Dunlop Direzza ZIII or Toyo Proxes R1R

[z boy mn]

Hello everyone! I'm shopping for new tires this spring (my Z just turned 50) and I'm trying to decide between the three options available. The size is probably the limiting factor (225/45/R16) in choice.

I've read everything there is online and even contacted TireRack directly. They suggested that the Dunlop ZIIIs will wear faster (that's OK with me) yet overall be the better tire. I have Dunlop "ZR" tires on it now, and I've been happy with them, but thought I'd ask this group to see what you think. I do not drive the car on the track very often anymore, it's mostly a daily that I zip around with. The link to the options at TireRack is here:

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSearchResults.jsp?zip-code=56401&width=225/&ratio=45&diameter=16&rearWidth=225/&rearRatio=45&rearDiameter=17

In total, there's a Dunlop, Toyo, and Yokohama.

Thoughts or advice or experiences would be appreciated!

[Jeff G 78]

First of all, I really like the 225/45R16 size.  I bought 225/50R16 last time to get the stock OD, but I think they look too big.  They also rubbed before I rolled and trimmed.  The 45 series should be perfect, though the speedometer and odometer will be off.

As for the tires, all three choices are good.  The Yokohamas are quite a bit more expensive and I don't think you are getting much for the price difference.  The Dunlops are great track tires, though a friend had them on a street car and they were really loud.  I'd probably lean towards the Toyos even though I don't really think the tread pattern looks good on a street car.

I just wish Hankook would start making the RS-4 in a 225/45R16.  That is a great tire for street and track.  I will run 225/45R15 RS-4's on my 260 race car.

Let us know what you get and how you like them.  If all goes to plan, my street Z will be back on the road in a few months and I will need new rubber.  My Hankook RS-2's look like new, but they are close to 15 years old now.  I parked my Z for the winter in 2010 and it hasn't moved since.  It's on old steelies and crap tires for storage.  My Panasports and Hankooks have been stored in my cool, dry basement ever since.  My efforts have been on the 260Z race car.

[z boy mn]

Hey Jeff, thanks for your post. Also, I see somehow my original post happened twice...hmmm...not sure how to clean that up...so looks like I'll just "go with it!"

And, I really appreciate your comments about 225/50/16s. That was my first thought as there are so many more options. But, I don't want rubbing and I'm not sure what there is for body work at the fenders (I suspect that any mods to the sheet metal would crack up the skim coat they applied when they did the paint.) I hadn't even thought about how they would look, but when I asked TireRack how much bigger they were the answer was something like ".5"" in diameter, which is a lot since the car is sitting on Eibach springs already.

As for the speedo, I've got a 4.11 differential in it, so I've had to mess with the pinion gear. I think I ordered the last 21-tooth speedo gear in the country a few years back. The speedo is still "optimistic" by about 5%, but that's pretty close. Last year, it started jumping around a bit, but the gear looks fine so I'm guessing it's the cable. The problem there is that it's got the Datsun end for the transmission but a Autometer end for the speedo...so I may just go with a GPS option if I need it to be more accurate (and less bouncy).

Right now, the car is plenty loud so I'm not sure how much the tires would add, but as it's mostly a daily I'll think about that. I will definitely post an update once the snow melts and I make a decision. With so few options, it's nice to have some test documentation out there for folks who are making the same decision in the future.

[Jeff G 78]

35 minutes ago, z boy mn said:

As for the speedo, I've got a 4.11 differential in it, so I've had to mess with the pinion gear. I think I ordered the last 21-tooth speedo gear in the country a few years back. The speedo is still "optimistic" by about 5%, but that's pretty close.

My speedo is optimistic too, but surprisingly, my odometer is remarkably accurate.  After mounting my 225/50R16 tires, I went on a road trip.  I was bored on the Ohio Turnpike, so I decided to see how accurate my odo was compared to the mile markers.  It was pretty much dead on mile after mile and I was shocked to see that even after 100 miles, it was only a few tenths of a mile off even though the speedometer was reading somewhere around 10% high.  That was all pre-GPS.  Now with Waze that shows actual speed, I'm not too worried about the speedo error.

[z boy mn]

Hmm. I've never tested the odometer figuring it was off by the same amount. Another reason to look forward to spring! I've never used Waze but I may try that this spring, too, just to see. It would be simpler than the gymnastic flexibility I'd need to pull the speedo without removing the dash!

[z boy mn]

Good morning everyone, I know it's been over a year but I'll blame the delay on the pandemic and the lack of options for ordering tires as tire options went in and out of stock.

This winter (2021/2022) I decided on the Dunlop Direzza ZIII tires and ordered them in the 225/45/R16 size from TireRack.com. It took about 6 months for Tire Rack to get them in stock and shipped, and another week or so to get them on the car.

First impressions? They're super! The tread pattern is significantly different (two large lateral strips and much smaller "wave" indents--see photo) even though they're the upgraded version of the exact tires I had on the car already. Some of the improvement is simply that the tires are new...my old Dunlop Direzza Zs were 20 years old.  On the age front, it's worth noting that these tires were manufactured in August of 2021. When I ordered the tires, I did call TireRack and asked for tires manufactured this year.  When they arrived, I called TireRack to follow-up, and they said they couldn't say when 2022 models would be available, so I decided to keep these.

I noticed so far that the ride is much smoother, and they make a wonderful "sticking" noise along the road...a high whine like duct tape getting unstuck from the pavement as you drive. Otherwise, they're pretty quiet. Cornering is amazing, though I noticed that the front end is slightly less responsive (read "less darty"), but I'm thinking that may be because the sidewalls aren't rock hard. It's a very predictable experience, though, and the car feels quicker around turns overall, with less squealing and sliding. Braking and acceleration has also improved, and the car feels more planted. I haven't driven them in the wet yet, and the tires came with warnings suggesting that wet and cold weather will not be friendly. Finally, like new tires should, these smell great! 😄

Again, I know it's been a while since my original post and these are relatively new, but at the moment I'm exceptionally pleased with the purchase. If something happens in the coming months/years that suggests an issue, I'll update this post.

Happy driving!

Edited July 16, 2022 by z boy mn

[Jeff G 78]

On 7/16/2022 at 6:43 AM, z boy mn said:

I decided on the Dunlop Direzza ZIII tires and ordered them in the 225/45/R16 size from TireRack.com.

Can you post a few pics on the car?  I'm curious to see how they look compared to the 225/50R16.  That's what I run and I want to drop to 225/45R16 the next time I buy tires.

[z boy mn]

Sure! This is the car as it sits on the 225/45/16s. It's also sitting in Eibach progressive springs, so that is supposed to lower the stance about 1". I don't think I'd have room if I went to the 225/50/16 as I don't have flares.

Hope this helps!

P.S. The second picture is an older one--you'll notice that the rear hatch vent covers weren't installed! ;-D

Edited July 19, 2022 by z boy mn

[Jeff G 78]

I like it!  I think the 45 aspect ratio tires look better and should fit better than the 50 series.  Mine rub a bit still in the front, but I trimmed and rolled the rear quarters to fit the tires.  Mine is lowered about 1" using Tokico springs.

 

Edited July 19, 2022 by Jeff G 78

[Patcon]

6 hours ago, z boy mn said:

Sure! This is the car as it sits on the 225/45/16s. It's also sitting in Eibach progressive springs, so that is supposed to lower the stance about 1". I don't think I'd have room if I went to the 225/50/16 as I don't have flares.

Hope this helps!

P.S. The second picture is an older one--you'll notice that the rear hatch vent covers weren't installed! ;-D

Any rubbing or scrubbing in that size tire? Are your wheels 16x7; 0 offset?

[z boy mn]

I've never had anything rub with the set-up. Once, I got some of those after-market rear shock mounts that had an adjustable camber option (the product is here: https://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/classic20d/23-4189) but they disintegrated on the track from use as they're mostly made out of plastic. At that point, I had some rubbing on the driver's side. But, once I replaced them with the stock steel mounts, it's been fine.

I don't have the specs on the rims that you're after, the PO acquired them (and I like them so I kept them), but they're not a rare combination for 240s. Someone else here might know or recognize them and be able to give you the specs.