Autocross Tires for 2013

[klodkrawler05]

I'm waiting to see how the tire war shakes out with initial testing.

Our auto-x season doesn't start until April here, plenty of time for the warmer states to start doing some testing before ordering.

I also have to decide if I'm running RTR or DS this year.

if DS then i'll be on V710's for local/regional stuff and Purple Hoosier Crack for national tour/championship races

if RTR then I'll be on ZII's or Rivals all year pending which looks to be the stronger performer by mid April.

[pkolator]

It has been my experience that the Hankooks and Hoosiers behave more similarly (the only real difference being total grip) than the Kumho and the Hoosier. This makes switching between the two a much easier transition.

[tukaniSVT]

So, we had our Regional 2 autoX here in Houston, TX (will upload photos when I am done loading them)

And a few of the guys here already received their Direzza ZIIs.

So, I lucked out on what heat they are running and got a chance to catch a ride with all of them.

Each one different.
- a VW Rabbit, from her last set of Z1s, her car felt stiffer in the corners. Had great traction turning in through transitions, but didn't hold grip through the slalom very well.
The VW Rabbit was on 16x7s 215 ZIIs and Bilstein Coilovers. STF class.
- a Mazda 2, from his set of Hankook RS3s, he also felt the car was stiffer in the corners. But weirdly could turn real well into the corner but not grip on a transition. Felt great through slaloms. Had traction issues going around a bend, but held up on his car once he found it. Car is more Rally setup, so in 4x4 mode. Minimal suspension work, but stiff sway bars. STF Class.
- MazdaSpeed Miata, his car felt way different from the other 2 front wheel drive cars. For this car, it felt great. They took 2 runs to get hot and sticky for him. And it was squirly, more than his last set of RE-11s when they are cold. Which is funny, because he was the one that told me that the RE-11s like the cold weather traction better than the extreme heat ... o well. Anyways, he ended up lowering the PSI all around and was able to shave another 1.5 seconds off his fastest time. Grip was great through most of our course today for him.
Stock suspension 17x8/225. STO Class

So, far, they all have said they need a run or 2 to get some heat going in them to get some traction. Walls are stiff, but they are new ... so I will check back after a couple of events. And once you dial in the right PSI and contact to the pavement through your suspension (if adjustable) they move.

After riding with them, I am on edge about buying them ... am now thinking about waiting for the RE-11s new replacement and reviews.

Ray

[tukaniSVT]

Oh and the Mazda 2 guy and I decided (since they gave us an extra run) to swap cars and see how different they feel.

Aside from the power difference, I really like the grip of the ZIIs, but it didn't feel much different than my RS3s. There were spots that I slid out a bit on the RS3s that the ZIIs caught nicely.

But for me, just not enough to jump on them just yet.

Ray

[klodkrawler05]

Interesting.

did the ZII drivers feel like they had the tires pretty well setup air pressure/suspension adjustment wise or did they feel like they still had a bit of time left in them after playing with pressures and such a bit more?

[GodLovesUgly]

The Rival is more expensive than the XS, RS3, and even the Z2 in the same size.

Originally Posted by ecugrad

The 215/40/17 Z2 is $20 cheaper than what I pad for the Z1 in September

[mikeb0916]

I had one event on my ZII's a couple weeks back, and I feel that I still have to play around with tire pressures and such. I feel the car performed much better through slaloms and transitioned better.

I have another event this coming Sunday at my usual autocross location, so I should have a better comparison after that event, but so far so good.

[tukaniSVT]

Originally Posted by klodkrawler05

Interesting.

did the ZII drivers feel like they had the tires pretty well setup air pressure/suspension adjustment wise or did they feel like they still had a bit of time left in them after playing with pressures and such a bit more?

All of them kept playing with the setup, trying to find the sweet spot for their ride. Only the Miata guy felt he finally found a good point to work off of.

The other 2 feel it will take a couple of events.

All of them, don't daily the wheels, only for race day.

Ray

[tukaniSVT]

Originally Posted by mikeb0916

I had one event on my ZII's a couple weeks back, and I feel that I still have to play around with tire pressures and such. I feel the car performed much better through slaloms and transitioned better.

I have another event this coming Sunday at my usual autocross location, so I should have a better comparison after that event, but so far so good.

Nice to hear.

That's how I felt when I test drove the other member's Mazda 2 with the ZIIs.

What tires did you have before again? And how much of a difference are these compared to your last set?

Ray

[tigercrazy718]

glad the event went well! and man james got those tires quick lol. i figured he would spend that money on some rally related stuff haha