Lerxst

My previous thread leaned towards Yoko Advan Neova AD07 for the car, but I'm wondering if tires that are considered faster among various AutoX circles (RT615s and RE01Rs) would still be faster with less tread width.

Still trying to find the street tire solution on my '02 C2 w/ 18" Carrera rims for next summer and need some advice on width vs. traction. The top cheap contenders seem to be Falken Azenis RT615s and Bridgstone RE01Rs, but for a close-to-stock diameter, they only come in 265/35s, resulting in losing about 1 to 1.5" of tread width. The Yokohama Advan Neova AD07s are almost as good in autox and have the right sizing, but are pretty pricey.

Tread Width/Diameter/Price
265/35/18 RT615 - 10.0/25.4/$213
265/35/18 RE01R - 9.6/25.3/$256
285/30/18 AD07 - 11.0/24.8/$384
295/30/18 AD07 - 11.5/25.1/$410
295/30/18 MPS2 - ???/25.0/$386

One thing I haven't figure out yet is longetivity. I know the Azenis have a shorter lifespan, so if the Yoko's have say 1.5 times the longetivity, the extra cost would be worth it. Then there's always the Pilot Sport 2s, but I have no idea what their AutoX performance is like.

Ultimately it's the driver that makes the car the fastest, but I'm looking for all the help I can get.

Thoughts? Thanks again...

racer

It is very likely that with less rear tread width, you will get the car to "rotate" better. On my Boxster, and on the 996's I've been in, the issue is UNDERsteer. I would want as wide as possible on the front.

What are your "stock" sizes? What type of sway bars are you running? You might find that a 225/265 combo or a 245/285 combo helps dial out some of the inherant understeer.

Lerxst

I was running stock 225/285 on stock suspension. I will be installing RoW M030 suspension next Spring. Rotating isn't a problem with the car. I increased front pressures to 40 pounds, increasing grip up front dramatically. If anything I had too much oversteer.

porrsha

Are you ruling out "R" type tires here? They are in a class by themselves and really not streetable. If you want to go faster by sticky tires and another set of rims. Give your street tires a break!

Lerxst

Rs are certainly tempting, but I want to show up, adjust pressures, and go.

Our local club runs separate street and R classes for stock, SP, etc... as well as ST classes.



I'll try cutting though all the verbage...

Taking all other factors out... which has more stick:

265/35/18 RE01R or 285/30/18 AD07s?

Paul E. Dodd

I would guess the AD07s will be faster. At SCCA Nationals, the AD07s have been winning the last two years. The Bridgestones only win in classes which don't allow tire widths that the AD07s are available in. So my guess is the AD07s are faster to begin with, then factor in the extra width and they're going to be better still. But they are pricey.

Paul

Lerxst

And the winner is...

Yokohama Advan Neova AD07 235/40/18 & 295/30/18.

Thanks to everyone for their input.

Dr. Car

N.b.: if you increase tire pressures in the rear, you aren't adding grip to the front, you are avoiding understeer by reducing grip in the rear. With a non-adjustable suspension this is a good solution, but it isn't something you'd want to do if you have sway bar, shock or other adjustments.

Another thing to consider is toeing the car out slightly (from its current settings) at both axles. The front wheels will turn better and the rear will dance in the corners without having to reduce grip by overinflation. But 40# doesn't sound like much overinflation, it's only a couple pounds over what I've run.

VNTGSPD

Check his post - he increased FRONT pressure to improve grip and reduce understeer. I'd agree that 40psi is not overinflated for a street tire so this was probably a good move.

I'd also agree that the Yokos are the way to go in this context - regardless of size.