Beans
Addicted CEG'er
I'm in the market for tires. I was looking at Dunlop's Direzza DZ101 215/50/16
Heard anything good? Bad?
Heard anything good? Bad?
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Any opnions on Direzza DZ101?
- Thread starter Beans
- Start date
Beans
Addicted CEG'er
Yeah i did, i was just wonder if anyone experienced them first hand.
shaggist
CEG'er
Dunlops
Dunlops
I have had them on my 99 SVT for 2k miles now, and like them very much. They have excellent dry and wet traction, and are very stable in turns at
speed with no bad habits to surprise you. My gas mileage is 28.5 w/o AC on the highway, and 25 with A/C on highway. Around town with A/C, I get 21. I haven't tried them on the track or strip, as that isn't my thing anymore. They were recommended by my tire guy, and he has never steered me wrong yet. I like them and shall buy them again when it comes time to replace them.
Dunlops
I have had them on my 99 SVT for 2k miles now, and like them very much. They have excellent dry and wet traction, and are very stable in turns at
speed with no bad habits to surprise you. My gas mileage is 28.5 w/o AC on the highway, and 25 with A/C on highway. Around town with A/C, I get 21. I haven't tried them on the track or strip, as that isn't my thing anymore. They were recommended by my tire guy, and he has never steered me wrong yet. I like them and shall buy them again when it comes time to replace them.
Beans
Addicted CEG'er
Kremithefrog
Hard-core CEG'er
They're not too bad but for the price there are some better options.
I am on my second set. I only got 20k miles out of them and I drove them for probably 5k too long, but I really liked them and just got a new set. This time I got the 225/50/16's though and I have to say I like them a bit better. Not sure I agree with the wet handling comment above, but in san diego its never wet so its not a problem. I fully recommend them.
mcgarvey
Veteran CEG'er
I definitely do not recommend those tires. We install them on the new Scion TCs we sell at my dealership, its a dealer option-- You get 18" Enkeis and those tires for $1500 or something crazy like that. I've driven on them and even though they look like performance tires, they have very soft sidewalls and really detract from the handling of the car. The reason we install those is so the 16 year old rich girls who buy those cars don't complain about the rough ride, and because they're fairly inexpensive for the size.
I'd look elsewhere-- Kumhos are great tires. If you're looking for something cheaper, get a set of Nexen N5000s on ebay. Road noise is a little louder than others, but traction is great in wet and dry and they look good.
I'd look elsewhere-- Kumhos are great tires. If you're looking for something cheaper, get a set of Nexen N5000s on ebay. Road noise is a little louder than others, but traction is great in wet and dry and they look good.
I'd argue that any Scion is a turd for reasons that extend far beyond its footwear.
In a complete sports sedan like the Contour SVT, the Direzza is a great tire. There are more aggressive choices out there, as with almost anything, but you'll benefit from great handling, low road noise, and a relatively smooth ride without compromising road feel. In addition to looking good, they also sport a directional tread with dual rain channels, so wet handling is excellent and predictable. The sidewalls, though firm, are not the stiffest out there, so expect a little give at the limit. I find this to be engaging, particularly in a car that has had mild understeer dialed in from the factory.
You also can't go wrong with the price. I was out the door at Town Fair tire, with alignment and balance, for about $492 if I recall correctly.
I've been running the Dunlops for about 10,000 miles, and are happy with their wear characteristics, as well.
In a complete sports sedan like the Contour SVT, the Direzza is a great tire. There are more aggressive choices out there, as with almost anything, but you'll benefit from great handling, low road noise, and a relatively smooth ride without compromising road feel. In addition to looking good, they also sport a directional tread with dual rain channels, so wet handling is excellent and predictable. The sidewalls, though firm, are not the stiffest out there, so expect a little give at the limit. I find this to be engaging, particularly in a car that has had mild understeer dialed in from the factory.
You also can't go wrong with the price. I was out the door at Town Fair tire, with alignment and balance, for about $492 if I recall correctly.
I've been running the Dunlops for about 10,000 miles, and are happy with their wear characteristics, as well.
mcgarvey
Veteran CEG'er
Agreed on the Scion thing. The TCs are to me just fake sports cars- like I said, it's mostly teenage girls who buy them. The engine/trans setup is the same as a Camry, it's tuned for torque but has absolutely no top end. I work on Toyotas all day, every day, and I'm really not crazy about anything in their lineup.
Anyway, $492 sounds like a lot for a set of tires! I paid $260 for my Nexens, including shipping. I mounted and balanced them myself but most shops will do that for $60 or so.
A word of caution: There are two types of balancing- static and dynamic. One type only places weights on the inside of the wheel, while dynamic balances both the radial and the side to side bias of the wheel and tire. Make sure that you get yours dynamically balanced!
Anyway, $492 sounds like a lot for a set of tires! I paid $260 for my Nexens, including shipping. I mounted and balanced them myself but most shops will do that for $60 or so.
A word of caution: There are two types of balancing- static and dynamic. One type only places weights on the inside of the wheel, while dynamic balances both the radial and the side to side bias of the wheel and tire. Make sure that you get yours dynamically balanced!
Keep in mind that this was an out the door price -- not just the tires themselves, but all mounting, balancing, aligning, and valve stems.
On my first SHO, I ran Kelly Charger ZR Directionals -- a great, if little known tire. The first set was quite a bit of bread -- about $680 out the door to shoe the whole car. They came down after that, a welcome relief. By contrast, under a nickel is a pretty hot setup.
Beans
Addicted CEG'er
Alright thanks a-lot everyone! Tirerack has a rebate for these so i'll be ordering them in the coming weeks.
Tirerack has a rebate for these so i'll be ordering them in the coming weeks.Beans
Addicted CEG'er
215 most likely 225 look a little odd to me on stock svt wheel. Unless you can convince me otherwise...