racing on street tires a couple times... will this work?

[superhero]

Do any of you race on the same tire/wheels as you drive the street... can I get away with this??

I only plan on doing a couple races (stock class) and am still having trouble deciding what will be great on the road and good on the track the few times I do go... THANKS!

My track experience this year may only include a driver training course and one race.

I also think there is a difference between autocross (is this a slalom type event?) and racing laps around a track... please let me know which tires you would use for either of these events if they are different...

I'm lost right now... if my questions needs to be more clear let me know - THANKS!

daniel

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[frdawg]

for autocross it depends on the track/parking lot surface. i shredded the outside of my S-03's in about six runs around the course, each run was like a little over a minute. dedicated tires really makes more sense

[superhero]

Originally posted by frdawg
for autocross it depends on the track/parking lot surface. i shredded the outside of my S-03's in about six runs around the course, each run was like a little over a minute. dedicated tires really makes more sense

cool... that was sorta the thing I was wondering... whether or not I should really invest in a dedicated wheel/tire combo... looks like that is what I am gonna lean towards.

thanks.

[tora]

Superhero I did that last year. I got stuck after buying my 17 inch wheels not being able to afford a set of tires for them and a dedicated set of wheels tires for racing. I ended up putting Advan (yokohama) AO32R's on them. Later in the season I did get a set of all seasons to run on the street but it was so much fun having the R-comps I just left them. This year I have Kumho MX's on stock 16 inch wheels. They are great on the street, quite sticky, good rain performance...a little weak in the sidewall but not bad at all when pressures are high. I auto-x'ed once in the rain with them and they were excellent. I will probably do one or two more races this year.

Keep in mind, Boundary bay (where almost ALL of Vancouver's auto-x's are) has a surface that is very hard on tires. If you do three dry events with 6+ runs per event you will chew up the tires pretty well.

I would recommend getting a set of used tires for racing, and just chew the rest of them up in a few races. Keep your good set of tires for the street in good condition.

[superhero]

Originally posted by tora
Superhero I did that last year. I got stuck after buying my 17 inch wheels not being able to afford a set of tires for them and a dedicated set of wheels tires for racing. I ended up putting Advan (yokohama) AO32R's on them. Later in the season I did get a set of all seasons to run on the street but it was so much fun having the R-comps I just left them. This year I have Kumho MX's on stock 16 inch wheels. They are great on the street, quite sticky, good rain performance...a little weak in the sidewall but not bad at all when pressures are high. I auto-x'ed once in the rain with them and they were excellent. I will probably do one or two more races this year.

Keep in mind, Boundary bay (where almost ALL of Vancouver's auto-x's are) has a surface that is very hard on tires. If you do three dry events with 6+ runs per event you will chew up the tires pretty well.

I would recommend getting a set of used tires for racing, and just chew the rest of them up in a few races. Keep your good set of tires for the street in good condition.

sounds good... as I don't plan on doing more than 2 races plus a driver training course.. I will search for a set of used tires for the races.

My mind was pretty much set on the Kumho's for the street. Is there any reason you chose the MX's over the 712's? The 712's seem really popular... based on the response I was given on the Vancouver board. If the 712's last longer for minimal decrease in street performance I think I would go with them... do you know if this is the case?

thanks for the feedback!

daniel

ps I've been spending way too much time on this board during what is supposed to be a "busy season" for us accountants

[rankink]

Daniel,

I run 16 inch Kuhmo 712's on my WRX for autocrossing/street use right now until I wear them out. Then I am upgrading to 17's for the street and getting some victoracers for the stock wheels. I have done 5 autocrosses this year with the 712's 5+ runs each, and one being a 2 1/2 minute road course. Of course you will have wear, but not terrible. I still have plenty of tread left. Just keep up the pressure on them when auto-xing, and rotate them frequently. I am about to flip the tires on the wheels also, so I have more tread on the outside again.

The 712's are the not the best, but are sticky enough for getting your experience up.

K

[superhero]

Originally posted by rankink
Daniel,

I run 16 inch Kuhmo 712's on my WRX for autocrossing/street use right now until I wear them out. Then I am upgrading to 17's for the street and getting some victoracers for the stock wheels. I have done 5 autocrosses this year with the 712's 5+ runs each, and one being a 2 1/2 minute road course. Of course you will have wear, but not terrible. I still have plenty of tread left. Just keep up the pressure on them when auto-xing, and rotate them frequently. I am about to flip the tires on the wheels also, so I have more tread on the outside again.

The 712's are the not the best, but are sticky enough for getting your experience up.

K

nice input... what width did you go with??

[tora]

Rankink what surface are you racing on?
The local auto-x area in Vancouver really rips
into the tires. More so than ashphalt or tarmac.
We race on a kind of agragate (not sure the right name).
Anyways, it is a very grippy and rough surface.

Superhero, I chose the MX's because they are quite superior to the 712's. Wet and dry grip are both great. They are more comparable with the Falken Azenis. They are however a fair bit more expensive than the 712's. I am currently using 225/50R16 and I love them. I paid around 200CAD per tire which included mounting and balancing. (Around 800 total with taxes and mounting/balancing and installation).

[superhero]

Originally posted by tora


They are more comparable with the Falken Azenis.

Do you mean the Falken Azenis Sport or the ST-115?

thanks again!

[MNbiker]

Originally posted by superhero
Do any of you race on the same tire/wheels as you drive the street... can I get away with this??

I only plan on doing a couple races (stock class) and am still having trouble deciding what will be great on the road and good on the track the few times I do go... THANKS!

My track experience this year may only include a driver training course and one race.

I also think there is a difference between autocross (is this a slalom type event?) and racing laps around a track... please let me know which tires you would use for either of these events if they are different...

I'm lost right now... if my questions needs to be more clear let me know - THANKS!

daniel

Personally, I wouldn't bother getting special tires for racing, if all you plan is a limited number of events. Heck, even the stock RE-92's are excellent to learn on. Lower-grip tires tend to be easier to learn on, as they break away more gradually.

As for ripping up tires, you shouldn't have problems at shorter autocross-type events, if you do two things: 1. inflate your tires to somewhere in the mid 40's cold. 2. Get a GOOD alignment - make sure the shop gets you as much negative camber as possible in the front.

Track racing's another story - you can eat up street tires pretty fast on a track, due to heat buildup.

-Steve

[rankink]

Rankink what surface are you racing on?

I race on everything from well prepared parking lots to old abandoned roads (2 1/2 mintue road course in the FL Keys), and the Keys roads are like giant pieces of sandpaper. Really bad! I was actually surprised how well the 712's held up to the road wear.

nice input... what width did you go with??

I run 205/55 R16 (stock size) on the stock wheels. I just keep about 46 psi (cold) in front and 38-42 (cold) in rear to aoid rollover and excessive wear.

The MXs are superior I agree, but the 712's were at least $30 cheaper a piece for me.

K

[tora]

Superhero, I was comparing them to Falken Azenis Sports.

[superhero]

Originally posted by MNbiker


Personally, I wouldn't bother getting special tires for racing, if all you plan is a limited number of events. Heck, even the stock RE-92's are excellent to learn on. Lower-grip tires tend to be easier to learn on, as they break away more gradually.

As for ripping up tires, you shouldn't have problems at shorter autocross-type events, if you do two things: 1. inflate your tires to somewhere in the mid 40's cold. 2. Get a GOOD alignment - make sure the shop gets you as much negative camber as possible in the front.

Track racing's another story - you can eat up street tires pretty fast on a track, due to heat buildup.

-Steve

I think I'm beyond the beginner learning stage to the point where crummy tires would just piss me off... I've done a lot of racing on karts and a friend who was an instructor at Proformance race school will be helping me figure the car racing thing out so I think the RE92's would wear out their welcome in a hurry...

thanks for the info guys!!