Helping You Choose The Best Performance Tires

If your vehicle is a daily driver that occasionally participates in light track days, autocross, and spirited drives, high-performance street tires are your ideal choice. These tires offer an extended lifespan and superior wet weather capabilities compared to pure competition tires, striking the perfect balance for daily-driven performance cars.

Running DOT-spec competition tires full-time can be a compelling option if your car sees occasional or minimal street use but is primarily a track day or autocross vehicle. These tires are purpose-built for track events, offering unparalleled grip and handling characteristics tailored to high-performance driving. Their behavior on the road in less-than-ideal conditions can be sketchy, so be careful if you go down this route.

Weekend cars only driven in perfect conditions are better off with high-performance street tires or performance all-season tires. The peace of mind provided by quality tires capable of handling an unexpected rain shower far outweighs the added performance ceiling unsafe for street driving.

If your car sees regular track or autocross use, you should consider investing in dedicated wheels for your high-performance tires. This will preserve the mileage on your track tires and allow you to maintain the comfort of regular all-season tires for daily use.

Investing in a second set of wheels allows for precise adjustments to your wheel and tire size. Your OEM wheel size was likely not optimized for the race track. As a general rule select a wheel size large enough to clear brakes and suspension components without unnecessary bulk. Sometimes this could mean a smaller rim with a taller sidewall tire than you would run on the street. You can also play with track width by opting for different wheel offsets. This can have benefits on cornering performance and acceleration.

Larger rim sizes increase unsprung weight, reducing this unsprung weight with a smaller wheel size will change the moment of inertia–affecting both acceleration and deceleration. Additionally, shorter and stiffer sidewalls of low-profile tires lack the relaxation length of a taller sidewall, causing sharper and more immediate steering response.

While that may sound like a benefit, shorter and stiffer sidewalls lack the ability to have a dynamic conversation–this is called the relaxation length. Instead of being able to communicate gradual grip degradation and loss of traction as you push to the performance envelope, the tire will feel great right up until traction disappears. Of course, too tall a sidewall is also detrimental, causing excessive deflection while being even more sensitive to tire pressure changes. Sidewall changes also drastically affect your spring rate, as an undamped spring in contact with the road, the sidewall is an effective part of your vehicle's suspension.

Moving to wider wheels or wheels with a different offset can cause changes to scrub radius, spring rate, and roll rate. Sometimes it can even be a cheap way to mildly alter the handling of your vehicle without investing too much money in different suspension components.

Research your specific vehicle before committing to a different-sized wheel and tire combination. Be mindful not to compromise the overall diameter, as it directly influences your car's effective gearing.

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