AS title states looking to see as of 2013/2014 what are the best tires for our dsms?

Also, widest you can go on 17 rim?

Essentially over the years tires are evolving and need some real world experience as to what is best between a 1/4 and road coarse tire. I don't want to be swapping tires and rims for each event. Be great to have as good as it gets between the 2!

Any constructive advise would be appreciated.

Thanks

Nitto Invos
Toyo R888
Nitto NT01
Falken 615k

Are some tires been looking at...

Short answer is there is no one tire that will be the best at both turning corners & also drag racing.

Turning corners you typically want shorter & stiffer sidewalls, a good drag tire is the exact opposite. Only thing in common is with both you want a grippy compound but even that will be different, depending on the specific use.

Do you want street or track tires (you have both listed)? Don't think Nitto has been top of the game for years. Falken 615's feel off the map years ago when everyone released better tires. The K version is a better compound but I don't think they still have the following they use too.

Max performance street tires that also turn corners well

Kumho XS
Hankook R-S3
Dunlop Direzza Z2
BFG Rival
Bridgestone Potenza RE-11

These won't be the best choice if your mainly interested in drag racing, but if you are you'll want a soft side wall DR or slicks.

Tire width depends on your setup (rim width, offset, car ride height, etc) & preference on how it looks. 235 can typically be done fairly easily. Some have done 245 & even 255, but 255 doesn't typically tuck completely.

Actually 285 has been done, but that won't tuck at all!

Are you 1g or 2g?

315's likewise.

Do you have much track experience? I believe this plays heavily into what you should get. you need a tire that gives good feedback so you can drive it to its limit. I found Hankook exceptionally good for this. My Advan Neova's had more grip but little feel so they were a little harder to drive but i did over heat them and get them greasy a couple times.

I vote Hankook RS3's or the new Dunlop Z2. I will be trying to stick 255/40/17 under my 2g wheel-wells for next time attack season. 235/45/17 is a fairly safe bet and what i have currently on 17x8 EVO wheels.

Mike, are you gonna run the 255's on your EVO8 wheels?

Dio, the best performing street tire today is the BFG Rival. But it doesn't work as well in the wet and would be more prone to hydroplaning than most other tires. For that reason I plan to run Dunlop Direzza ZII, which is another top performer but with a little better wet traction.

I was running Kumho XS in a 235/40/18 size. I have been very happy with them & wouldn't have a problem going with them again but I'd like to try some different tires out, so I can figure out how good it really is/was.

I'm mainly looking at RS3's or ZII's (don't think BFG has my size). I'm leaning towards the RS3's, from what I've read the RS3's don't like cooler temps as well compared to the ZII's but they can take alot of heat before they fade & work really well in the hot. I'll likely just be running when its hot, so I think RS3's will do the trick. Plus their 1 lb lighter vs the Dunlops, have to try & make up for the heavier brakes

Edit: I believe Kumho will be coming out with an XS replacement in the future, the V720, looks pretty interesting but don't believe it will be out till at least 2014.

I have a set of 17x9 ET42 for the 255 width tires waiting to be powder coated. Likely need a spacer

The EVO wheels will stick with the 235 direzza's that are on there.

I have actually both 1 and 2g. But for the "tire" related question I posted its for my 2g. Not really a commuter. More like track car to go and relieve some stress. Will be street driven but want as an aggressive tire as I can get away with without going to a slick.
Balance between 2 worlds type tire. I know if I want to see what car will do best 1/4 needs a slick but as long as I have something that will hold me in there 1.5-1.7 60 foot Ill be more than happy. Rest is math as far as Im concerned coz I can always slap slicks and know I can shave another .2 off or whatever. Point is want a tire that is sticky for both tracks. Probs change 1-2 sets per season and Im ok with that. I know these tires after few heat cycles turn into bubble gum anyways.

Personally, I run only Hankook tires as they have been by far the best bang for the buck performing tires, in all categories - winter, summer performance, R-comp, etc. I would go with the RS3's based on my own experiences and that of many people I know in the motorsports community.

Get the new BFG Rival, RS3 or Dunlop and you'll be happy with what ever you choose. If its going to be street driven you want a street tire. Don't be fooled, they perform.

Also try to get widest you can!

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/fre.../286685-will-these-wheels-tires-fit.html

Use those charts ^^^. They're accurate.

In regards to tire width. Running an 8" wide rim should accommodate the 245's nicely. The only way to do it with little to no rear fender rolling is a +40mm off set. As for brands, that's a preference thing really..

I base my choice on treadware ratings.

I'm using a 400 for daily driving.

a 200 or 180 for weekend fun.

Good luck with your search Dio!

I knew this could possibly turn into a long dragged thread due to the progress in tires now a days. There could be possibly 10 different phenomenal tires and that's why I thought I would turn to you guys for some help. In USA man those guys have deep pockets and are just crazy. I think we are a bit more conservative and I thought why not ask guys that go to Cayuga shannonvll, mosport etc...
You know our tracks and weather conditions so lets see why you chose the tire you did.
I banged off 10.80's all day long with falken 452's some time ago which tells you that street tires do perform if everything else is in line. Didn't hurt I was driving a 996 Porsche TT either but the point is I didn't break the bank on Michelins or cup tires to get into the 10's. I didn't need to break my axels either as I was hitting 1.7-2.0 60 foots and pretty much always ended up in the 10's north end of the 130mph. That's why I don't mind trying out some tires and as long as they stick decently I can calculate what more or less I would do if I had some stickies.

As for rims!!! Well I have evo rally rims now. But car still has to visit paint shop and if I want they can roll, they can cut, they can flare a bit or do whatever I want. So if I should get a 285s then Ill do it. Just need the proper offset in a wheel I like. I love the concave look but finding awesome rims in 17 has turned out to be really difficult. Most are 18-20's. I would have loved to go 16's but my 13 rotors wont allow.

I am open to more suggestions on tires and most definitely rims and offset specs. Hope the car will be done by spring so I can go the meets, track events and get to know you guys. Its kinda cool knowing the car started out where it did and where it is now. Nick name so far is Frankenstein due to it having so many different part and things being cut grinded and fab'd.
Lots of long hours. days weeks months and now years... lol.

285's are not going to even be close to running with stock body work, rolled fenders or not. I'm sure Scott can post up a pic to get an idea. If you want to run 285's, you need firm suspension & ~ stock ride height.

Even with my 235's, the rear fenders required rolling of the inner lip, I would recommend at least doing this.

My rims are 40mm offset, that's typically the recommended offset as it basically centers the tire between body work & where the tire rubs on the rear knuckles. This rim would work for rubber up to about the 245 width. Going larger then that will likely require a lower offset to push the rubber away from the knuckles but at the same time will require something to be done with the stock bodywork, depending on what your trying to stuff in.

Scott, lets hear more about your setup? wheel offset? And the gains going to that size?

The g-force rival seems to be getting some really good reviews... Might reconsider

Street tire technology has really closed the gap to race tires. You wont be disappointed with any of the choices mentioned in this thread.

working on getting proper offset for wider wheels. Keep all posted on what I end with.

These are my 275/40R17 tires on 17x10 +12 wheels. They already rub on the inside upright's, so you cannot get them to tuck in any further than you see here.

Obviously the tires hit the fenders, so I have to run near stock ride height and a very stiff suspension (900F/400R).

I have no data to support that these huge tires more than compensate for the necessary high center of gravity. Only that Denis Grant always said that every time he went to a wider tire, he got faster. (He last ran 285's or 295's I believe). So that was good enough for me.

To run these on the street, you'd need fender flares at a minimum, and should really cut up the fenders. The fronts are easy enough to cut, but the rear wheel arches are structural. So if you cut the rear, you'll need to do some fabricating to retain their structural function.

Oh, I almost forgot about Martin Check's 2G wheel fitment guide. In my opinion, 255/40R17 17x9 +35 offset is the biggest & best wheel/tire combination that will properly fit a 2G DSM.

http://www.martincheck.com/wheel_tire_fitment_FAQ.html

It seems that the only picture with a broken link.
I would be curious to see what sizes people have tried on 1gs, although I think I am happy with 225, but may go for 235 if I replace my tires.

Interesting that your forced to run close to stock ride height. Don't know if i'm willing to go that route to fit that big of a tire under the car. Definitely giving up a lot to center of gravity height. How does your geometry work out? Can you still get the camber you need? Scrub radius greatly effected?

Have you ever run your car lowered on a smaller tire like a 245 or 255 to compare? I know it would be a bunch of work to try out but it would be a interesting comparison.

Also I plan to stay in street tire classes which also require stock body work for fenders.

Mike, if I were you I'd stick with 255/40R17 17x9 +35. Much simpler.

I ran 245/45R16 on 16x8 wheels for several years before going to the 275's. However, I don't have a direct before/after comparison, as I went from old Kumho V700's to new V710's, plus a winter break, plus whatever other mods I happened to do that year. And given that I only ran autoX back then, I have no track laps times for comparison.

The geometry with the 275's seem fine. I've experience no negative effects, other than the tires costing a lot more. It grips like wouldn't believe. And my tires wear perfectly even across the tread, unlike my 245's which always wore the outside shoulders first. But that's more likely a factor of my suspension setup than the tires themselves. Too many variable for a direct comparison.

The bottom line is that my car is modeled off DG's car, and he did lots of testing. I chose the 275's on 17x10 +12 with 900/400 springs because that's what he was running (and winning) on at the time. Simple as that.

I have two sets of wheels right now. Stock EVO 8 wheels 17x8 ET43 with 235/45/17 and a set of 17x9 ET 42 with 255/40/17. The 9s I plan to run a spacer to set them exactly where I need them to be. The 17x8 will be the interim wheels I run till I sort fitting the 255s with no rubbing with a fairly low ride height.

Springs will be 800/350. I'm banking that taking weight out of the car will put this where it needs to be. I also want to be able to try some aggressive camber settings as you wrote you ended up wearing the outside of the tire first.

The more roll resistance you have, the less static negative camber you'll need.

When I ran the 245's I had 500F, then changed to 750F, both with RM sway bars. And if I recall correctly, I only had -2º in the front until I chopped my stock upper control arms to get -3º.

Now that I have the 900F and 275's, I only run -2.5º with SPC adjustable control arms.