need advice for tarmac rally tires

[Walla Walla]

Hi there! I'm looking for some suggestions about the right tire for my first rally.
It is the Newfoundland Targa.
I've acquired some Enkei RC-T4 17X8 for the event and my only experience I have with sticky, are with 245/45/16 Bridgestone RE-11.

Since I don't have an unlimited budget to try every brand of tire, I need some good advice ! Thanks !

[xwd]

Do you expect it to be completely dry? Are there any regulations on tires?

[SubiePig]

What he said above, what are the tire regulations for the class you are running in? Tire size, wear number, must be DOT? or can be full non-dot race tire?

[wparsons]

A friend of mine ran the Targa last year on Rivals on his truck (yes, truck!) and they did pretty well.

Based on the rules, any DOT "street" tire with a minimum 2/32" tread depth (at the end of the event, so you'll need to start with more) is totally fine. It is on the east coast, so chances of rain are reasonably high. I wouldn't want to chance it on something horrible in the rain since you can't have two sets of tires.

http://www.targanewfoundland.com/att...egulations.pdf

[Walla Walla]

As wparsons said, the regulation is Any dot street tire is accepted. Also, there is a limit of 6 tires for the whole event, with means that i can't take 4 sticky dry tires, and 4 wet tires!

It's a 5 day event, around 40 stages, and it is really near the est coast (st-john, newfoundland)

i'm trying to find the best sticky tire, that will still do a great job in the rain. And i would love it to be under 300$ the tire, (wich would be around 270$us I presume)

I will take a look at the Rivals, I never tought of those tires!

[vroom4]

Rs3 v2 would do the trick in a 235 40 17 on an 8" wheel

[wparsons]

The RS3 V2's are definitely a good option, as are the Dunlop ZII Star Specs or Yokohama AD08R. I wouldn't personally suggest the Rivals, especially if you haven't driven them before. They're not a bad tire, but need a lot of slip angle to be their fastest and can be a bit unnerving the first few times out on them.

[xwd]

The RE-71R and the Rival-S have proven to be the fastest street tires for autocross thus far. I think the jury is still out however and how well they hold up to heat/abuse though. They are also not widely available right now.

The RS3v2 is a known quantity and will definitely hold up and work very well.

[wparsons]

I wouldn't take an autocross tire on a long road rally like Targa Newfoundland... long stages, and you're only allowed 6 tires total for a full week of stages.

Here's the basic map:

[xwd]

They are still TW200 (I know that's a meaningless #) street tires, but they are a slightly softer compound than you will find on the RS3 or Z2. Not like running a r-comp though.

[D_Thissen]

What about PSS? Ive never driven on them so they might not be up to the task, but I have heard they are highly recommended and have a decent tread wear.

[Walla Walla]

finally, with the availability and price market we have in canada, and also with a few other advice i got and articles i've read, i've decided to go with michelin pss, 245/40/17!

i expect to start testing them this summer, at our local racetrack, to see the feel they will give!

[CatDaddysBBQ]

Originally Posted by Walla Walla

finally, with the availability and price market we have in canada, and also with a few other advice i got and articles i've read, i've decided to go with michelin pss, 245/40/17!

i expect to start testing them this summer, at our local racetrack, to see the feel they will give!

I've tracked my FR-S on PSS tires - in perfect ideal conditions (dry, warm, smooth) they definitely lose out to the 200tw options (rivals, RS3, etc), but in anything shy of ideal (even a damp surface) they absolutely hold their own.

I had a BRZ with 200tw Direzzas with me at a track day - it rained most of the day, and during the first session. I annihilated him in the rain, the next session wasn't raining but it was damp - still worked him over badly.

Third session was pretty much dry and 10deg warmer and he edged me out a bit.

But not as badly as I "beat" him in the wet.

[wparsons]

^^ Not saying the PSS aren't better in the wet, but take that situation with a grain of salt. Some people are WAY less confident on a wet track, and part of the reason you were so much faster could be that you're more confident in the wet.