Just got back from my first autocross...

[WolfWings]

...and I think I did pretty good overall, considering I'm bone-stock w/ 15" steelies aside from the TRD rear sway bar my car came with from the dealership lot.

Chris Armstrong in STS Category

Most of the experienced folks there said if I got in the 60's I'd be doing well, but apparently all my years Touge-driving in the California mountains payed off, since I broke into the 50's which made a few folks question again if I'd ever been to an SCCA event before.

Now to save up for better rims and tires, since as the announcer put it, "And I do believe that's the first time we've seen a Yaris manage to leave four skid marks behind without spinning out."

[blueskana]

Congratulations. Just better rubber will help out alot! Thing squeals like a stuck pig on stock tires, LOL.

[nqd]

Congrats buddy....i get questioned as well...so dont feel bad haha

[WolfWings]

Anyone out there have recommendations for tires then?

What research I've done makes it looks like I should look into 205/50-15 since that seems to be the 'sweet point' that has the most options available in STS without blowing $200+ per tire even through tirerack. So, thoughts out there for a good tire?

I'm considering the BFGoodrich g-Force T/A series, specifically the KDW 2 (flame-like tread pattern) or KD (asymetric classic 'feather' pattern) options, anyone have any experience on those two? Or should I ask in the Tires/Suspension forum instead?

[kurokoma-kun]

Congratulations WolfWings, nice results!

I have Kumho Ecsta ASX in 205/50/15 on 15x6.5 wheels. I am very happy with the way they handle. But as mine is mainly daily driver I was looking for something fairly cheap + durable.

For auto-x only I'm thinking about putting the Goodrich's on a set of 14x6s from another car. Other people in my club with an extra set seem to prefer those, though some like Toyo or Hoosier.

[WolfWings]

Since I'm in STS I can't run pure-Comp tires, I have to run ones with a treadwear of 140 or above. So 14" rims really aren't an option since there's just nothing available for that size that I could easily find. At least this way I can just change tires before going to the track, run, then drive home. No need to cart more than simple tire-pressure gear to and from the events that way.

But yeah, for daily-driver tires the Kumho ASX tires would be great if I didn't expect to deal with snow and ice where I live during the winters and pouring rainstorms other times of the year. I'll actually be trying to get a set of 5 14" steel rims so I can pick up some 185/65-14 Goodyear Assurance ComforTred all-season tires if I can. Third-best tire across the board except in comfort where they're the best-of-breed, perfect for a daily-driver tire especially on long road-trips. The second option (Michelin HydroEdge) unfortunately is directional so I couldn't have a full-sized spare reasonably while I can with the ComforTreds.

[kurokoma-kun]

Guhh, the rules are baffling sometimes. For instance the way my Miata is set up now it would need to run in CSP, though REAL csp cars could kick its ass. Going back to stock is an option, but while normally a 94 would be in ES, because mine has a torsen LSD it would have to be in CS with new ones! Besides, I'd have to do a buncha stuff to be competitive in any class--for example the first (and last) time I took it, I had to replace the wheel bearing the next week!

Like my local club cares--they are pretty flexible, like they letting me + Yaris stay in H-stock this year, even though I have a couple of mods normally not allowed. But an STS set-up is what I'm going for next year.

What have you done to your Yaris so far?

[WolfWings]

So far it's bone-stock aside from the TRD rear sway bar. I barely hit 1300miles on the odometer, and changed the oil over to Mobil-1 at 1200 and drove it a hundred miles before the event. No time to do anything else yet.

Planned reliability-mods fall quite nicely in line with STS class regulations though:
Braided DOT brake lines.
Better rotors/pads by the time I wear this set out.
Air intake + filter.
Front strut brace.

No exhaust or lowering planned, I like my ride-comfort and ground clearance is a pain as it is; even bone-stock I can't get the car up on wheel ramps but I can just barely change the oil without jacking the car up. I'll keep it there, thanks.

[blueskana]

Falken Azenis RT-615:http://www.vulcantire.com/azenis_rt6...roogle2954018W
Bridgestone RE01R:http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Sizes....Potenza+RE-01R

Either of these you'll probably love. The Bridgestones may be the best for all-around driving, as they are better in the rain, though the Falken's are alot cheaper. Grip and lateral stiffness are both outstanding. You could enhance this further by running either of them in the 195 width and stretching them over 6.5-7 inch wide rims. Another choice could be the Yokohama AVS ES-100:http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Sizes....odel=AVS+ES100
Good sidewall stiffness and communication/gradual breakaway.

Best of luck however you go!

[WolfWings]

Ooh, much better options, I agree.

And with how poorly the stock Potenza's on the Yaris have been, and how well the Falken's (same type no less!) were doing at the autocross I just went to, and how cheap the Falken's are, those will likely end up being my SCCA tires for the 2008 season. :-)

[mojoyaris]

I like the 615's that I have. I'm running them on 16 inch Rota Grids. I basically bought the tires from our club president who only used them once. They're weren't exactly the size I wanted, but they'll do for now.
My plan is for some tires to fit the ce28's. I'm trying to figure out what I want to use. Do I stay in STS and use RE01's or another set of 615's? Or should I put Nitto Nt555r's or NT01's or another R-comp (for fun). But then I'd be stuck in SM which I plan to go into anyways.

[WolfWings]

At this point I have no intentions to go into SM, so STS-limits are all that apply to me. If the rear sway bar didn't make such a night-and-day difference in the stability of the Yaris, I'd stick to H-stock actually. But it does, so I'm going to be aiming towards building it up towards STS it looks like since I'm not willing to bolt the sway-bar on-and-off each track day, and don't feel comfortable driving it as a daily driver without the sway bar.

Also, I don't need to run tires so super-soft that I have to change at the event, I can just change at home and drive the pre-stripped vehicle over instead of having to haul tires back and forth. Advantage: Warmed-up tires!

Now I just need to get a set of 14" rims for my daily-driver tires (ComforTreds, ahoy!) since I'm aiming for a luxury-car-like daily-driver build with STS-class mods for when I race it. :-)