I’ve been looking for track rims for some time now. My biggest issue is getting the smallest wheel that will clear my Big Brake Kit. I have it pretty much narrowed down to these rims:
I think i can get these 17" rims to clear:
BBS RK 17x8 ~16.5lbs
To play on the safe side, i’m considering these 18" rims:
BBS RC 18x8.5 ~17.5lbs
I would like to find tires that will be a good compromise for auto-x and circuit track. Any tire recommendations that would be good for both uses? Tires that I can find in a 17" and 18" rim?
You are going to be much better off tire wise if you can stick to the 17" rim, in both price and options.
A lot is going to depend on how much you want to do each event. I would say a good track/autocross tire is going to be something like a toyo ra1, or nitto 555R (road race, not drag ). Kumho victoracers might be ok as well, but may chunk if not shaved for the track. If you are doing a full autocross season, you are going to have a hard time making any r comp last.
Best I can say as a general guide would be to stay away from the ‘slick’ style dot tires (hoosier, v710). They won’t last you long at all. The treaded r-comps should last a bit longer, but I would doubt you would get a season out of them doing both.
You might want to look into a good street tire, such as the advan neova, kumho ecsta mx, falken azenis, hankook z212(I think thats the one) .
yeah, i agree with the 17" having much more available and cheaper. I’m just hoping i can find a set that will fit, i’m sure they exist.
I plan on using these for only track and not for daily road use. I found a set of the BBS RK’s that already have the Kumho MX’s mounted. May go that route of those tires are decent for auto-x.
Azenis, MXs, Hankooks will be the most forgiving for wear (compared with R’s). Will give you an idea if you want to step up to R’s
Toyo RA1s, and Victoracers or V700 good for beginner R’s as they will last a little longer. I have heard mixed reviews about RA1’s chunking if not shaved. I’d say shave all of them to be on the safe side.
Hoosier’s and V710’s when you know you are not going to flatspot and want to get the absolute most.
the MXs and Azenis are proly the 2 prefered street tires for auto-x…because of the price and grip level…but if u wasnt R-comps listen to Rushman and Jeremy…if u pick up Grass Roots Motorsports they usually have a 2 page Tirerack ad of R-comps and Street tire class high perf tires…
josh, i dont think you want an r-comp yet. i gained alot of insight by competing on street tires first. that being said, r-comps make it much more fun.
if i were you i would go with a 17" rim if you could garuntee a fit over your brakes and a set of azenis, or if you really want you can get a set of kumho r-comps. also this depends on which car you plan on using…
Correct, I wasn’t really considering r-comps at this point. I don’t think they would be a good route to go for a roadcoarses anyway, would they? (as far as wear life)
i would like to get something that is a good compromise that doesn’t necessarily need to be a street tire, since i don’t intend to drive on these daily.
I bet there are cheaper in that size and bolt pattern. With aggressive driving, i’d prefer to stick with a higher quality rim that is “track proven” and still lightweight (~16lbs).
Compared to the price of my DD rims, these don’t seem all that bad anyway.
yeah, i know. My issue is wearing out tires while driving since road coarses are longer and higher speeds. auto-x i don’t have an issue since you drive a minute at a time.
Being a “fresh” driver i don’t want learn on tires that would have a substantial change throughout the day of road coarses and having to throw in the element of adapting to tire change.
I may get just as much tire wear in the 5 minutes of race time during a day of auto-x, but how does that compare to 45 minutes of road coarse?
Did you ever take RVD? We are on tires right now and I could probably explain this better in a couple days. So I won’t get into it now, because I may give misinformation. (FY, grip produced by friction vs. elastic deformation) My thought is that roadcourses more elastic deformation, auto-x more friction.
The life of say RA1s are good for ~20 roadcourse days, or ~20 auto-x events give or take depending on driver smoothness ect. ect. There are people out there say they have gotten 35 sessions on RA1s, and then there are people that use the same R’s for two auto-x seasons. But the norm is one season of use.
So yes, 5 min of auto-x can compare to a day of track time. Where as the auto-x time is trying to get the absolute most out of the tires by pushing them to the max for a minute, roadcourse you are pushing them to the max (laterally) say 10 times of the course over a minute and a half. You are acheiving the max FY over a few seconds (roadcourse) and not trying to achieve it instantly (auto-x). Again smoothness of the driver does play a major part.
A set of tires will not change throughout a day(drastically), barring that you keep an eye on pressures. But they will change after a few events both in auto-x and roadcourses. Heat cycles, not just physical amount of rubber left, also play a part in this. Tires get warm, chemicals are happy, release more grip, yadda yadda…
That is why it is good to get tires heat cycled prior to racing them. This lines up a the mers and will keep them “happy” throughout the life of the tire instead of going out and racing on “grumpy” mers that have not had time to “relax” in to the shape of the tire.
There a several 3-series out there rule limited to 7" wide wheels. The heaviest of them weigh 3225.
I can not suggest their wheels because they all race on stock brakes.
Also none of them make the same power levels as they are NA.
So with a conservative go foot; 7" wide wheels would provide and adaquate, but not optimal, section width. Something to consider if you want to open up your options.
Josh, dont buy something fancy for a track wheel. Not worth your money. I’m going to write this assuming you havent spent any time on the track (I may be mistaken, so dont take it the wrong way!) You arent going out to be competitive and you are still learning, so dont worry about some superlight wheel. Get something CHEAP that is easily replaceable should something happen. 17" wheels are cheaper and do have more options right now, I would stick with them if you can. However, there is NO shortage of 18" sizes, and when it comes to huge tires there are more options for 18" right now, but prices are up $60-$150 PER TIRE for that size increase. As for tire selection, get a set of Potenza RE050A’s they are the replacement for the S03 and are a GREAT track tire. DO NOT buy a DOT R or R comp to learn on. You will quickly find how easy it is to get above your skill level. Street tires give you nice audible feedback and allow you to learn the limits in a much safer manner.
Honestly, if you can find the 17s that will clear used, go that route, and use the extra money on the tires. If you really want good auto-x handling, stay away from the dedicated road course tires they take a while to heat up. I think the Hankook Ventus Rs2 Z212 will be your best option. They are cheaper than the Kuhmo MX, Falken RT615, etc. and in my opinion have better grip than the MX and equivelant (some say better) than the Falkens. The s-03 replacements will probably be excellent tires, but they will cost a bit more than the Hankooks.
You never mentioned what tire size you were planning to run?
). Kumho victoracers might be ok as well, but may chunk if not shaved for the track. If you are doing a full autocross season, you are going to have a hard time making any r comp last.
