[minskcity]

I'm gearing up for the autocross season and trying to decide what kind of tire would be the best for me. I've got my '07 STI last August and did around 10 events since then. It looks to me (judging by the wear after the 10 events) that my stock tires are not going to last more that a month once I start autocrossing (I'll be doing 1-2 events a week ...

I'll be competing in the stock class (I don't like the idea of replacing most of my suspension which would be required to be competitive in STU). What tire would you recommend (brand/size) so that I can ran it on the daily basis and during the events? Would a wider tire reduce the annoying camber wear or make it even worse?

Right now I'm leaning towards RT-615 in 255/40/17, but I'm not sure if those will fit properly over my RPF1 rims and also people say that those tires are not very good in rain.

Any suggestions?

[T3h_Clap]

are you going by SCCA Solo2 AS rules?

if you have RPF1s you're not legal for stock class.

is there a street tire version of AS locally?

if you really want to competitive in AS you need 275/40/17 V710s or Hoosiers on a set of 17x8 +47mm to +48mm wheels and a big sway bar.

[sciolist]

As Clapper says, by SCCA rules you'd be subject to wheel regulations in Stock. A true AS car would be on 710's or A6's.

Many local clubs offer index classes, and this is interpreted in a number of different ways. One common arrangement is that there's a "street tire" class that is essentially PAXed.

Another way of doing it is to define specifically what a "street" tire is, and then let people run in their home classes, but with the index. So, for example, you'd run in class with AS on your 140 (or whatever) tires, and be given a multipier to apply to your times.

In terms of what's competitive... depends on the situation. I've seen plenty of cases at the local level where out of 150 or so entrants, maybe 3 drivers were even remotely fast. And the (reletively) fast drivers don't necessarily have fast cars. So, a guy could potentially be completely under-gunned and still easily win. OTOH, some clubs have numerous national champions. Some clubs offer open PAX classes, partly with the objective of removing the high-level talent from the base classes.

Guess the point I'm trying to make is that winning a given club's class, driving well and building a truly fast car are three different things. You might find yourself in a situation where you can easily do #1 without #2 or #3. Or it might be that no amount of #2 and #3 will get you anywhere near #1.

If you're mainly looking to do local events and chart your progress, my advice would be to build the car according to the way you want to learn to drive it, and then keep tabs on the PAX results. That gives you a much broader sample to compare yourself to.

[minskcity]

Originally Posted by T3h_Clap

are you going by SCCA Solo2 AS rules?

if you have RPF1s you're not legal for stock class.

is there a street tire version of AS locally?

if you really want to competitive in AS you need 275/40/17 V710s or Hoosiers on a set of 17x8 +47mm to +48mm wheels and a big sway bar.

Why aren't RPF1s legal for stock? Is it because of the offset?

[austinpike]

Originally Posted by minskcity

Why aren't RPF1s legal for stock? Is it because of the offset?

Are they the 17x8, +35? Or +45?

Need to be within 1/4" (6.xx mm) of stock (+53)

So anything less than +47 is not legal...

[thunderbird]

oh the cursed rules. Does your region have a open street tire class? many do. Run in that class. One can't be competitive in stock classes without dedicated autocross tires, and then its tough to be competitive with a well driven C4 corvette or Honda S2k in A/S.

For a street tire, I'd really recommend the goodyear F1 All Seasons. I am amazed at the steering response of the tire. I'm sure ultimate grip is less than the Falkens or RE01Rs or Neova advans, but the steering response is very good and will get you through the slaloms and then some. I have Kumho 710s for autocrossing and RE01Rs ready put on for summer, but I am tempted to try my F1 All Seasons at some events. back to back, the butt dyno says the steering response of the F1 All Seasons is much better than the RE01Rs. and of the tire choices, the F1 All season is the cheapest. I don't have good things to say about the RT615s. My set of RT615 lasted six months even with very limited spirited driving and I don't recall the steering response to be anything to sneeze about.

Goodyear Eagle F1 All Season

[T3h_Clap]

a well driven STi in AS can take down those guys no problem.

[sciolist]

Originally Posted by T3h_Clap

At a Pro, a well driven STi in AS can take down those guys no problem.

.....

[T3h_Clap]

Originally Posted by sciolist

.....

nice addition.

[sciolist]

Nothing like whacking off half the stuff you can't do as well, and adding in something the other guy can't dream about keeping up with.

[T3h_Clap]

couldn't agree more.

there aren't alot of Pro's down here though

when i'm up in Orlando I'll be closer to the ATL ones though.

[minskcity]

I think I've got the point - I need to switch to STU and get a tire in 245/40/17.

[polyol]

Originally Posted by minskcity

I think I've got the point - I need to switch to STU and get a tire in 245/40/17.

What you should do (if you have the funds) is get a dedicated set of rims with sticky r-comp tires. Thats what I would do...granted its not cheap.

[minskcity]

My idea was to use the RPF1s as the dedicated set, but apparently they are not legal for stock. I guess it's for the best though - STI seems to be more competitive in STU than in AS anyways.

What's the best tire for STU? I'm looking at RE-01R/NEOVA AD07/DIREZZA SPORT Z1.

[T3h_Clap]

the Dunlop Z1 is the new guy to the show and hasn't seen much action but rumors are good. plus they are the cheapest IIRC.