Ugh, I'm trying to find something that will be good for both autocross and DD duty. Not easy.

 

Star Spec are great for DD, great dry and great wet. they are pricy. but you get what you pay for. i have been through so many tires and i have not had the same set twice. if money isn't a big issue. star spec is a perfect DD tire. i hear great things about continentals DW tires. but they are max performance.

 

Really? Someone told me Star Specs wear out faster than RS3s and don't grip as well, so there really weren't any advantages over RS3s.

 

no the star specs last just a little longer than the rs-3 and they last a lot longer than khumo xs. they have a 200 treadwear, hum grip, well its hard to say. but yes...... they kinda do handle slightly better than star specs. but slightly, it sounds like you wont be able to tell. they grip very very very well. well, now i kinda take that back on the handling part. the star spec have a much stiffer side wall for a better turning feel. the rs-3 is kinda softer. but the star spec is damn good in the dry and in the rain. the v12 doesnt even compare. and the rs-3 doesn't do to well in the rain.

 

Starspecs have better responsiveness than RS3s and handle water much better. I also hear that they operate better in lower temperatures than the RS3s, which really need heat to shine. Tirewear should be similar. Overall grip from the Starspecs seems to be a little lower than the RS3s in ideal conditions. The big caveat here is that the ideal conditions for the RS3 are pretty narrow.

 

I would agree. If you are looking for a cross-duty DD and auto-x tire, you are better off with the star specs. You won't kill yourself in the rain, and you still have a great tire with all-around performance. I would say that on a hot day on the auto-x course, the RS3's would beat the star specs every time (which is why I have them as devoted auto-x tires here in NC). But I have driven on my RS3's in the rain, and it is NOT a fun experience. The V-12's are much more of a pure street tire. They don't stand up to the star specs or RS3's in performance.

 

FTR, I ran Star Specs with ~5/32 tread depth with new RS-3s in the rain at Mosport, and as far as I could tell the wet performance was comparable between the two, balance wasn't an issue at all.
No issues DDing on them in massive downpours with standing water, either.

I don't know why they have a negative rep for wet performance, IMO they're comparable to the StarSpecs in that regard.

 

I've heard extremely mixed reviews about the RS3's wet performance. Some say its decent/acceptable and comparable to most other highly regarded extreme performance summer tires, while others say they are horrible and even "unsafe".

Hard to know what conclusions to draw after hearing such large discrepancies.

 

I'm a bit confused at your priorities here. Understand that both tires have a LOT of compromises in order to achieve their high performance. General consensus is that the Starspecs have fewer of these compromises and is generally a more street friendly year-around tire than the RS-3s.

If it were me, personally, I would get the SS if the S2000 was my only car. I would only strongly consider the RS-3 if I had another car I could drive in the cold or in the wet.

 

General consensus can be mistaken. This happens all the time, all it takes is one comment and it gets repeated by people who haven't had direct experience.

I've driven my S on the track in the rain in cool/cold temps (low 40s at Mosport Canada May 2/3 this year), with Star Specs up front at 5/32 tread depth and brand new RS-3s in back, and the tires gave similar lateral grip in those conditions. They seem to resist hydroplaning about as well as the Specs as well.

"General consensus" also seems to be that the RS-3's don't last as long, but mine have been on the car since May and still have ~4-5/32 tread depth remaining (2-3/32 to the wear indicators), vs. 9/32 when new (still no hydroplaning issues in downpours/standing water). My commute is 520 miles per week. With a few weeks off, that puts me right at 12,500 miles on them, and there should be another 5000 in them before getting to the indicators based on the wear rate.

IMO, they're pretty much equivalent to the Star Specs for my usage (DD + track, wet and dry, no snow!).