Quote:
Originally Posted by slicer
Understood on the diameter helping with fitment but you have et44 wheels with plenty of options for making them fit. I have been running 295/30/18 Cup2's for the past few years with good results. The Cup2 is 1 lb lighter than the A052. However, I have been contemplating going to the A052 solely due to the fact that it's available in the taller 295/35/18 which is consistent with OE diameter. My understanding is that a taller tire will better manage heat (more volume) and keeping diameters consistent with OE will also help the ABS system. I too run without traction control and honestly have not detected any issue with ABS but it could be a subtle impact.
Lastly I think weight distribution impact may be the opposite of what you think. When corner balancing a car you actually increase the ride height on the corner that you want to increase the cross weight. However, that impact might not be transferable to tire size. I honestly don't know for sure - as tire diameter's influence on ride height and the spring perch'e influence on ride height are two different things.
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I have a few track days coming up, first one on 9/21. Since my last one, I installed a full BBK and moved to a staggered wheel/tire setup. I'm hoping these changes will be an improvement to the overall experience.
At this point, I'm more concerned with the A052 compound and how well it will work for me. As far as heat, according to my (perhaps not very accurate calculations using online volume cals) the rear 295’s should have ~20% more air volume than the fronts. That doesn’t take into account the distance to the friction point… I’m not an engineer, so I’m just thinking out loud here, but I will measure tire temps after my first session (without a cool down lap) via my infrared thermometer.
I recall reading that fitting a tire taller than 26" in the rear, in this width, can cause rubbing, which I do not want unless I have to deal with it. 295/30 will totally avoid that. And yes, I specifically purchased an et44 wheel so I can run a variety of spacers on the rear as needed.
As far as the balance of the car and how it is affected by running a smaller overall diameter in the rear, I'm inclined to think a bit more weight will shift to the rear (similar to getting on the throttle perhaps?) Again, something I will find out.