LocostUSA.com

Tire recommendations.. Going to shod my 15x7 wheels soon. My 15x6 wheels have Yoko 195-55-15 s.drives. They are OK but not quite the performance level that I want.

Looking at 205-50-15's

Bridgestone RE11 first choice cost aside

Dunlop Z1 Star spec

Khumo XS cheapest but not as good as the other two so i've heard

Anyone have experience with these tires. I'm leaning toward the Star specs due to price/performance. The Stones are really good, used them before. Star specs are about $80 less per set.

The RE-11's weigh 21 lb ea; you can save lb per wheel with the Toyo Proxes T1R 195/45R15

http://toyotires.com/tire/pattern/proxe ... mmer-tires

(click on SIZES)

They didn't fare too well in C & D tire test but they get very good reviews from users.

I have RE-11's on my Volvo C30 and they're a disappointment; they're not nearly as good in grip or steering response as the Nitto Invo's I had (which also didn't do well in C & D test), though they do ride better.

The only thing I can think of to explain it is that even though they're spec'd the same size at 225/45-17, the RE-11's seem to be quite a bit wider, perhaps too wide for the 7.5" wide rim.

195/45-15 is too small in diameter by 1.3 inches. 205/50 is just right.

T1R is not the toyo you would want to compare to the above mentioned tires. The R1R is what you would want to add to the list. Also consider adding the Hankook Ventus RS3. The following link is some good reading from Autox tire tester Andy Hollis.

I'm on a mission to minimize unsprung weight, and the R1R is 4 lb more per tire; also I'm not going to be doing any tracking.

That's nice...Totally irrelevant, but nice.

Well that was uncalled for.

I've driven all of these tires, and several more, on Miatas. RE-11s are great tires when they're good and warmed up, but the Star Specs are sticky from the get go. On a car as light as the Locost, tire warming could be a problem, which is why I'm going with the Star Specs on mine.

I've got Starspecs on my Miata right now (185/60/14) and they're fantastic. I'd buy them again in a heartbeat if the price hadn't risen so much. My next set will probably be Falken RT615k's because they're $550 for a set instead of $750.

Does that include the T1R?

If so, I'd be interested in your impressions.

Though I wonder how things translate when the tires are dealing with lower loads.

Inflation pressure can be reduced, but the thickness and stiffness of the carcass remains, so what may have been a tight and responsive tire on a heavier car might become overly stiff on a lighter one.

Actually, I have the T1-Rs on my '97 Miata right now--they came with the Konigs I bought from a guy last year. They're nice and predictable at the limit, in fact really well-behaved, but not nearly as sticky as the Bridgestones or Dunlops. I had S.drives before that, and they're about the same.

The R1R is supposed to be a very sticky tire, but only in the 195 size. Apparently they use a different compound for that section only, which makes them really popular for autocross. But only that size. I drove R1Rs once, but they weren't 195s, and they weren't any better than the other midpack brands.

I had Azenis for awhile, the early ones with out the K. Sticky, but not RE-11 or Star Spec sticky. Maybe the 615Ks are better. One thing about the Azenis and RE-11s, and probably most of those ultra tires, the compound seems to get harder the farther down you go, so they lose their incredible grip after 5-10K. The R1R is supposed to have the same compound all the way down.

The R1R looks like a winner. Somehow it wasn't on my list even though they make thwe correct size. This is the tire a friend installed on his Elise a while back, but I haven't talked to him about the tires yet.