should i try a different tire? - F-Body Road Racing and Autocross Forums

should I get another set of 555RII's? need advice

ok, my nittos are on thier last mile, and I need to order tires early this week. I planned on getting another set of 555Rii's, but Todd isnt easy to get ahold of, and now I am thinking about trying something else.

here is my situation, mods in sig, I do 2 autocrosses a month, 1 or 2 OT weekends planned this year, and I daily drive on the tires I will be using. It would be nice if they last past September, but i've only been getting 4 or 5(max) months of use out of the tires. I run -2.0 camber, no toe.

I love the nitto's, but i'm willing to give up a little grip to have a tire last longer (i'm getting cheap, need to start saving on a home also).

I also do not think too kindly on running a regular street tire, and I am too lazy to haul around race tires (do have another set of rims that i still have kumho 712's on for the cold months).

So what does everyone think? Kumho MX has crossed my mind, but I havent seen enough direct comparisons to the nittos as I would like, I think the ao32r's are a very similar tire to what i have? Anyone think its worth switching tires? I have to say i'm happy with what I have, just would like to have the tires last longer (i guess i'm willing to give up 1/3rd of the grip if i could find a tire that lasts alot longer).

all comments appreciated,
miki

98 trans am ws-6 6M black/taupe
!CAGS, Pro 5.0 shifter, direct-flo lid and k&n filter, slp fan switch, KBDD's, CompCams 7955 pushrods, 277 master, 145 slave, ZO6 clutch, BMR stb, BMR aphb, G2 torque arm, G2 ds loop, energy trans mount, asp crank pully, BG ram air, harlan shiftlight, MAFT, G2 adj lca, G2 relocation brackets, eibach pro-kit, revalved bilstein hd's, ss brake lines, GStops with zo6 calipers, hp+ pads, GW upper control arms, FLP headers

bigshoe View Member Profile	Apr 18 2004, 11:57 PM Post #1
Member Group: Advanced Members Posts: 128 Joined: 17-March 04 From: Cleveland Member No.: 275	should I get another set of 555RII's? need advice ok, my nittos are on thier last mile, and I need to order tires early this week. I planned on getting another set of 555Rii's, but Todd isnt easy to get ahold of, and now I am thinking about trying something else. here is my situation, mods in sig, I do 2 autocrosses a month, 1 or 2 OT weekends planned this year, and I daily drive on the tires I will be using. It would be nice if they last past September, but i've only been getting 4 or 5(max) months of use out of the tires. I run -2.0 camber, no toe. I love the nitto's, but i'm willing to give up a little grip to have a tire last longer (i'm getting cheap, need to start saving on a home also). I also do not think too kindly on running a regular street tire, and I am too lazy to haul around race tires (do have another set of rims that i still have kumho 712's on for the cold months). So what does everyone think? Kumho MX has crossed my mind, but I havent seen enough direct comparisons to the nittos as I would like, I think the ao32r's are a very similar tire to what i have? Anyone think its worth switching tires? I have to say i'm happy with what I have, just would like to have the tires last longer (i guess i'm willing to give up 1/3rd of the grip if i could find a tire that lasts alot longer). all comments appreciated, miki 98 trans am ws-6 6M black/taupe !CAGS, Pro 5.0 shifter, direct-flo lid and k&n filter, slp fan switch, KBDD's, CompCams 7955 pushrods, 277 master, 145 slave, ZO6 clutch, BMR stb, BMR aphb, G2 torque arm, G2 ds loop, energy trans mount, asp crank pully, BG ram air, harlan shiftlight, MAFT, G2 adj lca, G2 relocation brackets, eibach pro-kit, revalved bilstein hd's, ss brake lines, GStops with zo6 calipers, hp+ pads, GW upper control arms, FLP headers

sgarnett View Member Profile	Apr 19 2004, 01:04 PM Post #2
Seeking round tuits Group: Advanced Members Posts: 5,522 Joined: 24-December 03 From: Kentucky Member No.: 33	The other compromise tire you didn't mention was the Toyo race tire. My Firehawk SZ50's have one season of lots of autocrosses and daily driving, plus another year of daily driving, and aren't dead yet. I know somebody who seems to like the MX on his RX7TT for autocross, but I'm not sure if they're going to last much longer than the Nittos. It does sound like you are wearing out the Nittos pretty fast, though. I used mine for a lot of autocrosses last year, some daily driving (when events were on consecutive weekends, just left them on), and Evolution this year, and still haven't hit the tread wear indicators. Either you drive on a much more abrasive surface than I do, or you're overdriving the tires. You are talking about giving up grip to get more tire life, so one easy alternative would be to just back off a little during autocross. You probably won't be any slower than you would by giving up grip, and you might even be faster (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)