True, but unfortunately, the Rival does not come in 265 width. The Nexen also seems to run a bit wider than the equivalent RE71r.

Some of the STIs did pretty good last year with 245s...I heard they are pretty wide too!
Btw, you are running 10.5" rims on X...right?

on 245/40-18? that's pretty stretched... tire rack lists their recommended with at 8.5, so they can't run THAT wide

personally i'm just gonna run the 265 RE71Rs. 245/40-18 RT615k+ for the track setup though!

John Hale finished 2nd last year with those tires on his STI. 3rd place was also STI, but on Nexens.
I would also run 265s, but BFGs did have crossed my mind, since they tolerate more weight and definitely more heat better than the other fast tires.

What are yall finding works in both wet and dry? I was thinking of getting a set of RE71's in 285 for my street tire to replace the dead RA1's.

Hale was on 255/40/17 BFGs, though he had 10" wheels in the front and 9" wheels in the rear. Bill and Dan (Bill was 3rd place) were on 265 Nexens. I believe in 2016 it was Martin Kriz who was on 245/40/18 BFGs, I also remember Robert Pendergest was on 255/40/17 RE71Rs.

Thanks for clarification. I remembered that someone was doing 245, but forgot it was Kriz.

Correct. 18x10.5 NT03 M.



I've autocrossed my Talon in the rain with 285 RE71's and they performed very well. Dry performance is no question.

265/35/18 Nexen on a 10.5.

you think nexens > bfg or re71r? def better than rt615k+ i'm assuming...

I don't think the RT615 is in the same league as far as ultimate grip. Longer life for sure. Its to be determined if Nexen is >= Rival S or Stones. Unfortunately, the Rivals don't come in 265 size so I'm not sure if i'll ever try them. I drove an STU Evo X last year on the Stones for one event and grip was really good, but the car was setup very stiff and it seemed twitchy. Very easy to lose it, but still very fast. I bought that guys JRZ's and wheels so mine will drive very similar. I actually still had the Stones on the wheels and driving back from the tire shop was much softer/smoother on the Nexens. Tire guy even said they were very easy to mount and balance. Overall grip will be determined on Sunday at our season opener.

What surprised me more was how much wider the mounted nexens were than the stones. I shot that picture to a few autocross buddies and they almost didn't believe its a 265 tire.

yea those are BEEFY. i'd prob have to run a 255. i barely have enough clearance with my current 265 rt615k+s

Looks like STU has made a class for the Fontana Pro, will be tough with Jeff Stuart (350z) and Matt Ales (M3) in the class. Can't wait

On the other hand, the Crows NT and Pro haven't filled up at all in STU...hoping we can make a class for both events

First event in my STUish Evo X and first time driving on Nexens. This thing is a blast to drive.

It was a bitterly cold day with temps in the mid 30's and a constant 30mph wind. The Nexens drive completely different than RE's. Loses grip easier, but much smoother. Love slip angle and you can easily catch the car when the rear steps out on you. The tires let you get away with a lot, but not sure if that translates into faster times. Started out with 34psi front and rear and wear seems to be right at the tire indicators. Will have more useful data when its not so cold out. We were hot lapping 4 runs at a time so didn't have much time to get out and check pressures or make any shock changes so I ran on my street settings. Good and bad, but this was the only way to get some heat in the tires.

This wasn't an SCCA event, but fastest car on street tires and if I didn't bog the launch every single run, I don't think FTD was too far off. (The cold did keep some really fast drivers home so take that with a grain of salt.)


265 Nexens on 10.5 wheels. CIRO front bar brackets, whiteline adjustable rear bar, JRZ RSII's with 800/900 springs, carbotech AX6 front pads/stock rears, and highflow cat/exhaust. -3.5 front camber with a hair toe out. -2.3 rear camber with zero toe. Stock tune and boost for now, but the car didn't feel slow. Stock clutch with 57k hence why I didn't want to push a ProSolo style launch.

Is it true? Bryan H. will not compete in STU at nats this year?