Autocross tire comparison
 

I finally ordered some 15x9s, so I'm making the tire decision. Having come to the conclusion that waiting for track time is fine, I'm going to concentrate on decent SSM autocross prep. I'm set on 225s for now, so the options are looking like NT01s, Hankook C71s, and A6s.

I know the NT01s leave a lot to be desired concerning grip. Is the longevity worth something in return, though? It would be nice to drive to the closer events, and even do a little street driving on the grippy setup. Oh, and the price is clearly the easiest to take.

Just how bad are the Hankook C71s? I've read that they take too long to heat up, and that is obviously a poor trait for an autocross tire. I'm not planning on taking the car to Nationals, so it's not a win or lose situation. However, I would like to have the best bang for buck. If they flat-out suck as an autocross tire, I have no desire to buy them.

I have known about the Hoosier variants for years, but the price and wear scares me away, just like many others. Anyways, a big part of me says, "when you're ready for A6s, be a man and buy the 275s," as I plan on doing the fenders eventually.

If there are Kumho V710s in the right size, they are a really great alternative to A6s. They last a good deal longer, probably on the order of double the life. They are another tire that are not a street or track tire, really, though.

There is a guy or two in my club on the C71, maybe equal to or a smidge slower than the V710. The NT01 is definitely slower than the V710.

You don't really need to commit too much to any one tire choice at this point. Tires are such a huge wear item in autocross, that if you're doing a good number of events you'll be on more than one set in a season, you can always try something different on the next set.

Beware, once you're on A6s, everything else is just there to load the car on the trailer. They are worse than crack. Your setup needs to be decent with the A6, though, you'll blow through them really really quickly if your setup is off. Welcome to a strange world, kid.

The thing is, I won't be able to hit every event in the coming months. Being in my line of work means hitting the occasional event, unfortunately. But, as my wife says, the health care is free.

I think I'll get the 'kooks if y'all think they're fairly comparible to the V710s, as the Kumhos are only available in 225/50s. If not, I'm going with NT01s, as I'm not feeling the big $ A6s quite yet...

I LOVE my Star specs

Just my 2 cents...

This discussion concerns R-compound tires for SSM, not ST-class street tires. Star Specs are my street tire of choice, though. I have a set on my DD WRX.

I'll tell ya, I ran on NT-01s this weekend instead of the 13" A6s, and the NT01s worked out very very well. They are also over a year old, have probably 500 street miles on them, and I'd estimate somewhere around 40 autocross runs. They are 225/45-15 on a 15X8 ATS Superlight. It is a nice setup, I'll be using them on the track on this Friday, then at least two more autocross events.

You could do worse than the NT01, idk what the price is now, but if they are cheap they are a good option. They have a funny feel when autocrossing that my co-driver was having some trouble with. They almost seem to take a set in two stages, you have to load them up beyond where they "feel good," then you can load them up a little more.

We were "faster than we should have been" this weekend on them.

NT01 will work and are fun... but you won't win anything against people with real AutoX tires.

If running for fun, plan on tracking, like saving money, etc.... go with the NT01.

^^ +1 and if you find a down cone you are golden. stop, point, then drive the shit out of the tires for the rest of the course and hope for an instant re-run.

Hell some of the ST legal tires are just as fast as the R-comps in similar sizes.

If you want to FTOD you gotta go Hoosier. There's a Miata guy running c71 compound and doing pretty well here. They like a lot of camber though. Much softer sidewalls than the Hoosier or many other r-comps. The c30's I use for track days are the same way, soft sidewalls. They also don't communicate very well. I like a tire that squeals at the limits. The Hankooks don't.

If you wanna have fun, have a durable tire & be reasonably competetive on a budget the NT01 would be hard to beat.

Cueball, I gotta say, r-comps in general don't squeal at the limit. Hoosiers definitely don't, NT-01s don't. That is one of the difficulties a noob will have if he's on an r-comp, the communication isn't there. The more track oriented r-comps have better (slower) breakaway characteristics than something like an A6, but still don't communicate loudly when pushed.

We've got a set of C71s in 205 50 15 and at a fairly competitive region I feel utterly let down w/ them. For reference, I have a hard time keeping up w/ a similarly prepped CSP car (he has a 1.6, we're 94-97 1.8 swapped) He's running the hoosier 13s... 'Well, of course' is the obvious reply, problem is this guy is older, and another driver (who I consider to be at my level) was able to go 3 seconds faster than the owner his first time in the car in 2 runs. And yeah, the 205s are narrower than the A6s, but still... 3 seconds in 2 runs? Thats more of a gap between C71s and A6s than I read about on the internet... I'd say go with the V710s, I've run them before and never felt that outclassed by hoosiers.

I probably would just get the V710s, but they aren't available in 225/45, and I'd really prefer to take advantage of the 9-inch wheels.

I appreciate all the input here, but the sure answer to me is about as clear as mud. Quick price comparo looks like this to me:

225/45 NT01s -- $564 /set Discount Tire Direct
225/45 C71s -- $744 /set DTD; $748 /set Tire Rack
225/45 A6s -- $918 /set TR

I know that better deals are out there, so if anyone points them out, I'll be appreciative. However, I would at least think the differences would be representative in these examples. Again, I think I need to hold off on the A6s for now, as I'm just not ready for them yet. When I am, I'll be picking up 275s, anyway.

Hoosiers.

Just FYI if anyone is looking to buy NT-01s, they are $125 each at onlinetires.com. For us east coasters, by the time they add shipping it will be cheaper to get them from DTD (higher price but free shipping), but for people on the west coast onlinetires might be cheaper.

Their service is horible. I just printed out their price and went down to americas / discount tire and they priced mached online tires price.and I was able to just pick them up right then.