smitty2919

I had a thread asking about keeping the 17" wheels or going 18's. While 18's allow a better tire selection, It won't be in the budget to find wheels and put tires on them.

So I'll stick with factory 17" SS wheels. I want to make a plan to pick up some tires end of this season or over the winter. Looking for suggestions with following criteria:
-275/40/17
-$250 each max
-Can be r compounds or 200TW "street tires"
-OK for use on a HPDE event (when I do one eventually)

I'm more in favor of longevity and grip (like everyone is). I only autocross about 8 times a season so I'm not going crazy with this. Last street tire I ran on was a Nitto NT555. Then went to used Kumho V710's and now they are wearing out. Simple search by size and under $250 each on Tire Rack gave the following:

Toyo Proxes RR at $260 ea
Toyo Proxes R888 $255 ea
Toyo Proxes RA1 $231 ea
Hankook Ventus Z214 $230 ea
Nitto NT01 $195 ea (OnlineTires price)

I know I can go to 18's and get into Rivals or RE71r but not wanting to spend the money on wheels AND tires.

Opinions/suggestions?

79_T/A

iTrader: (1)

The RR probably wouldn't heat up enough for autocross, and from everything I've seen the 888 heat cycle out too quickly.

The RA1 and the NT01 would probably offer similar performance. Keep in mind they are old designs and compounds so they aren't quite at the level of the newer tires.

Of those two, the Nt01 is a clear choice. It's cheaper, and they seem to hold up really well on track. Go to a track day and you will find plenty of cars on the NT01.

smitty2919

I appreciate the response 79 T/A. I haven't been in the game long enough to form my own opinions and or heard things about certain tires.

gscherer78ta

iTrader: (1)

I think Hankook makes the RS3-v2 in 275/45/17. I see these tires on a lot of cars and they used to be the "go to" tire. You might look at these...

smitty2919

Per Tire Rack, largest the RS3-v2 is a 255/40/17

79_T/A

iTrader: (1)

The hankook is a great tire; terrible sizes. I run them but in 275/35/18.

The new crop of 200tw "street" tires are amazing, however the sizes are lacking.

I think the NT01 checks the boxes for all of your goals, would be good on track, and puts the smallest dent in your wallet.

1981TA

iTrader: (7)

I use Continental Extreme DW tires, which aren't dedicated track tires (rating is 340), but they are solid performers nonetheless in Auto-X and wet RR use.

Looks like the Toyo Proxes R1Rs in 275/40 17 are $217 at tirerack

redtan

iTrader: (5)

Have you looked at the regular NT05 street tire? For longevity on the street with the occasional auto-x I think those would work very well. And at $180 or so a pop are pretty budget friendly.

All the R compounds you won't get more than a few thousand miles if that on the street and you can't drive those in the rain.

smitty2919

I forgot to point out, these tires are going on a spare set of wheels and will only be used for racing. I have NT555 for DD use.

Midnight02

iTrader: (8)

Since you have a street setup for daily driving and these would be dedicated track tires, I would be inclined to go with the NT01's. Good compound, good price, etc.

I've had great experience with the 555RII's (similar compound, different tread pattern) however they no longer come in that size.

DK

Not sure about sizes, but the Maxxis RC1 is a very good tire

brigade24

ive used the 555RIIs as well with good success...excellent tire that doesn't last but man they stick...hence the reason why they don't last!! they are only available in 18" now so i'm wheel shopping...

i have a friend who ran RA1s and he was saying that the tire got quicker as it wore...that's the one i would go with.

Midnight02

iTrader: (8)

I've seen the same. Ran a set of full tread RA1's that I wasn't as impressed with until they started to wear in and then picked up a set of shaved RA1s that already had a few heat cycles on them and they were awesome.

I don't use these anymore because they quit making my size, so I've had to go a different direction.

smitty2919

I have spoke with a couple of people, one of them being a teen driving school instructor and professional tire tester (spec'd out the new Viper OEM tires). His suggestion was the Toyo RR.

A local racer in a 02 SS is running the NT01's and says he was pleasantly surprised and really likes them. Then again he wasn't pushing his car as hard as I am since I'm beating him by at least 2+ seconds on a 55sec course.

It may come down to how much I have to spend at the time lol. And or can I accept going "slower" by running the NT01's vs the RR's/race tire.

Inflame

iTrader: (2)

NT01 is a fantastic tire, but don't expect to be great in an auto-x course.

For example, on my m3 I run the 275/40/17, car weighs about 2800# with me in it, makes 360-370 out of an LS6. Around our local track, they warm up within 3-4 laps and I can get 3-4 laps out of them before they fall on their face. Track is 2.1 miles long, 1:40 laps.

lookin4aTA

I run a 17/275 18/305 NT-01 setup in autocross, and while it does leave something to be desired since it is not an auto-x tire, I still picked up 4.5 seconds per run on 50ish second courses over my 280TW street tires. I am leaving about 1 second over the A7 drivers of a similar skill level right now, and around 2.5 over the top drivers in our region. I think for the price the NT-01 is the best option as it will have better wear than the A6/7 or similar and will last longer. I was actually one of the faster drivers the end of last year as every ones tires were wearing out and mine were still fresh with a similar number of runs (16-20). The newer 200TW tires seem to be wearing more quickly than the 100TW nittos and toyo R888s right now as well. Just some food for thought.

FASTFATBOY

iTrader: (23)

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes

smitty2919

I looked into this tire and it is offered in a 275/35/17 100TW for $200ea on their website. Seems to be a contender given my price range. I'm reading that it is being a competitor to a R888/RA1 and NT01 and comes out ahead.

black and pink z28

iTrader: (7)

I have nitto nt555 on the front and nitto nto5 on the back I really like the nto5 tire it's a good tire

smitty2919

I would never think to run 2 different tires front/back lol.