Meister Fahrer

Not to confuse the subject of III's, but I still like the II's, got new rears about a month ago.

fwiw, I just did an auto-x with them and they were great at about 35 psi rear. I was sliding the car in some sections but the rear felt planted and actually confidence-inspring...

TCR

265/35ZR-18 Sumitomo HTR Z III XL

chsu74

I am running 235s up front and 295s in the rears for about 1K miles now. This is coming from 245s in the front and 285s in the rear Conti2s. I noticed more understeer due to the narrower front rubber. I notice more grip overall but have to agree with the softer sidewall which translates into quiter ride.

As a DD, its the best bang for the buck. You may notice the tread pattern matching Dunlop tire magazine advertisement treads. I will not hesitate to buy again.

Tippy

I know a guy at work who has them on his Mustang. He put 305's on the rear and said he can roast them on demand.

Speaks a lot because a Mustang is a gutless car IMO. He claims they are pretty slippery but they do have a really nice tread pattern.

He bought them about 6 months ago but I don't know if it is a II or III.

Fabio421

I have these tires. They are very good when in dry conditions. In the wet you will be slipping and sliding all over the place. They may perform better in the wet on a rear engine car but they really have trouble holding the road on my front engine car.

Doug Donsbach

I've driven mine quite a bit in the wet, both in light rain in the twisties and in torrential downpours on the interstate. While I wouldn't confuse them with a high-quality all-season tire in the wet, they stick well enough that I can't knock them too much. Hydroplaning resistance is also better than I expected.

I'm running 225s front and 295s rear on 8s and 11s.

caribbeantech

Currently I have just shy of 10,000 miles on my rear set. I'm definitely going to buy them again. The set that came with the car (Bridgestones OEM with about 75% left) only lasted 5,000 miles and they went to the cords and to a dangerously wobbly ride. These (HTRZ III's) have held up to the same type of driving (lots of spirited turns on back roads, to and from work - very de-stressing...) for at least twice as long, so they've already exceeded to my expectations. I had to 'rotate' them (change sides, really) at about 1/2 way since the driver's side (rear) one tends to wear at about 1.5 times faster (likely from the more aggressive turns, on that side (sliding left turns they call it...) ALL GOOD STUFF!! It was nice that I could do that with these tires...(not rotationally challenged)

A couple of things though...I don't really go fast, unless it's a straightaway, I prefer challenging the turns...

I don't Mod (stock everything, if they didn't put it in, I don't want it...), track, rally, drift or otherwise compete with my car...So, no feedback on that...

I never do anything in the rain...so I have no feedback other than driving at the speed limit, or less...

And, my *** is not really calibrated to feel the nuances of the sidewall softness/hardness...I just have a lot of fun with it (twice a day, when sunny) so...the 911 IS the best handling car I've ever owned, and that's good enough for me.....I'm sure there's better tires out there...for my money (and fun) I'm buying again...

Last thing, I had the II's on a BMW 328 and absolutely hated them...tramlining, loud..etc...
However, I took a chance on the III's and feel like I've discovered something good (to me)...

I calculate I have about 2,000 miles left on these, but I must also say that the inner thread (which looks like it's specially made for the type of cars that wear the insides...'cambery' cars), has held up pretty nicely...

(other opinions may vary...)

maniac

Hi Himself,

I trust your recommendations, but I see that the Yokohama AVS ES100 doesn't come in 285/30-18 for my rear tires. My Michelin Pilot sport tires handled very good, but really didn't last in my first DE.
Which one do you recommend for a daily driver an for occasional DE track driving, maybe the SUMITOMO HTR Z lll or the General Exclaim UHP. I'm looking for a tire that will last longer, have strong good handling and the last important factor good price.
The Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 also looks great, but is 285/35-18, not the same size.

himself

Unfortunately, there is no great compromise for track/street with price also as a consideration. If you want something that lasts, you're going to need high treadwear. This means long life but poor(er) grip. If you get something with more grip, that means it has softer rubber and shorter life. For a beginner/novice, I would guestimate that around 200 treadwear is a good middle ground. Pilot Sport and Sport 2 are both 220 treadwear. As are the HTRZ IIs. The HTRZs are 300. The Yokohamas are 280, but they actually out perform the HTRZ IIs (as per Tire Rack).

In my experience, the Yokos were a nice compromise in the 17 variety. I have not tried my Sumitomos on the track yet, but if you are going to - I would suggest the IIs instead of the IIIs. I believe the IIIs asymetrical tires. This means that you won't be able to flip the tires and get extra life out of them. [inner part of tire must always be inner, even if you change sides]. The IIs are directional only, so you can flip them.

One other tire you should research is the falken azenis 615. Check with JC3D here on Rennlist. He's used them and now is now racing. He probably has some thoughts. Also check with Dell (LVDell) and Andy (AudiOn19s).

Once you get past the first two run groups though, you should probably have a better performing tire to further develop your skills and understanding of car dynamics at the llimit. A decent R-compound tire will probably work (Toyo R888 or RA1, Nitto NT-01, Pilot Sport Cup, BF Goodrich R1, Hoosier R6, Hankook Z214, etc.) And if I knew then what I know now: I would have bought an extra set of rims and gotten my tires as take off slicks from Bob Chick or John Berget. 50-100 bucks a piece for racing tires. And if you get the endurance compounds, they last a long time...

-td

maniac

Thanks Himself for sharing your experience!

Dutchie in NC

Eurowerks in CLT is putting HTR Z III 's on my car as we speak... will report back next week when I get the car back. Bought the tires at TireRack for $600 (18 inch)

pissedpuppy

just ordered the IIs myslef (yesterday)

bernocco930S

I have years of championship sports car racing (not DE stuff) experience with two championships and I understand tires. I thought they looked good on paper also but when I put them on my C4S with X73 the felt like they were riding on marbles. NO grip, hard to balance, overall bad rating from me. I sold them on eBay after only 150 miles of use (street) I am now using Hankooks on the street. I think these are good tires! eric

Dutchie in NC

Well, I just picked my car up and have a whopping 10 miles on these tires and first impression is that they are less noisy and not as hard of a ride as my Pirello P zero's. So far, I am a happy customer

gota911

Pirellis get VERY loud after they ger worn down.