Tire Rant

I actually liked my RE92A's. They ran for 55kmiles before I swapped them because they started to hydroplane on 95 at about 70mph.

I ran them for one winter when they were fresh. It wasn't the best snow tire ever, but it was a wide all season in the snow on 17's. so I took it easy.

but I have a problem with Summer tires lasting only 15-20k miles on the WRX. it gets expensive when I buy tires every other year (winters and summers). They wear unevenly for the most part unlike the miata. but that is because of the light weight and the type of suspension it has.

but the miata is running -3

 
...ahhh, the 225/50-16s are the same diameter as the 205/55-16s, in fact I remember them both were original to the first 911 C4.
/quote]

well the spec charts show them as same. however, if you compare mounted 205/55-16s and 225/50-16s side by each, the 225s definitely seem taller.

my terratrip rally computer also says they are different diameters--after switching out the tire sizes (and not changing the calibration on the computer) the difference was that the 225s read about 3% slow for a given indicated speed, which tells me the 225s are larger diameter.

maybe it's that different brands of "same size" really aren't

YMMV
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I have been wrestling with the question of buying an ok performance/good milage summer AND a set of autoX rims and tires vs. buying a really sticky set of summer tires (like the Falken Azenis RT-615's) and running them on the street and autoX. I will also run a set of winter tire and rims.

Of coarse, I know only running really sticky tires will cost a lot more in the long run. But the cost of track rims and track tires plus anything I would need to do to make them fit (if I went up to some 245's) is a lot of money. So given that I am running 225 Falken Zeix ZE-512's (not my choice) and they probably will be shot after this summer, I'm fairly sure that dropping a whole lot of money on R comps isn't the best idea. Especially since this is my first season of autoX and I still really need to learn how to drive properly first. Which is why I have been thinking that a good set of summers is the way to go.

GRRRRR To many options.....

 
dropping a whole lot of money on R comps isn't the best idea. Especially since this is my first season of autoX and I still really need to learn how to drive properly first. Which is why I have been thinking that a good set of summers is the way to go.

GRRRRR To many options.....
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actually, you've narrowed down your options pretty well, sounds like you want a streetable sticky tire that you can DD on and thrash on the occasional AX weekend.

Hankook RS-2

Dunlop Direzza Star Spec

etc. just get some decent tires, then get out there and thrash the bejeejuz out of em!

 
...ahhh, the 225/50-16s are the same diameter as the 205/55-16s, in fact I remember them both were original to the first 911 C4.
/quote]

well the spec charts show them as same. however, if you compare mounted 205/55-16s and 225/50-16s side by each, the 225s definitely seem taller.

my terratrip rally computer also says they are different diameters--after switching out the tire sizes (and not changing the calibration on the computer) the difference was that the 225s read about 3% slow for a given indicated speed, which tells me the 225s are larger diameter.

maybe it's that different brands of "same size" really aren't

YMMV
Click to expand...
Different makes do have different diameters, especially the 234/45/17, even in the same make and model tire.

Wheel width, tire pressure, and weight distribution can also change the mounted diameter and tire wear rate which can further make a difference in diameter.

Do you realize how much more weight is on the front of the Impreza than the rear? Even more so for my SVX, from the factory, 2,100 lbs. on the front tires (about the weight of a whole Miata), and only 1,480 lbs. on the rear, that's over 600 lbs. more on the original 225/50/16s. I mean the tires looked low on air.

Now by modern standards Audi recommends "46 psi" for the Audi A4 S Line with 235/40/18 XL with about the same weight distrubution as my SVX.
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