Wheel/tire advice - autocross Miata

I'm in the process of gearing up for the autocross season now, and I desperately need new tires on the Manic Miata. I'm currently running ancient 205/50-15 V700s on 15x7 K1s, and making a little north of 230 rwhp. Power delivery is an issue, as is braking. I am in SSM.

I'm on a tight budget and I am trying to decide on both tires and wheel width. Hoosiers are out of the budget and my current choice would be Hankook Z214 in 225/45-15s on 15x9s of some ilk:

If I go with TR C3Ms (ugly but functional) I can have them in my garage for about $1200.

If I go with 6ULs (much preferred) I have to add about $500 to that price for better looks and probably -12 pounds in unsprung weight.

If I drop back to 15x8s my wheel options expand quite a bit and my price goes down, but they are not going to be quite as fast as 9s. I can get 15x8 Konig Wideopens or something similar for about the same price as the 15x9 C3Ms, maybe plus the cost of mounting.

I can pinch 225s onto my existing 15x7 K1s.

Got any suggestions?

All good options, it comes down to budget. Speed costs money, how fast do you want to go?

For the 15x8, consider the Kosei K4R. Since you can get them from Tire Rack, mounting/balancing is free. They're lighter and less expensive than the 15x8 6UL too.

No matter what you do, it's going to be faster. Since you can fit the 15x8 without body mods and you'll save a big bucket of weight and money, that would be my choice. Heck, it WAS my choice - it's what I have.

according to tirerack, the Enkei Classic J-Speed IS A 15X8" and it's recommended tire size is: 225/45-15, so i would say you are thinking a little wide on your wheel needs.. unless I am missing something.

but (i think due to backspacing) they say they are "track only mounting" so sounds like you would need some flares for those wheels... but it still shows the width of wheel/tire works.. according to tirerack.

(BTW, thanks for making me look.. I REALLY like the look of the J-speed wheels)

Thanks for the prompt response! I'm OK with the K4Rs, though I notice they are a 35mm offset whereas the Wideopens are 25mm. I guess that means the Koseis are a bolt-on. The Konigs will buy me more track, but will require a roll (I can borrow a roller and a buddy). I can get the Konigs in bronze or gold, which is a plus.

Price is about a wash - the Koseis are about $160-180 more expensive than the Konigs, which more than eats up the free mounting/balancing and additional shipping.

All right, sir, thanks for the input!

SCARRMRCC wrote: according to tirerack, the Enkei Classic J-Speed IS A 15X8" and it's recommended tire size is: 225/45-15, so i would say you are thinking a little wide on your wheel needs.. unless I am missing something. but (i think due to backspacing) they say they are "track only mounting" so sounds like you would need some flares for those wheels... but it still shows the width of wheel/tire works.. according to tirerack. (BTW, thanks for making me look.. I REALLY like the look of the J-speed wheels)

He's going off of what 949Racing and really... many others have found to be the fast setup for 225/45-15s, and that's to put them on 9" wheels.

My thought is that the car isn't nationally competitive in SSM anyways, so just get what your wallet can handle and enjoy the (huge) upgrade either way!

Swank Force One wrote: He's going off of what 949Racing and really... many others have found to be the fast setup for 225/45-15s, and that's to put them on 9" wheels. My thought is that the car isn't nationally competitive in SSM anyways...

Nor is the driver. I just hate to spend $1300 when $1600 would make me faster for not much more money. Then again, since I really want to spend $1000, I guess that question is getting answered anyway. Then again again , I hate to spend $1100 and be unenthused by the looks when $1300 would get me something I like to look at better.

Thanks, all, and keep it coming please.

To me, the 15x8 looks better than the 15x9. The 9's are allllllmost looking stretched. But that's just a personal opinion, and you know what they say about those...

Keith Tanner wrote: To me, the 15x8 looks better than the 15x9. The 9's are allllllmost looking stretched. But that's just a personal opinion, and you know what they say about those...

That depends on the tire. Hoosier's 225s, for example, are huge and don't look stretched at all on a 15x9 6UL. I dunno how wide the Hankook 225s are in relation, however.

How about Hoosiers and the c3m's? Ugly and fast is way better than slow and pretty in my opinion. Besides, just get them in black and you won't see then anyway. You will need that fender roller to fit 275's. You will also be waaaayyyyy faster.

The Hoosiers definitely fit wider than Toyos or Nittos. They look really right on those wheels.

15x9

Same tahrs on a 15x8.

can't help much with the wheel choice .. but IMO you're on the right path with the Kooks .. the C71 compound, basically their a-x compound ( the C91 if it comes in your size ) the C51 is what I run on track

mw wrote: How about Hoosiers and the c3m's? Ugly and fast is way better than slow and pretty in my opinion. Besides, just get them in black and you won't see then anyway. You will need that fender roller to fit 275's. You will also be waaaayyyyy faster.

You need a sawzall to fit 275s, not just a fender roller! One of these days I'll get over that irrational fear and knock another second off my autox times...

The 6UL 15x10s are a better choice for the 275s, though.

A good friend of runs 275's on his na without sawzall. His fenders were pulled with a roller, but they are complete. It's too bad tirerack doesn't make a cheap, ugly, 15x10.

15x9 and 225 RS3 Hankooks

Gives an idea of a 225 on a 9...

Yeah, 15x10s are out of my budget. There is a guy in Utah (or was) selling a set of used 275 Hohos on 15x9 6ULs. That would fit in the budget, but I really don't want to sawzall my fenders. Rolling would be OK, but I don't want to remove the liners since I drive this car on the street, too.

I would invest in a cheap set of flares, no problem, except both other sets of wheels are 15x7 and I don't want it to look like Bigfoot during a transit stage when I have the regular rubber on it.

@ FSP - that looks pretty good. Are those the C3Ms?

Thanks for the thoughts!

Yes, those are the C3Ms on that ZX2. Also on the dark blue Miata in my post. One nice thing about the C3M is that the grey version does not show brake dust

OK, decision time. I can get the following in my garage for $900, shipped:

15x9 6ULs. They are a 4x100 bolt pattern with a +36 offset. Hoosier A6s in 275/35-15. I'd guess they have about 30-40% life left in them.

Convince me or talk me out of it. Thanks!

Duke wrote: I just hate to spend $1300 when $1600 would make me faster for not much more money. Then again, since I really want to spend $1000, I guess that question is getting answered anyway. Then again *again* , I hate to spend $1100 and be unenthused by the looks when $1300 would get me something I like to look at better.

Get out of my head! OUT! That's my decision-making process...

D'oh! Forgot the important point - the wheels in question are 15x9 6ULs in bronze, which is what I'm looking for. Edited above.

LOL @ ransom.

Duke wrote: D'oh! Forgot the important point - the wheels in question are 15x9 6ULs in bronze, which is what I'm looking for. Edited above. LOL @ ransom.

You're dumb if you don't buy that.

If you pass, give me the contact information, i'll be all over that.

Swank Force One wrote:

Duke wrote: D'oh! Forgot the important point - the wheels in question are 15x9 6ULs in bronze, which is what I'm looking for. Edited above. LOL @ ransom.

You're dumb if you don't buy that. If you pass, give me the contact information, i'll be all over that.

I need them to fit on an NA Miata with coilovers and without a swazall. I can borrow a real fender rolling tool, and a couple of mechanic buddies.

If I pass I will definitely put you in touch with the seller.

Duke wrote:

Swank Force One wrote:

Duke wrote: D'oh! Forgot the important point - the wheels in question are 15x9 6ULs in bronze, which is what I'm looking for. Edited above. LOL @ ransom.

You're dumb if you don't buy that. If you pass, give me the contact information, i'll be all over that.

I need them to fit on an NA Miata with coilovers and without a swazall. I can borrow a real fender rolling tool, and a couple of mechanic buddies. If I pass I will definitely put you in touch with the seller.

If your suspension is stiff enough and you're not slammed it might be ok. The wheels would fit just fine with a 225/45/-15 with a good roll at pretty much any sane ride height.

You could always throw the tires my way for cheap if they don't work out. I need some throwaways in that size to dial in the Escort.

Duke wrote: OK, decision time. I can get the following in my garage for $900, shipped:

15x9 6ULs. They are a 4x100 bolt pattern with a +36 offset. Hoosier A6s in 275/35-15. I'd guess they have about 30-40% life left in them.

Convince me or talk me out of it. Thanks!

Tread depth is irrelevant on Hoosier A6s -- what you care about is runs and age. If they're > 2-3 years old (some would say 1) or have more than 80-100 runs (some would say 60) then they're not worth the money it would cost to have them dismounted...

Duke wrote: OK, decision time. I can get the following in my garage for $900, shipped:

15x9 6ULs. They are a 4x100 bolt pattern with a +36 offset. Hoosier A6s in 275/35-15. I'd guess they have about 30-40% life left in them.

Convince me or talk me out of it. Thanks!

Get them.

It all comes down to how much you want those tires. If you don't, then you're not saving any money.