the previous version fwiw. and if i jumped on this thread too late and u've already replaced ur tires....nevermind.
I use the Dunlop Star specs for stock class and do fairly well. They are the stickiest street tires that I've tried so far....
They're kind of useless in the snow, so they're useless as all-seasons. Otherwise, I found the dry grip to be much better than my previous Sumitomo HTR-H4's, though those were of a different size (195-65R-14). I currently run 205-55R-15's. I found that on certain slight uphill 90-degree right-hand corners at intersections, my tires no longer squeak when launching to merge with traffic, but I don't know if all of this is due to the fact that my old tires were getting worn (replaced at 2/16") or if I have a different size. Honestly, I would say buy something better if you can.
Yea they are crap in snow. Lol. I'll ride out the winter and summer with them. When next winter comes I will buy Blizzaks.
