ITRCA

wats goin on guys. i just picked up my 00 itr in august and i want to bring it to an autocross track in the summer. now i know i want the 15" spoon wheels but i was wondering if anyone had suggestions for tires?

Careful choosing wheels...depending on the class you want to run, it may kick you into a different class even if it's just a different offset.

what class would i be in with a stock itr with the spoon wheel 15by6 1/2?

spooninghonda wrote:what class would i be in with a stock itr with the spoon wheel 15by6 1/2?

You have to run stock wheel width (15 x 6) in stock class. With wider wheels, IIRC, you could run STX or DSP. Depending on the local competition where you run, STX instead of stock might be a good thing, since you have to run street tires in STX. Stock allows race compound tires, which are expensive.

But in general, when you are starting out, you want as few mods to the car as possible. Especially in an itr, which is well prepared from the factory.
The improvements you'll make in the first several events just by learning to drive better far outweigh any mod you can do to the car.

spooninghonda wrote:wats goin on guys. i just picked up my 00 itr in august and i want to bring it to an autocross track in the summer. now i know i want the 15" spoon wheels but i was wondering if anyone had suggestions for tires?

Once you figure out the wheel deal, tire choice in the nonST classes is between Hoosier A3S05 225/45 frt and 205/50 rr or the Kumho V710 205/50 all around.
I prefer the Hoosier set up but if Kumho releases a 225/45..all bets off.

bbqman wrote:

spooninghonda wrote:wats goin on guys. i just picked up my 00 itr in august and i want to bring it to an autocross track in the summer. now i know i want the 15" spoon wheels but i was wondering if anyone had suggestions for tires?

Once you figure out the wheel deal, tire choice in the nonST classes is between Hoosier A3S05 225/45 frt and 205/50 rr or the Kumho V710 205/50 all around.
I prefer the Hoosier set up but if Kumho releases a 225/45..all bets off.

Exactly. But we might be getting ahead of ourselves here. To the original poster, if this will be your first autox, definitely don't show up on Hoosiers Do a few events on street tires and see if autox is even your thang before you tie up any money. And most people will tell you you'll learn faster on street tires, without the r-tire crutch covering up your mistakes...

In that respect, I agree totally. ST to start and go from there. I just wanted him to have to info on the hot setup.
Considering his aftermarket hoops, he might as well go with Z212s and he will have aton of fun.

I know I'm new to this forum...but I do have a little experience in Auto-X as well. I would steer you towards the Falken Azenis RT-615...seems to be the hot setup (pardon the pun...but it doesn't require the same water spray down for cooling between runs that the 215 was noted for) in ST around the ATL region.

I've used them in ST...and they are available in 15" wheel size...check the web for pricing, but I paid about $92/ea for 205/50-15 about 4 months ago. Still relatively inexpensive...and if you find that Auto-X isn't for you, you can still have fun on the street with them (for about 8K-10K miles that is )

Have fun-
Cheers!

I ran on RT-615's this whole last season. Very good tire for the money.

I agree with the above. Keep it simple and cheap your first year. I also agree that you'll learn more on street tires your first year than with any mod. And unless you're a National competitor, a Spoon wheel isn't going to be the deciding factor in winning/losing. It's going to be your brain. The National guys in stock don't even use spoons, they use 10 year old OEM Mazda wheels that happen to be quite light (and cheap).

After a season of learning how to drive (that's not intended as an insult, btw), then you can consider going to stickier tires. BTW, I don't recommend Hoosiers as your first R-compound tire. I would suggest the Kumho Victoracer (the V700, not the 710). Again, you're still learning in year two, and the Hoosier isn't going to be the reason you win/lose. But it WILL set you back a ton of money and probably won't last the season, when the V700 might. Accent the word "might." Trust me, racing can be extremely expensive. It's easy to dive in head first and spend lots of money, so it's prudent to save it where and when you can because you'll need it later on something else.

Enjoy your first year. Meet people and ask for advice. Seasoned autocrossers usually are quick to help and answer questions. Remember, it's a long day with maybe a total of 5 minutes of seat time, so learn to enjoy the social aspects of the game. And save your money the first year, you might not even enjoy doing it.

[quote="bender"][/quote]

Well, another post is ruined. How about quitting?

pipe3405 wrote:
Well, another post is ruined. How about quitting?

I thought the advice given was all pretty good and on topic.

pipe3405 wrote:

bender wrote:

Well, another post is ruined. How about quitting?

Is this directed to me? I don't get it.

I don't get it either.

I'm pretty much sure that was a troll... don't worry about it.

If he cares to post here I'm sure he will PM me first.

Hey would that be a good idea to put some 205 size tires on stock ITR rim with specifications 195/55 R15. Will that increase handaling performance? I heard ppl putin bigger size tires than wat they supose to install up to 2 sizes higher then original. I just wanna know wat ppl think about it?

No problem at all putting a 205/50/15 tire on a stock ITR rim - or any rim that's stock size. In fact, some people put on a wider tire, but you need a 5mm spacer in the front to do this. (I use the 205 for autocross and track events.) 195 or 205 is all you need for the street. In fact, I prefer the handling and feel of the 195 tire on the street over the 205. I don't street race, because it's not safe and I try to preserve my ITR for competition, so stock size tires are fine with me around town.

CTteg wrote:No problem at all putting a 205/50/15 tire on a stock ITR rim - or any rim that's stock size. In fact, some people put on a wider tire, but you need a 5mm spacer in the front to do this. (I use the 205 for autocross and track events.) 195 or 205 is all you need for the street. In fact, I prefer the handling and feel of the 195 tire on the street over the 205. I don't street race, because it's not safe and I try to preserve my ITR for competition, so stock size tires are fine with me around town.

The 195 might "feel" better, because the stock rim bends the wider tire off the ground. There is a huge difference in feel/response/actual times when you put the wider 205 tire in a 15x7 rim instead of the stock size. (Sample: azenis on my stock rims & stock suspension kept the outside 1 1/2" of tire tread off the ground - unmarked after driving on the street.

spooninghonda wrote:wats goin on guys. i just picked up my 00 itr in august and i want to bring it to an autocross track in the summer. now i know i want the 15" spoon wheels but i was wondering if anyone had suggestions for tires?

oops... ignore

spooninghonda wrote:wats goin on guys. i just picked up my 00 itr in august and i want to bring it to an autocross track in the summer. now i know i want the 15" spoon wheels but i was wondering if anyone had suggestions for tires?

Unless you're dead set on having cool looking aftermarket wheels, stick with the stock 15's and install the Azenis. Having raced on both the 615's and the 215's, I'd opt for the new ones.

If you do aftermarket wheels, you'll be in STX and get whooped on by the WRX'es and R32's. Now DS is another story.

I may be biased, but if you really get into autocross, DS is the way to go with the ITR. Speaking from experience, I think messing around in DS with Azenis is a great learning experience but after the novelty wears off, you'll want R comps for the extra speed, plus you'll be a lot more competitive.

Another good option is the relatively new Hankook Ventus R-S2 Z212 - I have been very please with this tire as an auto-x/daily driving tire.