Ok, so, as I reach a point that i am looking at tires, i am debating on what to get.
I won't be driving the car in the cold, so, summer performance is the best choice.
Also, Rain is not much of a factor where I live.

I am looking for the best performing tire for street/autocross use.
As I don't drive that much, getting a tire that will only survive 20k miles is quite all right.

What do you use? feed back please.

my tire size is 17,
Front 240/40 17
rear 255 or 265/40 17

thank you in advance!

I've only used them for a track day, but I love the Falken Azenis RT615-Ks we have on our car. I could barely get them to squeal the last time I was out. Many others have said that the Dunlop Direzza Star Specs are an even better tire, but for the money, the 615k is a great tire. Somewhere around $110 per corner for a 205/50R15. Of course yours are much bigger, so expect that number to go up.

yes.. buy a DOT tire

falkens could be fun
or some toyo's or something

never ask.. "what would be the best performing autox tire"
because the answer is always Hoosier

thanks Brent! How is the snow? Come visit next year for Coronado speed week... Bring your car.

Painted man, thank you too.
I was looking at toyo and falken tires all weekend.
Let's see who else chimes in for a hybrid tire!

How far is lemon grove from San Diego?
I'm tentatively planning on racing at Coronado again in sept

Quite welcome. Of course, I defer judgement to guys like Brant and the other autocross gurus out here. But again, for the price, the Falkens are good. I've heard others say they get greasy after a few AX runs... but don't all dual-purpose tires? Until I have a reason to try something else (more HP), I'm happy with them. Hoosiers do indeed seem to be the winning ticket for all-out slicks though.

what are the widths of your 17's?

I live about 10 minutes out side downtown. Another 10 and I am at the track on Coronado. So, close! Did I miss you here last year? I was running around more on Sunday. But had a brief stop by on Saturday dropping off a bumper top.


One set of 17's are a little over 9 wide. I have a 255 on one now. I am going to recheck clearance again tomorrow on the rear, but a 265 or 275 may work.

is your car a flared car? the reason i ask is i am building a flared car. i was thinking about going with the 9x17 euromiesters with 255x40x17 tires on all four corners. seems to be a very popular size with the 911 guys. but they only use them on the rears, and go with a 7 inch wheel up front. it would be nice to fit a 9 inch wheel up front with our 914's. if all four corners are the same size and width, i will be able to rotate tires front to back for tire longevity.
what do you think?

I think 255 up front is going to be very hard to steer at low speed.
But, I like the way you think! That would be very nice.
This is a 255 40 17 that I am test fitting.

I stored a friends AX tires for a week or two, Just for the hell of it, I compared his tire/wheel weights with mine......after picking up his.

17 X 9 HREs (maybe Fiske...it was a while ago)...with 275 Hoosiers vs my 16 X 10 inchers with Hoosier slicks.....rear tires/wheels. ( my fronts were 15 X 8 Fuch with cantis but weighed the same as the rears)

44 lbs each for the for his vs 31 lbs for mine.

There is a clue there. Choose wisely.

that is a factor. a small one as more un-sprung weight is bad.
here are a couple that I have been looking at.
Click to view attachment

the first is the Falken with the second being the toyo proxis.
sorta in a dead heat on this. must gather more data.

There is a reason I ran only 8 inch wide wheels up front.......but another small factor.

Yup!

Small factor?

I was actually recommending a DOT race tire
at full tread, a toyo will last a long long time
and the increase in grip from a race tire will do more for handling than any suspension part or anything you can bolt onto a car

they may not look as cool..
but stick much better
if you haven't driven on race tires, you will not believe the difference it makes

pelican

chris, that looks really cool. nice choice. do you have a spacer behind that wheel?

are you gonna test fit that wheel and tire up front?

my idea was to buy two 9 inchers and try them front AND back. i still may go with the 8's up front. i will be watching this thread closely.

Heya, no spacer. customer offset by sixnotfour (Jeff)
with my flares (supposed to fit 9 up front and 11 in back) the 9's fit great in the rear. they fit up front as well with the 240.
So, I am really looking at 255 or 275 for the rear and 235/240 for the front.
This picture is with the 240 40 17 on 9's on the front.

I am close, so, some weekend you should come down and have a look.


Brett, the 888's were my favorite. but, I have to see what sizes are available and how square they fit on the rim.

oh, the tire on the back is a 240 as well. this was just to check clearances.

8's up front 9's on rear.... 4 inch back space instead of 5..
so send the nines north and I will make you 4 new wheels with better offsets for you... 8 and 9

Heya! I want to double check the drivers rear, as the current offset may afford 275's.
If you think that 8's are best up front, let's do that!

A story.
Several years back I went to an AX at Mather.
3 914s were there to play.One of them was Steve Nilsony the other's name escapes me. The "other" and I had 10inch front wheels & tires and were comeriseratiing about the huge steering effort on our cars. Steve had 7 or 8 inchwheels up front and his cantis wee only 1/2 inch narrower.......steering effort was just a bit higher than a stock 914...... where ours felt like loaded dump trucks.....with no PS AND I had an incureable push. All the cars were wihin a few hundred pounds of one another..........Hummmm.....there must be a clue here somewhere. Steve kicked our asses, BTW.

That particular favor was returned a few years later at the Marina Shootout....after the clue was fingered out.

You only get the choice once so make it what you want...

I run 10 and 11.5 x17...but I like Armstrong steering, and no autocross.
and run DOT race tires, hit a 4x4 lying in the road in Utah, bent the lip, no tire damage and still holding air..

275 40R17's look gooood!

FWIW,

888's were our spec tire for racing when Toyo was going to discontinue the RA1's.
Miserable tire on light weight cars. The 944 spec weighs about 2290 wet, 888's were significantly slower than the RA1's.

They wear like iron. I couldn't kill the one set I was stuck with and eventually just through them away before they corded or heat cycled.

The 888's are supposedly better for heavier cars but you will not be able to get enough heat into them with a 914.

If you can get a proper size, the RA1 or RR (which is the bomb) would be much nicer.

Right now, it looks like the backs will get:
275 40R17 Falken

Once I have the new fronts, i will test out the 205 and 225 for the front.

test fit of 275