The SX2 tires seem just too good to be true...
 

So someone please correct me if I’m wrong or misunderstanding something but everyone is saying the SX2’s are amazing track day capable tires. In 215’s at 80 dollars a corner it just seems to good to be true. At half the price of some RE71’s or the like... What am I missing?

They're half as quick as re71r's, they're not sticky tires, they're cheap and durable, like a low buck RS4, a little better then the OE michelins, not as quick as PS4S, etc. Good bang for the buck, won't set a record unless they're the spec tire or all the quicker tires are outlawed.

I think they have been discontinued. It appears they have been succeeded by the SX2 RS. Not a lot of info on the SX2 RS.

Yeah they are good for learning and lapping (predictable, consistent, durable, cheap), but not super grippy.

Is their performance actually comparable to the RS4? I was under the impression that the SX2 was considerably slower, if they're close I'd be tempted to try them for 86 cup.

LOL. Please don't go thinking the SX2's are a replacement for 200TW tires. They are good tires for the price and what they are, but they shouldn't even be used in the same sentence as RE71R's.

They're fantastic learning tires. If you want to buy a faster lap time, buy a faster tire.

Definitely a right tool for the right job type of scenario here.

This has been a huge help. I’m def gonna stick with the sx2 in the near term and get to the point where my tires are lowing me down instead of it covering up mistakes.

Thanks guys!

I'd say your impression is correct.

No, you can still buy new SX2's.
They were hard to find years before SX2 RSs were announced :D

If you participate in 86DC or 86 Cup, the admins should be able to provide you with info on how to order them directly from GT Radial.
I got my set from them in January, the date code was 0620.

I have been running them on my twin. Fantastic value tire. Tell where your gonna find a better set of all around tire for 450$ shipped to your door :)

SX2's are about value. Predictable and will take some track abuse. For street use, they have more grip than you need unless you're driving like a douche on public roads. I like them so far, if I start worrying about lap times at track days, I'll try a stickier tire. But as long as my kid is faster than I am, it's not about the tire. But for a daily with occaisional track fun, hard to beat for the money.

^ These guys get it!

In particular, if you're running 86CUP stock or street class, where almost everyone runs the SX2, it makes it way, way cheaper for everyone to compete and/or have a basis for comparison, since you don't have to worry about tire grip, or who's got sticker tires and who's got heat cycled tires.


https://www.86cup.us/

One more downside to balance the "too good to be true" sentiment: they are noisy on the street.
Not as noisy as RE71R, but in the same ballpark.
Not the end of the world though.

If you think SX2 are noisy, try R888R.

Per my dB meter, the SX2 is about 5dB quieter than the RE71R, which is 4dB quieter than the R88R.

Yikes! #data

I daily drive on these tires with no issues with noise...

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I'm seeing the same SX2s on SimpleTire for under $370 (shipping is free). Might be different depending on where you are though.

At the time when I ordered simple tire was ooo.

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Out of order, I presume? They seem to be up and running now, so I'll probably order from them for new tires pretty soon.

I was prepared to order from TireStacks, but the SX2s were slightly more expensive + there were reports of people getting 3-year old tires instead of fresh new ones. Company claims that was a flub on GTRadial's part though.

Yup mine were from 2017. OOO = out of stock [emoji106]

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I got mine for 302 with tax and shipping from... wait for it... Walmart :)

BTW did the track day with them. Very predictable so no complaints from me. Thanks everyone!

Well shit, that's one more place I need to check now.

what size BTW? Walmart does not have the 245 sized tires.

I just did the 215/45/17 which maybe be why they were so cheap.

These are my top of the list tire to get probably later this year.

I just bought my 86 earlier in the week and want to get it out on the track once with it being as close to stock as is reasonable, including the sucky OEM tires. There is no better way to get a good initial feel for the car, and understand how much improvement you get from changes, than starting out stock.

Are we talking about the Champiro SX2 tires? I have never heard of them. My value tire has been the Federal 595-RSR. Any idea how they compare to each other?

Yes that's the tire. Never tried the federals

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just looking at the rule book for the 86cup, they have these 595's ahead of the SX2's So guessing some more grip for sure.

I threw on a set of 235/40/17. Initial impression from the canyons is good. The sidewall seems very stiff. Lots of steering feel. Grip seems comparable to fresh Hankook RS3's. These tires are pretty heavy, probably the price for the stiff sidewalls. Road noise on the highway is pretty minimal for this type of tire, at least so far. Almost as quiet as BFG Rivals. Looking forward to seeing how these do on the track.

If anyone is looking for a place to buy, the set I got from Simple Tire was dated 2/2020 so I was happy with that.

They are not the fastest but those same traits will carry over to the track and they are durable

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The 595 are faster over one lap but tend to self-destruct under abuse :D, not very good value IMHO. SX2 last very long are are relatively consistent throughout each track session and their life overall. Very good value. If you're seeking absolute lap times you wouldn't use either.

Curious how the SX2 compares to the Yoko V601. Has anyone driven on both? I'm currently on the yokos but wondering if the sx2 might be a little grippier. Looking for a not quite 200tw tire that will stay on my car during the warm months for daily driving (2-3k miles per season of use) and short track use once per month. RS4 will not get up to temp quick enough. Loved the sur4g on my last tracked car (miata) for the track but don't really want to daily that type of tire.

Currently running a set of V601, never touched the SX2. I used to compete but now I just volunteer and instruct so I decided to run the V601 for similar reasons [don't feel like street driving a RE-71 like tire anymore]. I'd wager the V601 is more sticky than the SX2, it is a newer compound and construction.

I've got a few auto crosses on my set of 215 V601s and I have been quite impressed. Grip is better than the tire would lead you to believe and better than the old gen of 200tw tires like the RS3v2 and RE-11a. They don't seem to overheat too easily and are quiet on the street. They are noisy on the limit and make the car pretty damn fun to drive. Even my buddies who still run sticky tires were impressed with the V601 for the fun/grip ratio.

I ran a set of V601s on a different car and really liked them.

Compared to the set of PS4S' I ran prior to them, I found they gave up a very small fraction of grip at the limit, but wore much better and handled the heat much better as well. I only ran them at two autocross events, but they didn't get greasy after a couple runs like the PS4S' and showed no wear at all.

How are the V601 in the wet? Will likely be swapping my now old PS4S soon.

- Andrew

Funny, I was thinking an RE11a would be nice to have around still but I guess the newish 200tw tires are so good my memory is warped. Perhaps I'll just plan on sticking with the V601 but run 245s on a 9 for the next set to get a bit more grip. It really is a fun tire, easy to drive past the limit.

They're fine on the street in the wet, and in the cold. And on track when cold (upper teens). Haven't tracked them in the wet yet though.

I didn't track them in the wet either, but did manage to take them through some rain before I traded in the car.

On wet pavement I had no grip issues driving sanely on the streets. In heavy downpours I don't recall having any hydropaining issues either. I only bring them up separately because I remember a set of Pirelli's years ago which seemed to evacuate water just fine, but the rubber compound seemed to not offer much grip on wet pavement. I watch out for both now.

One last comment on the V601's. Something I remembered after my last post was the sidewalls seemed a bit stiffer than the PS4S' which made turn-in and steering a bit sharper.

I’ve had 4 sets of RS-RR and one set of the SX2.

SX2 is a much more streetable tire imo. Softer sidewall and so much quieter. I was worried when I got the SX2 that they’d potentially fall apart like PSS on track but they held up great and were extremely/impressively responsive. Tracking the SX2 felt like “cheater mode” to me where with every steering input you can feel and hear what the tires are doing. Almost like in Forza where the triggers vibrate when you give it gas/hit the brakes.

However the RS-RR, IMO, has very little feedback. One moment you’re turning super hard which abruptly turns into a silent slide that finally makes noise after you’ve slid for like 50 feet. I very much like the stiff sidewalls of the rs-rr though, you hardly feel them compress when taking a hard turn.

SX2 is also much better in the rain. I couldn’t even make it to my last track day on my RS-RRs as I kept getting dragged from one lane to another.