Tsw Vortex Wheels/dunlop Direzza Tires

[01 Ultra]

There was a little bit of a problem when I went to get the previously mentioned Riken Raptor ZR tires mounted and installed earlier today. It seems that Discount Tire was not able to purchase these tires, so instead the store manager suggested that I go with the Dunlop Direzza's. It seems that he knew what he was doing & he was 'upgrading' the tires for the same quote that I had gotten for the Riken's, so I figure what the heck, why not. After a couple hour wait (at least these tires were in stock locally) I was finally able to get out on the road with the new setup. So far, 150 miles on the tires, these are just as quiet & comfortable as the 17" michelins that were taken off. There had always been a nagging concern in the back of my mind of plus sizing to 18" & how it would affect the ride quality. Let me tell anyone who has the same concern, don't worry about it, at least with these tires so far, there have not been any adverse effects with going to the 18" wheels/tires. As smooth & quiet as these are, I don't think there would be any problem with even going to 19's - but the problem with that is it will be much harder to find tires (there's an abundace of manufacturers for the 245/45-18's, but not too many for the 245/40-19's). I will try to post updates as the tires wear, but from the reviews at a few of the tire sites, they should be just fine. Here are pics of the new setup, and how they JUST barely clear the front calipers.