I am trying to decide on what tire to purchase for this autox season. I just recently picked up a set of 18x8 rims and I am having trouble deciding as to what tire and tire size to go with. I want to run the widest tire I can will keeping the performance of the tire in mind. I know that manufacture specs say the 255 is the biggest you should go on an 8 inch rim, but I want input from you guys with experince. Keep in mind these are only going to be used at the track not for every day driving.

Here are my choices so far.
265/35/r18 Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star specs
or 255/35/r18

265/35/r18 Hankook Ventus R-S3
or 255/35/r18

I would rather run a 40 series but they dont offer it I would have to step down to a 245, but maybe I over thinking this wider is better thing and a 245 would be just as good.

Thanks in advance for any info. Aslo feel free to let me know of any better tires or tire sizes.

Are these going to be autocross only tires? Where you will you be swapping back and forth to get a great autocross tire and have another set of good street tires.. Or are you looking for a all around tire that is OK for the the course and the street.

If it is one tire for everything - which is more important to you? Street or Autocross performance?

Anything in the 245-265 range should work on the 8 in rim without issue

All out Autocross tires;
- Hoosier A6 in 245/40 or 255/35-18 - Great tire but short life

- Kumho ECSTA V710 in 245/40-18 - Really good tire with longer life but not as Sticky as the A6 - seems to like life on larger-heavier cars (I have used these for two seasons on 4000lb cars and plan to go back once they make it in the 19in sizes-I have called them and they are seriously thinking about starting production in the 265/40-19 size)

- Hanook Ventus Z214 245/40-18 with the C71 compound - I have no information other than it is available.

From your two choices I am guessing you are looking for street and track tires. I am doing the same thing and chose to go with the;
- Bridgestone RE-11 - they offer a 245 and a 265 in 40-18 sizing and I have found this to be a great tire both on the street and the track.

I have no data on the two tires you have on the list and will leave that to others to comment. I have heard good things about the Star Specs, but not from people tracking heavy cars yet. They might be fantastic I just don't have the information.

Are these going to be autocross only tires? Where you will you be swapping back and forth to get a great autocross tire and have another set of good street tires.. Or are you looking for a all around tire that is OK for the the course and the street.

If it is one tire for everything - which is more important to you? Street or Autocross performance?

Anything in the 245-265 range should work on the 8 in rim without issue

All out Autocross tires;
- Hoosier A6 in 245/40 or 255/35-18 - Great tire but short life

- Kumho ECSTA V710 in 245/40-18 - Really good tire with longer life but not as Sticky as the A6 - seems to like life on larger-heavier cars (I have used these for two seasons on 4000lb cars and plan to go back once they make it in the 19in sizes-I have called them and they are seriously thinking about starting production in the 265/40-19 size)

- Hanook Ventus Z214 245/40-18 with the C71 compound - I have no information other than it is available.

From your two choices I am guessing you are looking for street and track tires. I am doing the same thing and chose to go with the;
- Bridgestone RE-11 - they offer a 245 and a 265 in 40-18 sizing and I have found this to be a great tire both on the street and the track.

I have no data on the two tires you have on the list and will leave that to others to comment. I have heard good things about the Star Specs, but not from people tracking heavy cars yet. They might be fantastic I just don't have the information.



I will be swapping these back and forth as I already have a street setup in which I am running the hankook v12's.
I want stay with a tire that is more towards autocross performance but can still be drove on the street in case I want to drive to the track with my race setup already on.
I like the bridgestones but I dont really want to pay $300 tire. I would like to stay $250 or less per tire.
Last year I ran my staggered setup with the Hankook v12 on my 20 inch rims which seemed to do very well, but I was always worried about messing up my Breytons running such a small side wall. I was even thinking of buying another set of v12's for my 18's as I had good luck with them an they are only $160 a tire. I just dont know how they compare to others.

How much of a diffrence do you think it makes in handling going from a 245 to a 265?

My last 4000lb car used 8.5in rims and I ran 255 street tires for a season learning what I was doing and making sure I liked the sport enough to spend some coin. I then got a second set of rims in the stock size and went to 275 R-compound V-710s, big difference - night and day. A ton more cornering, braking and acceleration.

For others reading this - I would not recommend starting autocross with R-compounds since they will mask a ton of driving errors you will have a hard time unlearning later but they are a step up in the progression once you have the basics down.

After a season of running on the 275s I sent the rims to be widened to 9.5 in and went to 295 V-710s. I could feel the difference but it was nowhere near as big as that first step off of the street tires.

You still might consider the Kumho V-710s. You can ride them on the street -some- provided there is no rain in the forecast. They are DOT approved, so no issues there and they are a pretty long lasting tire for the type and cost. I have friends running these on their Vettes locally - driving them 40 mile to the track and 40 miles home and getting an entire season out of them and the season in San Diego is 14 races throughout the year. I ran them at the track only and would get about 1.5-2 seasons out of them.

I am back on street RE-11s learning the GXP and how to drive it well but hopefully next season Kumho will come through with the 265 size in 19in and I will be looking to step back up to the R-compounds. I could go with the Hoosiers now but they don't last as long and cost more.. Not worth it for me but there is no denying they are the better tire based on race results.

I am not trying to dissuade you from going with any choice you want, just sharing my experiences. If you go a different way I hope to hear how it goes so I can add that to the information I have that I didn't have to test and pay for personally. Just remember when talking to other autocrossers - 4000lb cars can do strange things to tires that are wonderful on our smaller competition.

How much of a diffrence do you think it makes in handling going from a 245 to a 265?

2cm..

seriously - staying on the same 8 in rim the 20mm difference in width will be less than the effects of the angle of the sidewall and bead seal. I think it would lean toward the 265 being the better choice.

I will be starting with a set of Nitto NT05 then moving (eventually) to the Hoosier A6. I might try the Toyo Proxes r888 before going to the Hoosiers, but my ultimate goal is getting on some sticky track-only tires.

For others reading this - I would not recommend starting autocross with R-compounds since they will mask a ton of driving errors you will have a hard time unlearning later but they are a step up in the progression once you have the basics down.
This is the reason why I'm doing things in steps starting with the Nittos. It also helps that they are cheaper than the r-comps and Hoosiers as well.

-Todd...

My last 4000lb car used 8.5in rims and I ran 255 street tires for a season learning what I was doing and making sure I liked the sport enough to spend some coin. I then got a second set of rims in the stock size and went to 275 R-compound V-710s, big difference - night and day. A ton more cornering, braking and acceleration.

For others reading this - I would not recommend starting autocross with R-compounds since they will mask a ton of driving errors you will have a hard time unlearning later but they are a step up in the progression once you have the basics down.

After a season of running on the 275s I sent the rims to be widened to 9.5 in and went to 295 V-710s. I could feel the difference but it was nowhere near as big as that first step off of the street tires.



You still might consider the Kumho V-710s. You can ride them on the street -some- provided there is no rain in the forecast. They are DOT approved, so no issues there and they are a pretty long lasting tire for the type and cost. I have friends running these on their Vettes locally - driving them 40 mile to the track and 40 miles home and getting an entire season out of them and the season in San Diego is 14 races throughout the year. I ran them at the track only and would get about 1.5-2 seasons out of them.

I am back on street RE-11s learning the GXP and how to drive it well but hopefully next season Kumho will come through with the 265 size in 19in and I will be looking to step back up to the R-compounds. I could go with the Hoosiers now but they don't last as long and cost more.. Not worth it for me but there is no denying they are the better tire based on race results.

I am not trying to dissuade you from going with any choice you want, just sharing my experiences. If you go a different way I hope to hear how it goes so I can add that to the information I have that I didn't have to test and pay for personally. Just remember when talking to other autocrossers - 4000lb cars can do strange things to tires that are wonderful on our smaller competition.

Thanks for the info you have been very helpful. I agree with taking those baby steps I think it will make you a better driver in the end. I want one more season on street tires before I step up to R-compounds.
Almost all the cars that show up to autocross in my area are tuners so its hard to apply the tire that works for them to our heavy sedans. I personally have only ran the Hankook v12 evo's on 20 inch rims in which they did very well, but I just dont how they compare to others.
I may just bite the bullet and buy th RE-11's decisions....decsions.

2cm..

seriously - staying on the same 8 in rim the 20mm difference in width will be less than the effects of the angle of the sidewall and bead seal. I think it would lean toward the 265 being the better choice.

I think I will go with the 265.