So about to get tires for the Miata's 15x8s.
Thinking the RT615s will suit my budget, goals, and auto-x capabilities (or lack thereof), but Discount direct has some Nitto NT05s even cheaper, and from what I saw in limited searching thus far, are pretty robust as well.
Looking at 205/50s...
As good as Falkens, or run from them?
I can comment on this! Last season I ran both Fallen RT615K+ and Nitto NT05 on the Cobra throughout the year at 13 events, including a National Tour ProSolo.
The Falkens last longer and have more lateral grip, but are more susceptible to heat soak and flat spot easily.
The Nittos had more forward bite and that was about it. They wore out fast, had less grip, and weren't as wide size for size.
I'd go Falkens all day every day over Nittos.
Well, hard to beat that for a reply!
I tend to over drive a bit, so the heat could be an issue.
That said, I keep expecting more grip out of the car, so maybe it offsets.
Yea, the NT05 are a few generations behind everyone else in the 200tw game.
For autox the heat issues are a non-issue on the RT615. Just keep a small water sprayer like this.
There are much better/faster tires out there but the RT615 are cheap and wear well. I used to get 20K miles on them using them for 10 events and daily driving on a GTI.
I picked up first gen BFG rivals for ~85 a tire last year and went with those instead.
Vulcan tire always use to have the best prices...
In reply to 84FSP :
Ok, that's easy enough.
Ordered from Tire Rack through the banner on the SoAZ auto-x website. I guess they get a small stipend from that, good to support a club I run with from time to time.
The reasoning/theory behind going with "lesser than" is that it will force learning/better driving.
I'm not competitive with the "decent times" but I've done more events this year and the gap is narrowing.
I could probably stand to run my 15x7/195 combo a little longer, but the 8s are in the garage ready to mount, and the current units are getting to the point where tightening up my runs no longer yields the .3-.5 second improvement, but only .1 or so.
We'll see if wider wheels and Arbys will graduate me from Captain Slow to Captain Average.
OldGray320i said:In reply to 84FSP :
We'll see if wider wheels and Arbys will graduate me from Captain Slow to Captain Average.
I find that Arby's slows me down. And curly fries suck. 
On a more helpful note: I ran 615K+'s on my NA last year. They are definitely down on grip to the sharp end of the 200tw field, but are very predictable and forgiving. We did end up using a sprayer when my son and I were co-driving on a hot day. Single driver or cool pavement, they held up fine without water. I'd say they are a great "learning tool" since they don't hide poor lines or technique with ridiculous grip. The price was right too. IIRC, I ended up putting them on for less than $70 a corner once all the rebates processed.
I’ve run NT-05s on my C5 track car. 295/35/18 square. They have been great tires. I used to run NT-01s but decided to skip the whole hauling race wheels/tires to the track thing. I drive to and from the track on the NT-05s and haven’t had any issues in 10+ track days.
I ran the Falkens on my FRS for the track in the stock size. The only comment would be that they were a very noisy tire at the limit. Gave you plenty of warning that you were pushing too hard.
I have the 05s on my Mazda 2 for dual autocross and street use. Very happy with them. 205-50-15. Used them at Palmer with COMSCC on my GTI as well. No, not the fastest I'm sure, but they wore well and didn't do anything weird. Price, Discount tire rebate, and no interest for 6 months was a major factor.
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