DOT-R Tires Discussion

[lucid]

Originally Posted by BMW M Power Mexico

I got a tiny showing of cords on the outside shoulder of the rears at my last day as you can see in the pic. The fronts show no cording yet.

They still grip very well, less than new but still far above the PS2s.

I had them remounted for the 2nd time after my last TD (as you can see, the slight cording is now on the inside shoulder).

How do you choose which tires to run at which corner? This has been my thinking so far:

1. I run the "best" tire on the left front (the track I run at is clockwise).
2. Second best tire goes on the right front.
3. Third best left rear.
4. Worst on the right rear.

It seems that the M eats tires a little bit more on the rear in my car. Now that I am showing some cords:

1. Would you run these tires?
2. If yes, where?

New tires are on order anyway but I'd like to get the most life out of each set for obvious reasons - without risking an accident.

Hmmm. I haven't seen any cording on mine. What camber are you running front and back? Maybe you don't have enough camber up front (assuming those tires were mounted up front before the wear showed up while they were mounted in the back)? Also, what cold/hot pressures are you running?

Also, when I had -1.75 in camber in the back, I was overheating the inside edges of the rears at Limerock. So, I'd be careful with running those tires if the cords are showing.

My tires seem to be wearing out fairly evenly, but I do have camber plates, and dialed the rear camber back to -1.5. I start out 34-35 cold, which puts hot numbers around 40-41.

Also, I have a staggered setup, so I have wider tires than you do in the rear (285s). I swap sides depending on the track direction.

[Gearhead999s]

Originally Posted by SCCAForums.com

That should actually be pretty neutral for the car...

The nice thing about the RA1's... is that when they get greasy... (read... you overcooked a turn or two)... they actually 'come back'... whereas the 888's do not!

The Treadwear is unbelievable for those tires! Enjoy! (Comparatively speaking for a Race Compound Tire)
Dave

Change of plan.I am going to run RA1 275's all the way round.I am ordering 2 more 18x9.5's for the front.This will be a much more cost effective option as I will also be able to rotate the tires and 275's are a very common tire.

[MarksM]

These really work well and lost of life. 3 days Miller Motor sport and 2 days Reno Fernley

285/30/18 fronts

You will be surprised at how well they handle

Might be because the size helps with the heat and weight of the car.
BFG's and ADVAN's (285's were just not up to the task, Over heated within the middle of a session.

[KINGLEH]

Originally Posted by BMW M Power Mexico

I got a tiny showing of cords on the outside shoulder of the rears at my last day as you can see in the pic. The fronts show no cording yet.

They still grip very well, less than new but still far above the PS2s.

I had them remounted for the 2nd time after my last TD (as you can see, the slight cording is now on the inside shoulder).

How do you choose which tires to run at which corner? This has been my thinking so far:

1. I run the "best" tire on the left front (the track I run at is clockwise).
2. Second best tire goes on the right front.
3. Third best left rear.
4. Worst on the right rear.

It seems that the M eats tires a little bit more on the rear in my car. Now that I am showing some cords:

1. Would you run these tires?
2. If yes, where?

New tires are on order anyway but I'd like to get the most life out of each set for obvious reasons - without risking an accident.

Hey Mexi... I assume you run Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.... Ive ran that track a couple of times... I always liked it but the walls are a little forgiving! if you hit them.. with the designs in them.. But what configuration do they run during DE's... ive ran the long right hander around the baseball field in the last corner.. and through the middle of the baseball field.. street course style... I though it was awesome going through the stadium.. But i guess that was a 1 time deal?

[KINGLEH]

Originally Posted by MarksM

These really work well and lost of life. 3 days Miller Motor sport and 2 days Reno Fernley

285/30/18 fronts

You will be surprised at how well they handle

Might be because the size helps with the heat and weight of the car.
BFG's and ADVAN's (285's were just not up to the task, Over heated within the middle of a session.

Tell us more.. because i was looking at TOYO R2s... in that size.. but afraid they wouldn't fit.. whats your exact setup.. wheels and offset?..



I just got my track setup in.. (2nd one).. started over and found a killer deal on tire rack... I haven't fitted the wheels yet but it looks to be pretty killer setup....

I wanted something i could drive to the track on... so Hoosier r6 or anything wasn't an option...


I will make a thread ina bit...

[KINGLEH]

Dang big calipers!... new wheels dont fit on front.. the hunt continues...

[lucid]

Originally Posted by KINGLEH

Dang big calipers!... new wheels dont fit on front.. the hunt continues...

Sorry to hear the new wheels didn't work out. What kind?

[KINGLEH]

Originally Posted by lucid

Sorry to hear the new wheels didn't work out. What kind?

All is need is 1mm of space... and ive talked to stoptech and i can shave a lil off of where the the caliper is scrubbing.. so looks like the setup will work after all...

i will post pics later today...

[KINGLEH]

well i worked on my Caliper a little bit.. Got it to clear the wheel but the tolerance is still just too close for real driving conditions... The wheel spins freely but any little dirt or tiny rocks will get caught up in between the caliper and barrel...

I pulled it out and took some pics of it anyways.. I wish the setup would work but now i need to find some 18 inch wheels that will be a better option for the front...

Looks pretty good though!..

The 2 front wheels are now for sale.. they are Enkei Racing NT03-M.. 18x10 with a 25et... i am running a 10mm spacer in the pics.. and you can see its sticking out to much.. So NO spacers are needed.. If you have smaller then 380mm brakes or stock brakes this is a Great wheel option..... The best IMO.. for a quality well known company for a good price ($290 a piece on tirerack)

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/Wheel...6&autoModClar=


I will sell 2 wheels for 500 shipped.... 1 was fitted for the pics and you can see the scratches inside... The scratched were done with the wheel on the car and me turning it with my hands.. Not when the wheel was on the car rolling.. The other wheel is absolutely brand new and never even been on a car...



















My tire choice is PS cups.. 265-35 and 295-30... They look to be a good setup for the car... so im excited to get on the track with them.. I wanted something i could drive to the track on....



PM me if you want the wheels...

[lucid]

Too bad it didn't work. I didn't know they made those wheels at ET25. That would have been perfect for the front...

[BMW M Power Mexico]

Originally Posted by KINGLEH

Hey Mexi... I assume you run Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.... Ive ran that track a couple of times... I always liked it but the walls are a little forgiving! if you hit them.. with the designs in them.. But what configuration do they run during DE's... ive ran the long right hander around the baseball field in the last corner.. and through the middle of the baseball field.. street course style... I though it was awesome going through the stadium.. But i guess that was a 1 time deal?

Hi!

Hadn't seen your message. Yes, we run Hermanos Rodriguez and we use the street course style configuration through the stadium. The stadium is now permanent.

The walls are too close! Today a guy totaled his F430 Spider while exiting the last "S". Fortunately no one was hurt.

That's why I keep MDM on on this track.

[BMW M Power Mexico]

Originally Posted by lucid

Hmmm. I haven't seen any cording on mine. What camber are you running front and back? Maybe you don't have enough camber up front (assuming those tires were mounted up front before the wear showed up while they were mounted in the back)? Also, what cold/hot pressures are you running?

Also, when I had -1.75 in camber in the back, I was overheating the inside edges of the rears at Limerock. So, I'd be careful with running those tires if the cords are showing.

My tires seem to be wearing out fairly evenly, but I do have camber plates, and dialed the rear camber back to -1.5. I start out 34-35 cold, which puts hot numbers around 40-41.

Also, I have a staggered setup, so I have wider tires than you do in the rear (285s). I swap sides depending on the track direction.

I ran these tires again today for one session and they are still holding up very well. Then it rained and I had to switch to the PS2s. By the way, the wet grip of the PS2s is simply outstanding, I was amazed.

I ran a 2:00 in the dry with the BFG R1s and a 2:25 (very wet) with the PS2s. Does that time difference sound reasonable?

I am not running a lot of camber.

[Gearhead999s]

After 1.5 days this is what my rear Toyo 888's look like.



Once again after 3-4 laps I had very little grip even to the point of getting wheelspin exiting 3rd gear corners.The car is very balanced to this point and very good grip that starts to go away like a light switch is turned on or off.A friend who has been a championship winning crew chief is convinced that these tires are not designed to handle a heavy high powered car.He thinks I should be on Hoosiers but also thinks the larger RA1's that I have waiting for me will be a better choice.

[BMW M Power Mexico]

Originally Posted by Gearhead999s

After 1.5 days this is what my rear Toyo 888's look like.

Once again after 3-4 laps I had very little grip even to the point of getting wheelspin exiting 3rd gear corners.The car is very balanced to this point and very good grip that starts to go away like a light switch is turned on or off.A friend who has been a championship winning crew chief is convinced that these tires are not designed to handle a heavy high powered car.He thinks I should be on Hoosiers but also thinks the larger RA1's that I have waiting for me will be a better choice.

That's terrible tire wear after just 1.5 days.

On another note, it seems like too much rear camber on your car.

[Gearhead999s]

Originally Posted by BMW M Power Mexico

That's terrible tire wear after just 1.5 days.

On another note, it seems like too much rear camber on your car.

Running stock camber settings.Car is 100 % stock and is really too soft for agressive track use.I like the car too much as an everyday vehicle to comprimise it for the few track days I do a year.A dedicated track car is in the future.

[lucid]

Originally Posted by Gearhead999s

After 1.5 days this is what my rear Toyo 888's look like.

Once again after 3-4 laps I had very little grip even to the point of getting wheelspin exiting 3rd gear corners.The car is very balanced to this point and very good grip that starts to go away like a light switch is turned on or off.A friend who has been a championship winning crew chief is convinced that these tires are not designed to handle a heavy high powered car.He thinks I should be on Hoosiers but also thinks the larger RA1's that I have waiting for me will be a better choice.

Didn't you mention that you were getting these used? That kind of wear is over the top. Maybe they were run on a baja car or something before you got them?

BFG R1s work really well. Best bang for the buck for this car IMO, and I am not basing that solely on my own experience. I know a guy who is much harder on this E90 M3 than I am (and he is faster), and he is running them as well without any issues. I guess a brand new set of Hoosiers might be a little faster, but after a couple of days, it doesn't matter. I don't think that justifies the price difference for HPDE usage.

It'll be interesting to see what you think of the RA1s...

[lucid]

Originally Posted by BMW M Power Mexico

I ran these tires again today for one session and they are still holding up very well. Then it rained and I had to switch to the PS2s. By the way, the wet grip of the PS2s is simply outstanding, I was amazed.

I ran a 2:00 in the dry with the BFG R1s and a 2:25 (very wet) with the PS2s. Does that time difference sound reasonable?

I am not running a lot of camber.

12 sec/min seems like a reasonable difference, but I guess it depends on how far you want to push things in the rain. I think, generally speaking, on a dry track with non overheated tires, R1s will probably give you about 1-2 sec/min over the PS2s.

I meant to ask you if you ever ran those tires up front because if you did, and if you are not running camber up front, that might be why they got corded like that.

[Gearhead999s]

Originally Posted by lucid

Didn't you mention that you were getting these used? That kind of wear is over the top. Maybe they were run on a baja car or something before you got them?

BFG R1s work really well. Best bang for the buck for this car IMO, and I am not basing that solely on my own experience. I know a guy who is much harder on this E90 M3 than I am (and he is faster), and he is running them as well without any issues. I guess a brand new set of Hoosiers might be a little faster, but after a couple of days, it doesn't matter. I don't think that justifies the price difference for HPDE usage.

It'll be interesting to see what you think of the RA1s...

I used to be able to get Hoosiers as takeoffs for cheap and that worked out real well.These 888's were brand new and have maybe 3 hours of use on them total.Shannonville is`quite hard of rubber as it is a very abrassive surface.Yesterday I lowered my pressures once again to try to get the tires working for longer than 3 or 4 laps.It did not help and only suceeded in rolling the tire well onto the sidewall and the tires still wore out in the centre first.I am not impressed at all.

[s4awd]

Had my first trackday. I have to say the M3 isn't a great feeling track car. It goes well and can carry good speed through the corners while hanging with some faster guys but it felt so soft. Steering is way too light, clutch is way too soft but I had fun nonetheless. I drove with MDM on at first. After a few laps, I began to sense when DSC was about to kick in so after a few sessions of not seeing it blink, i ran with it off. Fun but just too soft. Brakes were an issue so I tried to stay off them as much as I could. But for a commuter car, trackday car, it's awesome.

[lucid]

Originally Posted by s4awd

Had my first trackday. I have to say the M3 isn't a great feeling track car. It goes well and can carry good speed through the corners while hanging with some faster guys but it felt so soft. Steering is way too light, clutch is way too soft but I had fun nonetheless. I drove with MDM on at first. After a few laps, I began to sense when DSC was about to kick in so after a few sessions of not seeing it blink, i ran with it off. Fun but just too soft. Brakes were an issue so I tried to stay off them as much as I could. But for a commuter car, trackday car, it's awesome.

This is a thread on r-compound tire experiences, so please stay on topic. Were you on r-compounds, and if so, which ones and what were your experiences?

[BRDHNTR]

Lucid, do you know what tires Mark from GPS is running? I remember watching him drive the hell out of his e90 at The Glen passing everything under the sun.

Also, I'm now looking for R-compound tires as my instructor told me that is the biggest thing holding me back. Since I'm relatively new at this game, am I better off keeping a staggered setup or square it up to allow rotation of the tires?

[lucid]

Originally Posted by BRDHNTR

Lucid, do you know what tires Mark from GPS is running? I remember watching him drive the hell out of his e90 at The Glen passing everything under the sun.

Also, I'm now looking for R-compound tires as my instructor told me that is the biggest thing holding me back. Since I'm relatively new at this game, am I better off keeping a staggered setup or square it up to allow rotation of the tires?

Mark has considerable racing experience and is a very good driver. He is also a nice guy. Ask him to take you out for a ride when you see him next at the track, and you'll see how the car does when pushed to its limits.

He is running BFG R1s on the stock 18" wheels. Or, at least, he was last time I saw him.

I think the 265/285 works well. It can probably do 275/295 comfortably as well. I personally do not feel the need to have more rotation than one can already induce with the staggered setup. I understand others think differently.

Adding some negative camber to the stock setup with the camber plates (-1.95) helped the rotation a great deal, and resulted in more even front tire wear. However, I think it is safe to say the car gets loose in high speed sweepers. Coming out of the esses at WGI for instance. I wouldn't want less rubber in the back for that reason alone.