Will stock tires cut it?

C

CoolWhip

Member
:
2008 Mazdspeed 3 Sport
I'm new when it comes to choosing tires and well here it goes ....

Stock tires + 300+ Hp = Wheelspin?

My goal is to get 300+ Hp. At the moment I'm buying new rims and I figured I'd get some really good tires, but the price is making me dizzy.

I'm looking for tires that grip like hell. I've been searching all over the forums for ideas and I'm still left stuck.

I don't mind spending a little extra for performance but I will just have to wait a little longer. Does anyone know great tires for a good price?
 
Stock tires will be fun to burn into oblivion at the track, they will smoke up nice . Take videos! And yes you will need to upgrade after you have the fun available in destroying the bridgestones with that kind of horsepower. i did, barely modded beyond stock. i miss the wheelspin just for the smell and smoke. Now the car just goes. sorry got caught up in the moment, there are alot of great tires, but there are a lot of different styles of driving. and a lot of factors to consider for your self and your tire goals. Do you want to get the best 60ft at the strip or do you seek comfort and or all season traction. You know what I mean. I have nittos that are quite soft, suck in the rain, but satisfy my driving experience goals though. As long as you are changing wheel width on your upgrade the options will open up greatly!
 
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ericrapp said:
Stock tires will be fun to burn into oblivion at the track, they will smoke up nice . Take videos! And yes you will need to upgrade after you have the fun available in destroying the bridgestones with that kind of horsepower. i did, barely modded beyond stock. i miss the wheelspin just for the smell and smoke. Now the car just goes. sorry got caught up in the moment, there are alot of great tires, but there are a lot of different styles of driving. and a lot of factors to consider for your self and your tire goals. Do you want to get the best 60ft at the strip or do you seek comfort and or all season traction. You know what I mean. I have nittos that are quite soft, suck in the rain, but satisfy my driving experience goals though. As long as you are changing wheel width on your upgrade the options will open up greatly!
Click to expand...


Hmm ... I was trying to decide how to put this in words but I will just list the order of importance to me.

1. Performance - I want tires that are going to help me run better tires then other cars. lol ... Vague anyone?
2. Comfort - I always have someone in the car with me, usually 3 or 4 people. (Personal taxi (scratch)?)
 
Performance and comfort is a tough combo... since performance is your #1 priority, I'm going to recommend Falken Azenis. Another summer tire I've been looking at just because the price and reviews is the Sumitomo HTR Z III. They outperformed our RE050's, have twice the treadwear rating and cost half as much.
 
if you are running a 18x8 setup, I would suggest you go with 225/40/18 if you are going for a better handling setup.

If you are looking for better straight line grip, go for something with a soft sidewall (Not the azenis) and deflate it and go for the wider set, possibly something like 245/45 or 235/45. Unfortunately they don't really have tires which are made for straight line traction that are street legal.

Another thing you can consider is going with 17x8 and getting a larger profile tires.


now, if you are looking for comfort somewere in there you won't find it. Past the Ultra performance summers, comfort is out the window. Pretty much the only tire that will do that for is the Kuhmo SPT and Toyo T1R. If you were driving a RWD or a AWD drive car, I would say go for them. Tractions on straight lines is really not an issue with those driving setups, but in a FWD car you will be stuck at the light all day long.
 
john blutarski said:
Performance and comfort is a tough combo... since performance is your #1 priority, I'm going to recommend Falken Azenis. Another summer tire I've been looking at just because the price and reviews is the Sumitomo HTR Z III. They outperformed our RE050's, have twice the treadwear rating and cost half as much.
Click to expand...


where did you see the comparison of the HTR III performing better? Can i get a link?
 
How about the proxes 4 are those still a nice compromise. #300hp and hauling folks around? You might want to detune for gas mileage! ha
 
john blutarski said:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/TireTestServlet?tireMake=Sumitomo&tireModel=HTR+Z+III&partnum=245YR8HTRZ3XL&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes&place=5
Click to expand...


not to be a dick sir, but those aren't our tires.

we are running Bridgestone Potenza RE050A. the pole positions are different.

our tires are relatively solid, but they are differently overpriced for the performance. as a personal preference i liked the HTR Z III more than our tires. (my friend is running them on his car).

if you want to stay in the max performance you are going to be hard pressed to see a large improvement in traction from a tire switch, especially in dry.

I am willing to put money his largest improvement will be changing from 7" to 8" and getting wider tires. you will probably be able to notice a difference from tire to tire.

I think you should switch based on financial reasons. If you switch for performance, dissapointment is likely.

just get some ventus R-S2. they are nastttyyy!
 
ericrapp said:
How about the proxes 4 are those still a nice compromise. #300hp and hauling folks around? You might want to detune for gas mileage! ha
Click to expand...

Yeah as of now I'm hauling my friends around.

I've been reading up some on tires (Met a guy who used to drive a Speed 6 in my area, giving me some tips)

As the performance goes, I just want tires that are better then stock. Handling wise and more grip then stock.

Edit: After reading Vord's post I'm wondering if 225/40/18 would be a good setup?

My friend has them on his car and I like the way his car rides. My only other concern with this setup is the tires to choose, I just want something better then stock. (Handling and grip wise)
 
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CoolWhip said:
Yeah as of now I'm hauling my friends around.

I've been reading up some on tires (Met a guy who used to drive a Speed 6 in my area, giving me some tips)

As the performance goes, I just want tires that are better then stock. Handling wise and more grip then stock.

Edit: After reading Vord's post I'm wondering if 225/40/18 would be a good setup?

My friend has them on his car and I like the way his car rides. My only other concern with this setup is the tires to choose, I just want something better then stock. (Handling and grip wise)
Click to expand...

225/40/18 will provide a nice little upgrade overstock since the tire weight will be reduced. Its the ideal setup for spirited daily driving. Just avoid potholes, not that I think you will screw your rims up or anything, but its always something to look out for when going with lighter (and possibly softer rims).
 
Thanks for the input guys, I can finally order my rims & tires now (thumb)

*Empties bank account* (confused)
 
yes i think that would be a nice improvement. But talk to vendors to compare price packages so as not empty the account. you will need more stuff soon enough my friend
 
ericrapp said:
yes i think that would be a nice improvement. But talk to vendors to compare price packages so as not empty the account. you will need more stuff soon enough my friend
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm looking into Falken Azenis, tire rack sells the rims very cheap but don't have the tires listed.
 
Tire rack doesn't sell Azenis. They do sell dunlop (Drizzes (spelling)), Hankook(Ventus R-S2), and Kuhmos (Ecsta MX). All of those being in the same class as the Azenis and they are a good bit cheaper.
 
I used the Sumitomo HTR Zs also. On another car and loved them, the price is so much cheaper and performance is nice, as they tell you by feel when they are breaking away. I purchased my sets from Tire rack. Search for deals though and talk to vendors maybe you can get a little price break from one of our vendors! Good luck
 
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