edit, thanks for all your input guys, really appreciate it. but my final decision was
MT street radials
and the rear i went with dunlop star specs

been googling a lot about tires recently. looking for something to fit my ssr 18x8 +32 offset wheels. what is the lightest most sticky tire out there? any suggestions?

no all season tires summer only plz!

im thinking about getting nitto 555r drag radials in the front and maybe like bfg gforce in the rear?

suggestions plz!

 

Ive also been looking for the stickiest street tires possible but without having to go with DR's. I have narrowed it down to the following
1. Nitto NT-05
2. Dunlop Direzza Star Specs
3. Yokohama Advan Neova AD08
4. Kumho Ecsta XS

 

I had a set of BFGoodrich g-Force KDW tires on my old car -- a Mazda -- that had 18" x 7.5" wheels. I LOVED those tires. They gripped like mad and even did decently in the rain.

 

Drop the Nitto and add Toyo R1-R, Hankook RS-3, Bridgestone RE-11. Between those 6 it'll be close. Give it 2 more days for biased rankings.
http://sololive.scca.com/

 

Tire weight should not be a priority. There are a thousand more important things than weight. If it happens to be light, then that's a bonus, but that typically means the sidewalls lack reinforcement.

 

werd

 

Those are all good tires, although I'd stay away from the AD08 as they're expensive.

I'm not sure if you're thinking that DRs are a good street tire. The only reason to get drag radials is if you are having a hard time hooking up in a straight line. They do not handle very well due to very soft sidewalls, and the soft compound generally means they're done in 5k miles or so.

 

We can help you more if you give us some more specifics on what you will be using the car for and what you desire in a tire. Cornering ability, wet traction, dry traction, straight line traction only, etc.


Nitto 555R Drag radials last a good long time (for a drag radial). I went 13k miles before I flatspotted them because of an accident in front of me, otherwise they would have gotten another 2-3k of use. I run a very conservative street alignment with virtually zero toe.

If you're looking solely for dry, straight line acceleration traction, those would be a pretty decent option actually in my opinion if you don't really do any corner carving and just want the best straight line traction. They do have softer sidewalls so they aren't super sharp handling tires like some of the Max and Extreme performance summer tires, and of course not like R compounds.

I have Dunlop Direzza star specs on the car now. They are very good in both rain and dry. I bought them specifically because they have an almost unbeatable combination of wet and dry traction. they are among the top tires in the dry (not AT the top, but they are among the top 5 street tires it seems from the reading I've done), and pretty much the best there is in the wet according to the tests and accounts i've seen. After running last year in some lapping days on a tire that wasn't good in the wet (Kumho MX), I wanted one that could do dual duty and be great in the rain and dry this year.

The other tires everyone suggested are great possibilities besides the KDWs (those are not in the league of the level of tire being talked about here).

I do know that the Ecsta XS is supposed to be a little stickier than the Star Spec in the dry, but way worse in the wet.

My buddy has NT05s but his car and my car are not comparable in any way, so it would be really hard for me to compare the two. He did say he is very impressed with how well the NT05's stick on the back of his 550whp 350Z. He said he is scratching for traction in 2nd gear (meaning it's spinning a bit but not totally roasting them) which isn't too bad considering that the BFG DRs which lasted about 3-4k miles would also scratch for traction if it was less than about 75 degrees out.

 

Some reviews of sticky summer tires. http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...mparison_tests
Kumho is very good in dry but not wet.

 

I have heard a guy who gave the NT05's a rave review after finishing off his Z1s. However I am always skeptical as people tend to go from worn-out old tires to brand new tires and think that whatever they just put on blow the old ones out of the water.

Honestly, you can't go wrong with either one. For my purposes the NT05s are useless since they only come in 17"+ sizing.

 

thank you for everyones input.

quick question though. i have 18x8 and 18x8.5 rear wheels, i looked at nitto555r on the website and there is no "approved width" that fit 8.5 every thing is 9.5 up. can i still do it? is it dangerous?

also what do you guys think is the optimum tire size to run?
235/40/18?

does the rear tire matter at all since we are fwd cars? i was thinking about running the nitto555rs up front and just toyo t1rs in the rear

i dont need an all weather tire. this will be for track/dry weather only.

thanks guys

 

If I were you I would try to get all four the same. And since you have 18x8 and 18x8.5, I would put 245s. You can get away with 255 but they will probably look "fat". With 245's, the 8.5 and 8.0 width will look nearly flush.
With DR's in the front and ok tires in the back you will have uneven grip. And if you like to take on/off ramps or any turns at high speed this may cause you to lose control. Having the ability to rotate...bonus.

 

i want straight line traction mainly, for track use and street use. minimum weight is a +. i want summer tires just for dry i can care less about weather. im leaning towards the ecsta xs now. what size should i get? cornering is somewhat important. this will only be used for my 18inch track wheels, i have g35 19s for winter beaters and a minivan for rainy days lol.

 

Don't put DRs at all four corners for no reason. It will only make the car more mushy handling. Some good summer tires in the rear will suffice, plus if you're running zero sidewall in the front of your car you're not exactly going to be a corner carver.

If you want straight line traction, go with drag radials. The stiff sidewalls and harder compounds of regular summer tires hinders their straight line traction compared to what a drag radial has to offer.

 

this is the only problem with DR's in the front. there is none that is approved for a 18x8 wheel. you need 9.5 width minimum

can i still do it? is it dangerous?

 

What I was trying to say was to get street tires on all four corners. Not DR's. I believe the 05's would suffice for straight line. Even though DR's would obviously be better... I dont think they would be much of an improvement.

OP: If your trying to get the best possible times go get some slicks. Or you can get some 17x9s for the front and have those mounted with some DR's.
If your adamant about running DR's on the street then you might need to get a wider wheel. Get the NittoDR's since they almost wear like a street tire. But just be careful with the oversteer from the uneven grip. Are your "track wheels" also your daily wheels? Since you said you have track, beater wheels.

 

I simply think that is BS. My Ecstas stop almost as well in the wet as they do in the dry.

 

I'll believe professionals and instrumentation in a controlled environment over a keyboard jockey anyday.

 

So much for Kumho. Out of 172 drivers from CRX's to STI's Solo trophy winners ran Bridestone & Toyo each 26%, Yokokama 14%, Dunlop 11%, Hankook 6%

Kumho nowhere to be found apparently due to their fear of the water. And with good reason.
http://scca.com/eventresults.aspx?event=13555&hub=3

 

DOH!!!

I'm surprised the 710 didn't get anything.. then again, I wouldn't even think about running a 710 if there's that much water on the course. daaaaamn.

 

incase you guys care,

i have narrowed my decision down to these two for the FRONTS
dunlop star spec
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...K%3AMEWAX%3AIT

and nitto nt05
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...K%3AMEWAX%3AIT

going to go with 245 40 18

does the rear tire really matter that much though. what do you guys think? same tire all around?

 

thanks for everyones input tires are ordered already!

 

What toyo were they running? R1R or R888 or what, or would it be split between all toyo offerings that fit the rules for the different classes (I'm not up on the autoX tire class rules anymore)? I'm assuming Bridgestone RE11s?

 

R1R was used but mostly on the lighter vehicles. Bridgestone RE11, Yoko, and Dunlop seemed the tires of choice for heavier cars. Toyo finally got a foothold this year in the community. Last year only 1 team of 140 drivers were able to get a set in time and they won on them. I thought I saw somewhere too that one of the race series was dropping the R888 and going back to RA1's. Like SpecM or WorldChall or somebody.

 

From what I remember, the only hard corner I've taken with my buddy on DRs actually produced understeer, because the front sidewall rolled over so much the contact patch was mostly lost.