Tires?!?!?!?

[Celica3351]

Hey all,
So last Sunday was my first event, it was amazing!! Everyone was so helpful and I learned a lot and cant wait till the next!! Until then I have decided my tires are not good enough. Im not sure which tires to get but I need tires good enough for street and track. I do not drive the car too much or at all in the rain/snow however I do drive when its nice out. So what are your opinions on the best street/track tires?!?! Thank you very much!!!!!!

[kc0stp]

Size? (namley wheel size but your prefered/OE tire size would help as well)

[Celica3351]

Size? (namley wheel size but your prefered/OE tire size would help as well)

I think its 215/45R17

[fsmtnbiker]

Hi Courtney, it was great to meet you last weekend - Glad you had fun!

I've had great luck with the Dunlop Z1-Star Spec tires. They are very grippy, last for quite a while, and don't heat-cycle out and lose grip as quickly as many other tires out there. They look to be reasonably priced in your size as well, around $120-$130/tire.

Other options are:
Kumho XS (will wear faster)
Bridgestone RE11 (great tire, but a bit more $$)
Hankook RS3 (no experience, but I hear good things)
Toyo R1R (very soft sidewalls, wear very fast)

The Bridgestones or Dunlops are my favorites by far. I'd like to try the Hankooks.

Hope to see you out at the Jan. 30th event!

[delirium45]

+1 for the Dunlops

i've purchased them three times, love them all the way past the wear-bars.

[Celica3351]

Thanks a lot guys!! Cant wait to go out and have fun again!!

[Van]

Courtney, what size wheels do you have? Width? I wonder if 235/40/17's would fit your car. More rubber is good assuming they fit, don't rub, and your wheels are wide enough. They are basically the same diameter as 215/45/17. You are running SMF so the more tire you can get the better.

How is the gearing on your car? Going to a 215/40/17 from a 215/45/17 will lower your car about a half inch (lower center of gravity) as well as shorten your gearing (good or bad I don't know).

Mayfield's choice are good ones. Good luck!

Van

[SuperWhiteGT4]

Courtney, what size wheels do you have? Width? I wonder if 235/40/17's would fit your car. More rubber is good assuming they fit, don't rub, and your wheels are wide enough. They are basically the same diameter as 215/45/17. You are running SMF so the more tire you can get the better.

How is the gearing on your car? Going to a 215/40/17 from a 215/45/17 will lower your car about a half inch (lower center of gravity) as well as shorten your gearing (good or bad I don't know).

Mayfield's choice are good ones. Good luck!

Van


The transmission in her car should be very similar to mine, and with the similar power levels, I would recommend the shorter tire given the choice. The 1ZZ is a relatively underpowered motor, even if it is only pulling 2450 lbs around.

However, 7" +43et (A very common enkei fitment) will mount the 235 (though not ideally) and clear fenders and stock suspension (even with lowering springs.)

Check out photos of Joshua Westras 57 STX car if you'd like to see the fitment.

[PEZi303]

It's been mentioned... but StarSpecs are the way to go if they make them in the size you need

[armada14arv]

you could probably cram some 225 maybe even 235s on those wheels with little to no rubbing

[Chris Gladu]

seeing as i have those wheels too lol i have not seen anyone run 235's on them yet, but many have run 225's. just keep in mind all these "sticky" tires have a tendency to run wider than what they say. i would stick with the 225 as thats what i was going to do before i got my rpf1s.

[Chris Gladu]

oh yea, the specs on those tc wheels are 17x7 with a +45 offset

[SuperWhiteGT4]

Again, I will confirm that a 235/40R17 Star Spec fits under the 7th gen celica with the 17x7 +43 wheel specs. No rubbing.

That means that if you did run into rubbing on the inside, a minimal spacer would fix the issue.

[SubySal]

Hey Courtney I agree with Chris too. Star Specs are a great choice. Kumho XS would be a good choice too, but I've heard they hydroplane quite readily and though you said you don't drive in rain often I wouldn't take the chance. The Dunlop's handle water quite well and are very forgiving at the limit. I run 'em and love 'em!

In most applications you can go two sizes wider without rubbing (i.e. 205->225). Some cars can fit wider than two sizes, but in my experience that seems to be the average at least with stock wheels.

[Celica3351]

Ok thanks guys at least I have it narrowed down to a few tires!! Thank you.

[armada14arv]

Again, I will confirm that a 235/40R17 Star Spec fits under the 7th gen celica with the 17x7 +43 wheel specs. No rubbing.

That means that if you did run into rubbing on the inside, a minimal spacer would fix the issue.

i guess your right for a change :p

[Rich]

Courtney, keep in mind that this kind of tire wears much more quickly than a standard all-season tire. I have typically been able to get 8,000-15,000 miles out of a set of max performance summer tires when they're serving dual use for autocross and street driving. Driving on grippy tires is more fun and will improve your times slightly, but also factor in the cost!
At the same time, autocrossing on standard tires can chew them up pretty fast as well, so I'm not trying to talk you out of getting these. I just want you to be aware of what you're getting yourself into. You might want to use up your old tires before getting something new - sometimes the worse your tires the more you learn. Having grippy new tires to start the summer series is always nice!

[Celica3351]

Rich,
Thanks for the advice. I had thought about how long they would last and i guess now i know. This in my mind works out perfectly due to the fact a just bought a 4Runner soooo I think the Celica is going to be a weekend car now.... That should save the tires some time(and me some $$)..... Thanks for the advice!!!!!
Courtney

Courtney, keep in mind that this kind of tire wears much more quickly than a standard all-season tire. I have typically been able to get 8,000-15,000 miles out of a set of max performance summer tires when they're serving dual use for autocross and street driving. Driving on grippy tires is more fun and will improve your times slightly, but also factor in the cost!
At the same time, autocrossing on standard tires can chew them up pretty fast as well, so I'm not trying to talk you out of getting these. I just want you to be aware of what you're getting yourself into. You might want to use up your old tires before getting something new - sometimes the worse your tires the more you learn. Having grippy new tires to start the summer series is always nice!