Autocross/Street Tires

[BrianG]

Can anyone recommend a really good autocross tire that can also be driven on the street. (I only have 1 set of wheels.) I drive on the street maybe 500 miles per year. I was told Falken AZENIS is a great tire, but they aren't offered in our size.

Any recommendations are appreciated.

[svobud]

depends on how much you want to spend...but I love a Bridestone tire. Just wish they hadn't discontinued the RE71

This S03 is a very nice all around tire. TW (tread wear usually dictates how sticky the tire will be) is kinda higher than I would like from a street/autox tire though....like 220. I prefer something in the 140TW range when I compete in the OWR classes that only allow street tires.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Sizes.jsp?make=Bridgestone&model=Potenza+S-03+Pole+Position

For the money....the RE010 probably the best thing for a autox street tire class. TW is 120!!! They won't last long if you put the miles to them, but they should really perform! Pricing is kinda high though.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Bridgestone&tireModel=Potenza+RE010

Last choice would be the S02 - TW 140. Whatever you end up getting - IMO, I prefer to keep the TW is 160 or less or you won't be seeing much performance out of the tires on the autox.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Sizes.jsp?make=Bridgestone&model=Potenza+S-02

[ediii]

Originally posted by BrianG
Can anyone recommend a really good autocross tire that can also be driven on the street. (I only have 1 set of wheels.) I drive on the street maybe 500 miles per year. I was told Falken AZENIS is a great tire, but they aren't offered in our size.

Any recommendations are appreciated.

Let me start by saying that if you don't have ABS I don't believe in doing more than an occasional autox on the same tires you drive on the street. Sooner or later you're going to lock them up good and flat spot them. Then you have to put up with the thumping and vibration for the rest of the tires life. Guess how I know this. You didn't mention how much you autocross or how competetive you are. If all you're doing is driving to and from autocrosses with an occasional street drive and little chance of encountering rain you can get Kumho Victoracers. These are the softest of the tires I would recomend and will flat spot the easiest. The problem with Kumhos is heat cycles. If you run them hard they're good for 7 Or 8 events. Then they get hard and don't stick as well even though they may not be corded yet. Flipping them often on the rim helps but if you don't have a tire mounting machine and a balancer this gets expensive. Toyo RA-1s are competiton tires that aren't as good as Kumhos for racing(not quite as much grip, don't turn-in nearly as well) but are awesome on the street (better than Kumhos because of more tread and harder, longer wearing compound) as long as you don't encounter heav rain. Azeenis' would be the best street tire to autocross because they perform as well as S0-2's but are a lot cheaper. But they don't come in your size. The tires Bud mentioned are all street tires that are very good for autocrossing but they're still street tires and won't perform as well as the Kumhos or Toyos. If you're going to autox or do other track events a lot I would get another set of rims. If you're a novice and just trying to learn, go with one of the street tires Bud mentioned. If you really want to be competitive go with one of the competition tires. I hope this long diatribe helps.
ED

[ediii]

Originally posted by BrianG
Can anyone recommend a really good autocross tire that can also be driven on the street. (I only have 1 set of wheels.) I drive on the street maybe 500 miles per year. I was told Falken AZENIS is a great tire, but they aren't offered in our size.

Any recommendations are appreciated.

Another thing you might want to do is ask one of the hot shoes you autox with. They can see how you drive and make a recommendation. Pat Salerno is an excellent autocrosser (National Champion) from CT as well as a Driving Dynamics instructor. He has a white MR2 Turbo. If you run into him at an event I'm sure he'd be happy to help you.
ED

[svobud]

ediii mentioned the Khumos - I have these and have driven them on the street/hwy quite often. Don't really recommend using them for extended trips, bt anything under 20-25 miles one way to the autox course won't hurt em too much. They do tend to be a bit 'darty' on the hwy though. I don't like hauling tires, jack, etc out to the course, so anytime I can get away with mounting my tires the night before and drive on em to the event ...then that's just what I do.

I assumed you are a Novice - therefore - I suggested sticky street tires. I seriously recommend you start off autoxing on street tires. You need to learn a few things - listen to a few people at the track - and then move on from there. Don't just jump into it running blind. The learning curve comes with time/experience.

[BrianG]

Thanks for the responses.

I am a novice and did 5 autocrosses in CT this year and LOVED it! I plan to do 8-10 autocrosses next year with a trip to Lime Rock. (I'm dying to drive the SVO on a track!) I agree with you Bud, I think I need a sticky street tire because I'm new to the sport and I like to drive the SVO to work once a week in the spring, summer and fall. I will check and see if I could get a good price on the Potenza's.

Ediii - I will look for Pat at next year's races. (The name sounds familiar)

Any other tire suggestions are welcomed.

[2rvsperf]

I have a friend that has a set of SO2's that have never been on a tire that I think will make a pretty good deal on..

I believe they are 17's... ( don't know if you have moved from a factory wheel or not.. ) but if you are interested in them, send me a PM and I will put you in the right direction.


-2rvsperf
:mad: (game face)

[Speeder]

You've got to consider is how quickly you will ruin good street tires by chunking out the tread on the outside corners which aint cheap either. Edeii is also right on about flat spotting which happens all the time.

Here's what worked for me when I used to AutoX on a budget. Buy a second set of cheap curbed rims (not bent). Actually, I think I may have an old set available. Then look in the back of SportsCar (SCCA) magazine for ads on used racing tires. There are a couple outfits that buy tires from teams that insist on new tires at every event. I think they resell them for around $50 ea. I have used some of those sets for another ten events before they were shot. They will easily drop your laptimes by 2 seconds or more per lap on a track.

If you are really on a budget, go to a used tire dealer and buy a set with a low treadwear rating (<200) and hardly any tread left. Make sure they aren't too old and hard. You should still be able to dig your fingernail into them. Better yet, take a newer fresher set with more tread to a truck tire dealer and have him shave them down to 3/32" depth. You will be mucher faster and safer than on squirmy full tread street sets which will ruin before long.

[DougSVO]

I have autox an svo for some time and i would recomend that you save your pennies and get a second set of wheels this will do more for you than just get rid of the street tire vs. autox tire debate. The most noteable thing will be a liter wheel. the stock SVO wheel weighs about 32 to 35lbs this is way heavy. Shed yourself some weight and don't worry about chunking street tires or cording autox tires ( which you will do) as well as you don't have to worry about rain. I speek from experience because i drove on race tires about 80 miles in the rain to a auto x because i got my van and trailer stuck in the back yard. Yes it did dry up on the way but the firs 15 miles were most intresting with my Precious SVO:D

[gbeaird]

Doug is quite right! Get a lighter wheel that is the same dimensions as the factory one (if you are running in G Stock) and bolt a set of Kuhmo Victoracers or Hoosiers on it (depending on budget). Finding lighter wheels won't be a problem, as the factory wheels are so heavy.

For every 10# you can pull off the wheel weight, the car will acclerate like it weighs 20# lighter. Pull 10# off of each wheel, the car will run like it weighs almost 100# less! That is significant on an SVO.

Until we bought the trailer, we drove our SVO to autocrosses with the Kuhmos mounted on the car. One venue was almost an hour's drive away. They are a bit of a handful in the rain, but unless it is a torrential downpour, you should be okay, as long as you take it easy.

For track events, I recommend trailering the car. Too much can happen that could require a trailer back home to trust driving the car to that kind of event.

Pat drives a white 93 MR2, and is an Evolution Autocross school instructor. He recently got a chance to drive an SVO (ours), so he would be a great person to talk to. I also HIGHLY recommend the Evolution schools. If your budget will limit you to tires, or a school, take the school, it will help you so much more.


Gene Beaird
86 2R SVO, G Stock
Pearland, Texas

[ediii]

Yes, indeed, Pat is an Evolution instructor and drives a normal MR2, not a turbo. Thank you for correcting me Gene. How does your SVO do in G-stock. We just did a year in a ZX2-S/R. When I saw that the SVO was in GS I thought it would do well so I bought one. I was a little dissappointed to see the Mini Cooper S in GS. On a Divisional or National level that could be the car to have.

ED

[gbeaird]

I thought we did pretty well with the car. I believe I placed 2nd in the Region last year (although the Regional points listing doesn't show it), and Barbara placed 4th (or was it the other way around?). I am still 6th in G Stock this year, even though we only competed in the January and February events. The car really came alive when we replaced the broken struts with some real Konis.

_Maybe_ after a full year of development, and a decent shoe at the pedals, the MINI may be a contender at the National level. Without that posi, all that HP is wasted, IMHO. I think the car doesn't have the balance the old original Mini had.

A Neon R/T, with the right parts and driven well, IS a contender, and tough competition for our SVO. There are people who know what parts to put on the car **cough**Daddio**cough**, and even though they are not running in GS, someone could probably get a decent setup based on his recommendations. Those Toyotas are tough, too.

I think the SVO is STILL a contender for the class, but age is really starting to be its enemy there. Without the possibility of replacing parts with aftermarket, the car is going to get expensive to maintain in G Stock.

Gene Beaird
86 2R SVO, G Stock
Pearland, Texas

[ediii]

I mistakenly typed "Mini Cooper S". It's the normally aspirated car that's in GS. I've heard they handle very well but haven't seen one driven well yet. The Toyotas and Neons are the most popular car but Honda CRX is a great GS car also. Cars like the CRX and SVO are often overlooked because they are so old. They don't have much power but are very light, handle great, and you can get really big tires on them. Cars like the CRX and SVO are often overlooked because they are so old, hopefully we can sneak up on some people. We did well with the ZX2-S/R this year. My friend won GS and I ran Pro. On my good days I did well and was usually right with Rob Foley. I figure with the extra power the SVO has to be faster than the ZX2. Waiting for that variable cam to kick in can't be much different than turbo lag. Once the car is set up we will do a back to back comparo. I'm currently looking for LIGHT wheels to help with the lag. I also plan on getting new Konis, Kumhos for local events and Hoosiers for the big ones. Have you found any light wheels that fit the SVO and don't cost more than the rest of the car? I may also post that question. I will also ask Bud, he autocrosses also.

[BrianG]

Gene,

I have been to a couple of autocrosses here in CT with Mark Daddio and he is a great driver who knows cars. He also gets alot of attention while on course.