Ey guys.
Iv been through and searched for this answer but have no one seams to be able to pin point the answer for me. So here goes.
I hav a 93 fd rx7 here in Aus.
I have bc coil overs and brand new bushings everywhere.
Iv lowered the car slightly. Went with Howard Coleman's theory or 25" from level surface to lip of guard. I think that's right.
Now I have the stock wheels on the car with 225/50s.
I'm due for some tires. I use the car on weekends and for weekend hill runs up some tight twisties.
I want the car to b planted tight on the road.
My initial thoughts were kuhmo ku36's in 225/45. But that is nearly 1' smaller overall diameter. So I looked into 245/45 which is only .2' smaller than the stock size.

So my question is are ku36's a good enough tire for weekend spirited hill climbs??
And also are my tire calculations correct and should I go with the 245/45s right round??
Thanks in advanced guys.
Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Toli

 

Those Kumhos aren't available in the USA as far as I know..... I've never heard of them.

If you can source these out in Oz, I absolutely recommend them in 245/45-16 for the OEM wheels. Super sticky, one of the best performance street tires you can buy:

Bridgestone*Potenza RE-11

 

I have Yokohama AD-08 on my RX, I cant fault them in winter or summer.

Daniel

 

beastyrx7, can you post where you plan to purchase your tires from so we can see what's available in your region (as well as your tire budget)?

 

Hey sorry guys.
I'm in Australia. If you jump on kumho's web site they have them on there in the car performance section. Reason for having this tire on my mind I use them on the front of my drift car now and there supper grippy in wet and dry conditions.
Just wanted people opinions on what they use on the stock rims tire and size.
Thanks for the responses guys :-)

 

Sorry forgot to answer the tire budget. Not really much of a budget. Looking for a medium priced bang for your buck tire that works well but won't cost me a million dollars. :-)

 

Rich, those are the Ecsta XS's.

If you are going with 245/45, about the only street tire options would be:

Bridgestone Potenza RE-11
Proxes RA-1

In the 225/50 tires, some good choices:

Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec
Bridgestone Potenza RE-11
Kumho Ecsta XS (KU36)
Toyo Proxes R1R

None of those would be a bad choice. However, I would probably go with the Potenza RE-11 in the 245's. They edged out the Dunlops in some recent tests but all of them are good tires.

 

Thanks mahjik.
Iv looked into the kumho ku36 they dnt make a 245/45 in 16. So that's out the window. But toyo r888 make a 245/25 in 16.
Thoughts on the toyo r888.
I'm pretty convinced with the sizing. Most definently be 245/45. Just tire choice now.
Any one had experience with the achillies 123s semi slicks??

Toli

 

The R888 is a DOT track tire so a different league than the ones being talked about up to this point. They are a good tire, but I'd probably go with either Kumho VictoRacer V700 or the V710 in the DOT track tire department. I've never been all that pleased with other Toyo tires, but I've never personally ran the R888's. The street Toyo's I have on my M3 are terrible and have put me off ever buying anything from them again.

I currently use the VictoRacers on my FD for the track and like them a lot.

 

Mmm.
I wish the kumho ecsta xs came in 245/45 16.
Damn.
And if you are saying the r888 are to much of a track tire that won't b great with mileage for a weekend car ay??
Ahhh such a hard decision.

 

I believe the rx8 comes stock with potenzas. I've ridden in an 8 with those tires, and they felt great

 

A few things with what we call "r comps" on the street:

• The tread pattern is only to make them street legal. Once they are a little worn, the tread pattern is basically gone so driving in anything other than dry can be tricky if not dangerous (depending on your skill as a driver).
• They are loud rigid tires. You will hear and feel everything on the street. The stiffer sidewall will transfer more road noise into the car than a performance street tire.
• Using them on the street will cause them to degrade quicker because you'll be heat-cycling them quite often.
• You'll likely get about 5000-8000 miles on them as a dual purpose tire (street/hill-climb).

 

if money is not an issue - Bridgestone Potenza RE-11, Yokohama Advan ADO8, Michelin Pilot Super Sports

Best bang for your buck- Dunlop Direzza Z1, Hankook RS-3

If you can wait the Bridgestone Potensa RE-11s and Dunlop Direzza Z2 will be out very soon.

 

Potenza is just the name Bridgestone call their sportier tires. Like Yokohama's sportier tires are known as Advans. The tires you are referring to on a stock rx8 are RE040; they have horrible reviews on tire rack.

 

I have personal experience with almost all of the tires mentioned above, and the Pilot SS (while good tires) don't belong with the rest of those. Their treadwear is much higher, and Tire Rack has them in a less 'extreme' class

 

Hey guys.
Thanks for the feedback.
I'm really looking into the 245/45 r16 Bridgestone potenzas re-11.
Can anyone give me first hand experience with them. In wet and dry conditions. Street use and the occasional track/Gil climb.
Thanks guys.
Toli

 

I haven't personally used them, but they rate higher than the Kumhos you were looking at in just about every test:

Tire Test Results : Testing the New Extremes of Extreme Performance Summer Tires

 

Please forgive my newbie post...

I honestly don't own an RX-7, but I do have a bit to say about the Kumho Ecsta ASX that was mentioned above.

I currently run them in a 205/55-15 size on my '92 MX-3, and can say that the only tire I found relatively comparable so far for street use was the Hankook K106(Now discontinued in stock size, unfortunately, as they were the best tires I have ever found in that size).

I haven't raced the '92 with the Kumhos, but I can tell you that I drive more aggressively than I should... They have held up to everything without issue. They don't chirp if I dump the clutch at 4K, and they handle corners at excessive speed quite well.

The only "issue" I have had with the tires to date was immediately after buying them, and that was a tendency to slide on painted lines(i.e. right before/after an intersection) on wet ground.

About 500 miles later that was no longer an issue, and I am honestly happy with them in every way.

I live in Western Oregon, USA, so weather here is no doubt far different than in Australia, but I can honestly tell you these tires have yet to be a problem in any conditions here.

They are a little quieter than my Hankooks were as well, which kind of surprised me, given the similar performance in corners.

One last thing, I do tend to run them a little high pressure, to help maximize fuel economy around town. They are rated for ~45 max PSI, and I run them at about 41. For my car's weight and balance, "optimal" pressure would be 37-38 PSI.

Hopefully I helped a little!

 

I have Hankook RS-3's in 225/50/16 (F+R) and they're comparable to my current Hankook V12 285/30/18's (F+R), probably actually stickier. The 225/50/16 RS-3's gave my 255/50/16 Mickey Thompsons (Radials, not the Bias Ply) a run for the money once they were heated up.


+1 for RS-3's

 

He was talking about the XS, which are a sticky summer tire that are suitable for autocross and road race. The ASX is an all-season tire and not nearly the same thing.

Ledge, not surprising about the RS-3s..... their 140 treadwear is half that of the v12 evo's (280), and I've heard nothing but good things about them

 

Ahh, my mistake!

I thought that "SX" was a typo, haha. I can learn a great deal from this thread, as tires are "foreign territory" for me so far.

 

go nitto invo.
or pirelli p-zero
can be sourced cheap at ozzy or tempe tires

 

stock is 235 front 255 rear..

 

This advice is based on.......?

Invo: grip levels not on par with others discussed
P-zero: overpriced

The P-zero are also rated 18th out of the list of 'Max Performance' tires on the tire rack. No thanks, many other options out there.

 

Go sticky tires in the 225/50/16 tire size.

RE-11, Dunlop Direzza Z1, R-S3, Kumho XS, AD08 or in that tire class.