Best Autox Tires for Stock S14 SE (including width)

Post by **Kinesthesia** » Tue May 11, 2004 3:46 am

I have come to the conclusion that my Kumho Ecsta Supra whatever tires just suck.

I've acquired a spare set of stock SE wheels, which I believe are 16x6.5.

I'd like to go to a 225/50/16 if that's possible (and safe).

Everyone talks about Falken Azenzis but TireRack doesn't carry them and I've dealt with Grant before and I'd prefer to continue to deal with him.

ExarKun recommended the Bridgestone Potenza S-03 Pole Position, which looks like a great tire, but I don't know of anyone with autox experience with it.

I've seen what the Azenzis can do, even at the local events that I run in.

I thought about getting some dedicated Hoosiers or something but I'd like to be able to at least drive to the events on them. I live 30 miles from the events and I'd like to change wheels at home. I drive SM, so I could run any tires but like I said, I'd like to have something that I could at least drive short distances on the road.

Post by **Nismo_Freak** » Tue May 11, 2004 3:46 am

S03's do well with Auto-X however they are fairly heavy tires as are the Azenis. Toyo makes a T1-S tire that is light and overall a good performer. You could also go with a Kumho MX, however the S03's are probably going to be your best bet.

The problem with Azenis is that when they get hot they get greasy and any auto-xer knows you need to carry a water bottle to spray the things down every pass to keep them cool. Thats my only complaint about the tires. S03's are known to have excellent temperature operational range.

Post by **VA240** » Tue May 11, 2004 3:46 am

Azenis, Yoko A032R, or BFG T/A KD would be my choice of tire.

-VA240

Post by **Nismo_Freak** » Tue May 11, 2004 3:46 am

LOL... you list a racing tire with two street compounds.

Anyone that daily drives A032R's is a wealthy person.

Post by **nlzmo400r** » Tue May 11, 2004 3:46 am

im looking to get khumo ecsta's all around on my SE rims for daily driving and the very occasional autoX/road race event. I had some cheapo used goodyear EageII or something (215/5o/r15) and they were ok i suppose, since they were like $1o anyway, good drift tires

Post by **Nismo_Freak** » Tue May 11, 2004 3:46 am

Dude... I'd advise against it the MX, V700, and V710 are the only Kumho's I'd ever put on my car.

Post by **C-Kwik** » Tue May 11, 2004 3:46 am

All three of those tires are Ecstas. Nismo400R just wasn't specific about which Ecsta tire he was referring to.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/kumho/kumho.jsp

Post by **SmithSR** » Tue May 11, 2004 3:46 am

No love for Michelin Pilot (sport) (cup)?? Yummie!

$218per in 225/50-16

That's a man's tire.

Pilot Sport is only $152 from TireRack.

Post by **Nismo_Freak** » Tue May 11, 2004 3:46 am

C-Kwik wrote:All three of those tires are Ecstas. Nismo400R just wasn't specific about which Ecsta tire he was referring to.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/kumho/kumho.jsp

I'd be willing to bet he was refering to non of the mentioned.

Post by **nlzmo400r** » Tue May 11, 2004 3:46 am

i was talkin about hte cheapy ecsta's, the 711s and the 712 supras'

Post by **Kinesthesia** » Tue May 11, 2004 3:46 am

At the risk of repeating myself.... they suck balls. For nearly the same money, you can get Yoko ES100's, which are great.

I'm considering a set myself, but I was going to aim even higher for autox tires.

Post by **VA240** » Tue May 11, 2004 3:46 am

Kinesthesia wrote:At the risk of repeating myself.... they suck balls. For nearly the same money, you can get Yoko ES100's, which are great.

I'm considering a set myself, but I was going to aim even higher for autox tires.

As you know I feel the ES100 are great tires. If you are looking at affordability then try out the Azenis this time. I prefer the Azenis over the ES100s.

-VA240P.S. I'm enjoying the hell out of the wheels and tires!

Post by **rico05** » Tue May 11, 2004 3:46 am

My choice for light AutoX/Street duty came down to AVS ES 100s and Azenis. Needless to say, I now have a Falkein decal on my 1/4 glass.

Post by **Kinesthesia** » Tue May 11, 2004 3:46 am

VA240,Glad to hear you're enjoying the wheels and tires... I'm also considering getting another set of Kosei's and going to 17's maybe next year.

But just to clarify, I was saying the cheapy Kumho's suck... I am 90% sure I'll get a set of Azenis on my 16's for the rest of this season.

I also recently purchased a Hachi Roku and will probably put Azenis on it as well and may even autox it instead of the S14.

Post by **VA240** » Tue May 11, 2004 3:46 am

Kinesthesia wrote:I also recently purchased a Hachi Roku and will probably put Azenis on it as well and may even autox it instead of the S14.

Sell me your S14

Post by **ruf-jason** » Tue May 11, 2004 3:46 am

check out the AVON Tech R's in a 225/50/16 @ Tire Rack, list @162.00, don't drive on the street with them though

Post by **Exar-Kun** » Tue May 11, 2004 3:46 am

S-03's would be your bnest street driven/heat tollerant/autocross tire, its got a great feel because of the large and continuous rib/shoulders, and good wet weather traction..the gs-d3's ribs are a bit small and give it an odd feel, although it does grip well..I cant speak about its temperature tollerence.

the es-100 will spank the azenis balls after hot laps(its better heat range) and in the wet weather, but for quick hot laps, the azenis will rock pretty much any street tire(barring the s-03, DOT "street" R compounds and ps2)

the major advantage of the azenis is the performance versus price for quick dry laps..

but for my money, if the s-03 is more consistent, and can be daily driven easier..so what if it costs a bit more?:)-chet

Post by **Def** » Tue May 11, 2004 3:46 am

Quote »the es-100 will spank the azenis balls after hot laps(its better heat range) and in the wet weather, but for quick hot laps, the azenis will rock pretty much any street tire(barring the s-03, DOT "street" R compounds and ps2)[/quote]I burned through a whole set of ES100's and have driven a few cars on Azenis, Bridgestone S03's and Kumho MX's. I can tell you right now, doesn't matter WHAT is going on, if it is dry all these other tires will absolutely DOMINATE Yokohama ES100's. I personally thought my ES100's really sucked when they were pushed. Soft sidewall, absolutely intolerant of higher temps when it comes to wear and pretty medicore grip all the way around. They get greasy after about 5-7 minutes of pushing them depending on ambient temp, and procede to really start melting the tread compound off the tire(stuck all over the back of my M3).

I consider my current Kumho Ecsta 712's to be superior tires to the ES100's. They have stiffer sidewalls, about equal lateral grip and wet traction seems the same. All this and the treadwear seems to be significantly better.

After driving all those tires, I'd say best street tire is the Kumho MX given the price. Azenis are nice, but didn't feel as "crisp" to me. Maybe it's because they weigh a few lbs more per tire. They have tremendous grip.

As to the original question, if you want to be competitive in SM, forget those pizza cutter SE alloys and step up to something significantly bigger. I'm thinking 8" width minimum, with 8.5 or 9" being better. R compounds will be a must to run up front of course(at least in my region). Kumho Victoracers get my nod based on what I've heard and seen with regards to grip and treadlife.

Post by **Exar-Kun** » Tue May 11, 2004 3:46 am

"I consider my current Kumho Ecsta 712's to be superior tires to the ES100's"

...

heh. I;ve driven both, I will never reccomend those 712's...ever.

but its all taste and preference I guess....I have yet to drive on a 712 and be impressed, at least with the es-100 i noiced good wet weather cahracteristics and better noise reduction...

and last time I messed with a car running 712's they lost grip entirely too unpredictably for my taste...

but thats just my experience.get the s-03 and be done with it

-chet*edit: go typos!*

Post by **Def** » Tue May 11, 2004 3:46 am

I suppose it might be due to the different sizes we were using too. I'm comparing 235/40-17's and 245/40-17's in both tires. The ES100's have ridiculously soft sidewalls for how short they are. Oh well, they're basically the same tire IMO, I just give the nod to the 712's due to less noise towards the end of their life and better carcass construction. Plus they're cheaper...

S03's are ok, but everybody I know that's done S03's and Kumho MX's on the track says the MX's handle the heat much better than the S03's and seem to provide a bit more grip when up to temp.

Post by **Kinesthesia** » Tue May 11, 2004 3:46 am

I decided to go back to what I know... I swapped the slippy Kumho's for Yokohama ES100's and oh my goodness, I have so much more grip now, it's a beautiful thing.

Thanks for all the input. I'm a happy guy again !

Yokohama RULES !

Post by **Exar-Kun** » Tue May 11, 2004 3:46 am

Kinesthesia wrote:I decided to go back to what I know... I swapped the slippy Kumho's for Yokohama ES100's and oh my goodness, I have so much more grip now, it's a beautiful thing.

Thanks for all the input. I'm a happy guy again !

Yokohama RULES !

sweet, glad you like 'em.-chet(mark, get on AIM sometime, I enver see ya anymore, hoser.)

Post by **j-z** » Tue May 11, 2004 3:46 am

what size did you go with?

Best Autox Tires for Stock S14 SE (including width)

Best Autox Tires for Stock S14 SE (including width)

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