Star Spec vx. Ecsta XS for autox tire - Page 2

ambystom01 · Aug 20, 2009, 10:05 AM

I went to the XS after driving RE01Rs so it took a while to get used to them. At first I hated them, they made a lot more noise than the Bridgestones and didn't feel right but as they wear, they get better.

ODUB · Aug 21, 2009, 03:54 AM

i'd love to see a test with these and the Z1's compared to the NT05's. in the last car and driver test with the XS and the Z1, the XS was the fastest, but not by much. if there's ever a test with the NT05's i might have to give them a look. so far the NT05's have been spectacular for me. i've run two events on them so far, with another coming this weekend. good luck with the XS, can't wait to hear your review.

RaNGVR-4 · Aug 21, 2009, 11:24 AM

^ are there any national STU contenders in your region?

EVOXTIMES · Aug 30, 2009, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fair

You only asked about Dunlop SS and Kumho XS so I'll try to keep my answers to those two, which I agree are very good cost-to-performance tires. I have raced on these and almost all of the other current "Street Touring" (140-200 treadwear) tires. They are going to be very close, with the XS probably taking the edge in the dry. We've used the Dunlops starting in mid 2008 and like them fine, but the XS is newer, slightly cheaper, and seem to be posting more wins in ST than the Dunlops these days (the AD08s are pretty damn competitive too, but cost a good deal more. The "feel" is very different).

first set of tires we put on our EVO X were the Dunlops...they made over 1.0g lateral on the stock, marshmallow suspension

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/for...a/10151/page1/

Look for the Grassroots Motorsports annual tire test article from earlier this year (raw data at the link above) where GRM editor Per Schroeder and autocross legend Andy Hollis tested these two tires against each other, as well as the RE11, RE01R, R1R, Falken RT615, and all of the other ST tires out at that time. The XS was the clear winner in that test. (they later re-ran the test with the new AD08s and it was slightly quicker in some tests than the XS).

Size matters more than anything on an Evo. This car like most AWD cars is not exactly lightweight so "go wide" if your class rules allow for it. There is no advantage to the skinny 245mm tires - unless the rules mandate it or you are totally broke and stuck with the stock wheels, get a bigger tire. If you are running in STU you are stuck with 245s (which handicaps these heavy cars), so one trick is to stretch the tire onto a wider rim to improve the footprint (think 9.5" or 10" wide). If you are going by the more liberal BSP or even SMod rules, then go to at least an 18x9.5" wheel and a 265/35/18 - most of these tires come in that size. If you can make them fit and want the most grip possible in a ST type tire compound go for an 18x10 or 10.5" wheel and 285/30/18s (the AD08 comes in that size).

Good luck,

How do you feel about 265 on a 8.5 rim?

rawkus · Sep 1, 2009, 01:09 PM

For Time Attack on Evo's and WRX's, at least from the East Coast events I have seen, Star Specs are better than NT05's, but again, different style racing and I don't know anyone using XS's yet.

Dan

meanmud · Sep 1, 2009, 03:00 PM

I ran them (Star Specs) at Summit Point 2 weeks ago - 1 day it rained, the other was dry and fairly warm. I was pretty happy with them in both conditions. In the dry, I had to back off quite a bit after a couple/few hot laps.

kyooch · Sep 28, 2009, 11:31 PM

how long did those star specs last before they gave out/what kind of activity/frequency?

goofygrin · Sep 29, 2009, 07:10 AM

From talking to people that took the XS to nationals... they HATED them. One batch of people thought their car was broken. They said they were fine for local events, but something about the pavement in Lincoln made them just suck.

Skylineracer · Sep 29, 2009, 07:22 AM

my star specs lasted so far 16000miles cause i put mostly DD miles, only did a few events. and they still could go but i have to change them cause i messed one up

SS RX7 r2 · Sep 29, 2009, 05:43 PM

I think the SCCA Nats results pretty well sum up the AX street tire to have for an Evo.

Out of almost 50 cars in the STU class, Dunlop Star Specs took the top 4 spots.

Rick

RaNGVR-4 · Sep 29, 2009, 08:58 PM

The Hankook RS3's are going to be a good tire next year as well, I can feel it. As expected, the NT05 isnt even on the same page for auto-x as the top tires.

72Tornado · Sep 29, 2009, 09:18 PM

My impressions:

The XS is simply a fantastic tire and a phenomenal value for money to boot. That said, the Star Spec is also a very strong performer, and each has its own advantages and disadvantages.

What the Kumhos excel at - certainly beyond the Dunlops - is delivering incredible lateral grip. You can carry simply amazing speeds through all sorts of corners and the tires just grip. Their longitudinal grip does suffer, however, although that obviously isn't as much of a problem in our cars. They also lose a bit in terms of responsiveness compared to the Star Specs - the sidewalls is softer, making the tire feel less precise. When you turn in, you can feel a delay as the sidewall rolls, but then the tire just bites in and holds.

The Star Specs were great in their own right but lose some of the Kumhos' outstanding lateral grip in exchange for quicker, more agile responses. The Dunlops are also far, far better in the rain, but this won't ever be an issue unless you're actually on track as it's raining.

Both tires are very predictable and progressive in their breakaway characteristics, making it easy to modulate them at the limit. I've noticed absolutely zero heat fade in the Kumhos, and maybe just a little in the Star Specs. Also, my set of Dunlops seemed to fall off as the tires got older, whereas the Kumhos supposedly stay at the same level or even improve as they wear.

While I do miss the instant response of the Dunlops, I'm very happy with the Kumhos and would happily buy another set.