Tires that can run smoothly on rain, snow, mud, slippery sand, and of course the standard high-ways, if you’re searching for such tires, you will reach one answer only, all-season tires. And for autocross driving through, you won’t find a better-suited tire than the all-season ones.
With that said, let’s head into the list of best autocross tires, which are not only highly-rated but also reliable for online buying. This list comprises tires that are capable of handling different terrains and perform in minimal noise.
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Benefits of Autocross Tires
Many mud-terrain and road-terrain enthusiasts are now shifting to all-season tires as they offer the best tires for comfort and effectiveness.
Doesn’t let seasons dictate your driving experience
You don’t have to change tires from time to time and can go on with the same set all around the year. These are the best value tires for working well in heavy rain or snow and have a lot of traction on a smooth track too.
More Aggressive than Highway Tires
Highway tires have smooth tread patterns which make them vulnerable to slippery or mud terrains. They have more gaps and offer better traction.
Less Noise
They are not as quiet as road tires but are substantially less noisy than mud terrains. If you’re the driver behind the wheel then you want something between the two types which is what all-seasons tire is. But the sound won’t come in your way but your ride will be much more comfortable.
Better Tread Design
All-season tires use good quality rubbers than winter tires. And the design is also a mix of road and mud tires, making them more suitable for all-weather conditions.
5 Best Autocross Tires Review in 2023
For this list, we have tested the tires for both off-road and on road compatibility.
Falken Wildpeak AT3W all-Terrain Radial Tire
Falcon has different tires to support your trucks in adverse conditions but over the years while autocross has been increasing in popularity, they have delivered us some of the best autocross tires time and time again.
At first glance, this is a tire with a good amount of rubber used on it. And the more you stare at it, the more you notice the excellent work on its design.
This is meant for a highway driving car but it’s a lot bulkier and has a bit more aggression which this can use to put up with all the weather adversities a highway street can put you through The treads pattern stands out immediately, as you get good traction on the muddy or sandy street.
And the jagged and rigid tread blocks will add to the stability of the tires and provide more grip on slipping street. Also, the grooves are also designed to prevent gravels or stones from being stuck between them If you are living in a hotter region or autocross racing or driving for long hours, the tire is befitting in tackling all that as well with its heat diffusing technology that keeps the tires cool.
This makes the whole vehicle more stable in managing heavier load. More reason why it’s the perfect autocross tire is because of how well this handles the corners and turns. Even if you’re taking tight corners, your tire won’t wear out and provide stability when handling.
The tires make the car feel more planted on the roads giving you more control. But where this completely beats mud-terrain tires is in the comfort and noise departments. This ride will be a lot smoother and comfortable on the track. And in terms of noise, it’s barely noticeable. This tire is good for All-Terrain.
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Related Guide: Good Tires for Honda Pilot
Bridgestone Potenza RE-71R Ultra High Performance Tire
Bridgestone as a brand has never failed to deliver so When they made their high-performance tire, their goal was to make autocross tires that will grip well and help in high-speed cornering. And they have achieved exactly that. Their Potenza series is one that specializes in summer tires, but this
can just as well be considered an all-seasons tire for the versatility in this model.
The reason why this isn’t a summer street tire alone like many might assume is that it doesn’t only focus on grip on dry roads, it is just as
effective on the wet surface and equally grip. Whether the conditions are dry or damp, the traction offered by the Potenza is of the maximum precision and will make handling and cornering much more stable.
The best thing about this wheel is that the shoulders are extremely stiff to enable high-speed cornering. Also, the shoulders make contact with the road more planted which in turn provides a great steering response and greater handling. These are autocross tires that a driver will confidently race with.
On top of that, grip and steering advantage is felt even better on the dry street. But you’re not making any compromise when it comes to the wet grip either because you get an insanely predictable handling balance and braking is also more precise on the wet surfaces than any other tire.
However, when you’re looking at high-performance tires, the noise factor shouldn’t be a big driver of your decision, just like it wasn’t for Bridgestone Potenza. The set of tires do create a bit of noise. And on top of that, you will feel every stone or gravel you hit on the street but the impact will be minimum in derailing you. To sum it up, on good track, you won’t get better grip and steering feel but you have to be aware of the gravels and noise.
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Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperCar 3 Performance Radial Tire
Goodyear tires are one of those reliable lots in the industry that you don’t expect to be the winners in every category but once tested, their excellent consistency in a variety of fields, place them among the best autocross tires.
That’s what brings them a place in this tight race of ours. Be it, the handling, steering, cornering or quietness, you can always see them conjure up a decent score.
The rubber compound is one that you see in autocross race performance tires and you know right away the quality is for powerful cars and nobody wants to miss out on these. The low grooved shoulders and the tread pattern combine to provide solid grip and cornering traction, the best a set of tires can offer you.
But what stands out even more than that is the steering response you get from the wheel making for outstanding handling. The steering enables precise braking and overall, more balance and control to your car. It won’t
take you longer than a few tries to get the hang of these performance tires as they are easy and light on the car too. So, you will know the limits and be able to effectively drive on the limits pretty soon.
With noise, this is much quieter than the tires of its kind. It makes for a smoother daily ride for any driver. But you do feel the bumps on the street when you hit one, and that will call for some steering adjustment that is immediately responsive and you shouldn’t be affected by it all that much.
For superior handling and high-speed cornering, you won’t have to look for a better tire. But what they could’ve done better is use a lower price. But considering that this uses race-inspired treads, the price is justified for an autocross racing tire from a reputed brand.
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MICHELIN Pilot Sport 4 S Performance Radial Tire
Replacing the original super sport tires, everyone had their eyes on what they’ll use to make it an even better autocross tire. And saying that they have stepped up to the challenge is an understatement because they have made a tire close to being the best autocross tire for any high-performance car that people will be using for days to come for sure.
These are performance tires that you can show off during the car shows. The logo placed on the sidewall will look amazing in car shows. All the R&D has resulted in one high-performance summer tire that shows excellent performance in the rain as well.
It was designed not only to provide the gripping ability and driving experience behind the wheel but also to ensure you get rigid and firmness throughout the course of it, even when cornering.
When you look into the rubber compound, the unique shoulder blocks grab your attention. It has lightning-like siping used on it that offers exceptional traction regardless of the conditions you’re driving in. Further, the sidewalls are lined with rim protectors. So, this will help you maintain balance when impacted with light abrasions or bumps.
If you’re someone who enjoys high speeds, this tire is for you. This has a speed rating of 186mph. So, autocross racers planning on defeating their records will find this very much to their appreciation. You can find this in different tire sizes, so compatibility shouldn’t be a huge obstacle for this excellent tire. But this is OE for any sports and exotic car.
For the price point, this is a great tire and it charges a decent amount too. Hence, it’s no surprise that it stays quiet on the track.
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Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 Ultra High Performance Tire
Whether it’s their style or their class act tire, a product release from Firehawk always keeps us on the edge of our sits as they are always either improving or use a symbolizing style that you can’t help but gawk at. While they tell their drivers to drive with confidence, once you see this tire you won’t need to be told that because you will be doing that on your own.
The best improvement on this edition is the shortened stopping distance. It came as a result of the distinctive tread pattern and the rubber compound itself.
Now, this features 20% shorter stop distance even on wet surfaces where stopping takes considerably longer space.
One of the other things that has put this Indy 500 ahead of its competition for autocross races is they have worked on the performance for both dry and wet conditions which is why this version performs a lot better with the upgraded silica rubber.
Apart from that, their very own pulse groove technology provides greater water evacuation and on the wet surfaces this will allow you to have much better handling and a smoother experience. Further, they have also made the shoulders wider on this, which has increased the on road stiffness of these autocross tires when making a sharp turn. So, you can get a better traction and turn the tough corners with ease during autocross.
This tire offers great stability when driving and coupled with the shortened stopping distance, this will make driving a lot smoother and give you confidence to test your skills.
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Before You Buy What To Look For
For autocross competitions, having a good tire is irrefutable and here are some of the features and function that you ought to be aware of to not wind up with the bad apple.
All-Season and Summer Tires
We have reviewed both all-seasons and performance summer tires, both of which are excellent for autocross driving, but it might leave you confused as to which is the best tire to go with. To help you with the decision, here’s the best features of both. All-season tires are meant for being driven on all weather situations.
Be it rain or snow, the rubbers are heavier and a better fit for handling adverse conditions. But when it comes to a single surface then you probably need a performance summer tire. But when you’re looking for a tire for regular use without having to tweak too many times, all-seasons tires are hard to compete against.
However, according to experts the tread compound of all seasons tires have a softer composition which makes them slower to response and they cannot quite offer the grip or handling as a summer tire can.
Performance Summer tires on their own can be difficult to deal with on a wet surface unless they have been improved to better handle that. And such tires are the ones that are best for autocross racing. Their treads are stiffer and offer great grip and traction on the track. So, you have better handling and steering stability. The steering feels much more responsive.
Overall, if your ultimate goal is to accelerate on a race track, performance summer tires will offer you more grip and help with high-speed cornering.
But if your aim is getting the best tire for the street then all-seasons has more versatility to offer. They are also more lasting and will last around 30,000 miles more than summer tires. Also, summer tires aren’t equipped to handle adverse weather and if kept on the track in snow, they will skid easily. Finally, for autocross tire you can never go for anything less so, price of the two types are relatively on the same price level.
Tread Compound and Design
The tread compound is the most important factor when it comes to autocross tracks. The treads for this set of tires need to have higher stiffness for the turns and the design should be humble with the grooves and the siping. The design eventually depends on what you want of your ride, but overall a smoother design will give you better grip and acceleration.
On the other hand, all seasons or all terrain type tires can also be a good choice for street driving and handling impacts. The simple treads don’t do well against pebbles and impacts, so you will feel it quite a bit on them, enough to need steering adjustments. With all seasons type, you won’t even notice such things.
Noise
With high-performing tires, where the grip is the ultimate goal, noise is often overlooked and so they are quite noisy. But if you are someone who dislikes the noise, then all-seasons tires become the obvious choice as they have reasonably quieter tires.
Side-wall
Side walls aren’t all that looked into when it comes to autocross tires but sidewalls with rim protection will make the ride safer and give protection to the wheel from wearing out when you hit bumps or light abrasions. But the rim protections on these tires don’t offer that much protection to make a difference when you hit hard, so it is a feature that you can ignore in autocross tires.
Mileage Warranty
Whether you buy all-seasons or summer tires for autocross, mileage warranty is something you absolutely need to look at. They don’t come with life warranties of course but an all-seasons wheel should have a longer warranty than summer tires. But with all-season the warranty is more important as you use them throughout the year and subject them to all kinds of environment, they wear out faster. However, usually the warranty depends on the model of the tire.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is autocross racing hard on your tires?
No, autocross is hard on the tires because they are subjected to more vicious turns and corners no matter the car you use. This creates an issue of treadwear, where the tires slowly take longer distance to stop as they are losing the traction due to treadwear.
Which has better grip all-season or summer tire for autocross?
Undoubtedly a set of summer tires offer more grip, which is why they compromise on other features like noise. On the other hands, to make all-seasons appropriate for all weathers, they compromise the grip on wet track for better handling and steering stability in the snow.
How do all-seasons tires perform in the winter autocross?
In the winter they perform reasonably well unless the temperature drops too low. In that case, winter tires are the only hope because of their deep tread and specialized tread design which makes driving in the snow easier. If you’re planning to autocross race in the snow, a winter wheel should be the safer choice.
Can I use summer tires when the temperature is low?
If for autocross racing, then it is recommended to change tires while the temperature is still above 45°F. When the weather is chillier these tires will not perform as well, as they are not meant for such conditions.
Final Words
Most of the tires we recommended come from some popular brand because if it’s for an autocross racing car, the ones with low price just don’t compare.
Whether you’re searching for tire reviews or for the best autocross tires, you will notice anything with lower price just can’t make the cut.