fireant do you have a pic of your CRX Kumho XS set up? and you running those on what kind of wheel?

thx!

 

I can get you a pic soon, they're on old-style 15x7+38 Kosei K1s.

 

ok thx i got 15x7 42mm i think i will be fine to not rub to much! ;o)

i currently drive Azenis and i know XS are wider!

 

The +38 Koseis + XS rubbed a small amount when I cornered into an inclined driveway. I tugged on my fenders and rolled in the lips some more and it seems to have fixed it...no signs of rubbing at all from the track day.

But it all comes down to camber and ride-height in the end. Fender-tuggin is the last tweak.

 

here in Québec CRX whit no rust are very hard to fine so when you find one like mine rust free (Florida car) it hurts to Fender-tuggin them so we try hard not to roll if we can! that why i choose 42mm wheel

so if my Azenis rub a bit in hard corner....XS will be rub a bit much!

 

hey guys ive been keeping up on this thread, i have a question for you Tire Gurus..i have a 95 civic coupe that i have been wanting to take up on some twists and turns. What kind of tire do you guys recommend for on the street to have some fun ? Thnx

 

That really depends on the trade-off you want to make between value and performance.

For maximum performance, you can get "supersticky" tires (sometimes called "extreme performance summer tires"), like the Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec, Bridgestone Potenza RE01R, Falken Azenis RT-615, Kumho Ecsta XS, or Toyo R1R. They offer awesome traction on dry roads, which makes them perfect if you want to use them not only for daily driving, but also for an occasional autocross or track event. Downsides are that they don't last all that long - the Azenis typically lasts 10-12K miles, and the others maybe a bit more but not a lot - and they're just okay not all that great in rain. They vary in price, from the Dunlop and Falken on the low end to the Bridgestone on the high end, but in general they can be somewhat expensive, depending on size.

You can sacrifice some performance and get much better value with "budget performance summer tires" (sometimes called "ultra high performance summer tires"), of which you get the best combination of performance and value with the Yokohama S.drive, Fuzion ZRi, and Kumho Ecsta SPT. Traction on dry roads is pretty good, especially considering the value, but nowhere near as good as those supersticky tires. They're also excellent in rain, and last a reasonably long time, typically 25-40K miles. They're relatively inexpensive, typically $60-70 in 15" sizes, $80 or so in 16" sizes.

Which trade-off to make is up to you.

All of these tires are summer tires, and aren't going to grip well in snow or frigid cold. But you don't have to worry about that, where you live.

Oh, and as far as size availability - for street use, your '95 Civic is best with 185/60-14 on 14" wheels, 195/50-15 on 15" wheels, and 205/40-16 or 195/45-16 on 16" wheels. Among the supersticky tires, the RE01R and R1R are both available in 195/50-15, and the RT-615 is available in 205/40-16. Among the budget performance tires, you'll need to get the Yokohama ES100 in 185/60-14, the S.drive or ZRi or SPT in 195/50-15, the SPT in 205/40-16, or the S.drive in 195/45-16. (The SPT can be hard to find in these sizes.)

 

been following this thread...reviews are good but i'm still waiting to hear of a good compairison with the XS and the RE-01R's and Direzza Star Specs...autox season for me is coming up in just 2 months. i'm already prepping my car, just need to decide on tires...

 

wow thanx for that info ..i dont use my car as a daily driver. the last time i drove it was in october. But a friend of mine picked up an evo and another a porsche. So they're wanting to go up to the National Park next week and i know im gonna need a stickier tire. Im running a 15' Mugen wheel. But i will definately look ino those tires. Thanks alot for the info man awesome.

 

So who on here is going to man up and use the 265's?

 

I wish I still had my GT, I'd pick these up in 275 or 285's if they made them...

Hopefully I'll be getting these in 215/45/16 when it gets a tad warmer, sounds like they are a great tire. I wanted the Direzza Z1, but they make them in such weird sizes.

 

I can only speculate, but I suspect these supersticky tires are made in relatively low quantities, and there's a certain fixed cost in tooling for their manufacture as well as in keeping them in inventory. For both reasons they don't want to carry them in a bazillion different sizes like a mass-market tire. I suspect they choose a small number of sizes based on demand for those sizes among the enthusiasts who use them, combined with where competing tires aren't already made in those sizes. Thus the Star Spec is available in 205/50-16, a size used by many Accords and Preludes and not available in most other supersticky tires, and not available in 205/45-16 (which is well covered by the RE01R and R1R) or 215/45-16 (also well covered, by the Azenis and now the XS).

 

I've ran all three so far 08-09... started out with the bridgestone re-01R 195/50R15 (shaved 4/32). Then to the Dunlop Direzza z1 star spec 195/55R15 (shaved 4/32). And now Full Tread Kumho XS 205/50R15.

Grip wise, I would say the Dunlop has a better compound than all three. But by very little margin. It would go Dunlop>Kumho>Bridgestone. But that is to be expected considering the dunlop and kumho tires are a new batch 08-09 tire, while the bridgestone re-o1rs are an 06-07-08 tire.

The problem with the Dunlop is its tall side wall. At a 55 series sidewall, flex or flop is an issue on the 15" size. Also tire wear is an issue since its track width is smaller due to its tall-ness. Shaving is a must for longevity. Other than that, I had no issue getting used to its size and did just as well as my old bridgestones. Gearing was also a minor issue as it was a bit tall.... shaved it was close to the "golden" 23 inches that an STS civic should be aiming for.

Kumho... I've gone through 28 runs so far from sticker new tires. It took about 2-3 runs to get the compound mold away from the tires. The grip so far is on par with both the dunlop and bridgestone marginally. They work better in the rear than the other two cold. There is tire squirm noticeable, so shaving should make these faster. Unfortunately, I won't be able to report on my shaved set until a couple events before the San Diego National Tour.

Bridgestone.... just wait for the RE-11s to come out soon =P

 

oinojo... might see you at the SD tour

 

Is there any idea yet how long the XS last, or whether they can withstand the "heat cycles" from daily driving?

 

The dimensions aren't all that different, especially when you realize that the RE01R is notorious for being a bit bigger than other 195/50-15 tires. Leaving aside differences between the actual and the nominal measurements, here are the calculated sidewall heights and outer diameters for the three sizes:

195/50-15 (RE01R): 3.84" / 22.68"
195/55-15 (Star Spec): 4.22" / 23.44"
205/50-15 (XS): 4.04" / 23.07"

You're going to keep waiting. I was talking with the guys in the huge Bridgestone display truck at a track event last August. They said we aren't going to get the RE-11, that they are waiting until they introduce a new R compound in the next year or two to replace the RE-11. At that point they will probably make it available in North America as well as overseas.

 

i know your suppose to be the "tire guy"

but i believe the re11 is set to come out march, and there are some "contract" drivers i think that have a set ready to scrub in already

 

It's possible they were wrong, or it's possible they imported some specifically for those contract drivers.

 

Tirerack had said March the last time I looked. They had the specs and such up on their site for about 2-3 days.

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/show....php?t=1678659

 

"certain" drivers already have them. =X I can't say who tho. And yes they are "supposed" to come March 1st.

 

Yeah that was talked about after Nationals and their adds say "Wait till next year"

They are in it to win it. I think they see the money that is to be made by bringing these tires over. And I think they understand how the intra web has people talking about street tires on every car forum.

 

lets just say Kumho is behind the ball AGAIN...

 

compared to what?

on our sts car we found the XS to be right on par even little better than the re01rs?


even if they are behind a little ... it makes me wonder what mccormick is gonna do this year on them

 

xs suck in the wet period. comparable to azenis in wet.
i would still prefer RE01rs to the XS. They are comparable on dry. Very close. But the overall picture gets my attention.
The Toyo 195 has the slop, but the grip that would inspire newcoming street tires in the future. Why do you think Bridgestone is making us wait.

 

Im still in love with my undersized Dunlop's.