Crazy Thought on Tires

nismo2evox

This one is out there but...

Anyone ever consider going with tires that are less grippy than the OEM tires?

The reason I was wondering is because I primarily drive my car on the street and for all practical purposes will never be able to get close to the cars limits. However, if you put on less grippy tires you can have a bit of fun sliding the Z around here and there. (Think BRZ on their stock tires as an example. I wonder if the people driving on those are having more fun than with super sticky tires?)

Especially with the Nismo's incredible chassis I wonder if this would be more fun on a day to day basis, not to mention much cheaper on the wallet. Hell even if it's just for a year to see how it goes and if it's awful, just toss them and get RE-11's or whatever.

Thoughts? Anyone have a BRZ/FRS and drive on stock vs aftermarket tires?

GZ3

crazy thought is right

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DarkJak

Relevant video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPh90yNX-mY

Definitely have thought of it. Other cars I've driven on less grippy tires have been super predictable at the limits and easy to drive at them because of how gradually they give out in comparison to the Z.

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SouthArk370Z

On a closed track? Sure. For a DD? You'll just be a menace to other drivers and pedestrians.

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kenchan

there was a guy recommending some bicycle tire sizes.. forget who dat waz...

AdamRacer

Sounds like some slicks in the rain is what you are looking for.

ssmoked

It will be fun til the Z comes around a corner and can't clear a tree while sliding

POS VETT

This is surely an out-of-the-box thinking and, strangely, I can see that. With my background and experience in anything automotive, I have actually been doing that except, maybe, not in an extreme level like the OEM tires that come with Scion FRS. Sometimes, after being exposed to grip that road-course slicks provide, I want "looser" tires (not sloppy suspension) for the streets (no, I won't die in a fiery crash or wrap my car around a tree anytime soon). Most of my selection of street tires reflect this.

With this kind of thinking, you better know what to expect and how to properly respond. IMO, it's a reward to be able to drive a car at its limits; it is not easy and you have to be very mindful on the street. Proceed with caution.

JARblue

I would never put less grippy tires on the Z just in case I need to make an emergency maneuver.

For a little fun sliding the tires, I wait until it rains or my tires need replacing before finding an empty parking lot to practice

Please don't practice power sliding on public roads

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nismo2evox

^ DarkJak, you pretty much hit the nail on the head. Perfect example video! Love that it's Chris Harris as well so it's vettable and look at the fun he is having. A less grippy, super predictable tire. Any suggestions? (haha maybe not the space savers though )

I think the Z is one of the highest rated cars to be in an accident with based on an article I saw on Carbuzz a few months back. I wonder if people drive the relatively sticky tires on the Z to the limit and when they let go people crash.

I would never put tires on that were even moderately unsafe or drive like an *** hat. A little slip is fun. I'd actually argue all the posts about people spinning the stock tires on the Z or getting the tail loose are a bit unsafe because you have to be going pretty hard to do that.

On normal road speeds the Z's stock tires should never be breaking loose unless it's wet.

JARblue

You can find tires with plenty of grip that don't suddenly break grip. Less grip is not necessarily what you want. You want tires that give good feedback as traction decreases and have predictability as the tire starts to slip.

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nismo2evox

^ Correct, any suggestions on tires like this?

JARblue

I wish I could.

Have you tried the RE-11? That's the only real performance tire I have used on my Z that I can say had very good feedback. My biggest complaint was they needed optimum conditions to perform up to their potential. Also, the window of good predictability was pretty small. It got much worse as the tread wore down.

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nismo2evox

I was actually thinking the RE-11 would be much stickier and performance oriented than the OEM tires as they are "Extreme Performance" according to tire rack

I was thinking about slapping on these guys. (Dunlop Direzza DZ102's)

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....o&autoModClar=


Seem to have decent reviews and wicked cheap, and provide great value for the money and should have enough stability to safely approach limits but with less overall grip than the OEM tires. The Dunlops are "Ultra High Performance" compared to "Max Performance" of the OEM tires

Tire Racks Rating System as an FYI

Extreme
Max
Ultra High Performance

Anyone try these Dunlops on their Z?

POS VETT

Chances are, they would still be too sticky for your purposes.