225/45/15 fitment?

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'90 MX-5, '00 328i
I can get a really good deal on slightly used pair of Victoracer V700 and a slightly used pair of RS304 Hoosiers in the above size. Plan on putting them on the 11.5 lb 15x6 Millenia wheels...

a) Do you think I would rub? (I'm on Espelir springs and could set my Illuminas hard.)
b) Would it be OK or dumb to mix the above tires? (Hoosiers in front?)


It's not that I'm dying to or think I'm skilled enough for race tires... but it wouldn't be more than 300 for all that stuff(!) and a good way not to rip up my street tires on autocross.
 
well if your car is lowered iono. I got 225/45/17 and it rubs it rubbed a lot in the back, and i had to nock my fenders out a little. but they crazked my fiberglass front fenders, and they still rub when anyone else is in the car. and they are over halfway gone. so iono. if your leaving it stock hight you should be fine.
 
Well, let's see. I'm wondering how they will fit on a 6" rim. They may "dish" too much and not give you the greatest performance, actually, I know they will be dished. The ITRs run a 225-50 V710 on those same wheels and they dish like crazy. But your car isn't that heavy either. Mixing brands usually isn't a good idea. At least if you mix tires of the same brand the compounds and construction are closer.

I have no idea if they would rub. For $300 you could get some really good street tires to autox on. Plus you have to get them mounted, so that's another $80. I'm not trying to dissuade you from getting them. The Hoosiers are the road race compound, so they need more heat in them to get sticky.

Make sure you can look at them and make sure they have decent life left in them, and ask how long and where they were used, what kind of car, their experience level, were they heat cycled, shaved (Kumhos), etc.
 
apexlater said:
For $300 you could get some really good street tires to autox on.

I think that's a good suggestion mate.... plus I've heard from many it's better to learn on street tires anyway. I think really good street tires in 205/50/15 would not be that much (and I could occasionally play with my light wheels on the street).... {skips over to Tire Rack}. Plus, that would put me in a lower AutoX class too than race tires, am I right??
 
Tirerack does not have many good STS tires.

Your car came with 16" rims stock IIRC.

Assuming the rest of your car is stock.(other mods could change the class you would be in)

15" wheels with racing tires would put you into FSP.

15" wheels with street tires would put in you STS.

look on http://www.edgeracing.com/tires/2055015/ and see what they have.
If they still have any Falken Azenis Rt215 in stock I would grab those. If not I would go with the Hankook Ventus Rs2 Z212. the RT615 might be better but is almost $20 more a tire than the Hankook's.
 
Actually, I just found the 215 Azenis on eBay for 288 a set. Seems like a good choice. Look to be sticky, but still a street tire. (The 615 Azenis look sweet but are 400 a set.)

I think I'm already STX because of my OBX header. Good dealio. I don't need to be competing in FSP. Not that I really care if I'm last in the field... I'm out there to have fun.... but it'd be nice not to get totally killed in my class.

Thanks for the advice and the site-- I'm bookmarking it.
 
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The header puts you in FSP. In STS/STX you have to keep all the cats in their original locations. I run 225/45-15's on my car w/ a +37mm offset rim. I'm not sure what the Millennia rim's offset is, but it needs to be within +/- 5mm of 37. Thats an approximation simply for the fact that I have less than a centimeter of clearence between my tire and the rear struts. The 225's will stick out past the fender in the rear and there is no way around that since they are already so close to the strut. You will be pinching the 225's quite a bit on the 6 inch rim so they won't be as wide as mine on my 7 inch rims, but not by much. Having the tire sticking out past the fender might give you some rubbing issues in the rear depending on how stiff your suspension is and how low your car is.
 
Yeah, just make sure to bring a water sprayer to autox w/ you if you get the 215s. They get greasy when they get hot and stop sticky, but they are a great tire, lots of people run them, including myself. I run mine in the 205/50/15 size.
 
xelderx said:
The header puts you in FSP. In STS/STX you have to keep all the cats in their original locations. I run 225/45-15's on my car w/ a +37mm offset rim. I'm not sure what the Millennia rim's offset is, but it needs to be within +/- 5mm of 37. Thats an approximation simply for the fact that I have less than a centimeter of clearence between my tire and the rear struts. The 225's will stick out past the fender in the rear and there is no way around that since they are already so close to the strut. You will be pinching the 225's quite a bit on the 6 inch rim so they won't be as wide as mine on my 7 inch rims, but not by much. Having the tire sticking out past the fender might give you some rubbing issues in the rear depending on how stiff your suspension is and how low your car is.

He wouldn't qualify for STX?
[font=Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif]"The "pre-cat(s)" and primary catalytic converter may all be replaced by a single converter, provided the resultant configuration meets Federal emissions inspection standards at normal vehicle operating temperature."[/font]
 
I dont know the cat setup on the protege but as long as you still have your final cat katya is right.

STX - High flow catalytic converters are allowed, but must attach within six inches of the original unit. Multiple catalytic converters may be replaced by a single unit. The inlet of the single replacement converter may be located no further downstream
than 6" along the piping flow path from the original exit of the final OE converter.

I would go for the "Street" tires right now and wait until you figure out what class you want to mod toward later.

$288 a set does not sound bad for the RT-215's if you can still get them. I would go for those in your situation over the hoosiers/racing tires of any kind. Edge racing claims to have them for $276.00 + shipping I dont know what the shipping on the ebay ones are.

I also agree about the sprayer for the RT-215's if you run on hot days or back to back runs. Just go to home depot/lowes and get a garden sprayer to cool down your tires.
 
Plus, if you don't know how to drive correctly on r-comps it is VERY easy to destroy them. Learn how to use the tires correctly, then move to r-comps.

I did 6 events on street tires just to learn the dynamics of the car when I first started autocrossing. Then I learned how to find the limits of the tires without them screaming at me. From there, when you get r-comps you will probably under-drive them, and then be able to get closer to the edge of their performance.

That's just my experience and how I did it. Even when I first got the MP3 I did a few events on my MXs to learn the car (and threshold braking), but jumped on the r-comps before the first points event.
 
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