Tire suggestions

[tgroth]

I figured the first upgrade I will do is get new tires, since I need them. I'm looking for a summer high performance z-rated tire to replace my 225/50 R16 H rated tires. Any suggestions? Sport Compact Car seems to love Toyo T1 Proxys, but I don't know anyone who has tried them. I'm willing to go up to $150 per tire, and I would like a tire that would grip well for my first autocross two weeks from now. Suggestions?

[Dan Burger]

I'd look into somen good Yoks. I've been running AVS S4z for almost 40k miles - and they have been great (still have about 10k to go with them)! Unfortunately, they have been discontinued, but the 520s look pretty good, too. Some people complain about noise with Yoks, but i've found that they wear very well (except the intermediates) and they have great rain traction. You can find them pretty cheap sometimes, too (+/- $100)

Cheers!

Dan B

[1996 328ti]

I like the Toyo T1-S. I burned up a set in less than 7 months one the street and a few days on the track. Turn in is very crisp and I feel that air pressure plays more of a role with these tires than anything else I've used. Even at the wear bars they still work well in rain. They don't chunk badly but do feather. I will be getting a fresh set before I head up to Ofest. For the street I like the Toyos.

I prefer Yokohoma AVS Intermediates for the track and probably autocrosses too. They stick well for a street tire. They absolutely suck when worn in the rain. That is why I replaced them last year before my trip to last Ofest.

Another good cheap tire people like are the Dunlop SP8000s.

All tires are a trade off somewhere.
I think if I wanted a set for street and autocross. I'd go with the Yoko AVS. They are cheaper than than the Toyos.

...steven

[tgroth]

Thanks for the input Dan & Steve. I just ordered some Yokos AVS Intermediates so that they can come in just in time for my first BMWCCA autocross. Discount Tire had them on sale for $101 a piece (I had expected to pay $140+) How long do the Intermediates last on a combination of street driving and the occasional autoX? Thanks again,

Todd Groth '95 Red Club Sport

[1996 328ti]

That's hard to answer.
Let's see. I put on a set AVS Intermediates around April 2000. Ran Blizzaks for 3 months. Needs to replace the Yokes before last Ofest in Oct. So . . . maybe the lasted 4-5 months. I don't know, maybe 10K-15K miles with a few autocrosses and several hours on the track.

Tires are consumables. At $100/each, they are well worth it. But be careful once they are down to the wear indicators. They absolutely suck in the rain when worn down.