Brad... you'd further want to consider having different rim sets/tires pending with whom/where/class you'd be in.. ALL PENDING how serious a contender you want to become, and.. how deep is your wallet with allowable "tire money". MAYBE... you could get a sponsorship for tires.. you'd have to be pretty dedicated to the sport and the sponsor (tire company and/or distributor).
The hi-end all-out seriously committed SCCA solo/autocross (pylon events) racers will usually go through 2-3-4 sets of tires a season.... running about 2-3-4 events per month between spring~fall.
Look at the clubs you could participate with and their "tire rules"; determine your "classification" if its any matter.
The mentioned 200 tw is becoming more popular with many clubs, in part because you could, theoretically, "drive" them to/from an event as well as every day. BUT.. choices/sizes become more restricted... and once you jump up the typical 17-18-19-20" sizes... they are increasingly expensive.
You'll notice the "GoodGuys" event's top finishers ALL have the stickiest tires at 200 tw.. which is the organization's "tire rule limt".
At SCCA Solo Street Prepared and similar categories, the softest, such as Hoosier A6, Kumho and some others with a 40tw.. stick like glue real quickly (and they harden up over time, too)... and maybe you can get 30~60 minutes of competition autocross time out of an A6 Hoosier before they need replacement again to remain competitive at a top level.
As the old saying goes: "How fast do you want to go? How much do you want to spend?"
The driver (aka "nut behind the wheel") will still make the biggest difference in the driving performance.
Starting at the outside of the car (tires/contact patch) is a critical performance decision... then moving inwards (suspension, etc).
I'm personally making decisions based upon various club's tire rules which I've chosen to participate... will probably end up with at least 2-3 sets of rims/tires accordingly... to remain "competitive".
Here's a picture of my Hoosier A6 275-45-16 autocross tire (40tw) on my 16x10 rims, and my BFG T/A street/hwy rear tire 275-60-15 (400 tw) mounted on 15x8 minilite rims (same as your's). My old Hoosiers are worn out from last year's Sept MMW/Indy autocross (took at least 30 50-second runs), so, right now I'm considering to either get another set of Hoosier A6 (or R6 for road course competition) tires, or else maybe BFG G-Force Comp-2 255-50-16s (340tw) so to simply drive to/from various road course lapping events ("The Hoosiers shouldn't be driven on the road"... ok officer.. I've been told that before!). I'm also seriously planning to eventually get a set of 18x10 rims and 200 tw tires sized at ~275-35-18 for the front and rears.. and probably drive ONLY on them to very selected events... until I start trailering again in the future.
SO.. be very selective of your choice(s)... ultimately to (1) be able to enter, per "rules/restrictions" and actually compete at the event, (2) be reasonably "competitive" against the other entrants, and (3) spending the $$$ wisely as you can afford.
(sorry... the attachment needs to be opened by the viewer)
