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Need help selecting tires- Re-11s, Dunlop Stars, or Michelin Super Sports

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Hey guys,

This is my first post on Boss Mustangs! I live in Houston and I recently purchased a 2012 Kona Blue Boss 302. I've enjoyed the last 3,000 miles I've put on this car more than all of my other cars combined. She's simply a blast. While I'm still enjoying the car in stock form, a friend of mine has been pushing me towards participating in HPDE and other road racing events. I've decided it's time I need to learn how to drive this thing the way it's meant to be driven. For my first step, I want to ditch the heavy 19s currently on the car. I see no reason to keep them as 1) they're heavy and 2) I can easily fit wider and lighter 18s on all the corners. But to do that, I need to select which tires I want! Here's what I'm looking for:

-Maintain or come close to the 26.9" tire height I currently have in stock form.
-FInd a tire that's right around 200 treadwear and/or will last me 10k miles with some events tossed in there. I don't want to buy tires more than once a year.
-Tires that work well in the rain as well as the dry. Unfortunately I have to drive on I-10 to work and I don't want to get caught in a bad thunderstorm with my shorts around my ankles.
-Having a set of 18s with pure R-compounds and keeping my stockers is simply not an option right now. Perhaps in the future it will be.

With that being said, I've narrowed my search to three potential candidates. I was hoping you guys could give me your .02 cents. Please keep in mind my car is roughly 3750 pounds with me riding in it!

-Dunlop Star Spec 275/35/18 ($1196 for 4)

-Bridgestone Re-11s 275/40/18 ($1256 for 4)

-Michelin Pilot Super Sports 285/35/18 ($1308 for 4).

All three tires have raving reviews, but I'm not sure exactly which set I should pick. The Dunlop Star specs are highly regarded, but I'm afraid they may be a little short for my purposes. The Re-11s are also very well regarded, and Vorshlag even ran this set on their 2011 mustang gt with great success. However, the Super Sports are wider and have 300 treadware versus 180. But the super sports are brand new, and it seems like outside porsche circles, very few HPDE guys run Michelin. Ah the choices.

Thanks in advance guys!
 
Welcome to BMO. Are you planning on running a square setup then? Regardless the PSS tires are regarded as the best non R compound street/track tires out there and that's what I'm planning on buying next. FWIW the Boss Track Attack cars were running PS2 tires when I attended and the PSS are better. The main reason why you don't see them as often on cars outside of Porsche's is because they cost more than most of the other options. While more expensive they will wear better and the added cost should be recouped by their longer life.
 
I personally run Re-11's as street tires and love them. Very predictable and communicative. Haven't run the others on the Boss, but I can tell you that you would like the Bridgestones ;D
 
Thanks for the quick and helpful responses guys. Yes, I plan on running a square setup. I'm going to purchase Forgeline F14s in gunmetal. They come in 18x10, 18x11, and 18x12. I'm going to go with the 18x10 as they're the easiest to run with most street setups because they do not require extreme camber/suspension adjustments to fit. Further, 275/285s will look and feel great on that wide of a rim. The more I read, the more people are raving about the PSS's!
 

JScheier

Too Hot for the Boss!
Also look at the Hankook RS-3 (www.discounttiredirect.com). I've run these on the Boss as well as the M3 and other vehicles. They handle the heat better than the Dunlops and are available in a 285x35x18.

Still short, but a damn good tire (and should be the price winner in your group).
 
JScheier said:
Also look at the Hankook RS-3 (www.discounttiredirect.com). I've run these on the Boss as well as the M3 and other vehicles. They handle the heat better than the Dunlops and are available in a 285x35x18.

Still short, but a damn good tire (and should be the price winner in your group).

I considered the RS-3s, but given the fact they don't last very long and they are very skittish in the rain, I passed. For a pure track tire, I would have purchased those no doubt!
 
I think Terry Fair already sent you an email on the tires we've used on the Vorshlag car. We haven't tested every tire at every size because of some of the rulesets we have competed in. Restrictions on sizes (265, 285 and unrestricted) and treadwear ratings (both 140, 200 and unrestricted) have played in our tire choices.

But out of the tires you've selected in that first post, and their costs, I'd go with the PSS every time. It's much better than it's treadwear rating suggests, has decent longevity and is quieter than both the Dunlop (very noisy) and Bridgestone (somewhat noisy).
 
Thanks for all the helpful replies. Indeed- I've been speaking with Terry over email. You guys at Vorshlag run a top notch shop! I think I'm pretty much dead-set on the Michellin PSS's. It's helpful getting advice from people who daily/track their Bosses.
 

drano38

Wayne
1,130
318
BUstang said:
-Find a tire that's right around 200 treadwear and/or will last me 10k miles with some events tossed in there. I don't want to buy tires more than once a year.

Welcome to the world of tracking the Boss!
If you do a couple events per year, your plan will work.
But then you'll get hooked, and be at the track every month!
Another option is buying dedicated track wheels/tires and run the stock wheels the rest of the time. That way you can expand your tire selection a bit for grippy tires that would still get you home from the track in the rain.
 

JScheier

Too Hot for the Boss!
BUstang said:
I considered the RS-3s, but given the fact they don't last very long and they are very skittish in the rain, I passed. For a pure track tire, I would have purchased those no doubt!

I ran them (Hankooks) in the rain at Pueblo last Saturday without issue (these are the same tires I ran at Hastings last year at the Roundup). Then moved to Hoosiers when it dried up.

As for wear, same TW as the Dunlops and Bridgestones (140TW I believe), so not really an issue. I won't try to talk you into them... but they work very well.

The Michelins are nice and have a higher TW.

Did you also look at the Yokohama Neova AD08?
 
I have not. I read a few threads on the Lotus forum with several members who were disappointed with that tire, claiming they were very greasy and had bad turn-in. Do you have any experience with them?
 
I've been thinking about this more and I'm leaning towards the RE-11s now. I really like the idea of having an additional 1" of sidewall versus the Michelins. Aesthetically it will look better, and more sidewall typically means better handling. The RE-11s are cheaper, too.
 
I don't know how much this will help you, but I've ran Dunlop Z1 SS's on my corolla for 2 summers now. They are now on the 3rd and last summer. I've done about 4-5 track weekends each summer, and the tires have lasted great.

Some of the things that I've noticed while owning the tires are:
-Great turn in
-They grip better when cool; once heated up they get a little greasy and squeal, but that's also affected by air pressure increase and understeer on the corolla.
-They are a little noisier than your average tire, but that doesn't bother me.
-Great wear with stock alignment, without extra neg. camber.
-And the thread pattern looks cool :p

I'm kind of curious how the Dunlops will act on the Boss, being a heavier and faster car.

BUstang said:
...additional 1" of sidewall versus the Michelins. Aesthetically it will look better, and more sidewall typically means better handling. The RE-11s are cheaper, too.

Larger sidewall usually leads to better ride quality, because of the added rubber acting as a spring.
Larger sidewall could also increase your slip angle during a turn. Depending on the sidewall stiffness, it can also negatively affect your turn-in response. But, most of these performance summer tires have stiff sidewalls.
 
I was under the impression that more sidewall allows for better turn-in response because the sidewall isn't immediately "stiff" upon the weight of the vehicle coming to that corner. This is a non-technical way of explaining it, but hopefully that makes sense.
 

JScheier

Too Hot for the Boss!
BUstang said:
I have not. I read a few threads on the Lotus forum with several members who were disappointed with that tire, claiming they were very greasy and had bad turn-in. Do you have any experience with them?

I ran Neova AD08s on Vorshlag's Evo X... I really liked them.. alot. I also ran the AD07. Both stuck like glue and were very heat resistant. Of course, they cost significantly more than the Dunlop or Hankook.

I'll be ordering another set of Hankooks once this set dies unless someone comes up with a 295 or 305 in a 140 TW tire... then I'll jump ship.
 
332
0
I'm running AD08s now on 19" LS type wheels (295-30R and 265-35F) and VERY happy with them for compromise street/track tire. Nine track days on them and 4500 road miles and they still look almost new! On the track I frequently motor around guys running R compound rubber. They are certainly not as good as a full R compound tire but they are damn close and still a nice quiet road tire with decent wet traction. I would look into them if you want a tire you don't need to change for track days.
 

Bill Pemberton

0ld Ford Automotive Racing Terror
8,425
8,356
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
20+ Years
Blair, Nebraska
Would have to go along with Pete in CT. ---- the new Michelin may have a slightly higher tread rating , but on track it does not seem to run like that. Better rain capabilities than the previous PS2 and though it will wear better, hear drivers saying it stay very consistent on the track over a long period of time.
 

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