Living Legacy Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 Hey guys, I'm an avid auto-crosser and I'm due for tires. I want the best performance and longevity out of a street legal tire and I'm trying to figure out what the best tire for me is using the stock 17x7 wheels. I'm currently running 235/40 star specs. In the past I've run: Star Spec's http://www.discounttiredirect.com/product/tires/dunhz5.ang.jpg RE-01R's http://www.bretkuhns.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/bridgestone_re01r.jpg Azenis 615 RT's. http://www.good-win-racing.com/miata/images/items/falken.jpg I'm now considering another set of the star specs or the R-S3's http://www.discounttiredirect.com/product/tires/hanhz0.ang.jpg I noticed that the widest tire that the R-S3's come in (that fit the OEM wheels) is the 235/45. I also noticed that the R-S3's are 2 lbs lighter per tire and have the same tread depth (10/32") as the star specs. I didn't include the ecsta's as I've heard they wear really quickly and aren't that great in rain. I've also skipped past the RE11's due to the cost. Am I forgetting any other options? What do you serious auto X people think? Thanks! P.S. When voting consider the overall tire performance-wet/dry traction, longevity, cost, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LosAngelesLGT Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 More of a mountain time attacker than a autoX'er but running BFG KDW2 245/35/18 and they are ZOOOOOPER sticky. Rated basically the same as Star Spec (very, very, very slightly lower in dry but much higher in wet) and cheaper with a little higher tread rating (Even better if you have a Costco Card and order them with the $70 dollar off a set of BFG: you would have to order them). Only a few serious autoX'ers on this site my man (and im not one). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehsnils Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 In any case - which tire that's best depends on the conditions that day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Living Legacy Posted June 16, 2011 Author Share Posted June 16, 2011 LALGT: Thanks for the input, I'll check those tires out. What other tires have you used and how did they compare in wet/dry traction? In any case - which tire that's best depends on the conditions that day. Agreed, which is why I specified overall performance. I'm most interested in the average day as I won't be switching between different summer tires. I'm thinking 70-85F, sunny, decent pavement, etc. If only the RE11's were at the closeout price that my 01R's were, then there would be no question what to go with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malvic Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 I'm into AutoX up here in Toronto. I've got both the Toyo R1R and R888 tires. So far the R1R are my favorite. Good grip and good in the rain. Have not used them in the autoslalom only the R888. But know others using the R1R in autoslalom and they really like them. The R1R for daily driving are amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitetiger Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 hoosier A6 or kumho v710 /thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LosAngelesLGT Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 ^one of the SERIOUS autoX'ers has spoken. Take his advice biblically. I would. KDW2 are the only sticky tires I've ran on an AWD so I am no authority. EDIT: KDW2 is 99% the tire the Star Spec is for considerably less and is considerably superior in the wet according to extensive testing. If the Star Spec is the king of street tires, the KDW2 is the pope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StoplightAssassin Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 Star Specs are still the autox street tire king. My last event was in the rain and they performed great. I missed 1st place in the street tire prepared and modified class by .2 seconds. The first place BSP M3 was on Star Specs also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitetiger Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 ^no actually the yokohama advan Ad08s are the true god of ST class. they are the most $$$$ though so not may people run them. i had the older ad07's my first year of autox and i beat cars in my class with r-comps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitetiger Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 the ventus rs-3 and the star specs are usually the 2 most common choices for street tires since thy have a reasonable prices and preform 98% as good as the ad08s. you may also want to look at the kumho XS. they are rated stickier than the stars specs in the dry but worse in the wet. they are the cheapest of the extreme performance summer tire group. i run them as my LGT daily driver tire and switch to the hoosier A6 for the events. i ran the XS at 2 evo schools and they did very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Living Legacy Posted June 16, 2011 Author Share Posted June 16, 2011 Street tires guys, no hoosier A6's, Toyo R888's, kumho v710's (at least not for me yet). Toyo R1R's have an interesting tread pattern to say the least... they are certainly an option, thanks for adding to the list. Same thing goes for the BFG KDW2, though they are $24 more than the star specs with the $80 rebate and the yokohama advan Ad08's are $60 more per tire... I've heard that the Ecsta XS's are too soft/wear out quickly so I'm shying away from them. I'm really just debating between the R-S3's and star specs... Thanks for all the input guys!!! EDIT: Didn't realize the Toyo R888's were street legal. I'll have to double check on SCCA's rules for tires again, for some reason I thought they weren't considered street tires... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StoplightAssassin Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 i had the older ad07's my first year of autox and i beat cars in my class with r-comps. You bragging about beating rustangs? I've heard mixed reviews of the Advans. Mostly guys said they were a great tire but not that much different than the Star Specs in overall performance. With the much higher cost of the Advans, getting the Star Specs was a no brainer. Also, at the time the SS were priced at $180 per tire in 245/40/18 as opposed to $205 now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitetiger Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 technically, hoosier A6 and kumho v710 are street legal as they are fully DOT rated. what you are talking about is street tire class legal and for that you need a minimum treadwear rating of 140. IMO try the R-S3s you know how the star specs drive, so why not try something new and see if you like it better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitetiger Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 You bragging about beating rustangs? no, im bragging about beating a 03 cobra runnig toyo ra1s with a damn good driver behind the wheel with just stage 2, off the shelf coilovers and street tires in my first year of autox when i sucked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StoplightAssassin Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 that's cause you can drive you sumbitch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saul_Good Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 I was about to chime in about AD08s but whitetiger stole my thunder. I hear RS3s are really good (for the same reasons mentioned above) but this is mainly from the track/time trial crowd. I'd also like to add that I'd consider symetrical tires to have the ability to flip them and get longer usage out of that tire. -- my 2 pennies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Living Legacy Posted June 17, 2011 Author Share Posted June 17, 2011 Thanks for all the feedback guys. The tread wear for the r-S3's are 140 vs the star specs 200, I'm going with the star specs again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saul_Good Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 Living Legacy, This article should give you a good idea of how the tires you mentioned compare to each other. http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/articles/texas-toasted-tires-part-1/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Living Legacy Posted June 18, 2011 Author Share Posted June 18, 2011 ^nice article! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bnguyenbb6 Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 The guys here love the Star Specs(I run them myself). They're a good daily driver/weekend track/AutoX tire. They are great even in the wet. On another note...235's on a 7 seems a bit excessive. The Star Specs are said to run a bit wide and my 225/45's were a little mushy from too much sidewall on the stock wheels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Living Legacy Posted June 20, 2011 Author Share Posted June 20, 2011 ^ LOL, 235's on a 7" rim are only excessive if you're the one trying to mount them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bnguyenbb6 Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 If you want to run it, you can, I'd run a 235 on a 9 or an 8.5 in wheel. There is a point where you can have too much sidewall and it just rolls over and steering response feels mushy. With a proper sized tire or even a slightly stretched tire, you'd have better steering response and would not have to run as much camber to fight sidewall rollover/flex. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Th3Franz Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 He's in stock class, so stock width wheels. I still think most of the time the Dunlops are probably better for autox, since the Hankooks get insane with some heat in them. Also, it's a mistake to compare tread wear rating across manufacturers. Just because one of them calls it 200 and the other 140, doesn't necessarily mean that they will wear that much differently. Matt I'll have to put my car back to stock and we can compare the Hankooks and Star Specs straight up. -Franz The end of a Legacy http://www.youtube.com/th3franz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZP Installs Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 For a DD Track car, I've come to love the Z1 Star Specs. Before that it was the Fauken Azenis. I would also consider the RA1 and R888 as a summer DD and Track tire. I actually just purchased the Michelin Pilot Super Sports for my 2011 STi in 265-35-18, I'll be as Summit Point on Friday so I'll let you know how they work for me there. -mike http://www.pbase.com/paisan/image/91072632.jpg http://www.pbase.com/paisan/image/133406601.jpg AIM: AZP Installs | E-mail: paisan@azpinstalls.com | 725 Fairfield Ave | Kenilworth, NJ 07033 | T-1 Certified Amsoil Direct Dealer "Race Tested, Enthusiast Approved!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Living Legacy Posted June 28, 2011 Author Share Posted June 28, 2011 Thanks guys. I choose a 235 on the stock wheel to maximize my contact area and based on Xenonk's sticky. I do tend to chew up the edges of the tires though, that is my biggest complaint (but that's usually fixed after 3/4 of a season by swapping the tires inside out). I always thought with a better alignment and bigger front sway bar I could improve this quite a bit...Maybe I'll try this out at some point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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