Noob when it comes to tyres, someone pls educate me!!

[StanTheMan]

I had the RT615's but like 10 years ago.....I would have thought they were kind of superseded by now. Or lots of other perhaps better choices?

I originally had the RT 215 which was the most exiting tyre to drive on . Needed 2 or 3 corners to warm up.But then the RT 615 came out & was more refined. no warming up was required. It was also a fraction quicker on the track. But just wasn't as raw or exciting as its predecessor It all depends on how cheaply you can get it i suppose.

[Magpie]

Have you considered Federal 595RSR's whilst not an R spec tyre (wear rating 160) they are more than capable for your needs. I assume that you do not want an R Spec Tyre as this will open a bigger can of worms

The key to ANY tyre is getting the pressures right and a suitable alignment.

Check the regs of the events you want to attend as tyre choice may impact your class.

[rascal]

205/50 is the perfect fit for a 15x8.

Why don't you want AD08s or RS3s? Prob two of the best S spec tyres there is?

[d3ck5]

ive had 205 ad08s on my 8s and now have 225 rs3s

the rs3s have a thinner sidewall and theres a slight amount more tyre roll on fast change corners. not so much on sweepers.

i prefer the wider footprint tho

[Magpie]

Wider footprint? The contact patch size does not change...

[rascal]

Wider footprint? The contact patch size does not change...

But the shape of it does. The contact patch will be wider and shorter.

Though an advantage of wider tyres/rims is you can run lower pressures, which does increase the contact patch..

[project.r.racing]

I'm surprised many have been able to answer the question without know what surface the motorkhanas will be held on. Grass, dirt, tarmac, concrete, wet?

[hks_kansei]

I'm surprised many have been able to answer the question without know what surface the motorkhanas will be held on. Grass, dirt, tarmac, concrete, wet?

That was going to be my first question.

If on dirt, or grass, the best option will be something with plenty of grab, most povvo economy tyres will do really well here. Ideally you'd look for some tyres with the MS (Mud and snow) markings.
Of course, it depends on class rules, when I did the Vic champs a few years back you were not permitted to use mud tyres etc, only regular road tyres.

Bitumen/concrete you'll be wanting something soft, unlike racetracks you wont have any warmup time, so you want something soft enough to grip right from the start.

[Magpie]

But the shape of it does. The contact patch will be wider and shorter.

Though an advantage of wider tyres/rims is you can run lower pressures, which does increase the contact patch..

The friction between two surfaces is proportional to the force pressing one to the other; and

The friction is independent of the contact area.

Agreed the shape does change. A drag car runs narrower tyres so that the contact patch is parallel to the car centreline whereas a track car prefers the contact patch to be perpendicular to the car's centreline.

I'm surprised many have been able to answer the question without know what surface the motorkhanas will be held on. Grass, dirt, tarmac, concrete, wet?

Good point I assumed that motorkhanas were held on a hard surface. However don't assume that tyres do not get 'warm' on some dirt surfaces, I was surprised that you could get the tyres to 'chirp' and heat up when doing dirt sprints.

[hks_kansei]

I'm surprised many have been able to answer the question without know what surface the motorkhanas will be held on. Grass, dirt, tarmac, concrete, wet?

Good point I assumed that motorkhanas were held on a hard surface. However don't assume that tyres do not get 'warm' on some dirt surfaces, I was surprised that you could get the tyres to 'chirp' and heat up when doing dirt sprints.

Not sure about other states, but the Vic champs were mostly on grass or dirt.
From memory there were only 3 or 4 rounds on bitumen.

While tyres can warm up on dirt surfaces, it's not likely during a motorkhana since most runs are done in under a minute.


I think I managed to set a record at one event for the slowest run ever, my rear tyres were pretty low on tread and pretty average to begin with (ancient Federal 535)
The event was on grass, and it had rained pretty heavily overnight.
You could get wheelspin by simply releasing the clutch at idle. From memory my time was somewhere over 3 minutes.

[rascal]

I think I managed to set a record at one event for the slowest run ever, my rear tyres were pretty low on tread and pretty average to begin with (ancient Federal 535)
The event was on grass, and it had rained pretty heavily overnight.
You could get wheelspin by simply releasing the clutch at idle. From memory my time was somewhere over 3 minutes.

Should have taken the second vehicle in your signature rather than the first.....

[project.r.racing]

I'm surprised many have been able to answer the question without know what surface the motorkhanas will be held on. Grass, dirt, tarmac, concrete, wet?

Good point I assumed that motorkhanas were held on a hard surface. However don't assume that tyres do not get 'warm' on some dirt surfaces, I was surprised that you could get the tyres to 'chirp' and heat up when doing dirt sprints.

I'm not surprised as I have doing both 10-15 years ago. But dirt sprints are comely different than motorkhanas.

I shouldn't have sold the Astina last month. It was a awesome motorkhana and dirt sprinter. Sad face. haha

[MattR]

I would get black (although tyres of different colours are available, or the black tyre sidewalls can be modified to colour that more suits your tastes) round tyres that fit the wheels you want to use at a price and quality point you are happy with.......

Preferably with a tread pattern that is acceptable to the local road authorities to be used on the public road system and available from a reatail or wholesale supplier that is convenient to you.

Hope that helps....

Yes i am bored at work today.

[RS2000]

205/50 is the perfect fit for a 15x8.

I read this a lot.
So why do ALL tyre manufacturers state that 7.5" is the maximum width rim for 205 tyres (including motorsport tyres) ?

[rascal]

Cos sadly, in this 'not responsible for own actions' 'pandering to lowest common denominator' society we now live in, the engineering dept usually gets overridden by the legal, marketing and costing depts...

In reality there is probably a 0.00000000001% greater chance of the tyre rolling off the rim or something equally as trivial that the legal eagles declare increases their risk sufficiently to justify specyifying the thinner rim range.

Also making cars/wheels etc today is seldom about making the best product. It's about making the most profit. Toyota is a case in point..