I highly suggest that you look into the Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Specs. I was skeptical because I thought Dunlop tires were so-so. However, these are incredible. I did alot of research on TireRack and was originally going to get the $210 a piece Goodyear GS D3s. Then, I saw the reviews for the Dunlop Direzza Z1s and people claim they were just as good as tires twice the price - they are only $135 which saved me about $300 from getting the Goodyears.

I had Fuzion HRis on the car when I bought it about 2 1/2 years ago. They had about 75% tread then. Anyways, I had 245/45/17 Dunlops put on my new Bullitt wheels last week and damn, it drives like a dream. I can throw the car around like a go-kart. They are soooo much better than the Fuzions. I got alot of rain from hurricane Gustav last week and got to test them in the wet as well. They give me tons of confidence in the wet. In the dry on the interstate cloverleaf I can comfortably do 75+ mph. They are very predictable and don't break loose sudddenly, but rather it's easy to slowly push them to the max until you get some oversteer. Also, the response is great; it is almost instantaneous.

I have no suspension upgrades, but once I do get some I'm gonna try to go the local autocross. Autocross is 1000x more fun than driving your car fast in straight line IMO. In conclusion, next time you get tires, seriously look into them. Just my $0.02.

 

I just got some Kumho Ecstas, 245/45/17, and they ride really good....but has anyone had a problem with upgrading new rims and tires from stock killing gas mileage? seems like I lost about 5 mpg...think it could be something else, or would rims make that big of a difference?

 

bigger heavier rims and wider stickier tires will definitely hurt mpg. There's a reason civics have steelies with rubberbands on them.

 

Yea, I just wasn't expecting to hurt it that bad...

 

Meh, I went from a 205 to a 225 and lost about 1-2mpg on average.. didn't see that coming either.

 

Just bought some BFG drag radials

 

niiice, sounds expensive though, but i bet they feel gr8 and keep all the power planted to the ground

 

Those Dunlaps look great from what I've read on tire rack. My only concern is the treadwear and traction in colder climates. I personally would prefer an all-season tire for my daily commuter in an environment that ranges from 20 degs - 100 degs throughout the year. My Bridgestones have been pretty excellent for all-season performance.

But yea, if you can afford two sets of tires, (one for summer one for winter) the Dunlaps look great, and sell for a good price.

 

That is what I run on the rear. 295's hook like mad. Using an R compound tire on the street is not for most. And you pay out the butt for them with such a low tread life.

 

I live in Florida. The coldest it gets here is about 25 degrees (for a low).... and that only happens about 3-5 times a year.