225/45/15 RS-3, or something else for Miata?

codrus wrote:

Duke wrote: Ahhh. I was seduced by the idea of 15x9s in something other than the C3M. It's not a bad wheel, it's just dull to look at. I'll resign myself to them, then. It's just not worth another $500 all-in for 6ULs.

6UL 15x9s are 13.6 pounds, C3Ms are 15.8, so it's not just looks you get for the extra money (which is more like $350 difference, not $500).

Oh, I understand that. But while I don't like the additional unsprung mass, I do have the torque to swing it without a problem. And as Keith outlines above, I did a spreadsheet totaling all the factors, and it is about $500 more in total, even leaning on a friend to mount the tires for me at a discount. I even ran an option to buy a used set that someone is selling at sccaforums, re-selling the race rubber that is already mounted to a buyer here, and mounting my own new tires via my buddy again - and that complicated scenario still came out to +$350 over just pushing the easy button.

The Rivals have arrived.

They're a bit stretched on the 9" wheel.

And the wheels they came with.

I have a friend who's building a fender-roller. Hopefully he'll have it done by this weekend, so I can get everything together for the autocross the following weekend.

petegossett wrote: The Rivals have arrived.

Contact patch envy

And I mounted them up tonight.

A short drive around the hood confirmed a full fender-roll will be in order, and I'l quite probably need quite a bit of camber just to clear the fender lips as well. I can't believe how far they stick out!

I am ASSuming that the Rivals won't be a great wet weather tire but will rock in the dry. I look forward to reports, though!

I can tell you they already have "OMG!" levels of grip compared to the RE760's they replaced. And judging simply by the amount of gravel picked up from my driveway, they're much closer to Victoracers than Azenis.

Dude! Gorgeous setup!

Thanks!

Really need to jam some tires that size onto my car, I'd gain a full inch of tread width!

Cone_Junky wrote:

Lof8 wrote: I'll start by saying I have never driven on a fresh set of Hoosiers. I bought some of the Hancook C71 compound autocross tires last year. I was blown away by how sticky they are compared to the RS3s I had been running. I have about 40-50 autocross runs on them at this point, and theyre barely starting to drop off.

Good to know. I just mounted up a set of 225/45/15s in C71 on my track wheels last week. first event on them will be this Sunday. I'm hoping to at least get a full season on them.

if you're going to run the C71 on track, they are going to last about as long as a set of A6's ... if a-x you should be fine ... ( for the track the C51 is what you want )

basically the Hankook's cost less, have almost as much grip, and last a lot longer than the Ho-Ho's

jstein77 wrote:

Lof8 wrote: I bought some of the Hancook C71 compound autocross tires last year.

Yep, me too. 90% of the performance for 75% of the price. Love 'em.

I know, late to the ballgame. But agree. I ran a set of C71 and wore them out on the Miata. IMO, better than the V710s. Just got another set I have to get mounted. They are not ST legal though. Was running the Miata in CS, this year it will be CSP with the mods that have been done and will be done in the next month or so. Still using 14" rims so tire choice is somewhat limited. Not really looking forward to getting a set of 15" rims as I currently have 3 complete sets of 14" wheels. Currently using R-S3 that I got last fall on the RX8 and run it in STX. Awaiting results of the upcoming GRM tire test to see what I'll run next on the RX8

Just got back from a 100-mile test drive on the Rivals and thought I'd give a report.

Quite bluntly, these really are too grippy for a street tire. There are very few places on the street that you can even get close to pushing these tires safely. That said, I did select a route with a few corners where I could really push them. The Rivals transition from grip -> slip -> grip as you push them beyond their limit very smoothly, with no surprises at - or past - the limit of traction. There was surprisingly no visible wear afterward either.

Can't wait to punish them at the autocross next weekend!

I'm loving my rivals on 15x9's for the STR NB. SO MUCH LATERAL GRIP, getting pretty damn close to some of the r-comps.

Posting a pic of that wheel/tire setup on a scale, but not mentioning weight number? What a tease.

949 says 13.6 lbs for the wheel, BFG says 20 lbs for the tire. So I'm gonna guess 33.6 lbs.

You know, I didn't think to weigh them on my TRMs either. I'll do that the next time I have a wheel off.

GameboyRMH wrote: Contact patch envy

Has anyone had a side by side width measurements with the star spec and rival yet? I only ask because my 245/45's were about 1.25" wider than his 225/50's.

Left to right, 245/45r17 Kumho victoracer, 245/45r17 z1 SS(treadblock was 1/2" wider than kumho), 215/60r16 michicraptastic

949 says 13.6 lbs for the wheel, BFG says 20 lbs for the tire. So I'm gonna guess 33.6 lbs.

Manufacturers probably have more incentive to be accurate on tires they sell to enthusiasts, but i've had one tire/wheel combo end up being 5lbs lighter than math said it should be.

Sorry about that :)

Vigo wrote:

949 says 13.6 lbs for the wheel, BFG says 20 lbs for the tire. So I'm gonna guess 33.6 lbs.

Manufacturers probably have more incentive to be accurate on tires they sell to enthusiasts, but i've had one tire/wheel combo end up being 5lbs lighter than math said it should be.

Well, looks like the math is pretty good in this case

+1 for the manufacturers' accuracy.

The 15x6.5 + 195/50/15 combo on my Insight weighs 32.x so it goes to show you what weight conscious design can do.. 15x9 and 225/45/15 would be a massive upgrade for <1lb weight gain!

Pirelli Trofeo Rs are coming in that size soon.

Also how did this show on the front page in the forum as a zombie thread when I'm showing as the first poster in over a year, I thought someone else would've responded bumping it

Has Hankook discontinued the 225/45/15 RS-3 v2? Tire rack shows Rivals as the only 200tw tire (not currently in stock). I had a good experience with the Rivals, but I start to worry when a size starts to disappear.

225/45/15 support has always been shaky for non-R-comps, we've been enjoying a golden age of non-R-comp choices in this size lately.

Goofy question/minor threadjack - anyone run RS3's on the street?