Bang For Buck Tyres.

[KezR33]

Hey guys,

I'm in need of new tyres, but have zero experience with them. My car currently has THREE different types on it (hence why I'm getting new ones) so I can't even judge the ones I'm using.

I'm trying to get out on the track, and I've been getting out to the SAU skidpan days, so I'm looking for some sort of performance out of them. I read through the tyre recommendation thread but it only confused me further.

My budget isn't huge, but I'm willing to spend a bit for something decent.

So, my question is: what bang for your buck tyre would you recommend?

I appreciate any advice, thanks.

[_Ryan_]

Kumho KU36 from option1garage.com.au

Federal Semi's from the group buys that go on on here

Those are the two "Budget semi s" going around.

Street tyre that costs a little more than the above- Bridgestone RE001, I quite liked them on the Stagea.

[Rowdyr32]

Hankook evo S1. Awesome tyre. If I can do the times I'm after one day it will put them only 1 second a lap behind similar cars in Vic running semi's. About 2.5 sec lap slower than semi's atm but I still run std rotors and $15 pads in the rear and still learning. Next year hopefully!

[BoostdR]

+1 KU36. Run them @ 35psi for 38-40 track hot. Nice blue colour around the edge means there hot enough.

[scathing]

Federal 595s are pretty cheap.

A couple of guys have run the RS-Rs (the grippiest) them on the track and been reasonably happy. I got a set for my SW20 (235/40 R17) for $260 a corner, which isn't too bad. I can only guess that the lower-spec ones will be cheaper. A mate's got the entry level 595s and he finds them quite grippy on his street-only SW20.

I'd consider these as well as the KU36s. Don't bother with RT615s; they cost more and I don't know if they perform noticably better.

If you want a more street-focused tyre that aren't bad when you're pressing on, people tend to go ga-ga over Bridgestone RE001s.

[ssxRicho]

im running 595 RS. very happy with them. the RS-R are stickier and have harder sidewalls, so would be worth it over the RS. plus

the RS is discontinued now.

or the KU-36, quite a lot of guys running those. they are about $100 a corner cheaper than RS-R's.

they both handle very well in the wet. i've done PI twice in the wet with them, heaps of grip. i was following a guy running ku-36 on

one of the days, he seems to like them.

[KezR33]

I like the sound of these KU36's.

My concern is that they're semi slicks though. As a daily driver am I going to destroy my tyres?

I'm still rather inexperienced on the track, I don't want to lock the car up and annihilate them that way either.

Not only that, but I've heard when semi's let go, they really let go. I've yet to learn the limits of my car on street tyres, I don't want to lose it at some ridiculous speed running semis.

Also, someone mentioned tyre temperatures, do these tyres have to be warmed up? As a daily driver I'm not going to be driving hard, but I may been to brake hard in an emergency. Also, DECA days really don't give you much opportunity to warm your tyres up.

Thanks for all the responses guys, I appreciate it.

[HEKT1K]

i think the KU36s aren't quite a full 'semi' ie. they aren't soft as butter, but still have a pretty hardcore tread pattern.

have a look at the treadwear rating of a few tyres you're considering, that should give you an idea

[_Ryan_]

I like the sound of these KU36's.

My concern is that they're semi slicks though. As a daily driver am I going to destroy my tyres?

I'm still rather inexperienced on the track, I don't want to lock the car up and annihilate them that way either.

Not only that, but I've heard when semi's let go, they really let go. I've yet to learn the limits of my car on street tyres, I don't want to lose it at some ridiculous speed running semis.

Also, someone mentioned tyre temperatures, do these tyres have to be warmed up? As a daily driver I'm not going to be driving hard, but I may been to brake hard in an emergency. Also, DECA days really don't give you much opportunity to warm your tyres up.

Thanks for all the responses guys, I appreciate it.

Street compound, Semi pattern is the best way to describe it. Prob the cheapest tyre out there aswell... http://www.option1garage.com.au/NewTyres.htm

I have them on the 32 and they seem pretty hard, are okay in the wet etc...

[KezR33]

Street compound, Semi pattern is the best way to describe it. Prob the cheapest tyre out there aswell... http://www.option1garage.com.au/NewTyres.htm

I have them on the 32 and they seem pretty hard, are okay in the wet etc...

The tyres I currently have on my car read: 225/40 R18 on the front, and 255/35 R18 on the rear.

The KU36 has the front size perfectly, but only 245/40 R18, or 265/35 R18 for the rear.

Once again, excuse my noobishness, I have been doing some reading but it is difficult to find decent information as most of what google finds are short tidbits of information given out by companies trying to sell to you.

Is there only one size of tyre that fits each size of rim, or can tyres be stretched/compressed or rolled differently so you have different sidewall height etc?

Also, if tyres can be stretched etc, it can be assumed that the readings on the tyres may not be the best for my rim anyway. Finding the width is any enough, but how do you work out what kind of sidewall you want?

Thanks again.

Edit: I just measured with a ruler, they're 10.5 inches on the back (265) and 9.5 (240) on the front. I think I'm answering my own questions here. So would my best option be the 245/40 R18 on the front and 265/35 R18 on the back? Thanks.

[Bunta]

if you are looking for good grip and slightly longer wear than an RSR try the 595 EVO they have nice big chunky tead blocks out towards the edges so they should be pretty stable and are still a street tyre so they should wear relatively well when compared to a proper semi slick

[_Ryan_]

The tyres I currently have on my car read: 225/40 R18 on the front, and 255/35 R18 on the rear.

The KU36 has the front size perfectly, but only 245/40 R18, or 265/35 R18 for the rear.

Once again, excuse my noobishness, I have been doing some reading but it is difficult to find decent information as most of what google finds are short tidbits of information given out by companies trying to sell to you.

Is there only one size of tyre that fits each size of rim, or can tyres be stretched/compressed or rolled differently so you have different sidewall height etc?

Also, if tyres can be stretched etc, it can be assumed that the readings on the tyres may not be the best for my rim anyway. Finding the width is any enough, but how do you work out what kind of sidewall you want?

Thanks again.

Edit: I just measured with a ruler, they're 10.5 inches on the back (265) and 9.5 (240) on the front. I think I'm answering my own questions here. So would my best option be the 245/40 R18 on the front and 265/35 R18 on the back? Thanks.

What rims are they? best to take them off and look for a size sticker on the inside.

if you are looking for good grip and slightly longer wear than an RSR try the 595 EVO they have nice big chunky tead blocks out towards the edges so they should be pretty stable and are still a street tyre so they should wear relatively well when compared to a proper semi slick

These are street tyres, not R comp semi's

[KezR33]

What rims are they? best to take them off and look for a size sticker on the inside.

These are street tyres, not R comp semi's

They're Advan TCIIs, but I suspect they're fake. If they're real they're worth nearly half of what I bought the car for.

[impact_blue]

What rims are they? best to take them off and look for a size sticker on the inside.

These are street tyres, not R comp semi's

i did actually say that, no where did he state he needed R compound, merely a tyre that he could use for occasional track work, skid pan and from what i gather street. Having used R compound for street and skid pan stuff i can say from my personal experience they are quite crap for it as they dont heat up fast enough for skid pan and street and on the street go through too many heat cycles and quickly turn rock hard so i was just throwing up something that is a good compromise from what i have seen from one of the guys using those tyres for exactly the same purpose as the thread starter!

EDIT: Bunta here, didnt realise my girl friend was still logged in!

[_Ryan_]

i did actually say that, no where did he state he needed R compound, merely a tyre that he could use for occasional track work, skid pan and from what i gather street. Having used R compound for street and skid pan stuff i can say from my personal experience they are quite crap for it as they dont heat up fast enough for skid pan and street and on the street go through too many heat cycles and quickly turn rock hard so i was just throwing up something that is a good compromise from what i have seen from one of the guys using those tyres for exactly the same purpose as the thread starter!

EDIT: Bunta here, didnt realise my girl friend was still logged in!

all good

Kez, if you want, come for a spin in the 32 before the GM next week or at some point before DECA, (i live off of toorak rd, so between you and south melb if you come to the meeting) and you can see how the tyres grip for cold tyre braking/grip etc(KU36)

[scathing]

My concern is that they're semi slicks though. As a daily driver am I going to destroy my tyres?

I know this starts arguments everywhere, but the phrase "semi slick" only describes the tread pattern. It's the tyre compound that is the greatest factor in wear.

The KU36, 595xxx, RT615, etc are S-Compound tyres, with an arguably semi-slick pattern. Their treadwear rating is around 140 (lower number = faster wearing), which is about double that of a R-Comp semi slick (like the RE55S, R888, etc). The RT615 and RE001 are actually closer to 200, so they're a good option if you want to sacrifice some grip for life.

Their tread blocks are also far smaller than R-Comp semis, to a point where I'm reluctant to call them "semi slick" at all. In my opinion, a "semi slick" tyre is basically a tyre with the bare minimum amount of tread to earn road legality.

I'm still rather inexperienced on the track, I don't want to lock the car up and annihilate them that way either.

Personally, I reckon that's a non-issue.

If you're not crazy you're not going to hop on to the track and drive hell-for-leather. It's a new experience, and so you should be working your way to the limits rather than diving straight in. It's not like you're competing in motorsport events, where you "need" to win.

As such, lock-ups shouldn't happen that often. It might happen once or twice as your confidence grows and you work out how much middle pedal you can use, but the risk of tyre destruction is no different to driving on the street and potentially needing to panic stop.

Not only that, but I've heard when semi's let go, they really let go. I've yet to learn the limits of my car on street tyres, I don't want to lose it at some ridiculous speed running semis.

S-Comps do have a narrower "limit of traction" fudge factor than street tyres, but they're still reasonably progressive. If you're driving on regular street tyres, you'll probably find their lack of grip, vagueness due to everything squirming and compressing, and overheating issues even more annoying.

Also, someone mentioned tyre temperatures, do these tyres have to be warmed up? As a daily driver I'm not going to be driving hard, but I may been to brake hard in an emergency.

S-Comps require little activation temperature. There's more than enough cold-temp grip to keep you perfectly safe around town if you're behaving yourself. When its cold or wet you need to be aware that the tyres aren't grippy, but it'd be like driving with a full load in terms of cornering speed and braking. When I daily drove on R-Comps, every wet weather drive involved a sphincter-tightening moment.

In a skidpan environment, your first run should get your tyres up to temp. As the day and the surface heats up, it'll be less and less of an issue as they'll retain the heat.

[BeEnAr]

RE001 (Jap made) treadwear is 220, traction A temp A. Try and find a tyre lower in the treadwear but with a AA traction rating.

[32_Dave]

if your in brisbane deffs check out Roy at Bossman Wholesale tyres, link in my sig. Hes got best prices around !!!

[KezR33]

all good

Kez, if you want, come for a spin in the 32 before the GM next week or at some point before DECA, (i live off of toorak rd, so between you and south melb if you come to the meeting) and you can see how the tyres grip for cold tyre braking/grip etc(KU36)

Cheers mate, I might actually take you up on that.

[Sami]

my experience: nexen n3000: unbelievable grip cold or hot... and only about $130each traction rated at AA and also temp is rated at AA i think

another is khumo ecsta very similar.... $130 each fitted as well

these prices were for 215/45/17's

obviously 18's will be more pricey