My cousin is wanting to get a stickier tire than his present tires. However, the Falken Azenis is out of the question b/c it does not come in the size he wants, so I was wondering if there is anything out there that is close to its grip in a 245/40/17.

He drives an '04 RX-8 with stock tire width of 225/45WR18. He was thinking of Kuhmo Ecsta MX's in 245/40/17 for more performance.

Does anyone know anything about those tires since you guys are race guru's? If not those tires how about some recommendations. I figured the racing forum has the best knowledge for this type of thing and I appreciate any replies. Thanks guys.

 

The RE040 compound is actually quite sticky, but it does like to talk to you (squeal a lot). While they are overpriced new, you can find plenty of people selling them with 1000 miles for really cheap. From what I've seen of the Kuhmo MXs, they have an inferior compound, but are quieter. If he wants a better compound, then tell him to go with the Michelin PS or PS2 tires. S03s are good as well, but their rain channels are pretty wide so there is less contact patch.

 

I've never driven on them, but I've always been under the impression that RE-040's were pretty medicore tires.

I also know that Kumho MX's provide more dry grip than Michelin Pilot Sports(or PS2's), but they wear faster for that extra grip.


I think he'll be happy with some Kumho MX 245/40-17's, or he could try to go with some 255/40-17's if he's got the fender clearance.

 

MX's are extremely comparable to the azeni, if the falken is what he originally wanted, but doesn't have the size he wants, and the kumho does, get the kumho.

if i had a street car, and if it needed tires, i'd buy MX's.

 

Thanks for the info guys. A comparable tire to the Azenis is what he wants. Appreciate the replies!

 

The Kumho MX is not quite as grippy as the very best street tires like the S-03 or the Pilot Sport PS2, but it's less expensive, which is why many folks use it.

The RE040 is actually pretty darn good and I don't think the MX is any grippier than the RE040.

I suggest you spend some time on the Tire Rack website. They conduct comparison tests on most of the popular tires so you can see how they compare head-to-head. You can read the tests there - not just the description, but check out all the detailed graphs that they post on a separate page.

As for using a different size, I would strongly recommend that you check with other RX-8 owners to see what they're doing; I'm sure there's an RX-8 board somewhere where you can find out. Going from a 225/45-18 to a 245/40-17 sounds like it might be a bad idea (the outer diameter is 5 percent smaller, which is a big difference) but I'm really not familiar with that particular car or what people do with it. This is why you should be asking your questions on a Mazda board rather than a Honda board. Nice car though...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nsxtasy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The Kumho MX is not quite as grippy as the very best street tires like the S-03 or the Pilot Sport PS2, but it's less expensive, which is why many folks use it.

The RE040 is actually pretty darn good and I don't think the MX is any grippier than the RE040.

I suggest you spend some time on the Tire Rack website. They conduct comparison tests on most of the popular tires so you can see how they compare head-to-head. You can read the tests there - not just the description, but check out all the detailed graphs that they post on a separate page.

As for using a different size, I would strongly recommend that you check with other RX-8 owners to see what they're doing; I'm sure there's an RX-8 board somewhere where you can find out. Going from a 225/45-18 to a 245/40-17 sounds like it might be a bad idea (the outer diameter is 5 percent smaller, which is a big difference) but I'm really not familiar with that particular car or what people do with it. This is why you should be asking your questions on a Mazda board rather than a Honda board. Nice car though...
</TD></TR></TABLE>

I'll let him know. Thanks