The wagon will be seeing some NASA Time Trial action again (and my first autoX) so I needed new rubber. Budget is very low, with a broken race car in another state , so I chose the Sumitomo HTR Z. The price is right, $62 for 225/50/16 from Tire Rack, and the UTQG is only 160, which should make for a reasonably grippy street tire. I got them from our local tire place w/M&B for $91 each (would have worked out the same, had I payed shipping) and I'm supporting a small local business (important thing to do in this current economic climate IMO) I will post up my reviews over the next couple of weeks after thrashing them on track, and at a hilly autoX.
Is anybody out there running these already ? How do you like them ?
Well, so far with some "spirited" canyon drives and a parking lot skid pad test, I'm pretty impressed with these cheapo tires. Next weekend, I get to really thrash them, on what will probably be a pretty hot track at Pueblo. Since I'm running time trials, I will be driving at least 9/10ths on them. We'll see what they're worth then......
the "cheap" autox tires in 225/50/16 would include the "old" Dunlop Z1's @ $94, the Kook RS-2 @ $96 and the Kumho MX (this is pretty well proven track day tire as well) @ $95- all tirerack prices
if you have the choice on a wider rim (say 7 or 7.5") then clearly those are better choices, if the choice is 205 or 225 and you only have 6.5" rims then 225 is clearly the better choice
the "cheap" autox tires in 225/50/16 would include the "old" Dunlop Z1's @ $94, the Kook RS-2 @ $96 and the Kumho MX (this is pretty well proven track day tire as well) @ $95- all tirerack prices
be curious how those do at Pueblo
I really liked the MX's when I ran them, and I can still get DOT R Hankook Z211s for $80 per in med and hard compound, but I needed something for daily driving and as low budg as possible. The Sumitomos were $30 less than any of those above (tirerack) and so far I'm liking them. Wet grip is good too. I had to go looking for the deep stuff to get any hydroplaning. The next two weekends will really test 'em out.
well I have a little info on this particular tire My buddy got a set for his R32 that he uses to compete in STX. His were 245/40/17's and got them for $69 a pop , he then had them shaved to 4/32". we had a two day event this past weekend, really fast and long course- not your average autox event- times were in the 2 minute range and speeds into the 80-90 mph ish range. I'll preface it w/ he is a very good driver- he beat me both days by a 1-1.5 second margin (I'm on expensive Advan Neovas). My point is this could be a very nice budget autox tire (seemed to hold up to the heat well too)- IMO it would be imperative to get this tire shaved as at full tread you'd have a lot of tread squirm. The sidewalls are not as stiff as some of the high ST tires, so a little more pressure is probably in order.
Mike, you are correct about tread squirm and soft sidewalls, but for the price, I am very pleased with them. I'll post more in the road race tech forums about my weekend, but to make a long story short here, it was quite warm most of the weekend. The Sumitomo's were good for about 4-5 laps, until it got "really" hot, and then more like 3 laps until they got greasy feeling. They talked a lot, cold or hot, and had very a predictable break-loose point. I think they'll be great for the autoX, since I won't roast them near as much.
The track was pretty greasy too, with some new asphalt in spots, and drag racing the night before (turn ten leads onto the burnout box, with the strip being the main straight) My lap times were about three seconds off what I was doing last year with the Hankook Z211 R comps on a cool track, and a couple more seconds slower when it got really hot (and I got tired)
I got them plenty warm and the tread blocks distorted kind of like the Ecsta MXs used too. I'm guessing with diligent rotation I could get at least 5-6 track weekends out of these tires. That's pretty good bang for the buck. I'm surprised that GRM didn't include these in their cheapo track tire comparo last month.
Quick update: After doing a track weekend, my first autocross, and a lot of canyon driving (wet and dry) I'm very happy with these tires. I rotated them today (first time) and it was the left front that had the most wear, which is typical with a weekend at PMI. I found a screw in the left rear which I'll have removed on Mon when our tire shop is open. I would compare these very favorably to the Khumo Ecsta MX's for 2/3 the cost. I think they must be a little wider than the Hankook Z211's (225/50/16), because I'm getting a little rubbing on the fender liner with the wheel cranked fully.
I'll get a chance to wear them a little more next weekend at Motorsports Park Hastings (Nebraska) but will probably only run a few TT and instructor sessions, since my race car should be ready, and I'll will be concentrating on getting back my W2W form.
when they repair the tire have them follow this procedure (I got a nail in a hi po tire a couple of years ago and was concerned about running it again at the track)
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, so I chose the Sumitomo HTR Z. The price is right, $62 for 225/50/16 from Tire Rack, and the UTQG is only 160, which should make for a reasonably grippy street tire. I got them from our local tire place w/M&B for $91 each (would have worked out the same, had I payed shipping) and I'm supporting a small local business (important thing to do in this current economic climate IMO) I will post up my reviews over the next couple of weeks after thrashing them on track, and at a hilly autoX. 
, he then had them shaved to 4/32". we had a two day event this past weekend, really fast and long course- not your average autox event- times were in the 2 minute range and speeds into the 80-90 mph ish range. I'll preface it w/ he is a very good driver- he beat me both days by a 1-1.5 second margin (I'm on expensive Advan Neovas). My point is this could be a very nice budget autox tire (seemed to hold up to the heat well too)- IMO it would be imperative to get this tire shaved as at full tread you'd have a lot of tread squirm. The sidewalls are not as stiff as some of the high ST tires, so a little more pressure is probably in order.
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