traklites?
I've been eyeing up those wheels for a while but they are so light that I worry about damaging them.
Welcome to the site! Please post an introduction thread.
341 - 360 of 385 Posts
I've been eyeing up those wheels for a while but they are so light that I worry about damaging them.
That is always a danger. I was a passenger in a friends ND Miata, she became distracted an we hit a curb at 45mph pushed the tire so hard against the rim the rubber split. A week later she hit a landscaping timber hard enough the ruin the tire. In both cases the oem mazda alloy wheel was undamaged. I have no doubt if I did that with the Kosei rims on my Mazda 3 I would be walking home. For the most part my cars are toys so they are parked in bad weather. Also, like today, I am going to an event on a private island, access is by covered bridge but then we park in a field, cars will stay home and I will take the pickup.Still the day may come when I hit something in the road and ruin a rim. I accept that as the price to be paid to get the benifits of a light rim.
Joined
·
3,537 Posts
and thats why we start new threads... lol alot of what i said may not be applicable.
also on the advans, i did those before the re71r and i felt the re71r better. i've had almost all old and current 200tw tires.
I have also used a number of 200 tread wear tires over the years on several different cars and two different tracks. My Miata and Mazda 3 currently have Star Specs, the car I traded for the Veloster and my long gone Mazda 2 both had RE71's. What are the track conditions where you are running? Thompson Motorsports has three tight 180's in a row, does open up for one fast straight but the remainder of the track is rather tight. NHMS is a bit more open but not remotely flowing. Do you have any lap time data to show the RE71"s are superior? These low powered cars need all the help they can get in the form of reduced rotational mass. Two pounds lighter at the tire is very significant. Much more important than two pounds at the rim. If I had a 600 hp Mustang I would not be as concerned with two pounds but in a low powered Veloster it is important.
Joined
·
3,537 Posts
i don't have anything concrete besides my youtube channel and vids... but i set my fastest lap this weekend on take off re71r vs z2ss and z3 (both new) in the previous years with the car setup exactly the same... actually i had better brakes on the other sets. i get to TSMP a few times a year. weight has never been an issue for me, i run NAV 17s because they are easy to clean and the size across every tire i've had on this car is 225/45r17 . on the z2 i ran 1:30.4, on the z3 i ran 1:29.9, and on the potenzas this weekend i ran 1:29.3 - the conditions were very hot or a little drizzle.
that said i absolutely LOVED the star specs in the wet. they were unstoppable. however the z3 fell short in both wet and dry. re71r would be in between the ss and z3 for wet for me.
if you look at scca standings you'll see what tires are popular and what times they run. as you say, have to get every iota out of the car and when i get tires this is how i decide to get them. the z3 were a fluke since i liked the z2 so much.
i havent been to NHMS since our club doesn't run there. we do TSMP, palmer, canaan and in the past pocono. i have run the VT at all of these except pocono - there i was in my 2000 mirage with a 1.8 swap.
there was a mazda2 with way more seat time than me at TSMP running 1:33.0 . he's been hitting almost every local every ever 2-3 weeks for years. also a pro in a rental 2019? accent that ran a 1:42.4 lol
hoping to add NYST to my belt next year. are you local? you mentioned NHMS so i'm curious. we are AX at big E this coming weekend.
Joined
·
3,537 Posts
depending on class........... for the classes i do with TT and AX i can run 200tw with a +1 or -1 diameter and width. there are classes where the sky is the limit.
8 inch rim stock tire size. At 63 and with mounting responsibilities my track days may be over. Truly do not want to offend anyone, but I have a life time of professional mechanical experience. Raced MX, road raced motorcycles, auto X, time attack/hpde. I have learned that no matter how hard we try, myself included, we simply can not be impartial about the results of modifications. This is our hobby, our passion, we want so bad for our attempts at improvements to be successful. Sometimes a change is interpreted as an improvement when all it really is is a change. So I do not rely on seat of the pants opinions though I understand they are sincere. Dyno results and lap times, give me dyno results and lap times. I run 200tw tires on all my cars including my daily driver, once that level of grip is experienced it is hard to settle for anything less. Also, and this is quite childish, it is a real hoot to pass someone on the outside with a cheap car fitted with sticky tires on the local highway ramps. Most drivers have no idea what tire I am running and must scratch their heads wondering how did that grocery getter pass me. Like I said childish, but given the chance I will do it again.
Joined
·
3,537 Posts
well said 
i'm im it for fun (and a TON of 1st place glasses) and that's pretty much it. lol could be more expensive hobbies.
i'm im it for fun (and a TON of 1st place glasses) and that's pretty much it. lol could be more expensive hobbies.
Have you guys played with tires in different sizes and maybe higher rated load? For example a 235/40 at ~10% higher payload may do better than a 225/40 with lower payload due to better traction from slightly more contact patch and stiffer construction for the twisties. I've heard of guys having success in this.
Within reason wider is better. Problem is rim width. Even with an 8 inch rim , stock is 7.5, a 225 tire is somewhat pinched. Take three identical cars, three identical drivers. Car one, a 215 on a seven inch rim. car 2 a 215 on a 7.5 inch rim, car three, a 215 on an 8 inch rim. Car three wins. I already know that my 225 tires on an 8 inch rim, though wider than stock, is not optimum. I just did not know what max width, at what offset would work without rolling fenders. Going to a 235 would require a rather wide rim if one is to actually make use of the extra width. Pinching a wide tire on a narrow rim is certainly done but it does not produce a fast setup. I have 215 tires on 8 inch rims on my Mazda 3 Pretty close to ideal. My 225 tires on an 8 inch rim should work fairly well for a spirited street car but it would not be the optimum set up for track use. That would require a wider rim. Also, again with lower powered cars, more width, both tire and rim equals more weight.
225/40 will clear even lowered on the OEM wheel with a 15 mm spacer. So +34 offset or higher the 225 will clear with OEM alignment specs. Many use 18 x 8.5 +35 on lowered VT and clear with OEM alignment specs. Hope this helps.
That being said, a 235/40R18 I'd consider on the proper wheel specs for the added traction and stiffness from load capacity as the added weight will not be that great. It may overcome the weight difference is what I'm saying.
Ofcourse this will all be very situational based on the setup, track, and conditions as well.....
That being said, a 235/40R18 I'd consider on the proper wheel specs for the added traction and stiffness from load capacity as the added weight will not be that great. It may overcome the weight difference is what I'm saying.
Ofcourse this will all be very situational based on the setup, track, and conditions as well.....
But an 8.5 rim is much to narrow for a 235 tire if you are looking for optimum road course performance. Ideally a 225 should be on a 9 inch rim. Again there is a country full of cars with wide tires on less than ideal rims and the drivers are happy. I am talking track performance.
I did not suggest you have a 225 or 235 on a 8.5" wheel, I just gave you example of common setup people use in this community that clears since you mentioned not knowing. I said may be worth trying 235/40 on proper wheel specs. The traction and added handling may overcome the added weight.
Of course in theory, but a rim of the proper width for a 235 is highly unlikely to fit. Might there be people on this forum running 235's, probably. Are they on rims wide enough to be effective on a road course, highly unlikely. I would need to do a bit of research but you are probably looking at something like 9.5 to 10 inches. Look at the extreme rim width of guys running 205's on competition Miatas. What the vast majority of people do for looks or stance does not translate well to a competitive competition car. The rim width to tire width relationship is well documented for road course competition.
9-9.5" can clear on these cars with proper specs which should be better than all the more common wheel specs for a 235. One of the VT road course or auto x guys should try it. Theory can't be made fact until it's done. Records are not set doing the same thing as everyone else has always done. People have to try new things to push any platform.....
I am certainly willing to try if someone will pay. I am not willing to gamble that much of my own money on a combination that might not fit. Send me some 9.5's and 235's and I will give it a try. I have read 8.5 is the max. of course I do not know at what offset or how this was determined.
341 - 360 of 385 Posts
Join the discussion
Join now to ask and comment!