Best approach re wheels and tires

[MaxL]

I am trying to decide what to do with wheels and tires for track driving.

I have my car with OEM 19" wheels and PS2s, and I like the set up for street driving. Although I do feel the car could benefit from more rubber on the ground, especially for track driving.

I am planning to do 6-8 DE days a year plus maybe 2 Auto-X days. I am pushing fairly hard during DE, and improving pretty quickly, but my current level is only about bottom of group B (in system with 3 levels).

I am a noob in auto-x and do not care much about getting much better at it - just do it to better feel the car and have fun, so I am not pushing too hard there.

What tire set up would be optimal for me? My goal is to maximize my progress on the track, while keeping it cost-efficient.

I thought about getting a dedicated set of 18" light wheels with UHP tires for the track, but then I thought that the difference in price between 18" and 19" UHP tires is small enough to not pay off for the cost of extra set of rims and for having to change wheels for each DE.

I do not think I need R-compound tires at this point, as I am more focused on improving skills rather than lap times.

So should I just track my street wheel and probably get slightly wider than stock UHP tires? Or will a set of 18" dedicated wheels + tires be worthwhile?

Thanks!

[LiM3y]

I bought this set up for this season, I am in a similar level to you:

4 x 18 x 9.5 ET35 D-Force LTW-5 Wheels from Bimmerworld (they were on sale @ $275)
Nitto NT-05 265/35 tires
Macht Schnell Spaces: 15F, 12R

The tires and wheels have been great on the two days I have been out and performed extremely well. The Nitto's seem to be wearing well and were grippy and predictable. I am not ready for R-comps, and these ultra performance summers fit the bill. As a heads up, after two sessions, I am getting very faint rubbing at full left lock

I have been using Performance Friction PFC-01 pads too. I am still getting used to these much more grippy pads!

Here they are in use last week:

Hope this helps.

[OMID INC]

im going through a similar dilemma. i also have stock 19s which i am debating trakcing with or getting a set of 18s

pros for getting 18s
1. more tire options
2. i can go wider than stock sizes
3. there are some relatively inexpensive 18s out there
4. tires for 18s generally cheaper than the same in 19

cons for getting 18s
1. paying for extra wheels
2. oem 19s sitting at home w nothing to do (for me at least i have another set of 19s im using now)

i have decided to get a set of 18s though.

[aus]

OMID, what about seeling the stock 19's for some 18" wheels with more track oriented rubber? I sold my stock 18's for something that will take Stoptech BBK. Just can't decide on which wheels to get.

For tires, I'm getting the Dunlop Starspec since they have held up really well on my buddy's E46 M3 after 4 track days.

[Gearhead999s]

If you care about the appearance of your stock 19's.I would not use them on track.I used my stock 19's in the rain at Calabogie for about 4 sessions last year and have never been able to get them clean since with the hot brake dust that impregnated itself in the clearcoat both front & rear.For the cost of an 18" track setup it is well worth it the save the 19's for street use.This year I am running TR motorsport 18x10's 25p with 275/35 Toyo RA1's.It is not the ideal setup as a staggered setup would be better but the ability to rotate the tires for max life outweighed that for myself.I bought the last set of RA1's available in Canada but the NT05's will probally be my next choice when these are gone.
PM for the dealers name if you wish to buy them in Toronto and their pricing is quite good.

Here is pic of the car with 275's all the way round on 18x9.5's at 25p

[OMID INC]

Originally Posted by aus

OMID, what about seeling the stock 19's for some 18" wheels with more track oriented rubber? I sold my stock 18's for something that will take Stoptech BBK. Just can't decide on which wheels to get.

For tires, I'm getting the Dunlop Starspec since they have held up really well on my buddy's E46 M3 after 4 track days.

i thought about selling the oe 19s but i want to hang on to them just in case something goes wrong with my current 19s. i guess if i get another set of wheels (18s for track) i can think about selling them again.

[MaxL]

Originally Posted by Gearhead999s

This year I am running TR motorsport 18x10's 25p with 275/35 Toyo RA1's.It is not the ideal setup as a staggered setup would be better but the ability to rotate the tires for max life outweighed that for myself.I bought the last set of RA1's available in Canada but the NT05's will probally be my next choice when these are gone.
PM for the dealers name if you wish to buy them in Toronto and their pricing is quite good.

Here is pic of the car with 275's all the way round on 18x9.5's at 25p

I was wondering how long tires like RA1 or NT05 last on the track compared to PS2 and likes? The NT05s have worse tread wear rating, but on the other hand they are designed for tracking, so I'm wondering what the bottom line is.

I am way too lazy to change wheels before every event, but looks like it's the way to go. I guess I need to get more efficient with it (take me over an hour now).

[Gearhead999s]

Originally Posted by MaxL

I was wondering how long tires like RA1 or NT05 last on the track compared to PS2 and likes? The NT05s have worse tread wear rating, but on the other hand they are designed for tracking, so I'm wondering what the bottom line is.

I am way too lazy to change wheels before every event, but looks like it's the way to go. I guess I need to get more efficient with it (take me over an hour now).

I am not really sure on that as I have R compounds like the 888's give up the ghost in less than 3 hours of track use from new.I got a set of RA1's that were takeoffs with about 2/32 left and they are holding up quite well with another 5 hours of use on them.A friend used the NT05's on his Cavaler SS and they lasted a full season for him but he did a lot of flipping on the rims to even out the wear.He is quite fast and got into the 38's at the Mosport GP track.
I used my PS2's on track only in the wet and after 4 sessions(2 hours)they were quite scalaped & rounded out and are a lot noisier on the road than they were before.The PS2's are an awesome rain tire by the way!Because of that issue of wearing out my good street tire setup,I will always have a dedicated track setup that I can at least drive the track.The RA1's & NT05's do fit that need quite well.