Tires for Autocross?

[Taichi Takayanagi]

[color=blue]Hi all,

I attended the Performance Driving School over the weekend and it was simply a superb event. Not only was it fun, it really taught me what it means to DRIVE a Porsche!

It seems like my tires got roughed up from all the sliding and spinning stemming from my poor driving skills. For the Autocross, I am thinking about using a different set of tires so I can preserve my normal ones. Do people change tires for the Autocross and any recommendations on which tires work better? (Hopefully not expensive...)

I appreciate any feedback.

Thanks.

Ty[/color]

[Doug]

Hi Taichi,

If you want to stay in an SS class, I strongly recommend the Falken Azenis Sport. I don't know what kind of car you drive/what sizes you need, so that could be an issue, as the Azenis Sports don't have a super-wide range of sizes.

But in about a month, the new Azenis Sport RT-615 should be available, which will fit just about anything out there.

You will take 1 point for these tires, so the car needs to be completely stock otherwise to remain in SS.

The RT-615 should remain pretty affordable...for instance, a 245/45-17 in the $125 range.

--Doug

[Taichi Takayanagi]

Thanks Doug. Your advice helps a lot. I drive a 2000 Boxster with stock Michilin Pilot Sport tires.

Ty

[Bob McLaughlin]

Hi Ty! I'm glad that you had a good time. It looked like you were driving very well the times I rode with you. We look forward to seeing you at driving events. Perhaps your wife will consider taking the next driving school....

[Jad]

The Falken Azenis won't work for your Boxster unfortunately. Doug has inside info on new tires, so I have no idea about the new one he was talking about, but you can bet his info is very good. If you need tires NOW and want a street tire that works well at the track so you stay in SS, I found the Yokohama ES100 were an excellent tire for the money on my Boxster. Order them from Tirerack or get a price from Tirerack and take it to Discount tire and they should match it for you.

[Taichi Takayanagi]

Thanks all for your reply. (Bob, I appreciated your advice to attend the PDS. It was well worth my time and money!)

I contacted the Pioneer Center today and they suggested Michelin Sport Pilot which is certified for Porsche (N-rated). I was told that these tires work well on both road and track.

Ty

[Jad]

Not to put Pioneer down, the Michelin is the official tire and does fine for both road and track, but is fairly expensive and not particularly good at the track. I think there are a dozen better choices out there, but Michelin has been approved by the Porsche lawyers, so they kinda have to recommend it, the continental or the Pirelli's, none of which are used by any serious AX-ers that I know.

Just my $.02.

[Taichi Takayanagi]

I guess you're right. They did suggest Michelin, Pirelli and Continental. I will continue to shop around....

Thanks!

[kary]

Ty, from reading your post it seems your are concerned about roughing up the tires. This is normal in auto-x due to all the turning. In fact you probably see the outside edge of your tires going away, right? Well this will not be any different on another set of tires because it is due to the camber that comes on your Porsche from the factory. You need more negative camber. Depending upon the tire you choose, you need different camber settings but if you stay with a street tire, only minimal adjustment is needed.

If you want the car to handle better, get it corner balanced and aligned with a selected tire at somewhere like Mirage. They can help arrive at a choice of tire and alignment that will work for you on the street and auto-x. It will do a world of good on the street and auto-x for handling. Then go out and learn to drive in a car that is set up properly for aggressive driving.

[Taichi Takayanagi]

Thanks for your advice. My instructor, Kim, posted a very informative article on the Technical Forum (Suspension 101) which suggests the same.

[rss996]

Jae Lee at Mirage is the best...He is going to align my car next week!

[ttweed]

Ty-

If you are looking at autox tires for SS class, I would also consider the Kumho Ecsta MX, which comes in more sizes than the Falkens do currently, and has a 220 treadwear rating, which garners no points at all under our current rules.

The RT-615 Falken that Doug mentions will be a bit faster, though, in all likelihood, and is available in certain sizes right now with more on the way. Check Vulcan Tire's web site for availability. It looks like 225, 255 and 275 sizes are available right now in 17", with 235 and 245 on the way.

TT

[Kim Crosser]

I will put in my vote for the B.F. Goodrich G-Force TA/KDs. These are the stickiest (dry) street tires I have driven and they seem really easy to control when drifting or throttle steering. They are 200 tread wear, so you take one point, but as long as you don't have any other points, you are still in S/S.

I got the last set at Discount Tire for around $975 including mounting, balancing, and taxes. Discount gives a 10% discount for PCA members, so ask for their price, then ask for the PCA discount.

With the Bridgestone SO2s, I would get around 8500 miles (including 6-7 AXs) before replacing. The TA/KDs harden up and get slippery after around 6500 miles (with 4-6 AXs), so even though there is plenty of tread left, they don't last as long as the Bridgestones or Continentals. Also, if this is a family car, the TA/KDs are a LOT slipperier in any wet conditions. But - if you want a street tire with really good dry pavement handling, I think these are the best.

[Chris Benbow]

There was another thread on this very topic about two months ago. I think this is the link:

http://web2.pcasdr.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=580

BTW I second Kim's recommendation of the BFGs

[aramati]

I live in Vegas. Could someone give me the address and phone number for Mirage. I would like to have that work done on my car.

BTW, I recently settled for the Michelin PS2.