Hey all,

I have an '87 - 13B N/A that I use just for Autocross. I wanna stay in the stock class. I've done the following.....
*K&N air intake
*New Catback
*Replaced stock front sway bar w/ TII sway bar (since they are a little more beefier).
*other basic tune up stuff

I am looking to get some decent tires and keep the price reasonable. I have a set of the 15" BBS rims that I am gonna use at the track (since they only weigh about 11 lbs or so).

What tires have you guys used, heard good/bad about? Specifically, I am interested in the (mostly cause of the price except the Kumhos):

*Toyo T1R (195/50/15) - they are about $60 ea (a Miata guy runs these and likes them)
*Falken RT 615 (205/50/15) - I have heard nothing about these.... about $65 ea
*Kumho V710 - I know these are really good but cost about $140 ea.

Also, what type of setups or modifications have any of you done that have worked, or not worked? Camber angles, etc?

Thanks in advance.

 

STAY AWAY FROM KUMHO lol .. heard and seen realy bad things on the street ,,,,, as for falkens i ran the ze512 i liked them exept i ran them past the wear bar in 2 months of city driving .. mind u i was being a tool and beating on my car ...... as for the toyo from what i undertstand they are by far best bang for buch right now ... i think they are going to foughly 120 a peice and at that price for an autox car would prolly be ur best bet IMO

 

I would second the Toyo T1R's. I ran a set of them and damn did they perform. I don't autocross, but I run the mountain roads quite a bit, and it held solid. I was very happy with wet weather performance too. $60 a piece though, damn where can you get the hook up on tires, hook me up. I'm running 215/45/17's all around so it would probably run more anyway.

 

I was running the Kumho 712 on the 16" TII anniv. rims. The rims were way to heavy. So, thats why i am switching, but I loved them as street tires. They handled really well.

My dad has the 712s on his 911 and really likes them.

I am only gonna use the new rubbers on the track, not the street. I have another tire/wheel combo I use for the street.

 

When I bought my 86, it had a set of 16" Kuhmo's on the back. Definitely horrible in weather. Backend always got away from me wether it was rain, snow or what not. The insides were completely torn to shreds when I replaced them this summer. I believe this wear was due to hauling a long block in the back for 500 miles. They stuck really well to the track and hot streets though.

During the winter, a nasty storm hit after only having the car less than 1 week. I took it up north to the poconos and as I drove out, all of a sudden I went from dry roads to snowy roads. I was behaving and taking it easy. I let off the gas for an engine brake and instantly i was driving in reverse at 50mph. Luckily I had no problems getting it turned back around, but I honestly blame the tires.

On the back I now have a pair of Goodyear?? GPS's. Haven't had any problems in any weather with them. They hold well. Don't remember their cost/tire tho.

I guess my recommendation, stay away from the Kuhmo for AutoX. I mean, you could possibly end up AutoX'n in the rain. They just aren't going to hold the road.

 

well imo unless you are a professional driver you will not be able to tell the difference in tires.

the stickier tires have shorter tread wear ratings (ie. 180,200,220....)
from researching tires the higher performance tires usually have a tread wear rating of 200 or lower i believe the neova ADO7's (which are one of the best if not the best street tires out there right now) has a wear rating of 180 or 190 i believe.

 

I think they are so cheep cause they are only 15's (yeah I know that's massive, the 'Vets have 15" disc brakes!)

Keep in mind, I'm not in it for the looks or the street handling, just AutoX.

www.tiresonline.com

 

Hoosiers are the absolute best. Any serious racer or autocrosser will tell you the same.
Make sure you get the correct tire as they make compounds specific for autocross or for road racing designated A or R respectively.

 

oh yeah, I guess I should mention I live in Florida, so I dont drive in the snow.

Deomic-

I have had a similar experience with the "engine break" in the rain, luckily I was able to control it and not spin around.

 

bs

 

RX-Heven

I have heard a lot of mixed reviews from other AutoX-ers about the Hoosiers (the A series) not holding up really well. I am not completely sold on them yet.

 

Falken Azenis ST115

In my own personal experiences:
*Excellent on dry! GRIP!
*Great on Rain! 80mph on highways feel solid and safe!
*Quiet tires!
*One of the most common tire used at my local autocross track and considered a favorite to many.
* I even drove them on snow for three months without problems(except getting stuck from huge amounts of accumulated snow), not bad!

Only problem though is that the treadwear isn't to great but exceptional...

 

I wouldn't think that vert wheels would be legal for stock class competition, as it's from a differnt car. You'd have to check on the legality of it. Grassroots Motorsports did a tire test a while back and the best street tire for autocross is the Falken Azenis RT-615. For race tires the fastest is the Kumho 710, then the Hoosier.

Here's a link to an online PDF version of the test.
http://www.grassrootsmotorsports.com...5_tiretest.pdf

 

Azenis cateogory is the way to go. Many good AutoX'ers use this and are very competitive

 

I would go w/ Azenis.

But if you're new to performance driving and is learning, it is better to go with less grippier tires. Reason is that this way you will learn to handle the car based on the car itself, and not depend on the tires to make you fast. I dont know if you know what I mean.

 

If these are dedicated auto-x wheels+tires, go with the Toyo RA-1s without question. They are "streetable" R-compound tires that are long lasting. You will get more grip than any street tire like the T1-R or Azeni 615, but it's a cheap long lasting R-compound.

 

Yep, they are strictly AutoX tires and wheels.