Just bought some 18x9.5 rims for my project tt. 255/40r18 or 265/35r18 needed.
id like to know what the absolute cheapest track tire is?
Car will be street driven a lot and my budget is dirt cheap.
Originally planned on some serious toyos or at least falken rt615 but then i saw the prices
Not "cheap" I guess but I've been running 275/35/18 BFG sport comp 2 and they make a great balance between street and track.
If close out 615ks are too much, then consider getting 15s and running 205/50/15s on track.
Firestone Indy 500's do really well on the street and stand up on the track. They wont match a 200 tw tire on the track but they aren't too far off and available in the sizes you want.
You can also look at brands like Nankang and see what they have available.
I have a specific wheel already bought so i need these sizes. I can swap rims later on of course. If i want to go tiny rim or r comp or something.
yes azenis r too much $$
i think 100$ is my limit.
Anyone heard of federal ss595
looks like almost azenis grip for 99$
I know a few guys that have used Federal ss595. They like them on track. Loud when warm they said and sketchy in the rain when worn. Overall they thought they were good value.
Nice. They seem like a good option. I think ima end up w used tires though tbh
The mucho macho's seem to be ok 200tw cheap tires.
Honestly, unless you're in FL or socal you're not likely getting on track between now and March. Take the $400 allotted towards tires now and put it towards a better suspension setup.
By mid February the nankang CR-1 should be available in more sizes.
There's no point in owning aging rubber.
In reply to captdownshift (Forum Supporter) :
Im in norcal. But ill be building this car for a few months anyways so no biggie
My guess is the Nankang, Nexen surg4 or whatever it’s called, the Federal, and the maxxis are the cheapest options.
I'd suggest looking here:
Your project TT confuses me.
You need the ultimate race suspension, but on a budget, then you are asking what is the cheapest tire you can buy.
I believe that you will lose more time with the cheap tires on race suspension that good tires on a stockish suspension.
You can drive any tire and any suspension you want on the track, as long as you're not trying to go very fast. You'll still have fun.
Tadope said:I have a specific wheel already bought so i need these sizes. I can swap rims later on of course. If i want to go tiny rim or r comp or something.
yes azenis r too much $$
i think 100$ is my limit.
Anyone heard of federal ss595
I'm running the Federal 275/35R18 on my G35 on a 9.5" wheel. Grip is outstanding. Very happy with the performance and wear at autocross and TT.
The street is another story. They aren't wearing particularly, but they are one of the noisiest tires I have ever owned. I've had mud grips that were quieter. The ATs on my XJ are much much quieter. If you can live with the noise, go for it. I don't DD the G35 so it doesn't bother me, but on a daily basis, I think they would drive me insane.
I've for the SS595 in 275/40/18 in the C10. They're OK but there's a reason they're cheap. Sidewalls are a bit soft and require more pressure. Its OK and for what that truck is perfectly acceptable. They have about aas much front end grip with the 275/40/18 as 2 year old RT615k's in 255/40/17 I had before.
cfvwtuner said:Your project TT confuses me.
You need the ultimate race suspension, but on a budget, then you are asking what is the cheapest tire you can buy.
I believe that you will lose more time with the cheap tires on race suspension that good tires on a stockish suspension.
This. Tires and an aggressive alignment will net you a considerable difference without much cash outlay. Also, whatever recipe you slap together only works if the ingredients are complimentary.
I have had good luck with hankook rs-4's. I had the Nexen surg tires and could not get them off my car fast enough. I used them for auto cross and they were awful in every aspect. I believe that they are designed for drift though.
Federal 595rs PRO
I like em so far, broke them in on the street, but otherwise only use on track. Very quiet, communication could be better, but so far for the price break they are great
Getting a second set of wheels and going with a 200tw on one set and something above 300tw on the other and only using the 200tw on track or while autocrossing will save you money in the long run and cut down on excitement levels when it rains.
Asking a set of tires on a daily driver to handle street and track duty is the worst sort of compromise. On a second weekend car sure, but on a daily, no, not at all. Additional wheels are needed. (and that's before we get into having a conversation about tracking an only vehicle).
If not going with a second set of wheels, I'd look at conti ECS and will second the suggestion of an aggressive alignment using the adjustable camber aspects built into the front of the TT. I'd strongly consider playing with alignment settings and adding an adjustable rear sway bar before doing suspension, being a TT you'll be working on wanting to dial out understeer to make it neutral, but having an idea of how much plow and push you are working against will give you a baseline with regards to what you want to do with regards to spring rates down the road. I always strongly recommend tracking a car in nearly stock form for a year before making changes (unless the model is known for having oil starvation issues that can be avoided via a change in plan design) for a few reasons. You'll learn the car, track and driving on track, if you decide that it's not for you, or the chassis isn't and that you'd prefer a different starting point, you're not out the amount invested in modifications. You'll also learn where to focus modification efforts, what about the car you want to change or correct. This most often results in brake, suspension and tire related adjustments.
If you have a budget to spend before going on track next spring, I would get a nice set of pagid or feredo pads, good rotor blanks and really good brake fluid. I've never heard someone come back from their first track day, or any track day, proclaiming that they had too much brake. Bias set not optimally, yes, but never too much brake. And in the rare time you hear an argument of too much brake, it's really an example of not even tire.
After brakes I'd save for another set of wheels even if tires won't be on them by spring for track use.
Then enjoy a few sessions, come back talk about plow and push, whether and when tires got greasy and after how long, how your pedal feel was and how long until you got fade. Then we can start on sway bars, possible brake ducting, tires, changes to alignment from your current setup and possibly even potential spring rates.
SS595s are not a track tire, they're a mild summer at best. OTH 595 RSRR or 595 RSPRO are reasonable 200tw tires. Mid pack at best compared to say, Rival or RE71, but the price ain't bad. I ran them on my Elise for 2 years. The grip went off before the tread did.
thedoc said:I have had good luck with hankook rs-4's. I had the Nexen surg tires and could not get them off my car fast enough. I used them for auto cross and they were awful in every aspect. I believe that they are designed for drift though.
Right, as a wear item you have to consider long term cost, not just immediate purchase cost. You can "save" a ton of money by buying cheap "performance" summer tires but when you go out and burn all the tread off in one track day it gets real expensive real fast. Or you can spend a bit up front on something like the RS4, 615k+, etc that you'll get a full season or more out of and will be faster too.
At this point 200TWs are perfectly fine as multipurpose tires, unless you're regularly driving though inches of standing water.
asphalt_gundam said:Not "cheap" I guess but I've been running 275/35/18 BFG sport comp 2 and they make a great balance between street and track.
Had these, not impressed with dry grip at all, surprisingly good in the rain though.
adam525i (Forum Supporter) said:Firestone Indy 500's do really well on the street and stand up on the track. They wont match a 200 tw tire on the track but they aren't too far off and available in the sizes you want.
Have these now, better all-around tire than the BFGs in my opinion. Great tire for the money.
Statements above are based on C6 Corvette staggered 18"/19" sizes.
thedoc said:I have had good luck with hankook rs-4's. I had the Nexen surg tires and could not get them off my car fast enough. I used them for auto cross and they were awful in every aspect. I believe that they are designed for drift though.
That's funny because I've had both the RS-4 and the Nexen Sur4G on my Cayman, and they were very similar for me on the track in terms of grip, life, and lap times. If they were no good for you for autocross maybe it's a temperature thing. Between the two I would pick the Nexens only because they're cheap.
In reply to ShinnyGroove (Forum Supporter) :
I have always been a fan of the RS series Kooks. RS-2, -3, -3v2 and now rs-4. Forgiving, wear well and good grip for the dollar. Is it top tier? No. But for a moderate hack like me it's perfect. And they're usually Korean and I put them on Korean cars so.....
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