2005 tire thread
 

I know, search. Tires are talked about so often you would thing there is no need for another tire thread. Well, here goes my tire question of the week.

I'm looking for 16" tires that will last at least a few track events that are street legal and of course, wont break the bank. I have been through the Yoko 100's and several Bridgestones, each OK, but fall off to quickly.

Toyo T1-S was recommended, anyone have track experience with these? Jack O on pelican recommends a BF Goodrich tire, anyone local try these? They are in the ~$160/each range, right up there with RA-1's, making the car tough for me. Kumho MX's were recomended, and I like the price, but I can find them in the proper sizes.

I'm not sure I'm ready for r-compounds yet, although the Yoko-32 is an appealing tire that seems to right in the middle between track tire and street tire. Again, similar price to the RA-1's. Thoughts?

225/246 in 16" are getting scarce, is this a sign I should upgrade to 17's, or should I stick it out with the fuchs? I would love a set of FM-10's but unless you can convince my boss I deserve a big raise that's a pipe dream.

I really like the Potenza S-03 Pole Positions. They cost $130 to $150 each, depending on the size. The rears last me around 6 DE weekends, and the fronts around 8 or 9. Last time around, I had the tires flipped on the rims after 3 weekends; I should have held out longer on the fronts...

I ran T1-S's all last DE season (and will probably this season as well). At full tread they were a bit squirmy, but as the tread wears they feel better and better. Back in Oct I was probably running by best lap times at SP yet and the tires stuck right in there (within their non-R limits, of course). I make sure to keep them around 40psi hot and havent felt them get greasy/slippery yet. Due to somewhat soft side walls and tall tread, they do tend to roll/chunk a bit under hard turn in, but again it gets better as the tread wears. Previous tires were BFG RE-71's (old but great tires also) and would think their replacements are just as good, if not better.

I ran the Yoko 032's last year and they do provide very consistent grip up to a point, but get a touch slippery at the end of a hotter session. That said, they definitely give decent feedback and have great all weather capability as well. Ran them in the rain (on a 2.7 RS motor'd car) and they evacuated water very well. One problem though is that they are HEAVY. Was shocked at the weight compared to kumho victoracers and hoosiers.

How many track days do you have? You want to match the tires to both the car and driver.

Do you plan to have more than one set of rims? (it is inevitable if you track long enough you know)

Hmm This might make for good poll. "How many wheels do you have?" Dave R wins, just from the ones that his cars are sitting on much less from the spares he has but what do the rest of the gang have?

While I have no basis for comparison, I love my RA-1's. Great on the track, good on the road.
If you do plan on using a street tire for track use, you may want to get them shaved to prevent rolling and chuncking. Call Paul at Radial Tire. As stated in numerous previous threads, he's a wealth of knowlege. He'll also give you a PCA discount. :D

oh oh... I *smell* a pissing contest :D

just for giggles:
-my car came with 4 6" fuchs that were on the car (Yoko 100's)
-4 6" fuchs mounted with Kumhos
-6 cookie cutters mounted w/ Kumhos

Since then, I got 2 15x8's on which a sale is pending.
Recently I put the car on 7's and 8's...

only the "for sale" wheels are "sans rubber"


Oh, and my Rabbit has a set of mounted snows as well as a "regular" set.

No, I do not have a garage, and no, I'm not single....

One set of wheels for the 911 -- and they are 6s and 7s. I've started thinking about a second set, but I'll probably wait until a finish a season in White. The main reason for wanting a second set is to go wider, as the car does understeer a bit (and I don't compensate well enough for that with my driving), and also so I don't use a lot of the tire life up on the street. When the time comes, I would probably look at RA-1s, then put more of an all-season tire on the stock wheels.

I enjoyed my use of the Yoke 032s but found their wear rates comparable to the Victoracers. They are better in the rain/wet however. And they are a very noisy tire.. lots of "howling" and that's in a straight line :!:

I just moved up to 16"s last year after a decade of 15" wheels and find I am also limited.. 205/225/245 widths seem to be all there is.. same as for 15" wheels. 17"s will get you a few more widths.. 235/255/275/285 and up to 315... mmm steamrollers :P

17's are something to consider, especially if you have turbo flares. Any number of wheels can fit.. aftermarket or the newer offset Porsche wheels. If you currently are running 7/9 x 16 Fuchs, you could easily sell them and buy a set of 993 17" "cup" wheels to bolt on.

Any tire, when at or beyond its limits will get greasy. R compounds simply get greasy at a higher point though.

As for the Khumo MX's I remember hearing horror stories when they first came out.. tread separation, chunking etc. Maybe they are better now.

I believe there was a recall for the Kumhos (posted everywhere, even Grassroots) and by now the problem has been rectified