Trying to decide - tires

[TankII]

I ran 225/55-16 KDW tires until 2004, when I wore the tires out and switched to 215/55-16 Sport T/A's.
KDW's - Terrific tire street or track (never autocrossed), rain or dry.
Very lumpy when cold though.
Sport T/A's - Also lumpy when cold, wore nicely on SHO and now on my Stratus. However, at an autocross, they really didn't want to turn on the SHO. The only car I beat was a stock Mini Cooper - all the Neons on shaved tires were seconds faster.

So, looking at other tires or KDW's again. Michelin's in this size are considered better riding, but less grippy at limit.
Conti's - I haven't run them since my early 70's Capri days.
Avons - I used to run them on my Autocrossing Plymouth Cricket, and the only guy I could never beat in HS was the National Champion at the time.
Always had bad luck with Goodyear.
Always had good luck with Dunlop except on a Honda Wagon - No winter traction on All Season.
Bridgestone - 8th in the rain out of 35 cars at Lime Rock in my '73 Capri.
Never ran Coopers, though in the day Cooper Cobra Radial GT's were very sticky at a reasonable price.
Definitely want to run 225/55-16's again.
215/60/16's and 225/55-16's are completely neutral (I've slid the car sideways!) with my 21MM front, 26MM rear setup.

TankII

P.S. Ron Porter - It's still the same '91 - 221111 miles as of today!

 

[K-Dawg]

All of those tires you're talking about are ancient and really have nothing to do with the tires available today. And I'm not sure if you're looking for a street tire or track tire or both.

 

[RonPorter]

Hi Dave!!

For Summer tires, get the Hankook evo V12. For a bit more $$$, the Dunlop Star Spec is also very good.

For summer or a/s, the Conti Extreme Contact is also a good choice (they have both flavors).

 

[platoribs]

Yeah I think I bought some of the last BFG KDW's 4 x 225/50-16,
4 x 245/45-17, picked them up for like 85 each.

great street tire!

 

[calvin0325]

I am running the Conti Extreme's in a 235/45/17 on my 99 SHO and I love them.

 

[TankII]

All of those tires you're talking about are ancient and really have nothing to do with the tires available today. And I'm not sure if you're looking for a street tire or track tire or both.

KDW's are still available, and they are the tire to beat from a stickiness and sidewall stiffness perspective in my opinion. Their lumpiness - it was like driving a square tire when cold...
Mchelin Pilot Exalto PE2 - Ancient? Released within the past year as a new tire. Expensive, softer sidewall.
Cooper Zeon RS3-S is the Cooper tire I am looking at, though not in the size I wanted. Anyone try them? Yes, the Cobra Radial GT is an old tire - I was trying for a comparison.

The Comp T/A was the tire to beat next to the Yokohama A-008 for street/autocross dual duty back in the 80's. I did run some Mikey Thompson's on my '78 Olds Wagon that stuck well enough to beat SS Corvettes though (235/60-15's). It also had 4-wheel Disks, bigger sway-bars, heavier-duty springs....

Pirelli's are expensive. Very expensive!

Mixed comments on the current crop of Bridgestones.

I'm hearing Hanooks are greasy at the limit.


I drive ******* corners on the street - I can get my Stratus ES to rotate a bit with the Sport T/A 215/55-16's on it right now without trying as hard as I could. The SHO is a summer car with occasional Autocrosses thrown in.

 

[SHOspazz92]

KDW's are still available, and they are the tire to beat from a stickiness and sidewall stiffness perspective in my opinion. Their lumpiness - it was like driving a square tire when cold...
Mchelin Pilot Exalto PE2 - Ancient? Released within the past year as a new tire. Expensive, softer sidewall.
Cooper Zeon RS3-S is the Cooper tire I am looking at, though not in the size I wanted. Anyone try them? Yes, the Cobra Radial GT is an old tire - I was trying for a comparison.

The Comp T/A was the tire to beat next to the Yokohama A-008 for street/autocross dual duty back in the 80's. I did run some Mikey Thompson's on my '78 Olds Wagon that stuck well enough to beat SS Corvettes though (235/60-15's). It also had 4-wheel Disks, bigger sway-bars, heavier-duty springs....

Pirelli's are expensive. Very expensive!

Mixed comments on the current crop of Bridgestones.

I'm hearing Hanooks are greasy at the limit.


I drive ******* corners on the street - I can get my Stratus ES to rotate a bit with the Sport T/A 215/55-16's on it right now without trying as hard as I could. The SHO is a summer car with occasional Autocrosses thrown in.

The dunlop Direzza Star spec will hand thoes KDW's there ass in every way possible when it comes to all out performance. The Hankook RS3's will outstick the Star specs EVEN More (It is THE Hottest Auto-X tire right now). The star specs will have a longer life and be better suited for the rain then the RS3.

A step down would be the Hankook that Ron suggested, but those are better suited for all around driving.

If you would like to read this thread, I did a write up on tires and included a link to a tire test of all the lastest extreme summer tires.

http://www.shoforum.com/showthread.php?t=117904&highlight=Choosing+tire

-Sam

 

[jayro]

The dunlop Direzza Star spec will hand thoes KDW's there ass in every way possible when it comes to all out performance. The Hankook RS3's will outstick the Star specs EVEN More (It is THE Hottest Auto-X tire right now). The star specs will have a longer life and be better suited for the rain then the RS3.

-Sam

Hmm, now you have me thinking. I am going to be buying some tires for my new 17's when my 16" Star Specs wear out. I was set on another set of StarSpecs, but if the RS3's are stickier and cheaper I may have to go that route.

 

[SHOspazz92]

Hmm, now you have me thinking. I am going to be buying some tires for my new 17's when my 16" Star Specs wear out. I was set on another set of StarSpecs, but if the RS3's are stickier and cheaper I may have to go that route.

Buy the RS3's now and just continue to drive on the Star Specs. Thats what I did on my Auto-X SHO. Swap the the RS-3's out the day before and your good to go!

-Sam

 

[jayro]

Buy the RS3's now and just continue to drive on the Star Specs. Thats what I did on my Auto-X SHO. Swap the the RS-3's out the day before and your good to go!

-Sam

That is probably what I will do. I'm signed up for some HPDE stuff too. I wonder how the treadwidth of the Hankook 235's differ from the StarSpecs. Tire Racks doesnt have treadwidth listed for the 235 StarSpecs, but I know they usually run a little wider than most.

 

[pejohnson]

x2 what Ron said.

Hi Dave!!

For Summer tires, get the Hankook evo V12. For a bit more $$$, the Dunlop Star Spec is also very good.

For summer or a/s, the Conti Extreme Contact is also a good choice (they have both flavors).

 

[dohcsable]

That is probably what I will do. I'm signed up for some HPDE stuff too. I wonder how the treadwidth of the Hankook 235's differ from the StarSpecs. Tire Racks doesnt have treadwidth listed for the 235 StarSpecs, but I know they usually run a little wider than most.

the rs-3's will probably be done after one track day.....they're alot softer compound than the dunlop. Hankooks always used to run wide as well in the RS2 days.....IDK if that is still true though.



To the OP, if you are indeed attending autocross events.....Dunlop star spec, Hankook RS3, and Kuhmo XS Just remember they are a summer only tire intended for autox, and no, they don't need to be shaved to work. Out of those, the Dunlop will last the longest by far.

If you are not serious about autox or attend 1 a year, listen to the other recommendations here.

 

[SHOspazz92]

the rs-3's will probably be done after one track day.....they're alot softer compound than the dunlop. Hankooks always used to run wide as well in the RS2 days.....IDK if that is still true though.



To the OP, if you are indeed attending autocross events.....Dunlop star spec, Hankook RS3, and Kuhmo XS Just remember they are a summer only tire intended for autox, and no, they don't need to be shaved to work. Out of those, the Dunlop will last the longest by far.

If you are not serious about autox or attend 1 a year, listen to the other recommendations here.

I HIGHLY doubt that. That's like saying a hoosier will be done after one track event. I guarantee you would be able to get nearly 3-4 HPDE's + Some Auto-X's out of the tires. The Autocrossing is going to be really ******* those tires regardless. My suggestion would be to dial in a ton of front Camber, Up the front tire pressure and watch tire temps closely. One thing I never did in my Auto-X car when I was autocrossing on star specs was spray down the front tires after a run on a hot day. I should have, as they outside edges were scorching hot, but at that point I knew I was going to go to a slick.

FWIW, My old star specs are STILL on my old Auto-X SHO. Those tires had 80+ Auto-X runs on them, 20+ runs down the strip and 5,000+ Miles of street driving. Not to mention, The front Camber has been set anywhere from -2.5 to -3. They still have PLENTY of tread and are working just fine, but after so much abuse (And after sitting outside through Mass. winter), they have definitely lost some of their grip.

-Sam

 

[TankII]

Thanks for the input, everyone.

I put about 4K/year regular driving, and want to start autocrossing regularly again , but even that would be 3-4 times/year.

The rest of the year it sits on Y2K vintage Blizzaks and I work on the body or other mechanical issues. NE rust is a pain.

TankII

 

[TankII]

The Dunlops are 225/50-16's only, not 225/55-16.

I have concern about load-rating at that size. It's almost 200 lbs/tire, 400 lbs/tire vs. Pirelli.

TankII

 

[SHOspazz92]

The Dunlops are 225/50-16's only, not 225/55-16.

I have concern about load-rating at that size. It's almost 200 lbs/tire, 400 lbs/tire vs. Pirelli.

TankII

It will be fine. You'll also want the smaller sidewall for Auto-X crossing. Combating tire roll on these cars is a royal pain in the ass. When I was running 275/40/17 on the front of my SHO, not even -3* front camber would keep them from rolling. The car would need 40lbs of air up front to get it to stop...Kind of.

-Sam

 

[jayro]

The Dunlops are 225/50-16's only, not 225/55-16.

Those are the exact ones I have on my car now. They work well. I run about 45psi up front to fight rollover and 35psi in the back, but I chalk the tires and fine tune them as I run. Depending on the surface, I adjust rear pressure to loosen the car if I want. Unfortunatly 225's is as wide as they come in 16" rims. I picked up some 17" rims so I can move up to 235's or 245's on my next set of tires.

Are you running on slicers?

 

[dohcsable]

I HIGHLY doubt that. That's like saying a hoosier will be done after one track event. I guarantee you would be able to get nearly 3-4 HPDE's + Some Auto-X's out of the tires. The Autocrossing is going to be really ******* those tires regardless. My suggestion would be to dial in a ton of front Camber, Up the front tire pressure and watch tire temps closely. One thing I never did in my Auto-X car when I was autocrossing on star specs was spray down the front tires after a run on a hot day. I should have, as they outside edges were scorching hot, but at that point I knew I was going to go to a slick.

FWIW, My old star specs are STILL on my old Auto-X SHO. Those tires had 80+ Auto-X runs on them, 20+ runs down the strip and 5,000+ Miles of street driving. Not to mention, The front Camber has been set anywhere from -2.5 to -3. They still have PLENTY of tread and are working just fine, but after so much abuse (And after sitting outside through Mass. winter), they have definitely lost some of their grip.

-Sam

My concern with the RS3 is the softer compound, and they should heat up faster. The 615(iirc) azenis would get greasy and accelerate wear on a track, due to the soft compound(and being falken naturally)



And otherwise completely agree with you on setup and the life of star specs, I easily had 60-75 autox runs(alot at grissom+75% of time sprayed off), close to 150 drag passes, and between 20-25k miles on the set on the redline(which weighed 2990) So its close to the weight of sho's.

 

[TankII]

Those are the exact ones I have on my car now. They work well. I run about 45psi up front to fight rollover and 35psi in the back, but I chalk the tires and fine tune them as I run. Depending on the surface, I adjust rear pressure to loosen the car if I want. Unfortunatly 225's is as wide as they come in 16" rims. I picked up some 17" rims so I can move up to 235's or 245's on my next set of tires.

Are you running on slicers?

Yes, I'm running slicers. At the moment, as I'm not competitive, I have been running in GS. If these tires are as sticky as you say, then I'll bump myself up to ESP as necessary.

Thanks for everyone's input!

TankII

 

[SHOspazz92]

Yes, I'm running slicers. At the moment, as I'm not competitive, I have been running in GS. If these tires are as sticky as you say, then I'll bump myself up to ESP as necessary.

Thanks for everyone's input!

TankII

These tires will not bump you out of GS.

-Sam