Hi, ive been an unregistered lurker here for a little while and finally had a need to join.
i am in need of a pair of 200tw tires for the back of my car. the only goal is forward acceleration. i dont care about wet traction and i cant do a burnout. im also afraid of turning.
ive been doing a bunch of research and this place seems to be the most active in keeping up with the latest tires in this category. the usual go-to for people like me sounds like the nitto NT05 but i believe that tire is a little out dated at this point. all of the tire comparison articles ive read seem to ignore nittos entirely, but also the longitudinal acceleration stuff is generally glossed over as well. i know this is a non-traditional application for these tires, but the rules dictate a 200tw and as long as im spending the money i would like to get the best thats currently available.
the advan A052 doesnt seem to be in stock in the size i like plus its really expensive. i can buy them if they are that much better. the big draw to this tire is that it apparently doesnt need much heat to hook.
second choice is the Falken Azenis RT660 in 295/35ZR19. this is the size i like the best.
wheels are 19x10.5 and i dont have the option of changing them.
size can be as small as 275/35-19 and as large as 305/30-19, im targeting 27" OD but can accomodate 26-28.
i also need to buy these in the next week or so.
thanks all
Can you tell us the application? Drag race with weird rules?
no prep drag racing with 200tw tires. its at a track but we are running backward from the shutdown area.
The Nitto sucks for forward bite (I drag raced my SN95 Cobra extensively on 315 NT05's). Get the Falkens, or Yokohama A052's if you can get a good size for you.
A052 is what you want. Work dead cold, king of longitudinal acceleration. And their almost complete lack of sidewall structure might be a bonus for once in this setting. Unfortunately they're out of stock pretty universally at the moment. There should be more stock coming in the hopefully not too distant future though.
Falkens are out of stock also and need a bit of heat to work, in my experience they specifically lack longitudinal grip when cold so that's not probably not going to work for you.
i found some falken rt660s in a good size and in stock. is there anything besides the a052 that would be a better choice?
You know, I read "I can’t do a burnout" as "my car doesn’t have enough power to a burnout." So I'm wondering, what car runs 19-inch wheels but has no power...?
I don't have any other 200TW tires to compare them to but Falkens need some heat in them to work.
I missed the "need them this week" part initially. Falkens are probably the best choice in that case but definitely sub optimal overall.
I assumed no burnout was either a rules thing or a semi-fragile drivetrain thing.
It sounds like you're finding answers (some not great ones), but just so everyone here has it, our tire guide:
Ultimate track tire guide | 200tw, 100tw, street-legal track and R-comps
Sorry for being vague I should have been more specific. The no burnout thing is because it's awd. I have plenty of power and rules are pretty wide open. It's a Tesla plaid. I know unplugging the vss can allow burnouts but the traction control works very well and I don't want to disable it.
My strategy is replacing the rear tires with something better meeting the 200tw rules but I don't think better fronts would help.
stock tires are p zeros and it was a significant difference in performance between making a pass right after a 45 minute drive and letting the car sit for 2 hours right before a pass so I think tires are a significant factor I need to address (duh)
I appreciate the insight and advice.
How about a switch on the vss? Turn it off to do a burnout and back on to launch.
I thought of that but I'm worried it will throw codes that require a reboot of some sort before normal operation. It's a good idea that I should try though.
Tire info from our friends at Tire Rack:
The short answer, among 200 treadwear options our experience is Yokohama ADVAN A052 provides the best longitudinal grip. Supply is very spotty, but Yokohama produces 275/35R19 and 295/35R19. One of those would be my recommendation.
That said, always important to remember the tire design traits and physics that help tires and vehicles turn corners well are a hindrance to maximizing acceleration. Wide tires on wide wheels create a wide footprint that is very short front-rear. In simple terms, that gives the contact patch leverage to turn hard, but lacks the leverage to propel forward. A long footprint really helps acceleration.
really appreciate the info.
if anyone knows where i can get a pair of 295/35R19 or 275/35R19 a052 in the next couple weeks please let me know.
otherwise it sounds like the RT660s are my best option thats available now to buy in my size?
thanks
Happy to help, and hopefully you can find some tires in time.
do the no prep rules mean that you can't treat the tire? I wonder if there is a chemical prep you could apply. probably not legal. this is the reason to use tire blankets btw.
