Tires for 16/17 OEM 7 Spoke

[CarterK]

I apologize in advance if this is a retread of a previous post, but I'm a bit confused.

I just ordered a set of 16/17 7 Spokes from a 1999 to go on my '91 and I'm looking for tires. On tirerack.com when I enter the car info only 3 sets of tires are available, and one is a track only tire. That seems like an insanely small selection.

Am I missing something here?

 

[nsxtasy]

The selection of tires in the stock '99 NSX front size of 215/45-16 is extremely small. But you can substitute 205/45-16 and it will work fine (especially on a '91-93, for which it's more suitable for the TCS). There are lots more tires available in 205/45-16; the Tire Rack has 12 choices for that size with the 245/40-17 rears.

 

[deeguy]

kumho xs is pretty much the only main stream tire option in the stock 16/17 sizing. really quite a grippy tire, but if used for daily commuting, suspect they will not last very long. Agree with nsxtasy with front 205/45-16 working well.

 

[kaede]

In OEM spec there is also the falken azenis rt615k which is also a very sticky tire. But both of them don't do so well in the wet if you ever venture out in the wet and or get caught in the rain. =D But as the others mentioned, go for 205/45/16 front, you'll have MUCH more excellent selections :wink:

 

[SFNSXguy]

I have a set of the 16/17 wheels with Falken Azenis RT-615K tires -- 215/45/16 & 255/40/17. Work well for both street and track days.

 

[nsxtasy]

In the stock '94-01 sizes of 215/45-16 and 245/40-17, there are only two choices: the Kumho Ecsta XS, and the Bridgestone Potenza RE010, the stock tire that was designed for the NSX (and for its specific corners). The RT-615K is available if you go to 255 in the rear, which you can do. Both the XS and the RT-615K are "extreme performance" tires.

The RE010 will maximize the feel of handling preciseness in the NSX. The XS and the RT-615K will both give exceptional traction on dry pavement. However, neither of those is all that good on wet pavement, and they don't last all that long (and neither does the RE010).

If you want a bit more traction on wet pavement, then you can get two other "extreme performance" tires in 205/45-16 and 245/40-17: the Bridgestone Potenza RE-11, and the Toyo Proxes R1R.

If you're looking for longer treadlife (as well as better traction in rain), then you will probably not want one of these choices. Instead, the best you can do is get 205/45-16 and 245/40-17 in one of the "ultra high performance" tires, the best of which are the Bridgestone Potenza RE760 Sport and the Yokohama S.drive.

 

[bngl3rt]

The RE010 will maximize the feel of handling preciseness in the NSX. The XS and the RT-615K will both give exceptional traction on dry pavement. However, neither of those is all that good on wet pavement, and they don't last all that long (and neither does the RE010).

In my use I have found that the RT-615K gives much better "bite" and feedback than the XS. I have not had a chance to try the RE010 yet.

 

[peiserg]

What do you guys think as far as a dedicated track tire? I've got the stocker 16/17's and looking to outfit the wheels with some kick ass tires that will be for track only.

 

[Hapa88]

What do you guys think as far as a dedicated track tire? I've got the stocker 16/17's and looking to outfit the wheels with some kick ass tires that will be for track only.

I've run the Federal 595 RS-R Racing on my Mazdaspeed for the track and am quite surprised by how good it is. I wouldn't put it up there with the best and it's definitely not the most competitive tire, but it's great for HPDEs. For the price it's definitely worthy of a look.

I'd rank it up there with the NT01 in terms of grip. The NT01 handles heat better though (the 595 will start to get slicker toward the end of a 20 min session), but the 595RS-R seems to last longer (as in overall mileage).

Looks like you'd have to go 205/45/16 with a 255/40/17 rear
http://www.federaltire.com/en/images/products/20120711232529671.pdf