Dunlop Direzza ZIII 

These are my first non-Potenza tires and they’ve been great. Solid in the wet, fantastic in the dry. If I can get them to break free, they’re controllable and easy to catch, with a controllable sand predictable slide. I’m pleasantly surprised by them and would definitely consider a second set.

THIS IS MY SECOND SET OF THESE TIRES. WHEN YOU DRIVE SPIRITED, YOU CAN COUNT ON THIS TIRE TO HOLD YOU ON THE ROAD. EXCELLENT ON DRY ROADS, GOOD ON WET ROADS. IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A MILAGE TIRE, THIS ONE IS NOT FOR YOU. BUY THIS TIRE IF YOU WANT TO FEEL CONFIDENT WHEN YOU GO AROUND A CORNER, YOU WILL STAY IN THE CORNER AND ON THE ROAD.

I have 1000 miles on these tires so this is my initial impression. I have these mounted in a stock recommended setup (225/45/16 all around), granted not many tire choices for this specific fitment. Overall I am satisfied with the tires, great dry traction and cornering stability, and assuring in the wet for a summer tire (the few times I've been caught in rain). If there is one small complaint it is the noise level - they can get pretty loud depending on the type of asphalt you drive on.

I bought these for Track Days but run them on the street a little driving to closer events, while I swap at the Track for longer events. The first day I had these on my 135i it transformed the car! I am running 255/40/17 Square with -2.8F camber and rear maxed out (-1.8). Initial impressions were VERY positive with this tire. I posted some very good lap times in a car with moderate mods. Excellent traction.

On grippier tracks (NYST), I was having trouble with tire pressure/heat/grip combos and I noticed a tremendous amount of wear on the shoulders, but also on the tread blocks. These tires were driven very hard and at NJMP Thunderbolt as well as NYST I managed personal best lap times and was our running friends who I normally am pretty even with.

The downside is with 4 track days, the tire shoulders are toast although they are OK for the street.

Overall, I don't think these tires like getting over driven and have funny wear characteristics with my set-up. I ended up at 31psi hot to get my best lap times, but less air in the tires means less density to cool. I get it, not my first rodeo.

So the big question- is this tire better than the RE71? I don't think so. In the rain they were OK, but I couldn't keep pace with my friends on their RE's. Overall, I might buy again but I think it's more of a choice of giving up some ultimate grip for better wear (budget) and grabbing the RS4's, or going with a little bit better tire that's very proven RE71. I don't do AutoX so I can't comment there.

For the street, these tires will change your life. VERY grippy, warm up quickly and just STICK! Would think AutoX would be a better place than open track. 135i, Full bolt ons, race pads, sway bars, 360whp.

I previously had Dunlop Z2 non Star Spec for 6 years on my 'just coil overs n stuff' 00 Celica GTS, I used about 2/3 of the tread depth on that set and enjoyed them a lot. I drove about 30,000 miles over that 6 year period and was impressed by how well they stood up to daily use as well as spirited driving. On that positive note I decided to go with the 'new' Z3 iteration of the tire. There are some differences between the Z2 and Z3 both positive and negative. On the positive they seem to require very little warm up time on days with temps in the mid 60's or higher, turn in is quick and precise and feels sharper than the Z2. On the negative they do ride a bit harder than the Z2 did, they don't take up highway joints as nicely but that's forgiveable given the performance category they're in obviously. One thing they do which some may dislike but I find hilarious, they make cartoonish sounding suction cup popping sounds over smooth roads like worn cement or tar road repairs or similarly worn smooth surfaces. The Z2 did this as well so it's no surprise that the Z3 also have this characteristic however the volume and ease at which the sound is produced is much much greater. I laugh, some may cringe. I've changed my alignment so I'm not expecting 30,000 miles from these Z3, I'll be sure to update my review as time and miles stack up.

I had the Potenza's before and there is definitely a clear difference in handling and stopping power. The back end stays put through the corner much better! Although I only have put on a 1000 miles I just love driving them.

I value tread life more than outright speed for my track tires, and Dunlop's tires deliver long life. So far I have done 6 track days on this set of tires, plus 3500 street miles and no autocross events. They have 6/32 remaining tread, which is excellent. I got 13 days out of my previous set of ZII Star Specs, and it looks like these new tires should match that lifespan or at least come close.

These tires are predictable at their limit and deliver a good amount of grip. They are not as grippy as a set of r-comp tires that I have, but they are close enough for my needs. I am not racing or time trialing. They are far more livable as a tire for daily use with a smoother ride and far less noise than the r-compsw. These tires are fine in the rain.

I use the ZIIIs for autocross and time attack/track days. The consistency, heat tolerance, grip, and predictability of the tires leads to having confidence in turning out fast lap times and not losing control. There are faster tires, but these are a good value and very reliable. Treadwear is better than most competitors.

Not the best tire for autocross, but still within the top 5 choices.

This is my weekend car that usually sees action in the canyons and on the track, every once in a while I will take it to work. I am on the stock AP1 16" wheels. In the canyons this is one of the best tires I have ever driven on. It has loads of grip and is communicative.
On the track its a great tire as well, again very communicative and the grip is fantastic. After a 4-5 hot laps the tire does start to get hot and can feel a little greasy but its still predictable, it doesn't suddenly let go you just notice it start to slip a little more.
After having driven this tire over 5,000 miles it still has plenty of grip in the canyon and I am just now at the wear bars. You could easily do 2 or 3 hard days at the track with these and still have some decent life in them.
I am going to try the Bridgestone RE-71R but if I don't like it I will definitely come back to this tire. Very consistent, very surprising, and overall a great benchmark tire.