Wheel/Tire help! Decisions decisions!

[kai-wun]

-I drive a 02 Taffy White EP3, practically stock (EM2 front sway, DC5 rear sway soon)
-Currently have 195/60R15 Falken EuroWinters on, have 195/60R15 Bridgestone Potenza G 019 Grid All Seasons in the garage (considering selling them)

-I drive spiritedly once a week or so.
-6/7 days of the week - rush hour traffic
-Would like to track 1-2x/year for leisure, not competitively

1.
15x6.5 Konig Helium - Bronze
205/50R15 Falken Ziex ZE912
~$789

http://www.jlbmotorsports.com/PICS/KONIG/helium_16_bronze_sm.jpg

2.
15x6.5 Sparco Pista - Light Grey | Sparco Drift - Bronze
205/55R15 Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec
~$912~930

http://www.tirerack.com/images/wheels/sparco/swap/spo_pista_lg_ci3_l.jpg
http://www.tirerack.com/images/wheels/sparco/swap/spo_drift_bnz_ci3_l.jpg

3.
16x7 Rota Grid - Bronze
205/50R16 Falken Ziex ZE912
~$875 shipped

http://www.wheeldude.com/catalog/images/grid_frsb_1.jpg

4.
16x7 Borbet LV4 - Anthracite
205/50R16 Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec
~$1070 shipped

http://www.tirerack.com/images/wheels/borbet/swap/borbet_lv4_anth_ci3_l.jpg

5. Fuck it... use my damn 195/60R15 Bridgestone A/S and stock wheels and save for coils.

The place I'm ordering the Konig or Rota from doesn't carry Dunlop. I know the Ziex is just an A/S tire, but I ran them on my dad's Lexus and I enjoyed how the felt in the wet and dry with spirited driving. I'm hoping they're betting than these Potenza A/S, they'll be a bit wider (205 vs 195) and brand new ...

Sparco/Borbet wheels seem like better quality than Konig/Rota, but I know they're not Gram Lights. Also, the most important thing for handling is the tire. The Star Specs are superstars, but I'm a bit concerned about
1. Treadwear (done in <20k km? so a set/year?!) and
2. Will it be overkill for DD and maybe 2-3x track days/year? Especially for a newbie driver like me?

I can save coin, go Ziex .... but it goes back to, what's the point of modding the car (sway bars, alignment, etc) if the tires are shit? But, are the Ziex shit?

I left out the part where I purchase wheels without tires, and use the Bridgestone A/S. It seems like a compromise. To purchase wheels locally, they're $700. For a tiny bit more coin, I can get brand NEW tires as well (albiet "only" the Falkens); and I hope to sell the Bridgestones off. They're super noisy anyway.

I like the Sparcos. I like the colour, and the "detail" in the design. They seem to be collaborated with OZ, and that should say something about the quality. Not 100% if they'd look sweet on my stock Taffy, but it's worth a try. The Star Specs are wicked tires too.

The Heliums are ultralight, and combined with the Ziex, what a cheap package. They're typically Japanese boy-racerish too. Ricer maybe, but I kinda like em. But I don't love em. $89 more than wheels alone, what a deal. Will the Ziex be alright on the track 2-3x/year?

The Grids are also typically boy-racerish, and a 16" wheel for not much more than the Heliums. If I throw on some Red lugnuts, adds to the flair. Again with the Ziex.

Lastly, the Borbets, as with the Sparcos - they seem unique. Seems like everyone and their mom has Konigs or Rotas these days. These might let me stand out. But with this, as with most things new - it's a risk it might just look :mconfused:

Decisions decisions. Any thoughts?

//edit: Added some piccies.

[powdbyrice]

id go with mb weapons instead of grids.

or some 16x8 +38 rpf1's. worth saving a little bit more $$$.

and a 6.5" wide wheel? why bother.

[socmex7]

and a 6.5" wide wheel? why bother.

he's staying in 15's.. not many wide wheels are made in 15's lol.. the falken 912's are an all-season tire. and no all season will outperform a performance tire. none. but, if like you said you're new to driving then the star specs may be overkill. i DD and track them (in different sizes) and can honestly say that unless you have a few events under your belt the money could be spent elsewhere.. they're too aggressive of a tire. for what you want out of the tire (commuting with a run thrown in) the falken will more than do the job. and more importantly, last. they come with a 40k mileage warranty so if you don't get 40k out of them you can get credit towards new tires. but you have to go through the place of purchase for that. i say option 1.

and if you do track and decide you need better tires, then you can get a dedicated set of track wheels/tires.. my .02

edit: i didn;t see the 16's as an option, thought they all were 15's..i'd go with 16's but like powdbyrice said, the mb weapons are way sweeter!

[kai-wun]

Thanks for the responses.

I would rather stay with 15"s if possible. I don't really like large wheels (call me weird, it's just me) ... and 15" tires are cheaper. Yeah, I'm that cheap.

I didn't realize the Borbets come in 15". I would rock them in 15" if possible. Is there really that much of a performance difference between 205/55R15 and 205/50R16?

Re: Ziex vs Star Specs, from the many many many suspension upgrade threads I've read, they always say TIRES TIRES TIRES first. Well, after driver training of course. Which is why I was aiming for the Star Specs, cos they seem like such a great tire.

However, as I stated in the first post: I would track maybe 1-3x/year, and only drive spiritedly. Shaving seconds don't matter to me, though I want a firm, planted, confident tire. Wet traction is very important to me. I want to be able to stop and turn on a dime, so a good tire is very important in terms of safety. It's hard to say.

I'm leaning a bit towards the 15" Sparco Pista option. They seem very unique, and almost OZ quality at a fraction of the cost. It's more for style, than anything else. And If the Star Specs really are the dream tire, and could grip/stop me significantly quicker than the Ziex, then it might be worth it. For safety, over all else....

[socmex7]

Re: Ziex vs Star Specs, from the many many many suspension upgrade threads I've read, they always say TIRES TIRES TIRES first. Well, after driver training of course. Which is why I was aiming for the Star Specs, cos they seem like such a great tire.

And If the Star Specs really are the dream tire, and could grip/stop me significantly quicker than the Ziex, then it might be worth it. For safety, over all else....

yes, tires are prolly the most important upgrade if you're serious about times.. all the power in a motor means nothing if you can't transfer it to the ground. but you said you had mostly a commute in mind for the tires. and the nice thing about tires is that they do wear out. so you're not stuck with your decision forever! i recommend doing what i did: i started out with an all-season (like the ziex912's) they actually did my first event completely stock. after you asses how the car reacts on the track could i justify upgrades. i actually found out that the all-seasons could keep up with me for an event or 2 while i honed in my driving technique. i felt planted and such during the event, but as i got better as a driver, then i started noticing the all seasons not being enough. then i went to BFG g-force sports, a step up from the all seasons, and repeated the process. you get my drift. plus, those all-seasons will last you longer, but if you want the star specs, they are an awesome tire and you will not be disappointed. i know i'm not :msmile:

[kai-wun]

Thanks for all the info. I really appreciate it.

I think I'm just gonna save money for now. I really wanna run 15" but the Star Specs only come in 195/55R15 and 195/50R15 in 15" so ... they wont work for me since it's a DD.

So if I want Star Specs, which I really do ... even if not now, but later ... I'll have to go 16".

Sigh ~ I really really want those Sparco Pistas, but they only come in 15x6.5 or 17x7 ... and I don't want to go 17in, so that wont work. Maybe by next year they'll release a 16in version.

Or I can grab the MB Weapons or Borbets (very German, not sure if it'll feel at home on an EP) if I want the Star Specs.

socmex7: Are you a rep for Discount Tire? I can grab MB Weapons and Star Specs from there, shipped to a US location so I can drive down there and pick them up. Maybe next summer though.

I'll just tear up my Potenzas on the track and see how they do ^_^

[theyb]

i know it is not part of the option, but what about some Buddy Club P1-Racing F91 Kuroki . Corsport have them on sale.