Ugh...tires

"Gripevo1" (Gripevo1) 04/15/2016 at 11:01 • Filed to: Tires, Mustang

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Are so damn expensive for this car. Ive been really trying to commit to doing all the local autocross events, and have been running this season on the stock pirelli’s(read: crap). So the time has finally come around to buy some good autocross tires to try and be competitive and put the power down (which is no easy task on a slow course with 435hp to deal with).

So now its going to be around $1300 to get a set of fast tires....ugh

The obvious choice would be the bridgestone re-71r’s that everyone runs this season. But as much as they are known for being fast as hell, they also wear like crazy(especially on a heavy car like mine..think 5k miles max). So i think ill compromise and use the Dunlop direzza star specs, which were the fastest tire a couple seasons ago, and that apparently last really long for a fast autocross tire. Coming from cars with 17in and smaller wheels, buying 275/35/19 tires sucks.

Anyone get a discount on tires, or know a good place to look (besides the usual tire rack stuff)?

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Gripevo1 04/15/2016 at 11:10

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As a Mustang owner, How do you feel about all the memes?

Steve in Manhattan > Gripevo1 04/15/2016 at 11:16

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Back when I had cars - ugh, so many tires bought. That’s the thing - soft compound (Contis, Pirellis in my experience) means they will wear out faster but provide more grip. I recall a set of Goodyears that lasted forever on my 300D, but I wished they would have worn out. Hard riding and not good in the corners.

yitznewton > Gripevo1 04/15/2016 at 11:17

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In your position I would be looking at the next tier of wear level, like the RE-11. I haven’t researched exactly which tires are good for wear vs. grip in the real world, just an example.

Oh, I just read the rest of your post and you say the same thing.

If it’s any consolation, super-grippy tires would probably prompt you to tighten up the chassis & suspension to get the most out of them, so you’re saving yourself money there too :D

Gripevo1 > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap 04/15/2016 at 11:19

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Well here was my response to a unrelated article a few days ago-

http://jalopnik.com/nah-we-are-too…

...i think they are hilarious and love them(i sent a bunch of my buddies most of them). If you get butthurt because people are joking around about the car you drive, you need to take a chill pill. Its just a car. I used to get shit from bro’s when i drove a miata(which i still own)... I always took it in stride :)

RyanFrew > Gripevo1 04/15/2016 at 11:22

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I rode along in an s550 this weekend and the Pirellis just couldn’t keep up. They were a little better warm, though. If I were in your shoes, I would bite the bullet now and get a second set of wheels. Those Star Specs will heat-cycle out in no time if you DD on them.

Gripevo1 > yitznewton 04/15/2016 at 11:24

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Yea. Well when koni finally releases their shocks for this car, ill probably end up getting those at some point too. The re-11 is good but more of a fast street tire. Autocross tires are a pretty specific compound, since they have to be able to perform at cold temperatures. They generally are pretty compromised elsewhere because of that requirement.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Gripevo1 04/15/2016 at 11:24

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This is the correct attitude to have.

Arrivederci > Gripevo1 04/15/2016 at 11:25

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I’ve always found the best prices on Tire Rack, honestly. Have you thought about going to a different set of wheels? I was running a staggered 18" setup on my BRZ in STX, but am selling those to go with lighter 17" wheels in the maximum 9" width for the class. I can get the RE71Rs for about $550 after a mail-in rebate! Star Specs are still about $700. :(

Maybe there’s a 18" wheel out there that will still clear your brakes?

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Gripevo1 04/15/2016 at 11:28

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Perfect attitude.

I mean, I daily drive a Milan, I understand being made fun of for your vehicle choice lol

Santiago of Escuderia Boricua > Arrivederci 04/15/2016 at 11:29

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The street classes are pretty restricted on wheels

Gripevo1 > RyanFrew 04/15/2016 at 11:30

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Yea thats the thing. I really don’t want to buy another set of wheels, but will probably end up getting them after this season is over. Since most of our events are done by late june(with a couple more in july/august), i was hoping to slap them on, daily them until the late june and then go back to the pirellis in the interim.

But yea the pirellis definitely cant keep up with the power/chassis. I brought along a buddy who is an IMSA pro driver (green helmet in the image above), and even with two drivers keeping them warm, they still sucked. Really bad through the fast transitional stuff.

Dru > Gripevo1 04/15/2016 at 11:31

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Something something hitting a crowd of people something burnout. But seriously, I really like these cars. I fell in love with the basic cloth seats when I had a chance to look over one. The shifter seems really nice too. I couldn't care less about the stigma. I wouldn't buy one for the image, I'd be buying because its an amazing value for money performance car.

bryan40oop > RyanFrew 04/15/2016 at 11:33

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The pirellis do jack shit below 60 degrees. Above that, pretty good. No where near the best, it’s an old compound. But not terrible.

RyanFrew > Gripevo1 04/15/2016 at 11:34

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Do you need to worry about winter tires where you are?

Gripevo1 > RyanFrew 04/15/2016 at 11:35

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Nope, sf bay area here.

bryan40oop > Steve in Manhattan 04/15/2016 at 11:35

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Goodyear had recently changed their compounds. They last for about a year, keeping with their namesake.

They’re the laughing stock of the tire industry right now as far as durability/reliability, but they sell so many cheaper walmart special tires they’re killing it.

Gripevo1 > Arrivederci 04/15/2016 at 11:38

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Yea. There is one set of 18 in wheels i know for sure that will clear the brakes, but due to a 15mm diff offset, they would put me out of FS and into a prepared class. FS legal wheels are super limited for this car (cheapest set is 1500ish), due to its weird offsets.

Arrivederci > Gripevo1 04/15/2016 at 11:47

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Ah, bummer. Didn’t know :(

Gripevo1 > Dru 04/15/2016 at 11:55

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Yup. And you can find really amazing deals on them too. I got mine for around 6k off msrp, and they have got even cheaper since. Ive seen a brand new one similar to mine for around 29k after all the rebates. Hell of a lot of car for the money, and IMO a really gorgeous well resolved design too(im an industrial/automotive designer).

Gripevo1 > Arrivederci 04/15/2016 at 11:57

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Yea. I never had a problem with my old evo or any other car ive raced, finding good street-legal wheels for cheap. I think ill just end up buying a nice set of aftermarket wheels for the street tires(maybe next season), and just mount a set of dedicated autox tires to the stock wheels.

Steve in Manhattan > bryan40oop 04/15/2016 at 12:00

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Now that I think about it, I think the best tires I had on that car (out of 4 sets or so) were the tires that came with it. They were Continentals of some sort. Replaced them with a similar set of Contis, then the Goodyears, then I think Yokohamas. 110K on it when I sold it.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Gripevo1 04/15/2016 at 12:00

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Why get good tires if you’re just going to do burnouts at C&C?

Had to.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Santiago of Escuderia Boricua 04/15/2016 at 12:02

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You can go +1 on size and fit the largest rubber that will fit and still be legal though.

Gripevo1 > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 04/15/2016 at 12:03

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Oh.. Shit. Your right... Mismatched Nankang/WanLei chinese knockoff rubber eraser tires, here i come!

jjhats > Gripevo1 04/15/2016 at 12:05

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what the hell dude why didnt you buy the boostang?

Jayhawk Jake > Gripevo1 04/15/2016 at 12:06

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I’m running mine on Kumho Ecsta PS91 right now. They’re pretty not great. But they were only $200 a tire (I’m at 255/45/19).

I really liked the Hankook Ventus RS3's I had on the Sonic, and they’re pretty commonly used on faster cars as a budget 200tw tire. Certainly would be better than the P-Zeros, not RE-71Rs but you might be able to find them cheaper.

As far as where to buy, unfortunately I’ve never really found anywhere with better prices than TireRack. Discount Tire is generally cheaper and I think they save you some cost on shipping/mounting but they don’t usually carry the good stuff.

Santiago of Escuderia Boricua > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 04/15/2016 at 12:10

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Can you go -1 though?

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Santiago of Escuderia Boricua 04/15/2016 at 12:10

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I think so. I’d check the regs, but I’m pretty sure it specifies within one size as opposed to allowing you to only increase.

Biggus Dickus (RevsBro) > Gripevo1 04/15/2016 at 12:14

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Answer is always Michelin Pilot Super Sport:

Gripevo1 > jjhats 04/15/2016 at 12:16

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Dat sound. And it was not much more. Also 435hp. Also 6 piston brembos. Also murrica.

Gripevo1 > Santiago of Escuderia Boricua 04/15/2016 at 12:17

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Yes. The problem is offsets. Pretty much only custom wheels will be fs legal.

Gripevo1 > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 04/15/2016 at 12:18

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Yea but 20's add weight and IMO look too big on it.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Gripevo1 04/15/2016 at 12:22

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Have you looked at the Diamond custom wheels? They’re cheap.

Gripevo1 > Biggus Dickus (RevsBro) 04/15/2016 at 12:22

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Calm down Matt Farah.. Lol

For a street tire yes. For a fast autocross tire, not so much. They are a great compromise, and if the class i run in, F street, wasnt so competitive, i would consider them for a nice balance. As much as i hate swapping tires, i think its worth it to get a fast tire and keep the stock shit for the street.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Gripevo1 04/15/2016 at 12:25

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Always? The wheel itself would be, but you also have less tire on it. Might depend on the weight of the wheel or tire. Direzzas are heavy.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Gripevo1 04/15/2016 at 12:25

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May as well get used ones. You can chock up the DNA on them to the previous owner.

Biggus Dickus (RevsBro) > Gripevo1 04/15/2016 at 12:26

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What about the Sport Cup 2? They are a bit on the spendier side though.

Gripevo1 > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 04/15/2016 at 12:42

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Well of course its possible to have really light 20's , but from everything ive read, there is only one off the shelf wheel that meets the offset requirements, is light, and is the stock width. Unfortunately it is $1500ish for a set. The other option is custom wheels...one of the autocross vendors has a legal custom wheel form forgestar(crap).

The diamond wheels are great, and are really popular with the prepared guys, im not sure they would clear the brakes though. Ill look into it.

Gripevo1 > Biggus Dickus (RevsBro) 04/15/2016 at 12:46

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Also a good tire. Not legal for street classes in scca solo(its an r-compound). Also, autocross tires are a specific compound that allow them to hear quickly and be fast relatively cold. A sport cup or other r compound will not get cold on a short autocross run.

Gripevo1 > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 04/15/2016 at 12:47

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Lol.

Dru > Gripevo1 04/15/2016 at 12:48

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Wow! 6K off? All I really care for is a guard green GT with PP. Total is like 35K.

jjhats > Gripevo1 04/15/2016 at 12:50

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im being sarcastic. 5.0 is the engine to get in that car

Gripevo1 > Dru 04/15/2016 at 13:03

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Yea. Mine is a base gt with pp. No other options. I think the msrp was right about 36k before taxes and destination fees etc. I dont remember exactly but i think i was around 31k or so after discounts. They also paid 1000 more for my trade in than its kbb value.

Gripevo1 > jjhats 04/15/2016 at 13:16

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For sure. Coffee hasnt kicked in yet :/

Dru > Gripevo1 04/15/2016 at 14:03

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Do you find the cloth seats to be as great as I did?

Gripevo1 > Dru 04/15/2016 at 14:22

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Yea the stock seats are surprisingly good. Part of me wishes i had held out for a car with the recaros, but i can always but them later if i want.

Dru > Gripevo1 04/15/2016 at 14:50

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Indeed the Recaros are one of those "would love to have, but can live without," things. I did not get a chance to actually drive it, though I molested it for a while, and my only complaint was the backseat is not fit for humans. And I'm 5'7"

Gripevo1 > Dru 04/15/2016 at 16:28

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No...no human age 10 and older is definitely not sitting back there, but it fits grocery bags really nicely in the sculpted butt cutouts lol

6SPD5.0 > Gripevo1 04/16/2016 at 19:55

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I autocrossed my 2011 V6 last year, but now I have a 2014 GT and am going to autocross soon. Still have the P Zero Nero tires on, are they really that unmanageable?

Also any advice? I’ve been reading and watching tons but there’s not all that much from the recent 5.0 mustangs.

Gripevo1 > 6SPD5.0 04/16/2016 at 20:58

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I wouldnt call the Pzero’s unmanageable. They actually are good tires to learn on, because they force you to be really smooth...in to the corner too hot- loads of understeer..out of the corner too hot-loads of power-induced oversteer. They dont have much outright grip, but if you are still getting a handle on driving a new car at autox...they will be fine for a while.

My best advice for anyone starting out is- do one of the starting line/evo schools(an autox specific school they do in most regions)..its cheap and the hands on advice with your own car will be invaluable. Also, ask whoever is chairing the event to have the instructor (usually theres one “on call” fast guy at every event) to ride along with you and also drive your car(will learn alot by watching them). Other than that, walk the course and really think it through slowly, turn bt turn. Then first run out take it at 7ish tenths and see what it feels like. Build up speed throught the runs. If you are spending too much time sliding or overdriving the tires back off a bit. Have fun!

6SPD5.0 > Gripevo1 04/16/2016 at 22:31

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Thanks for the reply! Very helpful.

Although, this event is not an SCCA Solo, so we actually pre-drive the courses multiple time instead of walking it, and also that negates driving the first take at 7/10. But, if I ever do get to do those events it’s definitely good to keep in mind.

Oh and, while I just did the autocross last year, with the GT I am taking the HPDE course right before the autocrossing. Can’t wait.