Track forum general chit chat.

[SYT_Shadow]

Originally Posted by kpewpew

Wait so NT01 in 275/35/18 and 18x10 ET25 isn't an optimal point? Teach me more

future experiments for me are Nankang AR-1 in 265 or 275 /35/18, still on 18x10 ET25

I'm never going to run a Nankang tire, it's chinese. I'm done experimenting after the R888R, what a waste of $1300 and a track weekend! I'll run RE71Rs until something else gets tested to be very superior.

10" and 275 square is a good setup, but just swap the wheels to 10.5 and keep the 275 tires and you get some extra width out of the same tires for free.
And as Apex mentions, the 10.5 gives you options of running fatter tires if the mood strikes like the 285/30 which would be properly supported by the 10.5 but not the 10.

To be clear, it's not like we're talking about large differences. I sometimes track a 9" front and 10" rear and it's still very fast, but if we're buying dedicated track wheels we should not leave anything on the table. The 10.5 square fits well and is better even if you only plan on running the 275/35 tires

[SYT_Shadow]

Originally Posted by ApexRaceParts

While not all drivers will be able to notice/leverage the difference in width between the two, yes, the 10.5" wheel will support a wider 275/35-18 compound like the NT01 better than a 10" wheel.

As long as you have a 10.5" wheel with the right offset, compliant suspension, and adjustable camber plates, the 18x10.5" square fitment is the clear winner.

As described in my previous response above, the 10.5" wheels will not only provide better sidewall support for wider 275's, they also give you the ability to upgrade to wider compounds like 285/30-18, 285/35-18 or 295/30-18 down the road should your driving abilities warrant it. It is a better long term play.

I have a couple of different wheel and tire configurations, but I run a square set of 18x10.5" ET22 with 275/35-18 NT01's myself

- Ryan

Exactly. Now I just need you guys to tell me that I can run the 11" ET44 square on the F80 for the track and I'm a happy camper! Find a way!

I'm surprised you run the ET22 10.5.
I have 10.5ET27 (exactly like the ARC8 wheel) and it fits great. I use a 3mm spacer up front and nothing in the rear. I suppose adding 5mm to the rear and 2mm to the front vs my setup would also work.

[OG Shark]

Originally Posted by SYT_Shadow

The E9X has such a perfectly flat torque delivery that it has great traction. I wouldn't run an 11" in the rear at all. It's possible the 500whp E90 stroker may change my mind but I really doubt it.

The F80 is a real problem in terms of tires. Apparently 11" et44 square 'can' fit with a 25mm front spacer. That's what I'd like to run but I have too many questions about that actually fitting and don't want to buy wheels and then not know what to do with them. I could buy 4 11 et44 and see if they fit in the front, if not I could build two sets that would be staggered but rather not.
Then again the widest R1 is 285/30, so why go through all this effort to run 11"s square?

I still felt wanting of a bit more rear grip with 295 R7's before shutting the car down for the summer. Going to be a complete different animal when it's ready so certainly the grip might be there with the improvements and more time to dial in the suspension. Hopefully this is the case - do not much want to have to add to the wheel inventory again.

Your stroker build is completely awesome. When I move on from this car in class competition I'm definitely going to drop one in it, just completely awesome. Well done

That's a big spacer... My M2 is also has a bit of this going on. Really had to figure out tires first (street & track, now & future) before getting the wheels. Ended up with 18 x 9.5F, 10.5R & very happy with the setup. Square was just too much of a compromise on the rear to match the front. And like you said the payoff just isn't there to try to make it work sometimes.

[OG Shark]

Palm Beach International Raceway - anyone been there? Any advice/recommendations for the track - and also Palm Beach in general? Heading there next month for race school. Been watching some videos; layout doesn't appear to be too complex. Looks like momentum is the key in their Formula R/T 2000 cars.

[ApexWheels]

Originally Posted by SYT_Shadow

I'm surprised you run the ET22 10.5.
I have 10.5ET27 (exactly like the ARC8 wheel) and it fits great. I use a 3mm spacer up front and nothing in the rear. I suppose adding 5mm to the rear and 2mm to the front vs my setup would also work.

When it came time to map out the BMW line of fitments for our newer SM-10 and FL-5 wheel designs a couple years ago, I looked at our preexisting ARC-8 and EC-7 fitments, and took the opportunity to fine tune a couple offsets to better suit the respective chassis they were intended for. One example of this is the 18x10.5” ET27 moving to ET22.

The E9X M3 chassis benefits from the change in offset in several ways. First and foremost, it supplies track enthusiasts and racers with a better rotatable square setup by adding another 5mm of clearance to the front struts. ET27 positions the wheel too close to front struts, and spacers are required with just about any tire compound commonly used on a 10.5” wheel. There’s nothing wrong with spacers, but if we can provide an offset from the get go that will eliminate the need for additional parts we will do it. The 18x10.5” ET25 offered by some competitors will also limit strut clearance, and with wide compounds spacers are almost always required to gain the clearance needed.

If we look at the rear of the car, the ET27 left something to be desired for, and many “fitment enthusiasts” ended up running spacers to fill out the wheel wells. By making the wheels 5mm more aggressive, the desire to run spacers is no longer there.

We could have taken the easy road and simply replicated all of the preexisting fitments, but we strive to serve the enthusiast community as best as we can, and often times that means reevaluating and improving your product despite the associated costs. As a chassis ages, there is more data to work with and the aftermarket industry is always changing which means there are new tire and suspension options to consider.

Originally Posted by SYT_Shadow

Exactly. Now I just need you guys to tell me that I can run the 11" ET44 square on the F80 for the track and I'm a happy camper! Find a way!

Oh you can absolutely run 18x11” square on the F8X, we should talk.

[SYT_Shadow]

Originally Posted by ApexRaceParts

Oh you can absolutely run 18x11” square on the F8X, we should talk.

PM'd. I've called you guys twice and was told I was asking too much of the world

[dparm]

Originally Posted by SYT_Shadow

I'm never going to run a Nankang tire, it's chinese. I'm done experimenting after the R888R, what a waste of $1300 and a track weekend! I'll run RE71Rs until something else gets tested to be very superior.

Tire Rack's latest test is showing the A052 as a possible new king of the hill.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests...y.jsp?ttid=242

[Bartledoo]

Can anyone confirm or deny that 275/35r18 NT01 on 18x10 with an effective offset of +20 fit with KW CS on track (in the front)? I keep finding inconsistent reports and can't reach a conclusion. I'm planning to do the front spring swap in the winter so I'd rather not buy another 12mm spacer and bolt set to replace my 5mm set for such a short period of time.

[Grip Addict]

Fun question - thing you always forget to bring to track days?

[roastbeef]

Originally Posted by Grip Addict

Fun question - thing you always forget to bring to track days?

Any sort of talent.

[roastbeef]

Originally Posted by Bartledoo

Can anyone confirm or deny that 275/35r18 NT01 on 18x10 with an effective offset of +20 fit with KW CS on track (in the front)? I keep finding inconsistent reports and can't reach a conclusion. I'm planning to do the front spring swap in the winter so I'd rather not buy another 12mm spacer and bolt set to replace my 5mm set for such a short period of time.

If I remember correctly, that combo only needs a 5mm spacer...

[Kelse92]

Originally Posted by Grip Addict

Fun question - thing you always forget to bring to track days?

Last time was a portable air compressor, thankfully track had air.
Today running some autocross tests was an extra bottled water. Lol heat index was 103, should’ve known I would need more than one haha

Originally Posted by ApexRaceParts

Oh you can absolutely run 18x11” square on the F8X, we should talk.

And What?!? Really? All my f80 owning friends have been struggling with wheel options lately and I gotta know more to share with them.

[SQ13]

Originally Posted by Grip Addict

Fun question - thing you always forget to bring to track days?

A properly prepped car. Last event, I lost a brake caliper. The event before that, I broke a front sway bar mount (prob due to not lubricating the mounts). I like to keep a checklist to lower my chances of forgetting to bring anything important.

[dparm]

Originally Posted by Grip Addict

Fun question - thing you always forget to bring to track days?

Enough water. I always run out by lunch time, seemingly no matter how much I bring.

[CarPoor]

Originally Posted by dparm

Enough water. I always run out by lunch time, seemingly no matter how much I bring.

Bring beer. That way it’s clear when you’ve had enough.

[Bartledoo]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

If I remember correctly, that combo only needs a 5mm spacer...

Wait, an et25 18x10 with the NT01 needs a 5mm, or an et20 18x10 needs a 5mm? I will have an et25 and a 5mm spacer for the et20 equivalence.

[roastbeef]

Originally Posted by Bartledoo

Wait, an et25 18x10 with the NT01 needs a 5mm, or an et20 18x10 needs a 5mm? I will have an et25 and a 5mm spacer for the et20 equivalence.

i'm not 100% sure, so maybe i shouldn't have commented... i know people didn't run the 18x10.5 et27 simply because they didn't want to run spacers. the other choice was the 18x10, but i'm not sure if there were different backspacing available at that time, so i'm not sure what the default choice was.

[ThunderMoose]

Originally Posted by Grip Addict

Fun question - thing you always forget to bring to track days?

I try to be pretty thorough

[Ximian]

Originally Posted by Grip Addict

Fun question - thing you always forget to bring to track days?

I have the opposite problem, always bring too many things I don't need. Those spare spark plugs and H7 bulbs should probably stay at home.

[slicer]

Originally Posted by Bartledoo

Wait, an et25 18x10 with the NT01 needs a 5mm, or an et20 18x10 needs a 5mm? I will have an et25 and a 5mm spacer for the et20 equivalence.

In my experience I needed et17 to clear the KW perch. I later installed a shorter main spring to avoid all of the hassle. I highly recommend doing that.

I routinely run 10 et15 E88's on the front of my car. You could go to a 10mm spacer. However a shorter Eibach spring isn't much more expensive that a set of spacers.

[kyippee]

All this talk about wider fitments, but has anybody experienced rubbing in the rear passenger corner?

A friend of mine was running 18x10 ET25 wheels with 265/35/18 A052 and rubbed through the fender liner and damaged his fuel filler mechanisms. Car wouldn't accept anymore fuel until he replaced parts.

It looked like he was rubbing due to heavy compression at Laguna Seca's corkscrew. He had softened the suspension in the rear to combat oversteer. I looked at my own car, with 18x10 ET25 with 275/35/18 NT01 and I do have a tiny little bit of rub marks in that spot too!

[kyrix1st]

I'm contemplating tracking my E92 or E36 on Suzuka today or tomorrow since it is holiday for us this week (お盆休み）but it will be 35C~40C ambient temp.

What do you guys say?