Street Tire discussion

[Erv]

I have heard great things about the RS3's, RE-11's, XS's, R1R's and Star Specs. Curious about where everyone feels these tires stack up. Wet, dry, sidewall, overall feel, response to heat, and wear.

Looking at Nationals Results it seems R1R is the tire to use, and that RS3 is a distant 2nd. The rest seem to have fallen off the scale. So I am wondering what tire you use and why?

[Cholewa]

whatever's on sale.

A lot of tire choices revolve around the weight of the car, and the budget set forth by the owner.

[slowautoxr]

.... and contingency money.

[rodhx]

It does depend on the car class. For example, for ST, STS, STR cars, the Kumho XS seems far behind the Hankook, Toyo & Dunlop. Zac ran the XS on the Civic and I used those tires a coupla times in Huntsville on the Miata. I did not like them as much as the Star Specs that I was usually running. However, the Kumhos seem to have some success in the heavier classes.

There are essentially two choices for lightweight cars, the Toyo (especially in the magic 195/50-15 size) and the Hankook. Toyo is better in cold/cool weather & rain. Hankook holds up to heat better than any of them.

Budget really isn't much of an issue 'cause there is not a whole lot of difference in price among these tires. Interestingly enough, the Hankook tends to be among the least expensive in Miata friendly sizes, as well as the best performing for our climate.

I ran Star Specs in 2010 and really liked them, but did have to spray them during the summer events to get the best results. Last year was the 225/45-15 RS3s and they are great. They run at a much lower pressure than the Dunlops and survived a two-driver season with a few events left in them. The only problem with the Hankooks is they stay in short supply. I read last night the Tire Rack is already out of the 225/45 and running a waiting list.

FWIW, I think I'm ordering Star Specs for Zac's car this year. The Miata will stay on the RS3s, just need to get on the list.

[nicktcr]

My Rotalla Special Stage Drift tires held up for about 2 passes. I was impressed with their lack of grip, as they are actually DOT approved tires. Driving in the rain with them later was also impressive, as they closely simulated light snow and ice, by simply using water. They weren't the size I'd normally go with (these were 215/55/16 instead of 225/50/16), but I got them for a bargain (free from the trash pile behind a shop in Pleasant Grove!), so I guess I can't complain TOO much. I don't think I'd really recommend them to anyone though, unless you have a 240 with a welded diff and slammed coilovers.

[eastwoodsn352]

My Rotalla Special Stage Drift tires held up for about 2 passes. I was impressed with their lack of grip, as they are actually DOT approved tires. Driving in the rain with them later was also impressive, as they closely simulated light snow and ice, by simply using water. They weren't the size I'd normally go with (these were 215/55/16 instead of 225/50/16), but I got them for a bargain (free from the trash pile behind a shop in Pleasant Grove!), so I guess I can't complain TOO much. I don't think I'd really recommend them to anyone though, unless you have a 240 with a welded diff and slammed coilovers.

lmao

[mpcavana]

I liked the Toyo R1Rs but they fell off at 5/32 or so because I didn't run the "magic" 195s. Additionally, the price went up after my 1st set and I decided to look somewhere else.

The Hankook RS3s are okay. As Rod mentioned, I did not have to spray them except on the hottest days with two drivers. The price is better than the Star Specs for my size, about $30 less per tire. Even after 10K miles they stick pretty good. My only criticism is that on a cold morning it feels like I have square wheels until they warm up.

I have Star Specs on my 350Z and they are a very nice road tire.

[Erv]

thanks Mike

[Cholewa]

I ran star specs on the rabbit way back when and I absolutely loved them. The amount of grip they had cold was amazing. After a few months of daily abuse, they weren't nearly as sticky, but they were still fantastic. They wore better than any of the higher tread wear tires I used in the past.

Good road manners too. Killed my mileage, went from 24-5 avg with them, swapped over to some low rolling resistance guys and jumped up into the low 30's.

[Erv]

these tires will be STF only, so mileage is not a factor. However, wear is because I don't wanna spend 500$ on tires and they last half the season

[TouringBubble]

That little car won't kill ST tires in less than a season. Any of them will last. From what I've heard though, the Z1SS has better life than some others.

[rodhx]

Yeah, with a single driver car you should be good for at least the season with any of them. If camber challenged you will likely need to flip them on the rims to get the most life out of them. Stick with the symmetric tread designs if you think you will flip them: RS3, R1R, Star Spec, etc. Kumho XS and Bridgestone are asymmetric and probably should not be run "inside-out"

I ran an entire two-driver season in 2011 on my RS3s and will be getting them flipped to continue running them in 2012. Did the same thing with a set of star specs in 2010. The Hankooks have definitely wore better than the Dunlops.

[Cholewa]

I daily drove on the star specs and did almost a full season of autocross on them and they were at about the halfway maybe 3/4'ths way done point.

If they are solely for autocross, you will get at minimum 2 years out of them, unless we have events at the dog track, or unlimited run fun stuff like at barber.

[TouringBubble]

I will simply toss in that treadwear and "usable wear" are drastically different on many of these tires. They will be usable for about a season, but could be driven on for long after.

[Erv]

ok new q, shave or no? if so 1/8, 3/32, 1/16?