June 17, 2011 - The tires are here!
Long-time readers may remember the decision process for the tires in 2008. I finally went with a 205/50-15 Toyo RA1, and I'm happy with that.
But the rules have changed. Specifically, all tires must have a minimum treadwear rating of 140. That means no more nice sticky R compound tires. This leaves me with what I call the "Azenis class" of tire, the gummy street tires designed for autocross. We are allowed to run 8 tires this time instead of 6. Given the ability of this car to spin the wheels, that may not be a bad thing.
The tire size was fairly easy this time around. With my new power/weight ratio, I want as much tire as I can get. And in the stock tire diameter, that means a 225/45-15. In that size, I have the choice of two tires: The Hankook R-S3 and the Toyo R1R. I'd love to be able to run the Dunlop Star Spec, but it's simply not available in the size.
Asking around, it appears the Toyo is a better tire in the wet and possibly overall. So, 225/45-15 Toyo R1Rs it is! I like to call them "pirate tires". Arrrr!
There actually were a couple of other options out there. The Toyo T1R comes in a 245/35-16, but that's not the right tire for the job. The R1R comes in a 245/35-17 that could work, but it needs a 17x8 wheel at minimum and preferably something wider - which isn't really available. So we're going with the light and tested setup we have.
tags: tires |
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