Rally-X tire suggestions

[captain awesome]

I know this is a newb question but what would you all recomend for Rall-X tires? I have a set of 16 inch rims that I will be using for Rally-X events and right now they do not have tires on them. So what should I be looking at in the way of tires? I don't know what price ranges are on these kind of tires so tell me what is out there!

Thanks,
Micah

[WAM]

More info: What class are you looking to run? Are these to be race-only tires carried to the event, or driven to the event, or doubling as your daily driver tires?

Rally tires are arguably best performing, but 16's generally not available. Next best will be snows, with Firestone Winterforce being a frequent favorite. But many just go with whatever is cheapest. Or when buying in the summer, sometimes you just settle for whatever snows happen to still be available.

[Ty Ty]

Winterforces are great. They're cheap and grippy.

That being said, I run gravels most of the time, and Cooper Weathermaster ST2's in the winter. I've run the ST2's on gravel, and they're quite grippy on that too, but not nearly as tough as a gravel rally tire. It's hard to match the sidewall/beadrolling protection of a true gravel tire.

[409industries]

I've found that when i was running a street modified class that i did pretty well on just about any NEW all season tire. Once they get worn down though its hard to keep any traction. I've used everything from Winterforces, to Kumhos ASX, to General Exclaim UHP's! Go for something that has a decent amount of tread depth and if possible, the stiffest sidewall you can find.

Be careful not to get something that you see has a very nice deep tread pattern but is really flimsy on the sidewall (some light truck tires are this way).

[UP2MTNS]

I really liked my Dunlop winter sport 3D. But that was on a 17" rim and they were V-rated tires and became my DD tires as well for the last 18 months the car was on the street.

They were a little pricey, but lasted a long time.

[The Korean]

Hankook I-Pike Winter tires for me... I run them all year long. When racing pump them up to 40-42 psi and daily driVing drop them back down to 30-32 psi

[Rally OBXT]

As others have said, get the stiffest sidewall tire you can run in your class. Tread depth and design are big factors as well. Good luck.

[watchdoc]

Dunlop SP60's and Conti DWS work very well on the street and rallyx. FYI, if you plan to use 16" wheels on your STi, you're gonna have to change brakes.

[tzdevill]

i am running sp60's and love them. Fell alot better than my old traction ta's did.

[captain awesome]

I should have mentioned that they are for my 2002 WRX wagon. I think I am going to get some winter tires since I am just starting out. They are not going to be for daily use, just strictly for RallyX. Also I am running in the SA class.

Thanks for all the suggestions. Much appreciated.

[dunkinuts]

Dunlop SP60's and Conti DWS work very well on the street and rallyx. FYI, if you plan to use 16" wheels on your STi, you're gonna have to change brakes.

i am running sp60's and love them. Fell alot better than my old traction ta's did.

do you all have pictures of the dunlops? i have looked at them for some time

[eage8]

I should have mentioned that they are for my 2002 WRX wagon. I think I am going to get some winter tires since I am just starting out. They are not going to be for daily use, just strictly for RallyX. Also I am running in the SA class.

Thanks for all the suggestions. Much appreciated.

I would go with winterforces. They're pretty sweet :) They're what I run in SA.

http://avtoindex.com/shop/images/image_1192363896_1.jpg

[dunkinuts]

^^^ how is the tread life on those?

[eage8]

it probably depends on the surface and how you drive. I'm pretty rough on them and drive them 1 1/2 hours to the rallycross and back and they havne't held up great :-p

I'll probably get 1 season out of them and the winter and buy some new ones in the spring.

both the barn course and the gravel course at summit point are pretty hard on tires.

[Moby45]

Micah, I run my Falken 912's and they worked really well.

But i would run a winter tire in SA. I am going to move up to MA so I can run some rally tires.

[PlummRS]

Hate to thread jack, but what tires do everyone recommend for Winter-x rally?

[sniper1rfa]

A performance winter, since you'll eventually dig down and hit some dirt.

[captain awesome]

I just ordered some Winterforce tires. I can't wait to get them on my wagon!!

[WAGONLOVE]

captain awesome, you coming to the rally cross in clever mo this weekend???

[omahasubaru]

^ I like your sig!

[WAGONLOVE]

haha thanks. it was 02wrxrally that made it for me!

[captain awesome]

I would love to but I have other stuff going on tomorrow. And my tires aren't in yet. :(

But there is one scheduled in Tulsa on the 21st of this month. If you need details shoot me a pm.

[WAGONLOVE]

im gonna be in ohio.... i really want to go but i cant...
you should come to ours even without new tires!!!

[captain awesome]

How did the rallyX go today? I had a great time pouring a new cement walkway... /sarcasm.

[rossl]

Winterforce buy 3 tires get one free. For Firestone stores, but a lot of places will price match.

coupon here: http://www.firestonecompleteautocare.com/tire_promotion/show_tire_promotion.jsp?id=10000320

[captain awesome]

Well I put my Winterforces on and they work great on the gravel and dirt. I had some fun on the rural roads in north central Oklahoma today and had no issues at all. The tires felt really stable and made me feel a lot more confidence in my car.

[RalyGrl53]

Excellent Gravel Tires:
Hankook R201 G-71 Soft compound
Pirelli P-Zeros

Great Winter Tires:
Winterforces (I run these on my WRX)
Hankook I-Pikes (run these on the RS-great traction!)

:)

[LPPrelude]

I am unable to use a winter tire and must stick with an everyday street tire.
Any suggestions on a tire that would be good? 195 60 15

[WAM]

I am unable to use a winter tire and must stick with an everyday street tire.
Any suggestions on a tire that would be good? 195 60 15

Maybe one of these?

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Goodyear&tireModel=Eagle+GT&partnum=96VR5GT&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=BFGoodrich&tireModel=Traction+T/A+T&sidewall=Raised%20Black%20Letters&partnum=96TR5TTAT&tab=Sizes

[tzdevill]

i have loved my dunlop sp60's!!! but they are 195-65-15
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Dunlop&tireModel=SP+60

[LPPrelude]

That BF Goodrich tire was recomended by the sells guy at Discount Tire. The reviews aren't so good on that tire though.
The Good Year has decent reviews but looks to much like a sporty tire for dirt?
The Dunlop looks like a good tire and the price is competitive to the others.

Decisions, decisions, decisions. I am going to buy something on Friday.
Any opinions thoughts or suggestions?

I can't use a winter rated tire :(
I saw these and they looked good.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Fuzion&tireModel=HRi&sidewall=Blackwall&autoMake=Subaru&autoYear=1996&autoModel=Impreza LX Coupe&autoModClar=&partnum=96HR5HRI&tab=Sizes

[Bubba02sti]

i use the goodyear eagle gt's that were previously posted... i love them...

[WAM]

That BF Goodrich tire was recomended by the sells guy at Discount Tire. The reviews aren't so good on that tire though.

You find some reviews for rallycross performance did you? The BFG Traction T/A has been the primary stock class tire here in California events that don't allow snow tires in stock. But a couple years ago they were available in H and V ratings, which have been discontinued. I don't know if the T is as good, but it does have the same tread pattern.

You can choose what looks good to you, but these have been raced by a lot of people, myself included. I personally don't think it's a critical decision. People win on all sorts of tires.

[LPPrelude]

You find some reviews for rallycross performance did you? The BFG Traction T/A has been the primary stock class tire here in California events that don't allow snow tires in stock. But a couple years ago they were available in H and V ratings, which have been discontinued. I don't know if the T is as good, but it does have the same tread pattern.

You can choose what looks good to you, but these have been raced by a lot of people, myself included. I personally don't think it's a critical decision. People win on all sorts of tires.

Negative on the Rallyx reviews. That is why I posted here to get opinions.

Thank you for your input. They are readily available to me at a local tire shop and the others are not. So, I will just go with what is available.

[geekmonster]

You find some reviews for rallycross performance did you? The BFG Traction T/A has been the primary stock class tire here in California events that don't allow snow tires in stock. But a couple years ago they were available in H and V ratings, which have been discontinued. I don't know if the T is as good, but it does have the same tread pattern.

You can choose what looks good to you, but these have been raced by a lot of people, myself included. I personally don't think it's a critical decision. People win on all sorts of tires.

bill is correct, the traction t/a's are pretty popular and i've run them the last 2 seasons. for us guys in street stock where we aren't allowed to use winter tires, they do pretty good. i've been pretty happy with them and i'm not even a big fan of bfg tires. they're generally pretty good on price as well, so its a great all around tire for the price. for street stock rallyx, i would give them a 4/5 rating. sure a winter tire would be a lot better, but these also will provide a longer tread life as well.

i also liked that if you bump the pressure up to at least 40psi, you don't really have problems with de beading tires. out of the 2 years i ran these, i only had bead sealing problems once. i hit a tight right hard with lots of loose small pebbles and some of those pebbles found their way into the bead. if i wouldn't have turned so sharp and fast, i would have been ok, but thats the only time i had issues with them. i plan on ordering another set of traction t/a's soon for the upcoming season.

[Pretendingtowork]

I got a flat after Glen Helen this past weekend so I am looking into tires now. I think that traction T/A's are the ticket. Although I am looking at the Conti DWS's and the General Exclaim UHP as well. I guess when I get to the tire shop I will choose based on whats in stock....Unless somebody has some other opinion to offer???

Other than that, thanks for all the great info in this thread!!!

[WAM]

Heh, a lot of people debeaded at Glen Helen. Shopping for new tires isn't going to fix that. Some lost rally tires -- hard to get sidewalls stiffer than that.

After debeading a snow (@ 40psi) last year I installed tubes. I probably have a half-dozen events on them with no problems. Cheaper and lighter than beadlocks. Dunno if they work great, or I've just been lucky.

[Pretendingtowork]

Heh, a lot of people debeaded at Glen Helen. Shopping for new tires isn't going to fix that. Some lost rally tires -- hard to get sidewalls stiffer than that.

After debeading a snow (@ 40psi) last year I installed tubes. I probably have a half-dozen events on them with no problems. Cheaper and lighter than beadlocks. Dunno if they work great, or I've just been lucky.


I was fine at GH...I picked up a nail on the way home...:kyle:

[WAM]

Hardly seems fair to survive the event and then flat on the way home. Still, if you're about to get tires, this would be the time to think if you want anything special. My local shop has some really sticky black bead sealant goo that might be somewhat protective against debeads.

[Pretendingtowork]

I can't complain, the tires were getting old anyway and after reading what others went through, I got away lucky. But yeah, you are 100% right, time to get something special. I will have to look into that goo you are talking about. I am even thinking of picking up some rims/tires to dedicate to rally-x.

[LGT-FST]

Its called bead sealant. LOR

[RalyGrl53]

It really depends on the terrain you are running in. I used to run Pirelli P-Zero (gravel tires) for the mud and sand and the grip was sick.

Right now I am all about Hankooks. I have the W4-04's (older I-pikes) for snow tires and they are great in slush, ice, snow, clay, mud, water. I also run medium compound hankook gravel tires for the sand rally x's.

Paul from Team Illuminata always has great deals. :)

[omahasubaru]

Excellent Gravel Tires:
Hankook R201 G-71 Soft compound
Pirelli P-Zeros

Great Winter Tires:
Winterforces (I run these on my WRX)
Hankook I-Pikes (run these on the RS-great traction!)

:)

Have you done any back-to-back comparisons with the R201s and Winterforces?