Tires for autocross??

[BigEd925]

I'm buying some new wheels for my evo and now im in the market for some tires as well. The tire size is 235/40/18, I was thinkin of going with a high performance all season, would that affect traction in an auto-x event?? Im sure the extreme summer tires (advans etc) would be better but I really want something for wet roads as well. Any auto-xers care to chime in....

[Matz]

I'm buying some new wheels for my evo and now im in the market for some tires as well. The tire size is 235/40/18, I was thinkin of going with a high performance all season, would that affect traction in an auto-x event?? Im sure the extreme summer tires (advans etc) would be better but I really want something for wet roads as well. Any auto-xers care to chime in....

A lot of guys have recommeded Falken RT615s, which is what I'm going to put on and try out someday.

[BigEd925]

I checked those out but they dont come in 235/40/18 :(

[ZK]

There are a lot of tires that perform well in the wet yet are max performance tires. All seasons are generally M&S rated for mud and snow.

Tires like the Bridgestone S-03 is great all around and offer lots of grip, good wet traction and are not all season.

[craziazzmofo66]

if u want all season performance....do NOT get the azenis!! (atleast what ive experienced with the 215's tell me that u shouldnt) and do not get fuzions...maybe some michellin pilots??

[vtluu]

Azenises work just fine on wet roads. A lot of people don't seem to understand the difference between "wet" and "standing water". Most max performance summer tires won't be great for standing water due to the large tread blocks. I drove my Evo through the "record" rainfalls of January '05 on 1/3-tread Falken RT215s. Did they hydroplane easily? Heck yeah. Was it a major problem? Not really. Unless you're the type who insists on driving 80 mph regardless of conditions, it's not really an issue when you're on the road: slow down in heavy rainfall and the tires will work just fine. I've run my Miata all winter on Falken RT615s and they've worked decently well in standing water--as long as I respect their performance limits in that situation (again, by slowing down as needed).

If you place autocross street tire performance as a priority, there really are no better tires to get than the Falken RT615s, Hankook RS2 Z212s, or Yokohama Advan Neovas. For performance in "other" conditions, you can easily drive around those limitations when you need to.

[Matz]

if u want all season performance....do NOT get the azenis!! (atleast what ive experienced with the 215's tell me that u shouldnt) and do not get fuzions...maybe some michellin pilots??

+1 on the Fuzions. I'll never buy those tires after crashing Evo #1 with those on the track (of course I was driving too fast, though).

[blueskies]

If you place autocross street tire performance as a priority, there really are no better tires to get than the Falken RT615s, Hankook RS2 Z212s, or Yokohama Advan Neovas. For performance in "other" conditions, you can easily drive around those limitations when you need to.

in comparison to the stock a046 advans, how is the wear and road noise of the three above mentioned tires?

[BigEd925]

I just bought new rims and got 255/40/17 Falken Azenis rt-615s mounted and the road noise is very close to stock and the handleing is awesome. Havnt been out to the track or auto-x with them yet.

[evo_dadi]

I just bought new rims and got 255/40/17 Falken Azenis rt-615s mounted and the road noise is very close to stock and the handleing is awesome. Havnt been out to the track or auto-x with them yet.


run them down first for a few hundred miles before you do some hard driving on it.theyre useless when new since youll be just killing the tires sliding all over the place ;)

[heeltoer]

will all season tires affect autoX performance? hell yes.
How much will it matter? If you are in a street tire class and want to be anywhere competative, you will need one of the aforementioned Max Performance summer tires.

Another one to add to the list:
Bridgestone Potenza RE-01R, these are now at the top of the pile as far as performnce tires from bridgestone. The S03 is being phased out.
The falkens are still probably your best bang for buck (unless you can find the others on a special).
Whats been said about wet weather driving is correct: slow down. In fact even if you have all season tires, slow down!

[turbotiger]

Most street max performance summer tires will outperform M&S All season tires in the wet, due to M&S's compromise for snow performance.

However, I am not talking about street tires made for racing, however they do a good job with enough tread.

If you're going to autox, you need the max performance summer tires to stay competitive.

[inYubaSha]

okay,Â* so I think I know the answerÂ* based off that last reply....Â* all you pros please chime in

First track event, T-Hill - driving school Thursday,Â* Â*its supposed to rain..

Falken 615's 245/40/18 inch ....Â* Â* ORÂ* Â* Â* Â*Goodyear Traction T/a M&S 235/45/17

... the goodyears seem to have a pretty soft sidewall

[vtluu]

Go with the Falkens. Unless there's standing water (tracks usually have decent drainage so puddles don't form except in really heavy rain) you'll be fine.

[lqdchkn]

okay, so I think I know the answer based off that last reply.... all you pros please chime in

First track event, T-Hill - driving school Thursday, its supposed to rain..

Falken 615's 245/40/18 inch .... OR Goodyear Traction T/a M&S 235/45/17

... the goodyears seem to have a pretty soft sidewall


Go with the Falkens. Unless there's standing water (tracks usually have decent drainage so puddles don't form except in really heavy rain) you'll be fine.


This thread is almost a year old now guys. Pretty sure Ed bought tires already. ;)

[MarkSAE]

okay, so I think I know the answer based off that last reply.... all you pros please chime in

First track event, T-Hill - driving school Thursday, its supposed to rain..

Falken 615's 245/40/18 inch .... OR Goodyear Traction T/a M&S 235/45/17

... the goodyears seem to have a pretty soft sidewall


I drove on my 245/45/17 RT615's in the wet at T-hill back in Dec. They have decent grip in the wet and the break away characteristics are very predictable. When you lose traction, it'll feel progressive.

[inYubaSha]

cool, thanks Tam, Mark. sorry 'bout reviving this old thread, but it has good info on it

[AreSTG]

not to mention, you didn't get flamed for not searching :)