Well, i've competed on street tires for a while.

Dunlop Direzza Z1 Star Spec > A046 in every way.

 

Tirerack.com is a viable option. I think they have all the ones you "can't" get except the nittos.

 

AD08 is your best bet

 

R-comps on the street will be like driving on ice, they would never get up to their optimal operating temperature.

 

Did you drive both back to back? same size 235/45/17 vs 235/45/17?

Btw, Do you have some experience with AD08?

I think that AD08 and Z1 star spec are in the same category, but Which one has a stiffer sidewall?

 

What he said ^^^^^ and just about everyone else had. AD08's are your best bet and from the sounds of it you're a pretty aggressive daily driver more so than actual auto crossing so unless you have really deep pockets you'll be burning through the r compounds very quickly.

At the moment I'm using AD07's and the sidewalls are slightly softer compared to the A046's but there's considerably more grip with the AD07's - personal testing by driving the car in circles in an open lot until tires started squealing...

I still have the A046's sitting in the garage and with 6k miles on them. Lately I've been running with Bridgestone RE960AS from the previous winter and now using up my AD07's.

 

I REALLY like the Star Specs - after they broke in I couldn't believe how close the were in terms of grip and cornering to the 046. A lot quieter too and better in the wet.

 

i'd say A048's. as for the "you can't drive on A048's on the street," that's not true because the lotus elise comes stock with A048's. there are also plenty of EVO's on this site running those tires on the street. they will work, they just won't last long and won't be very good in the rain.

 

I like high speed corners like 110mph~120mph... at this speed the rear tires must hold your car like rock, it is acceptable to lose the car in a stable way(no tires flexing/body roll) just a slide with four wheels that you can fix/control with the steering wheel or less/more gas depending on the situation...
With the A046 I could slide my car with no worries, it gave me a safe feeling to test its limits...

I think that this feeling is caused by the super stiff sidewall, that I do not want to lose with a new tire

 

Going on streets with A048 and its amazing for me

 

Correct - OE tires for lotus elise

Two buddies of mine are running A048's and they absolutely swear by them.... in the pseudo dry weather the state of Washington blesses us every now and then with. I got a chance to test drive them on a friends S2K with the pavement surface barely wet from the morning mist and the tires were very finicky (IMHO) - better put, the slip angle/speed was difficult to judge - we were testing a few other tires in an empty lot driving in circles at the time.

 

A046's are outdated and less grippy compared to any high-end street tire nowadays. You will be impressed with nearly anything comparatively.

 

I will give the AD08 a try

 

I read many good reviews about Z1 Star Spec at tirerack.

I can do a special order(1 month delivery) on the Star Spec at a local Store.
So, the final decision is: AD08 or Star Spec 235/45/17??? same price.
Which one would you go?

 

Same price? Wow. At TireRack, in that size, the AD08 is currently $73 more per tire. I'm a big fan of the Z1* in terms of value, but for the same price, I would try the AD08. Does your deal apply to other sizes too? If so, you should at least consider 245/40/17 instead of the OEM size.