Anyone have experience with these tires, on or off the course? I'm thinking of getting a pair as my next set. 205/45/16 for 16x7.5" wheels. I'm coming from stock 14" wheels, so there will be an inherent difference there. I've got a 93 Prelude S.
Also, what pressures to use?
Thanks.

Dan

 

I have a 2001 GSR witk Kosie K-1s, 16 inch. The Kuhmo is a good street tire but it will not hold up to track use, mine had some chunking when new, now that the tread depth is lower they don't chunk any more. I usually run 42f and 40r for pressures. Next time I am getting Aziens. I don't auto-x only track days.

 

the 712s have a soft side wall so you'll need to really pump them up in front. Try 47f and 38r to start with and see how they feel. Daily driving I keep my fronts at 36 and rears at 33, due to my aggresive driving style. Oh that's with 205/50-15s too.

 

I just switched from Kumhos to Falkens because I needed new street tires and I needed a backup set of autocross tires. Although I haven't actually had a chance to autocross on them (I will this Saturday) they look/feel far more stiff the Kumhos.

The question I have is why are you switching to 16" rims? Are you banging the rev limiter all the time with 14s? Going from 14 to 16 is going to kill your acceleration.


[Modified by Geratol, 10:11 AM 10/3/2002]

 

The tire options I'm considering have the same outer diameter as the current tires I'm running (about 23-23.5" when new). I'm being very careful not to change that overall size.
To compensate for the extra weight and drag, I'll be making myself some underdrive pulleys.
Why 16's? Someone was trying to get rid of them. So since I'll need new tires anyway, I'll just get tires for these wheels instead of my 14's. I'll keep those around for long trips or something.

 

Get some Falken Azenis in 215-45-16. Much better than the Ecstas and perfect size for the Lude.

 

I had them for competition (autocross) last year and they did faily well. Get ready for lots of SCREAMING SQUEALING cornering

For my 2600lbs 2000 Civic Si I used 215/40x16" on 16x7.5" wheels and had pressures around 42f/38r. You may need more since your car is heavier.

 

The Kumho's do scream a lot. They scream so loud that you think you are doing something wrong. They squeal even when you are hardly doing anything. The first two autocrosses of the season I ran them with the pressure too low and it tore the sidewall up.

If I were you, I would go for the Azenis.

 

I was planning on getting Azenis, but then I decided I need something more practical and reasonable for normal street use. I want higher treadwear and lower freeway noise. I don't like it when my ears are ringing after coming off the freeway.

The other tire I am considering is the Yokohama AVS ES100. It is new, and supposed to be a milder alternative to the AVS-i while still offering decent performance. Anyone have experience with those?

Dan

 

ES100 is a far better performance choice than the 712, relatively cheap too.


[Modified by 4WDrift, 1:05 AM 10/4/2002]

 

$87 for a 205/50-15 isn't that cheap considering others in that +/- $10 range.

 

I'm running the 712's as a daily driver/autox tire and they work fine for the rookie/noob/novice autoX driver that I am. I have 205/45/16's running 42F hot and 37 R hot. The tires are rolling over to the little triangles on the sides of the tires. However, my car is really tail happy and I need to figure out how I can driver better to get the rear under control.
Aaron

 

decent street tires
autoX tires
i just got some t1s luv them

 

The one thing I will tell you about the 712s is when they start squealing you still have some more to go before you really push them pass their limit. The 712s also like for you to get on the gas later, which means diving into the corners for a bit longer. This is something you will notice when it's raining out. When most people are on the gas already, if you do the same thing the tires will break traction and you will start understeering.

 

testing results:
yoko avs-i 205-50-15 approx. 1 sec. faster then 712's on a 60 second course
azenis 205-50-15 approx. 2 sec. faster then avs-i on a 60 second course

tire testing is fun. next up, 225-50-15 bfg's fr with 205-50-15 bfg's rr. this is getting damn expensive..........

nate

 

I'm running the new AVS ES100 and they are probably better for what you need than the 712's. My old tires were the AVSi's and I really liked those tires. The ES100's are quieter, last longer, and should work better in the rain. The tread wear rating is 280 which is a good compromise between performance and long life. I don't think they would be a good autox tire though. I raced the AVSi's twice and I think my new tires are more of a street tire. Maybe you should bet some azenis for your 14's and run different tires on the street. I've seen the 195/60-14 azenis for $44-$54 at America's Tire Co. I might get some for myelf and slap them on some cheap wheels to race with.

 

That is a good strategy, and I've considered it. It would make me more competitive in H stock.
However, I think I'll just deal with the street-prepared class, and keep my whatever-tires on my stock rims. The idea being a) it's cheaper than a set of 4 Azenis + mounting, and b) it's good to have some economy wheels for long trips.

Dan