Best Tires for SCCA Street Touring Class
Street Touring (ST) classes share the same 200TW tire minimum as Street class but allow significantly more modifications to the car — coilovers, larger wheels, some engine work. The tire itself remains one of the biggest performance variables even in ST, where the cars are faster and more capable.
Street Touring Sub-Classes
| Class | Full Name | Typical Cars |
|---|---|---|
| STR | Street Touring Roadster | MX-5 Miata, S2000, Z4, 124 Spider |
| STX | Street Touring X | GR86/BRZ, Civic Type R, WRX, GTI |
| STH | Street Touring Hatch | Civic Si, Focus ST/RS, Golf GTI |
| STS | Street Touring Sport | Miata NA/NB, older Civic, CRX |
| STF | Street Touring Front | Front-wheel drive cars under 2500 lbs |
The Tire Rule in Street Touring
All Street Touring sub-classes require 200TW or higher tires. No R-compounds. The same tires competitive Street class drivers run — RE71RS, A052, RT660 — dominate Street Touring as well. The difference in ST is that you can often run a larger, wider tire because the class allows larger wheels and more suspension travel than stock.
Best Tires for Street Touring
Sizing Advantage in Street Touring
Because ST allows coilovers and often wider wheels than Street class, you may be able to run a wider tire than on the same car in Street. Verify your specific sub-class rules for maximum wheel width and tire size allowances.
More wheel width = better tire fit = often more grip. A 245 on a 9" wheel behaves differently than a 245 on a 7.5" wheel — the wider wheel gives a flatter contact patch and more lateral stiffness.
If you're running coilovers, you're no longer in Street class — you're in Street Touring. This is correct and expected. Street Touring exists specifically to give drivers a class for their modified-but-still-streetable cars. Don't try to run Street class with coilovers.
Notes on STS — The Small Tire Class
STS (Street Touring Sport) runs older, lighter cars and often requires smaller tire sizes — 205/50R15 is a common STS size on classic Miatas. The RE71RS is the dominant choice here because it's one of the few performance 200TW tires available in that size. RT660 availability in smaller sizes is improving but verify before purchasing.