Auto X tires

I know most of the nation is covered in snow and ice but lets think forward to when the sun will be shining and all will be good, and the summer auto X will be in full swing

I have been looking around the net and was wondering if the Toyo R888 would make a good auto X tire ? They have a nice looking foot print to them and should really shine when the get to the "sweet" spot.

Anyone have input on a good D.O.T tire for auto X , and a good place to buy them from would be nice also.

Thanks Paul B

Hi Paul- welcome to the neighborhood!

I like the R888 on track or for a dual-purpose street and autocross tire, but if you're looking for dedicated autocross tires I think you can find better choices.

Hoosier A6 or Kumho V710 would be my picks for dedicated autocross rubber.

I had a set of V710 and like them overall , just waiting till spring and wandering around the net to see what else is out there.

Paul B

What vehicle? I have a set of r888's that get used for track and wet autox. They don't tend to heat up gas enough on my lightweight miata for most autox's

Hankook's are cheap, but I have no experience with them. I love my V710s.

I just bought a set of used R888s in 205/50/15 for $80 shipped off lee on ebay, I asked around the Atlanta Solo boards and he's supposedly a straight shooter and some are running his stuff without issue. I figured for the price, what the hell. I mean, even with dismounting/mounting that's cheaper than buying 1 'good' autoX tire...

Raze do you have Lees E-mail?

Raze wrote: I just bought a set of used R888s in 205/50/15 for $80 shipped off lee on ebay, I asked around the Atlanta Solo boards and he's supposedly a straight shooter and some are running his stuff without issue. I figured for the price, what the hell. I mean, even with dismounting/mounting that's cheaper than buying 1 'good' autoX tire...

The car will be an 1988 celica all trac turbo I plan to run in G-Stock this summer and after that we will see.

Paul B

The only issue I can see with the 888s is that they count as race tires, and if you're in a class that allows for race tires and you want to be competitive, you're just not going to do it with DOT legal rubber.

Most AX clubs draw the line at 140 treadwear, though I've heard that SCCA has ruled that some of the "140" tires are big fat liars and they lump them in with the race tires despite their treadwear rating.

ReverendDexter wrote: Most AX clubs draw the line at 140 treadwear, though I've heard that SCCA has ruled that some of the "140" tires are big fat liars and they lump them in with the race tires despite their treadwear rating.

Not true. Currently any 140 or higher treadwear tire is legal for SCCA street tire classes.

The only tire on the exclusion list is the Pirelli P Zero Corsa and I'm not even sure why its there because it has a 60 treadwear.

Donebrokeit wrote: Raze do you have Lees E-mail?

nope as i communicated directly through Ebay with him, but here's his store: http://stores.ebay.com/Race-Tires-USDRRT

here's a copy of my Atlanta Region Solo Forum post (it requires login for the forsale section):

===================

ME: Basically looking to shoe the XR4 in something other than street rubber this year, tires don't have to have alot of life left (looking for 1 season) but don't expect to pay through the nose either.

Andrew: http://stores.ebay.com/Race-Tires-USDRRT

ME: yup, been eying that seller on Ebay, anyone know who he/she is and had any dealings?

Geezeracing: I have gotten tires from the E-Bay guy, USRDDT or something. He's in Tennessee so shipping is one day. If anything he understates the tire's remaining life in terms of tread depth although it's pretty tough to visually determine the # of heat cycles. If he has what you need size wise it will be pretty hard to beat his deals.

Dave: i've got 3-4 sets from the eBay guy. never had an issue, and as said above, super fast shipping. if you are worried about heat cycles, get the RA-1's, they aren't as sensitive to heat cycling like Hoosiers. i bought a set from him late last year for $99 shipped and did 3 autocrosses with zero problems. tires were still sticky and warmed up fine in sub-50 degree weather. the tires still lightly show the 2 main grooves after 3 events, which means i'll get at least another 3-5 autocrosses from them.

i'd personally recommend that you avoid the R888's.

he also sells some decent condition Hoosier SM6 (R6) tires from time to time.

==================

I went R888s anyway cause they were so cheap and we're really just testing and stepping up from BFG Gforce Sports, so anything beyond a street tire should be an interesting change. Plus for $80 if I don't like them I'll give them away...

Soma007 wrote:

ReverendDexter wrote: Most AX clubs draw the line at 140 treadwear, though I've heard that SCCA has ruled that some of the "140" tires are big fat liars and they lump them in with the race tires despite their treadwear rating.

Not true. Currently any 140 or higher treadwear tire is legal for SCCA street tire classes. The only tire on the exclusion list is the Pirelli P Zero Corsa and I'm not even sure why its there because it has a 60 treadwear.

There used to be one size of the Pirelli P Zero Corsa that was 140 rated (215/45/17 IIRC) it had twice the tread depth of the other sizes.

ReverendDexter wrote: The only issue I can see with the 888s is that they count as race tires, and if you're in a class that allows for race tires and you want to be competitive, you're just not going to do it with DOT legal rubber.

Not true. A6s are DOT legal. Non-DOT tires are only legal in Prepared and Mod classes.

I just got a set of Hankook Z214 tires in the other day. I haven't even had time to get them mounted. I let you know how they are. At close to $40 each cheaper than the V710s I figured they were worth a shot. I couldn't find anyone who had tried them so I guess I'll be the guinea pig.

R888s are a good tire for autox, but not a great tire for autox. I use them on my Miata, but I don't swap wheels and tires for events. I also use them for lapping, and to be honest they are better for that.

Race tires are spendy -- and addictive.

IMHO, if you are used to V710's and you're running in GS, then stay with those, cost be damned. There's something to be said for keeping a car set-up consistent.

The V710 is generally meant for auto-x, whereas the R888 and R6 are road racing tires and won't have the same cold-grip. While the Hankook is cheaper, reviews thus far have said it's not at the same level as the V710, so if you were just now moving up from ST tires, it may be worth trying, but to go to them from the Kumho's might feel like a step backwards.

In reply to Raze:

I need used 15 inch auto x tires for my Challenge project.

Moparman wrote: In reply to Raze: I need used 15 inch auto x tires for my Challenge project.

see my link above to lee's ebay store, if he doesn't have anything, contact him via eBay, only way I know of but he does respond to messages, and tell him what you need/looking for, seems to be pretty quick about finding sets, and shipping them out...

if you were asking for my leftovers, well, sure as I will be coming to the challenge

-Jeff

moxnix wrote:

Soma007 wrote:

ReverendDexter wrote: Most AX clubs draw the line at 140 treadwear, though I've heard that SCCA has ruled that some of the "140" tires are big fat liars and they lump them in with the race tires despite their treadwear rating.

Not true. Currently any 140 or higher treadwear tire is legal for SCCA street tire classes. The only tire on the exclusion list is the Pirelli P Zero Corsa and I'm not even sure why its there because it has a 60 treadwear.

There used to be one size of the Pirelli P Zero Corsa that was 140 rated (215/45/17 IIRC) it had twice the tread depth of the other sizes.

That makes sense. Thanks!

Take a look at the national championship results. Tires are listed with each entry.