Seba

I started competing in SCCA solo II and I need your opinion what kind of tires should I get for this event. I am new at this and I don't know much about tires.
Are my stock tires the best for this event?
Would it be wise to get another set of rims just for the competition and keep my stock rims and tires for regular driving?

Thank you for your help
Sebastian

broeli

iTrader: (19)

Do a search and you'll find a lot of your answers. But, to answer you real quick..your stock tires will do just fine. If you can drive you can easily compete with the stock tires. Do a few events at novice level and you will see just how good they are. I found them to be best with around 42.5psi in front tires and 38 in rear.
But if you really want stickier tires..just get Kumho Victoracers. Hoosiers are stickier but don't last nearly as long and flat spot easily...definitely not a good tire for a novice autox'er.

Seba

I kept my stock tires at 32 in front and 29 in the rear.
If I change them to 42.5 in the front and 38 in the rear. Would this improve my handling?
Thank's
Sebastian

broeli

iTrader: (19)

Big time. You have to run more air pressure if you are pushing the car hard in the corners. You will get some terrible understeer with lower tire pressure.

Seba

Thank you for your help. That is exactly what I experienced but still managed to get 6th place for the first time.
I finally used the car what is made for

urbanknight

iTrader: (14)

As said above, run a few more races before you start shopping for tires. It depends on what class you're going to run in. Look at what size rims and tires the other Evos and similar cars in that clas are running. If you plan on running AS, ESP, or SM you should go for a good set of the Kumho or Hoosier tires mentioned above, and mount them on a nice lightweight rim (I suggest 17" rims at least 8" wide). But keep your stock wheels for daily driving, as those race tires last 4k miles at the most. If you want to have only one set of wheels, look into the new STU class, and find a good street tire for that. BFG and Falken make some nice "street touring" racing tires.

And I'll let you in on a secret... the most important mod you could possibly to for autocrossing... ready for it?... seat time and driving schools.

jbrennen

iTrader: (1)

Note that broeli's suggested tire pressures will be much better than 32f/29r, but you may need to experiment a bit. I use 42f/40r with the stock tires.

A couple of suggestions:

Get a decent four wheel alignment. Many Evos are delivered from the dealer with significant alignment problems. Even if you don't go for an aggressive "competition" alignment, it's worth it just to know that the suspension is set to factory specs.

As a novice, don't buy dedicated autocross tires. The stock Yoko Advan A046 tires are actually very good for autocross. In the last two events I ran on the stock wheels and stock tires, I set FSTD (Fast Stock Time of Day).

Get an experienced autoXer to show you how to mark your tires in order to figure out how much sidewall flex you're getting. Basically, you put a white line with shoe polish or chalk which runs from the sidewall down onto the tread. Then go out and run the course. If your camber and pressures are in the "sweet spot", the white line should extend right to the sidewall/tread boundary -- no more, no less. Mark and examine all four tires separately -- each corner of the car may behave differently.

Drive smoothly and in control at all times. If you find the car doing something you didn't expect, 9 times out of 10, you caused it by driving beyond your limits. A good autocross run is one where you spend most of the time acting rather than reacting.

Above all, enjoy yourself.

bobaab

iTrader: (5)

yea from what i hear the tires u have on your Evo already is pretty damn good, but for us normal Lancer owners, we gotta use stickier stuff than this ****ty Goodyear LS that's why I'm gonna get some Falken Azenis tires pretty darn soon, just in time for autox season.

and like Brian said, practice and experience is the best thing you can do to be a better driver..and experiment with different driving styles and different setups on your car.

Kayaalp

iTrader: (1)

The good news is that the Azenis in 15" sizes only run about $65 each!

Emre

urbanknight

iTrader: (14)

That's right. I'm thinking about putting the 15" Azenis on my stock rims and using my 16s for daily driving.

And yes, tire pressure varies based on what model tires, the weather, and the track surface. You will need a lot of experimentation.