So what do you guys prefer and why?

Thanks

 

Lots of opinions on these tires. If you are talking about Solo, you might browse this forum:

http://sccaforums.com/forums/32/ShowForum.aspx

Although not much of it is RX-8 specific.

I run Toyo R1-Rs, and have had good results from them, but I do not know if they are truly the top choice for STX. I suspect the Yok AD08s are, but I don't have data for that.

The Toyos are not a good choice for dual-driver/hot climate combos, however.

 

I just recently made this choice. I went with the Dunlops because they were much cheaper.

I've heard the Kumho's are terrible in the rain and cold weather, which we get a bunch of up here.

 

i bet they would be good right now.

you guys are warmer than silly fla usa!

wow.

beers

 

Can we throw the Nitto NT05 in there as well? I'm switching to STX next season and considering the Star Specs, and NT05's.

 

Not if you have any interest in being competitive.

StarSpec, Re11, XS, Yok AD08, Toyo R1R are very even. It's basicly a pick'em. Which ever suite your driving style is the one for you. There are current tests @Grassroots Motorsports, Tire Rack. XS is the cheapest but not good in the rain. Re11 may be the most consistent. The StarSpec may have the best "feel"(stiff sidewall). The Hancook RS3 is something of an unknown quantity for now. There's not a bad one in the bunch and none are decisively quicker than the others.

 

Its a cool time for tires in ST classes. They are all good. The Star Spec seems to hit the sweet spot for all-around tire, but if you have the money for multiple sets of various brands, that might be the way to go.

There is always contingency money to consider, if you are good enough. I never consider contingency when I make these decisions.

 

Really? I know the NT05 is a new tire and I have not seen it at a National event yet, But I have herd good reviews about it. Just curious, what makes you say that it wont compair to the other tires?

 

Since we're throwing in alternatives, and not necessarily in the same Summer Extreme Performance category, I'm very pleased with my Toyo Proxes T1R's (Summer Ultra rated, as are stock, but perhaps closer to Summer Max).

 

Personally I don't think anybody has even seriously tested the NT05s at the ST autocross level. At least that's the impression I get from snooping around sccaforums. Nobody knows what they'll do and so nobody touches them. I think part of that has to do with the fact that Nitto really seems to be targeting the NT05 more towards the Time Attack crowd than the autocrossers.

 

^Yeah I agree with you. All the reviews I have read have been Track reviews of the NT05. They seem like they grip pretty well and don't over heat, So I figured they would be a competitive AutoX tire..

 

Yes, the T1-R is a nice street tire. I liked mine a lot when I had them. But the other tires mentioned in this thread are a significant step up from a performance perspective.

For the record, the reasons I chose R1-Rs are it's reputation of having excellent grip both in the dry and wet, which is important here in the Pacific NW, as well as their reputation of having better longitudinal grip than some of the other tires. I figured this might help mitigagte some of the advantage the AWD cars have over me in STX.

While I have heard that the R1-Rs don't hold up well to the abuse of STIs, WRXs, and M3s, they are holding up great for me. And I'm not being gentle on them. Trophied at both the national level events I have entered so far, and even got some of that contingency money.

 

Don't miss the summer extreme tests over at Tire Rack:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=118

They were posted at the end of June this year, but over at Miata.net we asked for and got an early preview of the results and impressions a month early. All 4 tires (AD08s, Z1 Star Specs, Kumhos, RE-11s) were very close in the dry and the top 3 were within 2/100s of a second in the wet, with the Kumhos a little further back.

http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=333857

http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=332221

Kumhos are the best value for dry autocross, but the Star Specs would be the best value on the street because of their wet performance.

 

i have a set of star specs broken in for you if interested..

down to about 3/32s.. 245 40 18.

beers

 

^I would but they will be going on some 17x9's for STX next season. So if you have a way to put 18" tires on 17" wheels let me know

 

to funny.

just went to 17" wheels.. very interesting changing wheels tires and brakes at the same time.. nothing came together till the afternoon..

beers

 

Same here with the 17's. Amazing what stepping down in total diameter and weight does eh?

 

17" rock, even for street use. Ground clearence can become a bit of an issue, however (assuming the car is lowered by other means).

 

What tire and wheel size are you running with the R1-R's? Also, what tire pressures do you recommend for them?

I just picked up a pair of R1-R's in 235/40/17 to mount on my 17x9 RPF1's, they seem very soft to the touch and after reading a bit about them, seems like I will need higher pressures?

 

I run the 255/40 on 17x9s. For pressures, I've settled on 34/32, which seems low, but they have a lot of grip at these pressures. If you put more air in them, they will stiffen up, but I'm not certain if they are faster or not. I do plan to do more testing over then next two weekends.

With the 235/40s, your tire should be naturally stiffer, so 34/32 may work well for you. Also, they will feel better as you take some tread depth off. I drove mine daily for a few months to help wear them down.

[edit] I will also say that at the lower pressures, I did have to "re-learn" how to drive the car fast in transitions, as compared to my V710s when I was in BS. The sidewalls do flex quite a bit more, and the slip angles are greater. Once you learn to trust the tires, however, as I said above they do grip well.

 

For another data point, I'm running between 29 and 31 psi cold on my 265/35/18 R1R's.

 

Thanks for the insight guys, much appreciated. What other tires and sizes do you have experience with?

I am currently running on stock size Star Spec's with stock wheels, and have just picked up the set of RPF1's, unfortunately they came with staggered tires, 235 CS2's and 255 615's, so it was giving me braking problems when I was just testing them out. I then came across a deal on a pair of 235 R1-R's, so I couldn't pass it up.. I also have a pair of 245 Sumitomo's, but I don't know what combination of tires I want to try first. Ideally I know I should be running the same tires front and rear, but I can't justify dropping 300 plus for a new pair right now.

 

As you know, that's not an ideal situation. The R1-Rs, as a rule, have more grip than the 615s. But, a 235 vs. a 265 I suspect you will have understeer, but you never know until you try. Do report back!

Best bet is to just run these until you save up some money and buy a set of matched 255/40s, whatever tire you settle on. They are all good.

 

Another plug for Toyo - I just got my contingency check from Toyo for my 3rd place finish at the Packwood NT.

It will be interesting to see what Jason is on at Lincoln.

 

Well he's been on Kumho, So maybe he'll try out the Kumho XS