Best Reviewed
Tires
- Best all-season tires Goodyear Assurance TripleTred *Est. $140
- Budget all-season tires Hankook Optimo H727 *Est. $90
- All-season tires for performance cars Continental ExtremeContact DWS *Est. $155
- Budget high-performance all-season tires Sumitomo HTR A/S P01 *Est. $115
- Max-performance summer tires Continental ExtremeContact DW *Est. $160
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- Excellent wet and dry traction
- Reasonably priced
- Good for daily or autocross use
- For summer driving only
- No tread-wear warranty
For a high-performance summer tire at a reasonable price, reviews point to the Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec. Owners say it sticks tenaciously to both wet and dry roads, making it perfect for enthusiasts who run their cars in autocross events. Expert testers say the ride quality isn't bad, either, making it practical for those who drive their high-performance cars every day.
The Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec can only be driven in warm weather, though, and it has the lowest government tread-wear rating of any highly recommended summer tire. The most recommended summer tire, the Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 (*Est. $235), has a slightly higher tread-wear rating and a higher government traction rating, but it is also much more expensive. If you need performance tires for year-round use, reviews say the Michelin Primacy MXV4 (*Est. $160) and Continental ExtremeContact DWS (*Est. $155) are the best all-around choices.
Experts at Car and Driver and TireRack.com pit the Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec against competing tires on both wet and dry tracks, but they come to different conclusions. TireRack.com also invites owners to review their tires, and the more than 200 ratings posted there for the Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec provide good insight into its real-life performance. This tire is one of 2,400 included in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's searchable database of tire ratings.
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Our Sources
1. Car and DriverDetails/Subscribe
A racing expert tests nine affordable summer tires against the Michelin Pilot Sport PS2, Car and Driver's favorite high-performance tire. The inexpensive Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec wins the test, feeling "head and shoulders above the other tires," including the PS2.
Review: Tire Test: Nine Affordable Summer Tires Take on the Michelin PS2 -- Comparison Tests, Dave Vanderwerp, July 2009
2. Tire Rack
The Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec won first place in a 2008 test of extreme-performance summer tires here, but it loses this more recent test to the Bridgestone Potenza RE-11. However, the scores are very close.
Review: Testing the New Extremes of Extreme Performance Summer Tires, Editors of TireRack.com, May 21, 2009
3. Tire Rack
Owners award the Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec first place among extreme-performance summer tires in reviews at this retail site. Several say it is incredibly sticky and unbeatable for autocross competition, and they like it on wet roads, too.
Review: Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec, Contributors to TireRack.com
4. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
The federal government requires manufacturers to test their tires' traction, heat resistance and tread wear, and to label the tires accordingly. The Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec gets an A for both traction (the highest score is AA) and heat resistance, but its tread-wear score is low -- even for an ultra-high-performance summer tire.
Review: Tire Rating Lookup, Editors of SaferCar.gov
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