Autocross tire question?

[JDmustang82]

Hey Everyone quick question about tires. I currently have a set of 305/30/19 Nitto 555 G2's on my car on all 4 corners. I run these on the street and on the autocross track. my question is will I benifit going to a smaller 295/35/19 Falken RT660? also would I be competitive in CAMC? most car I run against are running smaller tires then that

 

[JDee]

I have a set of those 555 G2 tires. I ran a track day at Shannonville with them, it's a tight wiggly track and is hard on tires. They lack grip but they are very predictable and won't do anything to surprise you, when they break loose you get lots of warning it's coming. They also took the abuse I threw at them without chunking and looked pretty much as new after 40 or so laps.
I mostly use them now to put on the car for winter storage or bedding brakes.

 

[Bill Pemberton]

Definitely not the ticket for Conekilling , I would not even place them in the top 5 for swerving around those little orange fellas. What width are your wheels and our TMO member DaveW proved late last year that wider is not always the fastest, whipping up on everyone else while running 295/18 Bridgestone RE71RSs. Give us a bit more info but I would bet on the RT 660 over the Nitto , even with the info we have at present.

 

[DaveW]

I am getting tired of arguing with people to make them faster...but thats not the issue here....

Nitto is...not good...for autocross. Or track.

Falken RT660 would be fine. I personally would not at all be scared of the 285/35/19 Bridgestone. I think all the current 200tw are probably happier stretched on a wider wheel versus pinched but the Bridgestone seems to respond even better. Check out the last two Red Hills SCCA CAM-C results (and index results from December) for proof - 295's on 18x12's.

DaveW

 

[JDmustang82]

I am getting tired of arguing with people to make them faster...but thats not the issue here....

Nitto is...not good...for autocross. Or track.

Falken RT660 would be fine. I personally would not at all be scared of the 285/35/19 Bridgestone. I think all the current 200tw are probably happier stretched on a wider wheel versus pinched but the Bridgestone seems to respond even better. Check out the last two Red Hills SCCA CAM-C results (and index results from December) for proof - 295's on 18x12's.

DaveW

No arguing from this guy! just wanted to know if I would see a significant performance difference for the price Difference! I have a set of 19x11 wheels so they would be stretched vs pinched on my wheels.

I know I already out drive the Nitto's and they are not a 200tw tire, but for the cost of them they do perform well in my book but I was more concerned about the size down being a issue.

 

[DaveW]

I am hard on Nitto's, but that's my bias. They are probably better on the street than a Falken or RE71rs.

I would not be scared of the stretched fitment with either. IMO, you have to remember that a lot of times when people are having success with pinched fitments, it is because they are in a class/category or car that has limits. So, a 305 on a 10" wheel may work on a relatively softly sprung camber limited FS Camaro, not necessarily because it is fundamentally better, but because the pro's of that fitment outweigh the cons on that exact fitment (and sometimes with that exact driver)

For CAM type cars, with decent camber and springs, a well supported tire is going to be better.

DaveW

 

[mavisky]

The Falken will definitely help.

I spent most of last year on a set of 305/30-19 and 325/30-19 Michelin PS4s on an 11 and 11.5" wheel setup. At the end of the year I moved to an 11" square setup with Kumho V730's in 305/30-19 and compared to the top guy in our CAMC class I closed the gap approximately 1.5 - 2 seconds per run on our 50-60 second courses. That's the difference in just a 300 tw vs 200 tw tire with a slightly better front to rear balance. Suspension remained 100% the same between these events.

 

[Bill Pemberton]

I will admit I brought up my thoughts , because like DaveW I am not fond of Nittos. I enjoy when I see someone show up in my Class for Time Trials with them as I figure I just got a 2-3 second advantage on tires alone. When running auto crosses in Lincoln, you virtually never see anyone show up to run on them. Good luck, but I think you are getting the solid advice you were searching for.

Take JDee's advice they are good for holding the car up during Winter storage, ha!

 

[PatientZero]

Do whatever Dave says, I can confirm he's REALLY fast.

On a personal note I switched my 295/30-18 A052's from 10.5 wheels to 11's and they seem much happier. I also have a set of Kumho V730's for street driving. 275/35-18 on 10.5's and they feel great too.

 

[Bill Pemberton]

Will be interested to see how the 305/30/19s act on my 19 wheels after seeing so many folks have solid runs with tires not maxed out. I figure the test will be how they compare to the 315/30/19 R7s I had on the Mach 1, and I am hoping the GY 3Rs will prove to be a strong ticket. As a USAA member I can get them shipped, mounted and balanced for $1000 less than I can just acquire a set of Hoosiers! With some friends stating they are super comparable to the R7s ( not the A7s ) I hope to find out in the near future, though I am burning down the PSC2s now and it won't be until this Summer.

 

[PatientZero]

As a USAA member I can get them shipped, mounted and balanced for $1000 less than I can just acquire a set of Hoosiers!

Tell me more...

 

[Bill Pemberton]

If you are a USAA member you can get a bargain price on Goodyear Tires. You pop into the " Perks " section and it takes you to various areas, one being Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. They give members a huge discount, ship the tires to a Dealer near you, who will mount, balance, and discard your used tires. Taxes and everything are in the price you pay, so all and all it ends up being a solid deal. The disadvantage for you is the 3R is a 100 TWR tire, so solid for the track but if autocrossing it throws you into a modified Class with your car. There is a Goodyear Supercar F1 3 , which many are finding solid for HPDEs and it would be legal for autocrossing , though I doubt it would be close to the super fast treads out there now. The niche for the Goodyears at present are primarily track , though the 3R may work well for some, but at present with your engine mods, etc. I doubt it is viable since you would probably go to a Mod Class ( you would not be eligible for ESP for instance ).

 

[PatientZero]

If you are a USAA member you can get a bargain price on Goodyear Tires. You pop into the " Perks " section and it takes you to various areas, one being Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. They give members a huge discount, ship the tires to a Dealer near you, who will mount, balance, and discard your used tires. Taxes and everything are in the price you pay, so all and all it ends up being a solid deal. The disadvantage for you is the 3R is a 100 TWR tire, so solid for the track but if autocrossing it throws you into a modified Class with your car. There is a Goodyear Supercar F1 3 , which many are finding solid for HPDEs and it would be legal for autocrossing , though I doubt it would be close to the super fast treads out there now. The niche for the Goodyears at present are primarily track , though the 3R may work well for some, but at present with your engine mods, etc. I doubt it is viable since you would probably go to a Mod Class ( you would not be eligible for ESP for instance ).

Thanks Bill! How have I not known this for the last 14 years?!

 

[Bill Pemberton]

I don't think it has been available that long and I only found out about it last year ----and I have been a member for 50+ years so I am way slower on the uptake than you, ha!!

 

[KazarS197]

Grassroots updated their tire list this year.

Grassroots Motorsports ultimate track tire guide

What you need to know before choosing your next track tire.

grassrootsmotorsports.com

 

[Bill Pemberton]

Grassroots Motorsports is the favorite car mag for many of us and thankfully they seem to be the " King " of updating data, never resting on their laurels. The do use common sense and say nice things about all the rubber listed ( they do survive on advertising after all ), so go to the charts for a little better hard comparison on your choices.

One item to keep in mind is that they often test on smaller cars so do stay aware when at the track or autocross to see what tires may work better on the Mustang. I have mentioned a couple of times that when using TireRack to punch in Ext. #4362 for Luke Pavlik, as he is not just a Tire Specialist, he is a long term track rat and therefore he stays up on the different brands more than most. I have known him over 23 years and I always get good info on what tire may be seeing compounding changes or what works better for one's particular needs ( i.e. autocross, HPDE, Endurance, W2W, etc.).

 

[JDmustang82]

I am hard on Nitto's, but that's my bias. They are probably better on the street than a Falken or RE71rs.

I would not be scared of the stretched fitment with either. IMO, you have to remember that a lot of times when people are having success with pinched fitments, it is because they are in a class/category or car that has limits. So, a 305 on a 10" wheel may work on a relatively softly sprung camber limited FS Camaro, not necessarily because it is fundamentally better, but because the pro's of that fitment outweigh the cons on that exact fitment (and sometimes with that exact driver)

For CAM type cars, with decent camber and springs, a well supported tire is going to be better.

DaveW

Well I appreciate the info. My goal to myself this year is to try and be in the top ten out of all the cars in raw time. I am several seconds off of the top ten cars.

 

[Bill Pemberton]

Did a quick survey of the 1100+ Entrants at the 22 Solo Nationals and pretty much if you wanted to trophy with a 200 TWR tire you were on Yokohama, Bridgestone or Falkens ( there is one lone win in a 4 car Class where the winner was on Nankangs ). What is hard to believe is trophies were spread out with the three above, a few with Kumho ( no 1st places ) and the Nankang, but none for BFG which not that many years back was a dominant player. This is the type of data one has to stay up on when autocrossing , because what is hot last year may not be currently.

I should also note for my fellow Midwesterner , Patient Zero , that the Goodyears I noted are solid for track use , but not necessarily the ticket for autocrossing. I brought up the USAA benefit, but I should have clarified it even better that this is primarily a stellar track tyre!

 

[PatientZero]

Just judging from local events the Yoks or Bridgestones seem to be the fastest on a single driver car. In a two driver car the Falkens are just as fast. On the cooler days though the Falkens seem to fall behind a little if they can't get heat in them. On the other end of the spectrum, I couldn't imagine trying to run two drivers with Yoks. Just a rerun is almost worthless because they heat up so quick.

 

[Bill Pemberton]

Yomomma's hot --- after only two runs! So, true, it seems they get hot even quicker than A7s, though my son and I , like so many others are spraying them down on those toasty days here in the Midwest.