Road course/auto cross tires on 15" rim

[Rusty knuckles]

What are you guys running for a streetable tire that will have decent performance on the track? I don't want big wheels. Keeping to the muscle or stock car look. So must be 15". I was looking at Hoosier TDR tires and talked to a rep there but not sure I want to go that way. He said they are about the same as an A7 or R7 tire for compound. But I don't have experience with those. Has anyone ran them? I don't want to get any smaller than 25" diameter and would prefer 26" or more.

 

[moparedtn]

Paging @Superbeemike ....

 

[moparedtn]

What are you guys running for a streetable tire that will have decent performance on the track? I don't want big wheels. Keeping to the muscle or stock car look. So must be 15". I was looking at Hoosier TDR tires and talked to a rep there but not sure I want to go that way. He said they are about the same as an A7 or R7 tire for compound. But I don't have experience with those. Has anyone ran them? I don't want to get any smaller than 25" diameter and would prefer 26" or more.

One of our members regularly road races his Super Bee and has a YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@superbeemike3562/videos

 

[Rusty knuckles]

Paging @Superbeemike ....

Isn't he running just BF goodrich?

 

[F4R/T]

Between super bee mike and @kerndog you should be able to get some ideas!

 

[sam dupont]

There are plenty of sticky DOT legal tires available. Get out the checkbook because none of them are cheap. Hoosier and Mickey Thompson come to mind. My Yokohamas were like race rubber when new and were supposed to go 20,000 miles, I got 6,000 miles out of the rears. That's not so bad for two years of fun. I couldn't rotate because the wheels are designed with different back space.

 

[Rusty knuckles]

There are plenty of sticky DOT legal tires available. Get out the checkbook because none of them are cheap. Hoosier and Mickey Thompson come to mind. My Yokohamas were like race rubber when new and were supposed to go 20,000 miles, I got 6,000 miles out of the rears. That's not so bad for two years of fun. I couldn't rotate because the wheels are designed with different back space.

What Yokohama were you running?

 

[j-c-c-62]

Isn't he running just BF goodrich?

There are plenty of sticky DOT legal tires available. Get out the checkbook because none of them are cheap. Hoosier and Mickey Thompson come to mind. My Yokohamas were like race rubber when new and were supposed to go 20,000 miles, I got 6,000 miles out of the rears. That's not so bad for two years of fun. I couldn't rotate because the wheels are designed with different back space.

The fly in the ointment here is 15". The selection for 15" has been declining for over a decade.
I have yet to hear of MT accolades for autocross. BF are IMO the KYB's for tires. Hoosier is a solution that money can solve.
I moved on to 17-19", 15" now is for me just for looks and cruising.

 

[sam dupont]

They were/are A509. 185/60/13, but I don't think they make that model today. When my current set are gone, I'm not sure how I will go.
16 inch wheels are available, but my Revolutions weigh only 9 pounds each. 16 inch wheels are too heavy. Luckily, Formula Ford, Lotus, and many other cars use 13" tires, but they aren't cheap.

If money is no object, new race rubber is cheaper than some of those DOT tires. Not street legal, but who checks that stuff. Don't get caught in the rain.

 

[RemCharger]

View attachment 1623298They were/are A509. 185/60/13, but I don't think they make that model today. When my current set are gone, I'm not sure how I will go.
16 inch wheels are available, but my Revolutions weigh only 9 pounds each. 16 inch wheels are too heavy. Luckily, Formula Ford, Lotus, and many other cars use 13" tires, but they aren't cheap.

If money is no object, new race rubber is cheaper than some of those DOT tires. Not street legal, but who checks that stuff. Don't get caught in the rain.

185 60 13 ?? I think an 89 base model civic had those.

 

[33 IMP]

Hoosier makes sports car dot radials that would suit, but they aren't exactly inexpensive. They have an autocross compound, and a road course compound. 205 50zr, and 225 45zr in 15". W speed rating, 168 mph.
Both over $300 ea.
Betting both are under 25" tall.
Tall 15s and handling are kinda mutually exclusive.

 

[Project66]

185 60 13 ?? I think an 89 base model civic had those.

Back in college, I drove a 1990 Acura Integra with 195-60-14s. That car drove like a racecar with A509s! Are those tires still available?

 

[INTMD8]

I use Avon CR6ZZ. Street legal road race tire.

 

[moparedtn]

Isn't he running just BF goodrich?

I imagine if you check out his posts here, as well as his YT channel, you'll be able to determine that...

 

[Rusty knuckles]

Hoosier makes sports car dot radials that would suit, but they aren't exactly inexpensive. They have an autocross compound, and a road course compound. 205 50zr, and 225 45zr in 15". W speed rating, 168 mph.
Both over $300 ea.
Betting both are under 25" tall.
Tall 15s and handling are kinda mutually exclusive.

Oh I know I'm asking for a lot. A unicorn maybe. Performance is secondary to the esthetic. I mean the whole car is not what you'd choose for a competitive autocrosser. I'm just looking to see if there's something better than the Cooper cobras I have now and maybe scare some of the late model GT guys into thinking they could get beat by a 55 year old boat.

 

[Rusty knuckles]

I use Avon CR6ZZ. Street legal road race tire.

View attachment 1623411

Soooo.... what dealer did you go through to get those?

 

[INTMD8]

Soooo.... what dealer did you go through to get those?

SascoSports Inc is a full-function racecar preparation restoration shop

 

[Kern Dog]

BF are IMO the KYB's for tires. Hoosier is a solution that money can solve.

That is some funny ****. VERY true. The 15" street tires are fine for cruising and such but the tread doesn't grip and the sidewalls flex way too much for great cornering.

I moved on to 17-19", 15" now is for me just for looks and cruising.

For the enthusiast that wants real steering response and grip, the sidewalls need to be shorter and the tread needs to be a lot softer.
I run Nitto NT-05s with a 100 treadwear rating. They flat out ......stick!

 

[Rennkafer]

The fly in the ointment here is 15". The selection for 15" has been declining for over a decade.
I have yet to hear of MT accolades for autocross. BF are IMO the KYB's for tires. Hoosier is a solution that money can solve.
I moved on to 17-19", 15" now is for me just for looks and cruising.

Thanks to the Miata crowd running upwards of 12" wide wheels, that's not really true. Everything up to 275 widths are readily available. Hoosier and Nankang both make great 275 width race/AX tires. The one thing that may be a fly in the ointment is overall diameter, though the stock OD on a Miata isn't that far off of the stock OD on most 60s/70s Mopars with 14" wheels as OEM.

 

[j-c-c-62]

Thanks to the Miata crowd running upwards of 12" wide wheels, that's not really true. Everything up to 275 widths are readily available. Hoosier and Nankang both make great 275 width race/AX tires. The one thing that may be a fly in the ointment is overall diameter, though the stock OD on a Miata isn't that far off of the stock OD on most 60s/70s Mopars with 14" wheels as OEM.

14" Tires, Please. Nobody here is using Miata size tires.
And 265 today is not a very serious a tire size with our cars for track use, however I will admit it might be better than F60's from back in the day.