Tires

[morpheus8486]

The time finally came and I ordered a set of FN01R-C's for my fastback. 17x7's and 17x8's, +35 offset all around. Now I need to decide on what tires to and what sizes to get. I searched a bit and found that staggering the tire sizes would be kind of a waste? At least on a stock KA? I duno. I was thinking maybe 215/45's all around or 225/45's. I don't want alot of sidewall hanging over the tires, at least in the rears. And now an issue of which tire to get. I want something with good performance and good wet and dry traction. And preferably a low price. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Bryants95240sx]

ive got fn01rcs 17x8 all the way around with a 35 offset i have 225/45s on all four corners also.There kumhos 712 ecsta very stiff side wall.i love em and i believe i got them at about 75 dollars a tire so cant really argue with taht price

[S13SilviaGirl]

talk to dousan.....he would be the biggest help! haha

But Falken GRBetas are nice...but not tooo cheap in the sizes you want. anything in a 17 is going to run ya some bucks. 215 might not be too expensive if you are going for price. But like I said, either talk to dousan or talk to tuner shops.

[Flybert]

If you are going to stagger your wheel size, stagger your tire sizes, that is unless you don't mind having the front unresponsive compared to the rear.

[citizen]

since when did khumo 712s have stiff sidewalls??? they are soft comparatively, go get some falken azenis!

[Bryants95240sx]

well there stiff imo
i havent had anything to compare them to but i think there pretty stiff

[Dousan_PG]

215/45 would be ok
might as well go all around, can always swap tires on the wheels
pretty close to stock ratio? i dont know
dont really care
but 215/45 is easy to find and can get some good costs on them
es100s are nice i like those

[Johny5]

es100 fronts are nice and something like cheapass federals/kuhmo 712s or 711s if you can find them and don't care much about them. but then again i don't really care, my rears don't last for crap compared to the fronts.

[morpheus8486]

If you are going to stagger your wheel size, stagger your tire sizes, that is unless you don't mind having the front unresponsive compared to the rear.
Good point. So what sizes would everyone recomend?

[ZK]

The Azenis Sport would be my first choice for dry traction. They do wear fast though and not so good in wet.

I'm running the Kumho MX. The sidewalls aren't as stiff but it lasts longer, decent wet traction and just slightly less grip than the Azenis Sport. Not as cheap as the other Kumhos but definitely one of the best grip for the buck tire. The downside - they have really ugly sidewalls with little flame design things. :faint:

It takes quite a bit to break loose my 225/50s with my SR motor. :)

BTW - high grip = not good DRIFT tire!

[Flybert]

Good point. So what sizes would everyone recomend?

It all depends on what kind of driving you are going to be doing. Grip or drift? If drift, what kind of power are you making?

[S14DriftR]

BTW - high grip = not good DRIFT tire!

I guess to a point, but i think its nice to have a decent tire in the back, seems to be much more controled as to when you want it to slide and when you want it to hook up again.

[SpeedMonkeyInc]

I personally recommend staying away from Kumho anything other than the MX tires. I hated my Kumhos.
Check out Cooper Tires, the Zeon 2XS model. Sounds like a fashion tire aimed at the "tuner" market, but they are pretty good actually. Super stiff sidewall. I was checking out a display tire at the shop I got them from and I could not press in the sidewall with my thumb. You can really feel that on the street. Grip is ok, but not great. I like them for drift because they are not too hard to break loose but they break predictably, and come back quickly.
If you want grip just go with Falken Azenis or Kuhmo MX. I have not tried the MX but I talked to a few autoxers who like them. Depending on the class they will keep up with and sometimes beat the Azenis.

[pruto]

i dunno ZK, but it seems drifting on grippy tires is a must once you get out of the noob/intermediate skill level. Its expensive, but drifting is about control, and you the more grip, the more control.

tire choice and size... well, i think its up to the person, and what you like. the only way to find that out is to try different tires. very expensive, time consuming, but there isn't really another way. Other people can give you suggestions, narrow the brand and sizes down to a few choices. but its up to you to try them out.

[Flybert]

i dunno ZK, but it seems drifting on grippy tires is a must once you get out of the noob/intermediate skill level.

Nobody drifts on grippy tires. I have never seen anyone drifting on S03s, Pilot Sports, Azenis Sport, etc. And if you think ES100s, ST115, etc. are grippy tires, you have never tried true grippy tires.

[pruto]

Flybert, no one drifts on grippy tires? 90% of the pros from Japan run Neovas. Yeah they all have like 400+ hp cars, but do they not count when you said nobody? or do you mean all the local drift n00bs.

i have seen plenty of people drift on azenis sport, irc, more than a few hachi guys, b. walker, that dude who used to come to drift days with that old style mustang. etc. I'm not sure about the bridgestones, but i'm sure someone with enough cash runs them.

If a drifter had enough skill, horsepower, and financial backing, he would be drifting on something grippier than your average es100.

[Heartwork]

Nobody drifts on grippy tires. I have never seen anyone drifting on S03s, Pilot Sports, Azenis Sport, etc. And if you think ES100s, ST115, etc. are grippy tires, you have never tried true grippy tires.

I drift with Michelin Pilot Sports. granted im not that good, but the Pilot Sports provide enough traction to regain....
I can feel a noticeable difference between the crappy Cum-hoe 712's and the Yokohama ES100's, both which are pretty easy for me to break loose but regaining the grip takes a tiny bit longer than with the Michelin Pilot Sports.

[sykikchimp]

If your running a na KA, don't stagger your tire sizes.

[Flybert]

Flybert, no one drifts on grippy tires? 90% of the pros from Japan run Neovas. Yeah they all have like 400+ hp cars, but do they not count when you said nobody? or do you mean all the local drift n00bs.

i have seen plenty of people drift on azenis sport, irc, more than a few hachi guys, b. walker, that dude who used to come to drift days with that old style mustang. etc. I'm not sure about the bridgestones, but i'm sure someone with enough cash runs them.

If a drifter had enough skill, horsepower, and financial backing, he would be drifting on something grippier than your average es100.

Your right. I kinda forgot about the japanese pros. I've gone to a few track events here and there and never saw anyone running anything grippier than ST115. I've seen a few people running Azenis sports out front but not out back. As for the neovas, I just kinda forgot about them. How do those grip compared to tires that are offered here?

I drift with Michelin Pilot Sports. granted im not that good, but the Pilot Sports provide enough traction to regain....
I can feel a noticeable difference between the crappy Cum-hoe 712's and the Yokohama ES100's, both which are pretty easy for me to break loose but regaining the grip takes a tiny bit longer than with the Michelin Pilot Sports.


Heartwork, what kind of power are you pushing to break those things loose. I imagine it must be very difficult to get use to managing the throttle with that kind of grip out back as well.

[Shorty65]

I've got Falken GTBetas on my car. Not exactly cheap, but they handle well, including in the rain.

[morpheus8486]

It all depends on what kind of driving you are going to be doing. Grip or drift? If drift, what kind of power are you making?
None of the above really. There isn't an autocross track in my area, and I've never really tried drifting much, partly due to my car having super hicas. But I dunno. North Dakota sucks damnit. Basically I want a street tire with decent wear, relatively stiff sidewalls, and good traction for some fun on the few curvy roads we have around here. And I have a stock KA by the way. And what would be wrong with staggering the tires since I have a stock KA? Thanks for all the help people.

[Flybert]

If I were you, I'd run 215/45/17 all around even though it wouldn't be staggered. The rear will be stretched a little to dial out some of that understeer. For me, 225/45/17 all around wouldn't be as nice because the front end wouldn't be as responsive. You could also go with 215 front and 225 rear. That should be alright as well but depending on your suspension, you might wanna dial the understeer with a slightly stretched tire on the rear. I'm thinking this is what sykikchimp was touching upon with his post but I could be wrong.

As for the tire, I'd go with ES100s. They have decent grip and don't cost that much. I can't say anything about the treadwear cuz I burn all my tires up but people gave it good reviews on tirerack. Another good alternative would be Falken Azenis ST115. They are grippier than ES100s but from what I've heard about them, they won't last as long.

[Buffalo Daughter]

I drift with Michelin Pilot Sports. granted im not that good, but the Pilot Sports provide enough traction to regain....
I can feel a noticeable difference between the crappy Cum-hoe 712's and the Yokohama ES100's, both which are pretty easy for me to break loose but regaining the grip takes a tiny bit longer than with the Michelin Pilot Sports.
I know this is offtopic an all but was that you at altamont in tracy changing rims? Black s14 with some dope ass staggered rims in the front? i saw you while i was in the staging lane in my buddys car. Just wondering. I think you were changing tires.

[pruto]

Flybert, there is a thread on this on club4ag. pretty much Andy Yen think its not fair that the US drivers are using your standard azenis sport and es100s while the Japanese guys they go up against are using really grippy neovas. Its not in the same league, he said when the skill level is that high, little things like tire grip, sidewall stiffness really matters. Neovas are supposed to be really grippy with really stiff sidewalls and Andy doesn't really see a domestic DOT approved tire that can match. But then again, neovas are pretty much designed by drifters for drift, until drifting gets really big in the us, we won't see that kinda stuff here (unless you import $$$$).

[Flybert]

pruto, I don't understand why people like Andy don't run S03's and Pilot sports if they are looking for super grip and nice stiff sidewalls. The sidewall is extremely stiff on S03s. My pops was telling me that the dudes had trouble putting them on his rims and he's running stock sized tires for his m3 with stock rims. Is anyone sponsored by Bridgestone yet? I know if I wanted to get sponsored by anyone it would be them. RE750 and S03 own all.

Not sure if this has to do with lower powered cars like hachi rokus, but when I was at D1GP I saw ueo sporting the RE750s. Maybe they aren't as grippy as neovas but I'm sure they are nice.

[Dousan_PG]

wtf you tlaing aout chris
avs sports are pretty damn grippy
most US guys run those (speicifally thepeople sponsored by yokohama

i think andy has a tire sponsor
anyways, if he does, peoplecant swap brands
its not worth imo to get sponsored a lot by a us company unless its yokohama.
because when the neova comes out, all others will regret haha

tire play a HUGE role in setting up a car..for any type of motorsports/racing/fucking around.

many hachi guys run RE01s which are VERY grippy tires. Ueo used to run them, i know a few other guys who sponsored by bridgestone run those too

[Flybert]

wtf you tlaing aout chris
avs sports are pretty damn grippy
most US guys run those (speicifally thepeople sponsored by yokohama

i think andy has a tire sponsor
anyways, if he does, peoplecant swap brands
its not worth imo to get sponsored a lot by a us company unless its yokohama.
because when the neova comes out, all others will regret haha

tire play a HUGE role in setting up a car..for any type of motorsports/racing/fucking around.

many hachi guys run RE01s which are VERY grippy tires. Ueo used to run them, i know a few other guys who sponsored by bridgestone run those too

Aaron, I always forget about AVS sports. I've driven on Pilot Sports (stock M3 tires) and S03's so I kind of forget about the others in their class. Can you tell me what the american pros run and what kind of power is needed for each?

[Dousan_PG]

i know all the guys sponsored by yokohama run these front and rear
chris runs a retarded huge on his z33, probaly makes 300ish HP? i dont even know, but he runs like a 265 or something? 245..either way its pretty damn big.

i know benson runs them too front and rear, i think benson runs like a 235/40 on the 10j and he's near stock poewr, mild mod (s15 turbo now iirc)

i dont know how else is sponsored by yoko but all the US guys run avs sports


the guys w/ falken all run ST115, various sizes.

bridgeston..i dont know
same goes w/ dunlop

[morpheus8486]

Alright, I have another question for you guys. I went down to a local tire shop and asked them about tire sizes. The guy suggested 205/40's for the front and 215/40's for the rear. I was just curious to what everyone thinks. And my car is lowered btw, so don't worry too much about the wheel gap. The tire height difference would be less than half an inch.

[Flybert]

i know all the guys sponsored by yokohama run these front and rear
chris runs a retarded huge on his z33, probaly makes 300ish HP? i dont even know, but he runs like a 265 or something? 245..either way its pretty damn big.

i know benson runs them too front and rear, i think benson runs like a 235/40 on the 10j and he's near stock poewr, mild mod (s15 turbo now iirc)

i dont know how else is sponsored by yoko but all the US guys run avs sports


the guys w/ falken all run ST115, various sizes.

bridgeston..i dont know
same goes w/ dunlop

Thanks bro. For every 5 posts I make, one turns out to be stupid. AHAHA


For the original poster, do not get those tire sizes. You got pretty nice wheels so don't go and ruin it by sporting wheel gap. I'm running 195/55/15 for drift (no care in the world about looks right now) and it's the same diameter as the 205/40/17. I have wheel gap and my car has a stock bumper without lip and it's only a few inches off the ground. Fill it in with rubber and wheel. You'll be much happier if you do because it will look ten times better.

Bookmark this website and use it often. http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

[morpheus8486]

So getting /45's will get rid of some more of the dreaded wheel gap huh? I remember seeing a pic of a 240 that wasn't dropped with a set of /40 tires on and it looked ridiculous. Anyways, what do you think of the widths? And will understeer be much of a problem? Even though I don't autocross or anything, I'd like to know.

[ZK]

The tire selection really has to do with the power you are putting out and what you want to do with the car.

The key with a drift rear tire is that they all run STREET tires. As you go up the street tire performance scale, they can handle more heat and allow you to get better control when you want to stop spinning the wheels. Some will grip more than others etc.

The Neova is a street tire and it wasn't made for drifting just as the ST115s (they were originally called "Silent Sports" for luxury cars) werent originally a drift tire. (The Neova has been out in Japan for a LONG time) They just happen to be high performance tires that are good for drift.

If you want ultimate grip and don't really care about tire wear, get some R-compound (read - race) DOT tires like the Toyo RA1, AVS 032R, or Kumho Victorracer and you'll be sticking to corners like a king. :)

I've been autocrossing for the past 7 years, open track events and instructing for the past 3 years so I can go on about tire selection...

But it's besides the point, since the guy is doing street driving, get a decent street tire and enjoy it. :)

[Dousan_PG]

yep

now d1 prohibits r-compounds
taniguchi ran r-compounds the first year (hence why he kicked SO MUCH ass that year)

now they all must run street tires in d1!

[Heartwork]

I know this is offtopic an all but was that you at altamont in tracy changing rims? Black s14 with some dope ass staggered rims in the front? i saw you while i was in the staging lane in my buddys car. Just wondering. I think you were changing tires.

nope, i wasnt there at all...

[Buffalo Daughter]

nope, i wasnt there at all...
ahhhh my mistake. Sars.