Need a tire for 2010

[TitaniumTT]

Pulled the wheels off the FC yesterday and realized that I should've reset my front camber to something SLIGHTLY less aggressive for the street. For auto-x it was great, even temps across, but running them for so long on the highway with a ton of camber worn the innards a little past the wear bar, so it's time for some new shoes.

Rims are 17x8+35 and 17x9+35.
Was running Azenis RT-615's. I LOVED them in the beginning. Towards the end of thier life they seemed to get heat cycled and hard and on more than one occasion the ass let loose when it normally wouldn't have, and I alomst rotated the car once.

Tire being considered are
Another set of RT-615s
Nitto NT-05's
Nitto NT-01's

I seem to drive about 8-10k a year with alot of highway. Lots of Auto-X and a few track days thrown into that as well. I do have a dedicated set of RA1's for that, and those will be bumped to either a victoracer or the A6's.

So, what's everyones consensus for a street/auto-x tire with decent life. (The rears are in great shape, depth wise, but hard, it's just the fronts that are excessively worn) Wet traction isn't all that important, the only time they will see the wet is if I get caught in a storm on a road trip.

Also, sizing.... the fit seems good, but could I bump the fronts to a 255 on an 8" rim and the rears to a 275 on a 9" rim? All three tires are available in those three sizes.

So, suggestions?

[Rogue_Wulff]

Hankook RS3 seems to be one of the best newer models.
The RT615 is getting a tread compound update soon, renamed to the RT615K.
Dunlop Z1 Star Spec is also a top dog in the ST classes.

[TitaniumTT]

Hmmm, I like what they're saying about the Hankook but they sizes that I need just aren't there.

The Dunlops seem to have come way down in price which I like, I'd like to keep it to $150-160/tire. Only problem with the D1's is if I decide to go a little bigger in tire size, 255/275 as opposed to the 235/255 i have now, D1 isn't available in that size.

Should I just forget going to the 255/275 stagger on an 8 & 9" rim? Seems about a 3/8" on either side past what I have now. Not alot but will that induce more flex in the tire?

[Rogue_Wulff]

I would likely stick with the sizes you have now, and get the best tire available in your price range, or wait a bit, and see what the RT615K is going to be like.
Upsizing can cause clearance issues that may not seem likely. If you're positive the extra width will clear, and can get the tire you want, then I'd say go for it.
The current RT615 is likely available in both the current, and contemplated sizes, not sure what sizes the RT615K will have. Falken hasn't released much "more than 20 sizes" as info, last I saw. No info about when they'll hit the shelves, either.
The Nitto's are a bit too geared for road course use for autox. They like a lot more heat than a typical run can generate, and the delay between runs always let them lose too much heat to be fully effective.
The Z1SS is considered to be one of the best ST class tires, but does suffer from limited size options.
Adding width, without adding sidewall height, doesn't usually lead to excessive flex. But, an increase in PSI may be needed.

Oh, for the record, it wasn't just camber that caused the wear. Negative camber, within reason, doesn't create much wear. It's when you add toe to the equation that wear starts becoming more pronounced. Just thought I'd mention that.

I have an FB, so the 205/50-15 is my best size. Dunlop chose to skip that size, and Hankook only offers 1 15" size, 225/45-15. I'm not 100% sure I could keep them away from my fenders, so I went with a new set of RT615's. Hopefully, I can get ahold of at least a couple of the Hankooks to test for clearance. I'd love to try the RS3 in a 225/45-15. The GC coilovers up front give me a bit more room, compared to stock spring size.

[Rogue_Wulff]

I dug up the Oct 09 SCCA magazine that featured a ST class tire test.
All tires tested were 265/35-18 on 18x9 wheels, and shaved to 3/32" tread, on an RX8.
In order of quickest time, followed by their remarks.
Dunlop Z1SS turned the fastest time, 46.1 overall great, Noisy at the limit.
Bridgestone RE-11 was second, 46.2, Great first run, Longer braking distance, and easily overdriven.
Hankook RS3 came in 3rd, 46.4 Great feedback, but wants a bit more heat.
Yokohama AD08 next at 46.8 Sharp turn in and response, but very heat sensitive.
Nitto NT05 47.0 Very durable (they felt a softer compound would be better)
Kumho XS 47.4 Superb lateral grip, longitudal grip lacking.
Toyo R1R 48.0 They felt this tire was best suited for smaller, lighter cars, as it struggled with heat and the weight of the RX8

Hope that helps.

[Black91n/a]

I'm very happy with my Bridgestone RE-070's and I'd reccomend them. They're fairly expensive and for your wheels, you'd be stuck with a 225/45/17 and a 255/40/17, and they're on the heavy side but they stick like glue, wear like iron and withstand any abuse you can throw at them. With the price of mounting and balancing factored in, with the extra life you'll get out of them, it may well be cheaper in the end than some of the cheaper choices. I've tried Kumho SPT's and Falken FK-451's before and the Bridgestones have far outlasted both of those tires with much higher wear ratings. They handled track use beautifully, barely showing any signs of stress, barely wearing, but still griping very well. I'd certainly think long and hard about getting them again for my car, but even though I bought them something like 3 years ago, they've still got some tread on them.

[bigzman]

http://onlinetires.com/ Found this site. You may be familiar with it. Just putting my 2cents in.