BTW what do you guys think about Nitto Nt-05s? How are they compared to RS3s?

 

Of the 300 or so entrants at Nationals in street-tire classes (for autocrossing), not one was on Nittos. Not one. That, to me, summarizes the expert opinion on those tires.

 

yet ryan gates used them and did pretty well

I have them now, and I'm pretty satisfied. My only complaint is that they take a bit of heat to get absolute max performance (doesn't mean they have none when not warm though) - this also makes tread life a bit better though. that on-top of the lower price, I see nothing wrong with NT05's

trying Toyo t1r next (already on used wheels I bought) and will update my build thread (in sig) to share my experiences

 

the fact that you need to spend some time putting heat in them makes them bad for autox. Gates tracks his car, so a tire that needs a warm up lap is fine... and this thread is about autox...

 

never said they were the BEST tire for auto-x

the combination of good performance, tread-life, and PRICE make it still a decent option out there imo. I don't feel extremely hindered by them (if anything, more by the skinny 245 stock width than the compound). they're still great when cold - it just gets better each run. nobody wins the fastest run of the day on the first run, so why does it matter?

I wasn't happy with my NT05's at first, but over time I have learned to be realistic and appreciate the combination of their strengths above

 

I also will be running in sm this year ,althogh I will be doing it on stock size tires lol, at least till mid season when I can sell my other car to get some decent wheels and tires.Changing tires every event is a PITA. I'll never do that again.Just get some re11's ,ad08's or z-1 star specs or even kuhmo xs's in 275/35/18 or the 285/30/18 size and call it a day. Since I do it mostly for fun and I volunteer to work early at the events I don't have the time or the gumption to change tires and wheels .(Takes all the fun out of racing having to work so hard)If anyone here is in Iowa our first event is April 1 at Adventureland in Altoona ,Iowa. Look us up on the DMVR Scca website to pre register. Is a ton of fun!!!By the way those are the 4 top rated street tires for auto-x.And in that order.

 

Only looking at trophies:
4th place in ST
4th, 8th, and 9th place in STS
1st in STSL
6th, 9th, 11th, and 12th in STX
4th, 7th, 8th, 11th, and 12th in STR
[at this point I stopped checking]

All of these drivers had their best run on a course at Nationals on their FIRST run.

Nobody?

 

There are Evos in Iowa? Seriously?

 

wonder what happened on their runs after that then. any tire will get better after being warmed up a bit

oh well. i stand corrected

 

For all I know, they thought they could do better and cooked a corner or two on both other runs. My point was that - at the highest levels - you can't "waste" the first run getting heat in the tires. Something bad can happen on both other runs, leaving you with only the first. Yes, this is kind of a petty and uber-serious way of looking at it and I'm not the kind of person who can walk a course so well that my first run has any chance of being my best, but you get the idea, so I shut up now....

 

though, in a way...if you're serious enough to worry about "wasting" your first run, you would probably be buying more serious tires than the NT05

but now I'm just debating for the hell of it haha

 

are NT05's that much cheaper than starspecs? starspecs are good for the first run and just as good at everything else as the NT05, don't know about the price though but i imagine price is similar. so from that point of view no point in getting the NT05

and from what i hear the NT05's kinda suck in the rain, so starspecs are ahead on that one... if rain isn't an issue than RS3's are cheaper than starspecs and do everything else better... (not sure on wear)

 

Nt05s are quite cheaper compared to StarSpecs. Around $100+ a set

I cant seem to find 275/35 RS3s in stock. I am thinking about going with 285/35 since there are no street tires available in 285/30 size.

Will I have rubbing issues with those tires? They will be wrapped on 18x10.5 +15

 

So my options are:

Rs3 285/35 $1078/set 30lbs/per tire
StarSpecs 275/35 $1138/set 32lbs/per tire


Rs3 265/35 $950/set 28lbs/per tire
StarSpecs 265/35 $1120/set 28lbs/per tire

Honestly 285/35 Rs3s look like the the best option but please share your .02

 

Of those choices, Star Specs all the way. Stiffer sidewall and they also perform better with less heat in them. Like the Nittos, RS3's also need a decent amount of heat to perform their best.

Federal 595RS-R come in a 285/30/18. I was skeptical but a local guy in a 2011 STI tested 'em last year (even swapped sets mid-day for a good back-to-back comparo with RS3's), he loved 'em, and his times actually improved with the Federals. Federals will be cheaper but may have a longer lead time.

http://www.federaltire.com/download/spec595RS.pdf