Tires for autox

[rojna]

When buying tires for a FWD, is it best to get 4 of the same or something different for each axle ?? These will be used only for autocross, and im thinking Z1 Star Spec.

[Solar]

A matched set of tires is a good idea, but you can run different brands at the same time, just run them in pairs fornt and rear. When I was running my Civic I had Falken Azenis 225/45/17 on the front and 215/45/17 on the rear, to try to get the rear end to rotate a bit, it really didn't work. They had great grip but wore out pretty fast and were a little scary in the rain.

I've heard good things about the Star Specs, also look into Kumho XS tires, they're very good and might be cheaper than the Dunlops

[buddy bodean]

Check this out from Grassroots. Tested on a FWD Honda Civic.

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/articl ... es-part-1/
http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/articl ... es-part-2/

[Jamie]

Not sure which you're asking -- different tires (implying different compounds) for each axle, or different sizes. Both are possible (and I used to know a guy who ran larger tires quite successfully on the front of a Neon), but I'd recommend getting a set of the same tires in the same size. For one, they're easier to rotate, and the key to tire life for an FWD car is rotating between back and front, especially if you're still learning pedal it. Once you have a better feel for the car, desirable modifications, including fiddling with tire combinations, become more apparent.

[rojna]

yes, wanted to know if running different sizes or brands has a advantage of any kind.
Ordered 4x Z1 205/50 R16

[Loren]

I'm going to agree with Jamie. While you're figuring the car out, stick with same size tires. Rotate the rears to the front about half-way through the life of the fronts and you'll end up with four fairly evenly worn tires.

If you go through tires REALLY quickly, you can probably just put half-worn tires in the back and replace the fronts when necessary.

Once you're comfortable with the car and feel like you're getting all that you can from it as it is, by all means try some wider or grippier tires up front. Going to wider (225 vs 195) Hankook RS3 tires in the front made a world of difference on the Yaris, and didn't seem to affect the car's desire to oversteer at all.

Keep in mind that in hard cornering in a FWD car, the inside rear tire is likely off the ground, or at the very least has almost no weight on it. So, effectively you are already running 410mm of tread in the front (205x2) and 205mm of tread in the rear at max cornering G's. That's 100% more tread in the front vs the rear. If you up the fronts to 225, then you have 450mm front and still 205mm rear or about 120% more tread front vs rear for a difference of 20%. (more than the 10% difference that just looking at 225 vs 205 would seem to indicate)

FWD tuning is all about maximizing front grip. The back end is pretty much just along for the ride. Make the rear roll stiffness as high as you can get away with with swaybar, spring rate, or even tire pressure as doing so will help plant the front when powering out of a turn. Otherwise, focus on keeping good tires and camber in the front... that's where it's at.

[yamaha731]

I have a set of STAR SPECS 225 50 16 less then 500 miles on them I 'd sell for $250

[rojna]

thanks Chris, but they are way to big for my neon.