Flip to page 83 in the May 2026 issue and you’ll see the first of two pieces of tire editorial that we have recently cooked up for you. On our website at the moment is a deeper-dive version of one of those pieces (What tires? Your three hottest autocross tires for 2026 and Hoosier strikes back: TrackAttack Race A8 and R8 tire test), Editor David is currently at work on Andy Hollis’ latest test report of some R-comp rubber, and I have a tire test report that I need to write up for an upcoming issue as well.
Yeah, tire testing is a big deal around here. You guys like it, the tire companies (sometimes) like it, we like doing it and reporting about it, and we do our best to provide comprehensive information for you to base your choices on.
But man oh man, do we still get a lot of questions about tires.
I once saw an interview with a reporter from the Weekly World News, a tabloid from which you might recognize such solid journalism as “Bat Boy Leads Cops on 3-State Chase,” “Kitten Guilty of Murder” and “500-Foot Jesus Appears at UN.”
While the interview subject was doing his level best to maintain kayfabe, he still said something that stuck with me: “Never question yourself out of a good story.”
So, for example, if you have someone claiming to have given birth to Bigfoot’s love child, don’t hamstring yourself with a lot of questions, like “Does Bigfoot really exist?” or “Have you been drinking this morning?” Questions like these only separate you further from making your deadline and getting lunch, which we all know is the point of real journalism anyway.
Would any of my former journalism professors have agreed with this tactic? No, probably not. Which can only lead me to the conclusion that several–perhaps all–of them were, themselves, bigfeet.
Anyway, my point here, expertly made, is that sometimes it’s good to just accept things at face value, take the win and move on to the next thing.
Yet we still get questions like, “Okay, what tires do I want for my Camaro that I autocross, on asphalt, on a lot where two-thirds of the turns are usually left-handers and slaloms average 62.8 feet (northbound), with 55% relative humidity, and I saw a duck on the way to the event, and I had a ham (uncured) biscuit for breakfast …” and, man, haven’t you read enough by now to know they’re all good as hell?
Look, I completely understand that in the search for speed and competitiveness, we all want to micro-examine impactful choices, and tires are one of the most impactful choices you can make for the performance of a car on track or the autocross course. But I also feel like a lot of us are kind of missing the real message that is hiding in plain sight in the results of so many of our tire tests.
That message: If you’re rolling on one of the currently three major players in the 200tw space, competing in a 200tw class, and you’re routinely getting your ass handed to you, the tires aren’t your problem. Step outside that 200tw category–either to R-comps or into the sub-200 space–and the picture blurs a bit more, but only marginally. There are still multiple solid choices available in those areas as well.
Yeah, the real message in those 200tw tests is not necessarily which tire is fastest–because they’re all really, really good right now–but how they achieve greatness and how they might suit your driving style and habits.
So don’t question yourself out of great tires by focusing on fractions of a second that are likely within the margin of error of your driving ability. Instead, figure out how you drive and which of the excellent choices out there best suits you. You’ve already won the hardest battle of finding the right tire by the fact that there are multiple correct choices. Take that win and go out and try to win on track with those excellent tools.
Also, watch out for murder kittens. I’m pretty sure that one was real.
Comments
Murder kittens – Definitely real. I have the scars to prove it.
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