Rivals or ZII's

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earl998
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Rivals or ZII's

Post by earl998 »

Which tire should I get? Looking for opinions. My Miata is not a daily driver so tire noise is not a factor.
dmyer
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Re: Rivals or ZII's

Post by dmyer »

Thats is like choosing between Chocolate Chip and Rocky Road.... as you probably saw last year either one performed great! IMO, I would buy the tire that best fits your wheel size. I was completely happy with the Rivals last year, however, that does not mean I might not try a ZII in the future! :D Someone who is a better driver than me might have a more qualified opinion.
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Nathan Atkins
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Re: Rivals or ZII's

Post by Nathan Atkins »

I had the opportunity to drive similar cars (both BRZs) on both Rivals and the Z2, and they felt exactly the same to me.

Sort of reminds me of a high performance tire test that Tiff Needell did a few years ago where all these automotive journalists were there saying things like 'progressive breakaway' :| , 'dynamics on turn-in' :geek: , and 'transitional behaviour' :ugeek:

Tiff went in there, set FTD on every single brand of tire, declared them all to be exactly the same and then rolled out like a boss.

Basically when one is clearly superior, it'll be made known and everyone will talk about how awesome it is, but in this case they're so similar that you should just pick whatever is cheap and available that fits on your car.
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ericw
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Re: Rivals or ZII's

Post by ericw »

I believe 195 R1Rs were faster than the 205 rivals I have now. Track data would suggest the same but it was hardly a perfect test...
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03threefiftyz
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Re: Rivals or ZII's

Post by 03threefiftyz »

92 miata = shaved pixie dust sized R1R's...
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Claff
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Re: Rivals or ZII's

Post by Claff »

I ran shaved pixie dust R1Rs in 2011 and 2012. Switched to Rivals for 2013. Mistake! Back to R1Rs for 2014.
JayPar
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Re: Rivals or ZII's

Post by JayPar »

We ran the 225 Rivals in the fall, and RS3s in the summer. Was quite happy with the Rivals, though we didn't run them in the heat. I've heard they don't handle heat well.

The only experience I've had with R1Rs was with Frank's old set that were already heat cycled out and might as well be ice skates. We had those shaved, which (according to the tire guy) was supposed to expose good rubber, but that lasted about 2 runs before they became ice skates again.
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Areddi
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Re: Rivals or ZII's

Post by Areddi »

Everything I have read says that in optimal conditions, the Rivals will outperform the ZII's very slightly. However, in the cold, very hot, or any wet, the ZII's are superior by a larger margin. Considering around here is all of those conditions other than optimal most of the time (since we aren't in Florida or SoCal), I stuck with ZII's instead of making the Rival switch like many others. I love love love ZII's, and plan to run them for the forseeable future.

All that being said, Nates comments are good and either is a good choice. Rivals are not directional though which is kinda nice for rotation reasons, but if you buy a fresh set every year anyway, it probably doesn't matter there either.
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03threefiftyz
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Re: Rivals or ZII's

Post by 03threefiftyz »

Z2's will not outperform rivals in the heat.
v10climber
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Re: Rivals or ZII's

Post by v10climber »

Claff wrote:I ran shaved pixie dust R1Rs in 2011 and 2012. Switched to Rivals for 2013. Mistake! Back to R1Rs for 2014.
This^
03threefiftyz wrote:Z2's will not outperform rivals in the heat.
We spray our Z2s heavily when it's hot and they hold up fine. I was never a fan of all the noise the Rival makes. I guess I could get used to it if I had more than a few runs on them.
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Jim Harris
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Re: Rivals or ZII's

Post by Jim Harris »

The Rivals may be a better riding street tire--all I can add to this discussion.

I ran them on my s2000 last year, and they're good unless conditions are not ideal. They stink in the rain.

While the Rivals are forgiving, once they start sliding, it is a bit harder to get traction back with minor wheel and throttle adjustments.

I'm trying the D2s this year.

Jim
bwalch
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Re: Rivals or ZII's

Post by bwalch »

The Rivals suck in rain or snow on my car. I didn't really plan on driving it much but when I did I sure wish I had something more year round.
earl998
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Re: Rivals or ZII's

Post by earl998 »

Bought the ZII's :D
qtrracer
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Re: Rivals or ZII's

Post by qtrracer »

Put the ZIIs on the Prelude. Selected them due to size choices. Rivals didn't come in a 215/40/17 which I wanted for a slightly better gear. Proved to be a good choice as the car responds much better in transitions. Tires get into an annoying drone at speed but other than that, work pretty well in the wet and snow as we recently found out.
Apexcarver
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Re: Rivals or ZII's

Post by Apexcarver »

Getting Z2's for my Miata. Tirerack has a good deal on them. Plus a rebate (I think it expires today). So, $380+s/h for a set vs $500ish for others.

Looks like the Z2 is being phased out though, reports have it that the Z2 Star Spec is coming this fall.
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Nathan Atkins
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Re: Rivals or ZII's

Post by Nathan Atkins »

I'm not sure why everyone says the Rivals stink in the rain, I used them all this weekend, street and autocross. They were fine, you just don't overdrive their limits, just like any other tire :roll:

given equal pricing I like the Rival cause you can just slap it on any old where cause their non directional, but really i just pick whichever has a better deal going :D
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