alrighty, ive got a crx that im hoping to make about 300 whp to start off. ive got some 15x7 wheels. what would be my best option for tires. i was thinking something along the lines of 225/50/15 but i wasn't too sure if it would fit with my suspension. i have koni yellows with h&r race springs and a full race traction bar. the springs are sitting on the middle perch and i have about a 1 finger gap if that in the front, and about a 2 finger gap in the back. do you think i could fit that that size tire or should i go with a 205/50/15? i was thinking about going with some bf drag radials for the front and maybe some ziex's in the rear, but wasn't too sure. i was also thinking about just some azenis all around. my wheels are almost here so i need to figure out what kind of tire i need to order. any and all help would be appreciated. thanks.

 

225/50/15 wouldn't fit so 205/50/15 would be your best option. But wait till nsxtasy comes on and answers he has a little more experience then me.

 

Yes, mixing different tires front vs back is a bad idea in general. Putting supersticky drag radial tires on the front and mediocre all-season Ziex tires on the rear is particularly terrible, a prescription for the rear end to come around on you even worse than on an early Porsche 911. (If you're not sure why this is likely, google the word "oversteer" and do some reading.) So get four matching tires.

225/50-15 is indeed too big. The best size for 15" wheels on your car, one that will keep your gauges accurate and won't make your acceleration worse, is 195/50-15. You can get away with 205/50-15 but that wouldn't be my first choice unless the tires you want don't come in 195/50.

Which tire to choose depends on how you plan to use your car. If you're mostly just taking it to the dragstrip, then drag radials might be a good idea. If you're mostly just taking it to the racetrack, then R compounds are good if you're an experienced track driver. But if you plan to drive the car on the street a lot, drag radials and R compounds wear WAY too quickly to merit serious consideration.

The Azenis RT-615 is a very good choice if this is mostly a street car. Unfortunately, 195/50-15 won't be available until this fall (fourth quarter 2006). For now, you could get by with the 205/50, and then change to the 195/50 when they wear out, which they will. Quickly. Yes, even the Azenis, which is a street tire, wears very rapidly; folks using them on Integras typically get only 9-12K miles to a set. As long as you don't mind replacing them frequently, the Azenis are a good choice for handling your high horsepower car.

If you want a tire that gives a bit longer lifespan - maybe 15-20K miles - and still offers very, very good performance, then consider the Goodyear F1 GS-D3, which comes in 195/50-15 and is $78/tire (after deducting the $40/set rebate offer through January 21), same price as the 205/50 Azenis. The Goodyear F1 GS-D3 won the comparison test of 11 top-of-the-line street tires in the December issue of Car and Driver.