Help me pick a (track) tire for the Miata

I originally wanted to put the BFG Rival on the Miata but it looks like Tire Rack won't get the 205/50/15s in until 5/10 and I need tires this week.

So based on the availability, price I'm willing to pay and all that jazz, it looks like I have a choice between:

• Falken Azenis - several fellow SCCA members run these on the local track and they seem to be holding up well on cars that are faster than my Meotter in out track conditions (100F+, full sun, rough surface). I can get the RT-615Ks from Amazon @ 120 a pop with free shipping but they have 1-2 days lead time by the looks of it.
• Kumho Ecsta XS - had these on my Elise S1 but never tracked the car with them. I liked them on the Elise. They're the cheapest choice, Tire Rack has them in stock and shows an ETA for me for 4/16. With shipping and tax they'll come in at roughly the same prices as the Azenis.
• Dunlop Direzzas ZIIs, I hear good things about them on here, TR has them in stock (same delivery date) but once I factor in shipping they are the most expensive tire.
• Federal 595RS-Rs. Used them before on a Miata in that exact size, liked them plus they are the cheapest by a large margin but I'm not sure I can get them in time.

Basically I'll most likely put the tires on, drive to the track (between 50-250 miles), drive on the track, drive home and put the 185/60/14 Michelins back on. I might Auto-X the car (never done that) but at the end of the day I'm more of an HPDE/time trials type person. I'm no driving god by any standard so a tire that gives an experienced club racer a .5 second advantage is wasted on me. What I'm looking for is a tire that communicates well and breaks away in a progressive fashion - no hair triggers please, I can spin a car without them .

Which tire would the hive mind recommend?

I run the RA1 and I really like it. Of course, they're probably the most expensive option unless you can find a Spec Miata team that's looking to unload some.

We ran the Kumho XS on one of our cars. I can't say it overwhelmed me, it seemed to be at least one class below the others on your list. I personally don't like the Falkens much based on my experience with earlier models, but I seem to be in the minority.

I think you need to clarify some of your delivery times. Get a date for those Federals, as it sounds as if that's the tire you really want.

I tracked set of the older (but not oldest) Azenis for a couple weekends. I felt they got greasy and overheated and I chewed through them fairly quickly. I was running a standard E-stock suspension setup at the time (Konis, big RB front bar, stock springs), so maybe your fancy suspension will be kinder to them. Great street tire, not so much a track tire.

Personally, I'd go with R-compound cast-offs, if you can find them. IIRC the local Spec guys felt RA1s were fastest just before they corded, so you might not find those, but maybe some R888s or who knows. I got a set of SM Hoosiers this way. They were much better than the Azenis on the track :)

Keith Tanner wrote: I run the RA1 and I really like it. Of course, they're probably the most expensive option unless you can find a Spec Miata team that's looking to unload some.

Perhaps, perhaps not. My experience is that street tires get pretty badly abused on the track, whereas RA1s and the like are designed for it, so they last better. So RA1s could well turn out to be more expensive up front, but less expensive over the long run. OTOH, this was with late-90s, early-2000s street tires, and the modern compounds have changed a lot, so perhaps this is dated info.

Nitto NT01s are another popular track tire often compared to the RA1s, although I've never owned a set so I can't comment on them.

My problem really is that I'm not sure that I want "real" track tires at this point in time - keep in mind that I generally have to drive quite far to get to the track so that would chew up the really sticky tires unless I trailered them to the track which I don't necessarily want to do at the moment.

I was considering R888s - I used those on my turbo Miata - but TR is out of stock on them locally and I'd have to get them shipped across the country which means that the shipping cost almost doubles, as does the shipping time.

NT01s might be an option but I'd like to get an opinion from someone who actually used them.

@Keith, the Federals are more a case of "the devil you know" but OTOH they're also cheap enough to "waste" a set or two.

BoxheadTim wrote: My problem really is that I'm not sure that I want "real" track tires at this point in time - keep in mind that I generally have to drive quite far to get to the track so that would chew up the really sticky tires unless I trailered them to the track which I don't necessarily want to do at the moment.

RA1s don't really mind highway miles. Back when I would drive to/from the track on them (before I had a tow vehicle), a 180 mile drive home on the freeway didn't even get the OPR noodles off. Hoosiers are a different story, of course.

BoxheadTim wrote: NT01s might be an option but I'd like to get an opinion from someone who actually used them.

I have run the NT01 and RA1 on a miata. I definitely prefered the NT01. NT01 is better on a dry track at full tread. I also saw good life even when driving on them to and from events.

Edit: I would pick the RA1 over the NT01 if I needed the extra tread for uncertain surfaces: rain tire, or a road rally on paved but potentially varied conditions (e.g. Targa). For HPDE on a well maintained roadcourse, I'd go with full tread NT01 and drive them in anything but driving rain with standing water (which I wouldn't want to drive in unless there were season points on the line).

Either one will be solid, competent and long lasting. I would favor them over the R888, just for wear reasons.

I bought 6 shaved RA-1s when I had my SpecMiata. Those 6 tires lasted 18 race weekends. That's qualifying and 3 races per weekend. They're pretty durable in my experience. One guy didn't bother shaving his. It made him slower but that set lasted forever.

Why no 225/45/15 Rivals?

I just did a 100-mile first drive with mine and found them to be a pretty damn amazing tire. They almost have too much grip for a street tire, but that said I did make sure to include a few corners on my drive that I could really push them(safely). Not only is the level of grip very high, but they transition from grip -> slip -> grip very smoothly, and with no drama, as you push them beyond their limit. I didn't have any noticeable wear after the drive either.

I did need to roll the front fender lips on my '96 Miata, but the back cleared fine. I bought a set of TRM 15"x9" wheels at the same time, but honestly I think they would fit on 8"-wide wheels much better.

I don't shave my RA1s, even when they're just being used for track use. I'm okay with a bit less grip if I can get more life out of 'em.

I'll agree that real track tires may outlast street tires. I've run my (fairly extreme) car on Toyo R1Rs and RA1s on the track, and the former were totally overwhelmed and showing high rates of wear. Good for driving in a hurricane though :D

Driving at highway speed doesn't really eat up the tires; they won't even get hot enough for it to be considered a true heat cycle.

I would have no hesitation driving to the track on the RA1, R888, Yoko A048, or NT01.

I know someone selling R888's in SM sizes pretty cheaply. Let me see if I can dig up the info.

petegossett wrote: Why no 225/45/15 Rivals? [...] I did need to roll the front fender lips on my '96 Miata, but the back cleared fine. I bought a set of TRM 15"x9" wheels at the same time, but honestly I think they would fit on 8"-wide wheels much better.

I think you just answered your own question . Plus, I have 15x7 wheels that I want to mount the tires on.

LanEvo wrote: I know someone selling R888's in SM sizes pretty cheaply. Let me see if I can dig up the info.

Found it: http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=285516

Good guy.

Thanks - that does look like a good deal at least if you're closer than I am.

I ended up ordering a set of 595RS-Rs, let's hope they'll show up anytime soon.

I have a friend with a very fast Corvair, don't laugh. He buys castoff race tires.

I believe theres at least one user on this forum with a fast corvair so i dont consider that concept to be all that 'out there'. Id definitely consider doing one up for track work if the right foundation came along.

One of the local SCCA members has a fairly heavily modified Corvair track/race car. That car is rather fast, too.

If they were for mixed street/track use I'd tell you to get the Z2s but I don't know if they're the best as a near-dedicated track tire. They're definitely the best autocross tire of the bunch.

Ecsta XS are really good once you're turning really hard on them but they're not that good otherwise.