My 93 CYM needs new shoes. I am running 17x8.5 front and 17x10 rears, 235s and 275s respectively and am looking for some recommendations. I want street tires with good/great handling and ride, for auto-x I will run stock wheels with R-compound tires so I don't want any type of hybrid tire.

The car is a summer car only but since I live in Oregon I could get caught in the rain, wet performance is not a big priority.

Let me know what you guys are running and what you've been happy with. I am not looking for a poor performing budget tire or the most expensive tires out there either.

Thanks,
Jeff

 

Jeff, you came to the right place

I ran those exact size FM5s for many years and found 245/40 F and 275/40 R worked perfectly and gave a great stance. Consider moving a little wider in front, and the lower aspect ratio (i presume you have 235/45 in front) will aid in handling, turn-in and overall feel.

Having said that, not too many hi-po tires are now available in either of those fitments. If you have to go with that sizing, I'd choose the Kumho XS or the Toyo R1R. The last time I had to make this decision I went with the XS and was moderately happy. Good grip and good value, but compared to some of the other extreme tires I've tried they didn't stack up IMO.

If I were you, I'd go straight for the Dunlop Direzza Z1 Star Specs.... you have to compromise a little with a slightly narrower 265/40 rear, but the grip on these things is simply phenomenal. Both Scrub and my friend Nick road race on these, and other track rats running R-comps are always surprised by how well these Dunlop street tires perform on track. They're also perfectly streetable. For the front you can go with either size, as they're both available. Hands down this would be my choice.... they also look killer mounted on the Fikses, are reasonably priced, and currently have a rebate too

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....t+Z1+Star+Spec

 

+1 on the Dunlops

 

Yokohama Advan Ad08, my favourite tyre. Dunlops are mighty fine also

 

^^I love the AD08 and have been using them on track for a while now, but the widest 17" size they offer is a 255.

 

Agreed on the Star Specs. Both the AD08 and Star Specs are running up top in their category. The Kumho Ecsta XS also provide the same great grip that the Star Specs and AD08 has, but with slightly less responsiveness and performance in the wet.

 

^^In my experience, the grip levels of the AD08 in particular are higher than the XS. I've also read magazine reviews (and tire rack test reviews) that basically said they were deadly in heavy rain and standing water. They're not bad tires without a doubt, but I'd never say they were close to the AD08s.

 

+1 for the star specs running them on my fc. 245's in front and 265's in the rear

 

Thanks for the opinions guys. A local friend with a FD recent bought the star specs, 245f and 265R, I'll see if I can drive his car.

I still do have my head stuck around having R compounds and a street tire. I'd like the street tires to improve ride and noise and then have the R compounds for auto-x as I have done in the past. The car is already stiff on the street, I'd like a tire that made it more streetable vs. highest possible grip which in a FD is pretty hard to take to it's limit on the street due to the speeds involved.

I used to run 245/45/16 Kuhmos V700, looks like they are still available but more sizes are available in V710s so it seems they might be the way to go. What tire is the hot ticket in auto-x now? I ran Hoosiers for my last season in 2004 and found they were fast but only for a few events, then they seemed to lose grip.

 

^^AD08s and Star Specs will work very well as double duty tires.

If you really want to go with R-comps at auto-x and some more comfy tires on the street, I suggest the Michelin Pilot Super Sports. I'm using them now on my Fikse street wheels and they do a very good job of soaking up the horrible NJ roads (I run stiff 12k/10k springs), and make little noise. They're also very light and performed well on the Tail of the Dragon (318 turn gauntlet in 11 miles).... not AD08/star spec grip levels, but not too far off.

Based on your most recent post they may be exactly what you're looking for:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....ot+Super+Sport

 

Sorry, but I beg to differ. Care to show me the reviews? Tire Rack never rated them deadly (or anything of that caliber) in heavy rain and/or standing water, just performance is behind the AD08 and Star Specs (since these two are on topic).

Also, having tried both the AD08 and XS, I would say their dry grip (for their rated temp range) is on par at the least. From experience, the AD08 does seem to have a crisper turn in, otherwise they are very similar. The XS does weigh a bit more (obviously depending on size). The difference on my set up was ~2lbs. I cannot speak much for the XS in severe conditions (cold/rain), but having to be stuck in semi-heavy Spring rain once, they performed just fine.

With that said, I would go for the Star Spec if I had to pick AGAIN. That is without taking the price into consideration because the XS is cheaper than the AD08 and Star Spec.

 

Jeff,
Hoosier A6's are the ticket for AutoX. Kumho V710's are good too though.

 

You'll also want to consider Hankook RS-3. They are pretty sweet as well. I'm running them and they feel great. They're supposed to be on part with Z1SS and AD08, but at much cheaper price.