Best CHEAP tires for autox?

[M52 POWER!]

Is there such a thing haha?

No but I'm on a budget, I'd like to keep it under $130 per tire, what do you guys recommend?

I was thinking maybe Yokohama AVS ES100 or Falken Azenis? Are Fusions good? Ride noise doesn't really bother me, wet.. don't really care but dry traction and turn in I care the most about!

[M52 POWER!]

That bad huh? Oh well...

[Jim@tirerack]

What size tire are you looking for?

[M52 POWER!]

245/40/17, Are the Fuzion ZRI's good?

[vrsixer]

buy used... I got 12 used tires over this summer which should last me about 2 years. didn't pay over $400 for all 12.

[M52 POWER!]

That's what I've been doing in the past with bad luck. They seem to pickup nails/bolts etc really easy wit the lower tread. Also once the tread gets under 40% they really start losing any good grip. I can spinout in first gear from a roll if I want to its rediculous and it's not like i'm putting down crazy amounts of power either!

[Jed]

Is there such a thing haha?

No but I'm on a budget, I'd like to keep it under $130 per tire, what do you guys recommend?

I was thinking maybe Yokohama AVS ES100 or Falken Azenis? Are Fusions good? Ride noise doesn't really bother me, wet.. don't really care but dry traction and turn in I care the most about!

For an inexpensive street tire, the Yoko ES100 isn't too bad. Better than the Kumho 712.

Now Falken Azenis on the other hand are definitely the better tire-basically a step behind an R Comp. It's used a lot in autox for those running street tires, but be careful on a hot day as you can overheat them on a hard autox run. Be prepared with a spray bottle, just in case, to cool them off.

[Isaracing]

KUMHO MX!!! come on people

[M52 POWER!]

Isaracing I just looked up the kumhos mx I think I'll be getting those! All good reviews and really good dry traction for what they cost.. Thanks man!

[Isaracing]

Isaracing I just looked up the kumhos mx I think I'll be getting those! All good reviews and really good dry traction for what they cost.. Thanks man!

lol i just couldnt believe no one else said anything

[KnightRider/AMG]

buy used... I got 12 used tires over this summer which should last me about 2 years. didn't pay over $400 for all 12.

where do you get used tires from?

[Isaracing]

where do you get used tires from?

from one of the millions of "bobs used tire" lots around or other hick named tire place

[Outsider787]

where do you get used tires from?
You can always try out your local racing car club(s) discussion forums. That's where I've gotten a few good deals on "last seasons" tires for dirt cheap.

[KarlSpackler]

I posted up wanting to buy cheap 17'' tires on my local forum. Told them i didnt care how much tread they had left, as long as i could drive on them.

I used them for drifting, stupid burn outs etc........

And Kumho MX is what i run for auto x!!! I love them and they are cheap

[Jim@tirerack]

It is a very good handling tire. In a test that was done here they turned the best G's on the skid pad.
If I can help let me know.

[HSCC///M3]

Hankook Ventus R-S2 Z212
Falken Azenis RT-215
Falken Azenis RT-615
Kumho ECSTA MX


Any of those should work just fine for Autox, however the Hankook is probably the best bang for the buck.

[Chris Huff]

I don't know if these will fit (they fit my stock M3), but I have a set of 245/45/17 BFG KDWs. Hardly used.

PM me for details.

[jrward]

In the GRASSROOTS autox tire test the falken 615's beat every other tire in the street class by quite a bit. A friend of mine runs them on his prepped 240sx and wouldn't run anything else. In the GR article they also tested the mx's but said that they were good, they were just too old to keep up with the new stuff. But all summer long, 1/2 of all my autox fields were on the mx's. I on the other hand hit up ebay and buy quality used michelin ps2's and contisport2's. You can find lots of pirellis and such as well. I go through quite a few tires (pretty much every 3 months) and I do pretty well, gotta be patient for the really good deals.

[Beau B]

KUMHO MX!!! come on people

That is what I am running, and I like them. :buttrock

Beau

[96modz3]

I've met people who have run the MX's and have been pleased with them. I have run the AVS100's in the past and would not recommend them, they get very slippery as they heat up. I personally run the Fuzion Zri's and have nothing but praise for them and I'm on my second full set. I run a 255/40/17 on the rear and a 245/40/17 on the front all mounted on 17x8 wheels. They're great for autocrossing and get very sticky as they heat up and have exceptional grip in the rain. Play with the tire pressures for optimal grip. I usually run a 45f/38r bias on mine and I'm able to control a lot of the understeer. I got my fronts off ebay, shipped to the house for 165.00 for the pair, and they had 9/32's of the original 10/32's tread.
Good luck!

[M52 POWER!]

Hankook Ventus R-S2 Z212
Falken Azenis RT-215
Falken Azenis RT-615
Kumho ECSTA MX


Any of those should work just fine for Autox, however the Hankook is probably the best bang for the buck.

How do the Toyo T1-R's compare to these? I can get them for $150 each local...

[HSCC///M3]

How do the Toyo T1-R's compare to these? I can get them for $150 each local...
For autox use? I'd say pretty poorly. In Car & Driver's recent tire test, the Toyo was significantly slower than the Hankook in the dry autox (with opposite results in the wet - albeit not as severe). Factor in the cost - the $150 you quote vs. $112 from Discount Tire Direct - and I would pass on the T1-R for an autocross tire.

Let me put it this way. I have been considering moving from BSP to STU for next year to be more competitive (my car is very under-prepped). If I do make the jump, it will be with one of the tires on that list (well, other than the MX). The only other tire I might possible use is the new Yokohama Advan Neova AD07. It has AWESOME grip and many people think it will be the next "must have" tire in the Street Touring classes. There's only one problem - IT COSTS NEARLY THE SAME AS R-COMPOUNDS!!!! ($209 for 245/40-17)

[jrward]

UPDATE EVERYONE, JUST WANTED TO BRAG BRAG BRAG!!! Just picked up 4 of the Advan Neova's nearly new,8/32's even wear for $240 shipped (225/40/18) I'm excited. They should indeed be the "must have" tire this coming season... problem is that they cost an arm and a leg. I'll have to post after my first autox. We usually run our season opener ax-school early in february.

[Jim@tirerack]

If you go with the 245/40R17 I like the Fuzion ZRI at 99.00 the ES100 at 113.00 and the Avon Tech M500 at 115.00 per tire. The Avon would be the best of those three tires for handling.

[s_ribs]

I agree with Jim. If you are going with TireRack, go for the Avon Tech M500's. I put their Tech M550's on my mom's hopped up Lexus and they are phenomenal, especially when the a/s rubber is factored in.

I'm going to recommend you consider those over the Khumo Ecsta MX tires. They may have more ultimate grip than many other tires but that isn't the only factor; especially in auto-x where transitional quickness is a MAJOR factor. The Ecsta MX has terrific grip but has the worst, sloppiest sidewalls of any performance tire I've seen. If you plan on driving in any rain you will have both hands clamping the steering wheel as well; hydroplaning resistance is terrible compared to other tires.

Though I really love TireRack (Jim is the best too! :alright ) they don't carry a lot of nice tires. I have done a significant amount of business with them over the last four years and will continue to, but recently I went to tires.com since I wanted to try some Falkens. The ST-115's are one of the best street tires I've tried! They may not be the best track/auto-x tire though if you are fast. Check out one of the max-performance Falken tires. A local track guy (who is probably the fastest on the track) says his Falkens have as much grip as his RA-1's but don't hold heat as well (i.e. grip is the same but it doesn't last as many laps for DE's).

[BimmerBoyZ3]

UPDATE EVERYONE, JUST WANTED TO BRAG BRAG BRAG!!! Just picked up 4 of the Advan Neova's nearly new,8/32's even wear for $240 shipped (225/40/18) I'm excited. They should indeed be the "must have" tire this coming season... problem is that they cost an arm and a leg. I'll have to post after my first autox. We usually run our season opener ax-school early in february.


I will be looking for ya out there. I should have my crew of bimmer fellas with me too. :buttrock

[toopercentmlk]

the kumho MX works GREAT for the track, never overheated. they are a sticky tire so they grip well in the dry obviously and in the wet as well, but gripping in the wet isnt the same as resisting hydroplaning, they have a HUGE contact patch so there arent many channels for the water to pass through(not so much of an issue to me since i drive careful on the street usually).

ive also used the Pzero nero, and at a time i had the nero up front and MX in the rear and they yeild similar traction but lasting longer. i guess its what you pay for.

Continental sportcontact1s suck.. they just suck.
the SC2s are good though, greatly improved. They stick well and have a rather large contact patch. The sidewalls have a cool checkard flag design on them like i caught myself staring at :P my only complaint is the wear life which shouldve been longer and the soft sidewalls. They flex way too much but i think thats what theyre made for. theyre for big sport lux cars to handle decently yet ride softly.

my next set for the track is going to be the RT-615s in 255/40/17 or if i dont feel like buying such a tire, i may go with the Kumho Ecsta SPT.. to describe this tire id just say its one notch below the MX, from a "trackable near R-comp street tire" to a max performance summer tire. i wouldnt mind tracking on that since its not for competition.

[jrward]

I will be looking for ya out there. I should have my crew of bimmer fellas with me too. :buttrock

I'm definitly gonna try to get in a few more events this year. Which events are you gonna be running this year? I'm gonna try and make either Summerville or Prince of Orange. I've never seen Prince, is it good? It is a points event so there ought to be something going down. AND YES, BRING BIMMERS, NOT ENOUGH PPL SPORT THE GERMANS OUT THERE. If I have to se another civic out there i'll scream. I wish they were doing the school again, that was actually pretty fun last year.

[HSCC///M3]

my next set for the track is going to be the RT-615s in 255/40/17 or if i dont feel like buying such a tire, i may go with the Kumho Ecsta SPT.. to describe this tire id just say its one notch below the MX, from a "trackable near R-comp street tire" to a max performance summer tire. i wouldnt mind tracking on that since its not for competition.
Ecsta SPT??..............for the :eek: track :eek: (did I read that correctly!?)

If this is truly what you meant, I can tell you right now that it's a supremely bad idea. I have this tire; I HATE it. About the only thing it's good for is tooling around town. As a performance tire it sucks in every possible way. I even did an autocross once on them (I didn't bring my race tire trailer b/c I though it was going to rain) and it was a terrible experience. I can only imagine how badly they would suck on a race track. Don't do it!

[toopercentmlk]

Ecsta SPT??..............for the :eek: track :eek: (did I read that correctly!?)

If this is truly what you meant, I can tell you right now that it's a supremely bad idea. I have this tire; I HATE it. About the only thing it's good for is tooling around town. As a performance tire it sucks in every possible way. I even did an autocross once on them (I didn't bring my race tire trailer b/c I though it was going to rain) and it was a terrible experience. I can only imagine how badly they would suck on a race track. Don't do it!
its either that for the falken st115, i may consider those. they worked well on some of the falken drift cars i was working with

[jar_e_d is]

Isaracing I just looked up the kumhos mx I think I'll be getting those! All good reviews and really good dry traction for what they cost.. Thanks man!


I have a set of the Kumhos mx's and I really am pleased w/ them. The have good tread wear and really good dry traction. And they aren't too bad in the wet either.

[toopercentmlk]

I have a set of the Kumhos mx's and I really am pleased w/ them. The have good tread wear and really good dry traction. And they aren't too bad in the wet either.
i just found out that the MX comes in 245/40/17.. so im going to lay down the bit of extra cash for those. Ive had good experiences with them on the track and in the canyons and think im going to stick with them.:buttrock ill order them monday and have them on maybe a week from then.

[Mode]

seriously. . .the MX is a great street tire. I am very happy with them and am on my 3rd set.

[NobleForums]

The RT-615 is great for Autox, though they do seem to heat up rather quickly, IMHO.

[96modz3]

Sorry to stray, but I'd love to see some pics of your Noble!

[jrward]

I'll fly to NV if you let me drive it! or even just wax it. mmmmmmmm

[NobleForums]

Sorry, I'm too much of a newbie in terms of postcount to post pictures or links. :)

[96modz3]

Sorry, I'm too much of a newbie in terms of postcount to post pictures or links.

Post a pic in your sig, my count is lower that yours. =) I can't even post smileys yet!