AKRON, Ohio, July 9, 2009 – The awards keep coming for Dunlop Tire’s high-performer, the Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec tire, a product that continues to win praise as a winner on the street and at the track.

In the most recent example, Dunlop’s ultra-high performance product was awarded First Place in a test of nine top competitors conducted by the editors of Car and Driver, one of the top automotive enthusiast magazines, with a claimed monthly audience of 9.7 million. Presented in the August 2009 issue, a seven-page article entitled “The Unusual Suspects,” describes the results of testing that pitted “affordable summer tires” against a more expensive competitor.

The Car and Driver staff noted, “Summer tires are one of the easiest and most effective ways to increase a car’s performance.” Further, the editors described the tested tires: “To us, they are about maximum dry-weather performance, with enough capability in the wet to get through a sudden downpour.”

The Tire Rack, a tire and automotive accessory business headquartered in South Bend, IN, partnered with Car and Driver on the test, providing use of its test track and fleet of test cars. Both wet and dry performance tests were conducted, with the magazine editors joined by Spencer Geswein and Brian Smith of Full-Lock Industries, which offers driving-related services such as instruction, testing and racing.

Among the comments about the Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec:

·         “It took only a matter of seconds on the dry autocross to realize the Dunlop Star Specs were strong tires. We were impressed with how the Star Specs have huge grip that is available immediately … which lends credence to Dunlop marketing them as autocross tires.”

·         “Head and shoulders above the other tires, including the benchmark Michelin.”

·         “A reassuring connection between the tires and the steering wheel.”

·         “The Star Specs also excelled while transitioning from braking to cornering to accelerating, which left us with satisfyingly smooth laps.”

With the Car and Driver editors highly impressed with the Dunlop tires in dry testing, the wet testing – autocross, skid pad and braking – was the icing on the cake. “After the staggering dry performance, we were shocked that the Star Specs didn’t sacrifice much in the wet, knuckling down to produce the best lap time,” they wrote.

For Razvan Bosomoiu, Dunlop general manager, the Car and Driver test results are further validation of the leading technology implemented by Dunlop in its tires. “We are very pleased that the Direzza was rated number one in this test, and that many consumers are also enjoying this terrific tire once they buy it and drive it.”

The Car & Driver tire test win is yet another in a collection of honors for the Direzza ultra-performance line. The Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 was awarded the European Car Magazine’s “Select Gear 2008” honor during the November 2008 SEMA Show. In addition, the Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec was the winner of a four-tire shootout presented in August 2008 by The Tire Rack in a report entitled, “A New Extreme Performance Summer Star is Born.”

On the track, the Star Spec has also been winning. Along with several Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) victories during 2008, the tire also won the 2009 SCCA ProSolo National Series opener in California .

The Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec has a high-response directional tread pattern with circumferential grooves that helps create a consistent contact patch on the pavement for a smooth feel and seamless transition.  An “optimal mold shape” helps provide a consistent footprint shape and uniform pressure distribution across the footprint for enhanced cornering.

The tire also features Jointless Band Technology to help enable smooth performance at highway speeds. Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec ultra-performance tires are available in 20 sizes with rim diameters from 15 to 18 inches.

Dunlop is a global tire brand with an excellent reputation among performance car enthusiasts, well-known for its prestigious original-equipment fitments and sports car racing heritage.  For more information on Dunlop’s tires, go to http://www.dunloptires.com.