Hey,

So I just caught the auto cross bug and I am in the market for some summer tires. Unfortunately I only have a part time job so I am on a budget. As it stands I am currently running Nokain WR "all seasons" (225/45/17) as snow tires (see my other thread) on my s-lites. Naturally these didnt do so well this winter. I mean they worked fine in the dirt and slush but once there was even a little bit of snow on the ground performance went way down.

Since it is the beginning of spring my top priority for now is to pick up a set of 16's and some summer tires.

Basically my big question is, if I drop from my current 225/45/17 "all season" tires to say a 205/50/16 section width on UHPS summer tires will i still se a performance improvement? The big thing I am looking to improve on is my absolute grip, not so much response (if I wanted that I would run profile 40 runflats like my MINI came with).


I am on a real budget right now, like less than 600 total, and as a result I am keeping a close eye on the market place but I am not keeping my hopes up there. If I had the money I might save for some Rota's and pick up some Sumitomo z's off of tirerack.

 

You might check the Marketplace forum here on NAM for OEM 16" wheels (I believe the S-Winders would be your lightest option) on the cheap. Tire Rack has a number of decent options for <$130/tire in the 205/50/16 size. You might check with edgeracing.com as well.

Never run Nokians before, but I would guess that any of the UHP, MP, or EP summer tire options in that size would provide better dry grip than AS/Winter tires even if they are 20mm narrower, but that's just speculation on my part.