It might just be me then...I am limited to 285 width for the class I run...so I was thinking about switch to the NT05's in 285 hankook rs3 in 285 or kumho xs in 275...I like the starspecs but I wanted to try another tire as well when these are gone...Looking for something with even more dry grip than the dunlops...but I also read that the nittos run narrower although many people are having success with them recently

By twitchy I meant that the car oversteers and changes direction as soon as you tap the brakes...It was just hard for me to get use too...I realize i could use it to my avantage but Im still learning as a driver...

btw I am selling my TE37s with 275 starspecs on them all around...check the wheel/tire market place...

 

But then again it could hve been the fact that I went from springs to coilovers right before I got the Dunlops...

 

Most people (because of their experience with a street car and how they are biased towards understeer) confuse a neutral handling car with one that oversteers. A 350Z with a square wheel and tire setup is NOT a car that oversteers. It still has a steady state understeer setup and you'll feel it in long medium speed corners.

What people confuse with oversteer is rotation under trail braking or lift throttle which is EXACTLY what you want in a good handling car. You should be able to move the back end of the car with the throttle - and not just mashing in it and smoking the tires. Small throttle inputs should have some affect on the chassis behavior.

Ideally you want to car to be mechanically loose in low speed corners (50 mph or less), neutral in medium speed corners (50 to 100mph), and aerodynamically tight in high speed corners (over 100mph). The differences between these dynamic states should be small.

 

I have - I absolutely hated how the car felt with a square setup (A048, 265 all around). Ultimately, it's all about you being comfortable with the car...if you can't predict what the car is going to do, or don't like what it does when it does it, it is too hard to be consistently quick. It's one of those things where, IMHO, there is no right or wrong

 

What you are describing here is exactly what I am experiencing...I never had this with a staggered setup...I guess the car handles well but I need to improve as a driver...Still getting used to it. Thanks for the good info!

 

I know what you mean...what good is the setup If I can't drive to its potetial, but then again...it shows I need improvement...

 

We all need improvement - if we didn't, we would be typing this to each other from our penthouses in Monaco, wondering where to have dinner tomorrow and brooding over our multimillion $ contracts

Seriously though, not every car setup favors a staggered setup, so I don't subscribe to the notion that one is better than another. Nothing on the track is zero sum. The most important thing is practice and being willing to experiment

 

I always like non staggered setup, more grip is always better, make some adjustment on your suspension setup(alignment, damping, etc)

 

i put on 255 eagle f1's on the rear and they rock

 

I don't want to "lessen" the grip to find balance....Im not going to purposely put a skinnier tire up front...for example, If I went from 275 all around to a 275/295 or 275/285...that would affect the balance without losing grip...it would even have more...

What I'm getting at is...I think I'm willing to go with 265/285 Hankook RS-3...from what I read...they have better dry grip at 140 than dunlops with 200 TW...Im not going by treadwear ratings alone...I see it in the reviews

So I guess my question would be what are your thoughts of the rs-3's over the starspecs...

and btw I don't know if a 285/35/18 would even fit up front so it might not even be an option...but if it does, I might go 285s all around and deal with it/learn a square setup better...

Thanks for all the replies

 

Should I try my luck with a 285/35/18 on a 18x9.5 + 15 up front?...Right now Im in the clear with a 275/35/18 on a 10.5 +17

Im at 3 degrees of neg camber...

 

Another thing to keep in mind when setting up the balance of your car is what type of racing you're planning on doing.

For time trials its all about the best single lap time so ultimate grip is important (along with large brass ***** for that one heroic lap). For road racing ultimate grip is less important then balance and the ability to run fast laps on the wrong line around the track. For HPDEs its about suspension communication and a margin of safety when driving the car a 90% of its limit.

My bias is road racing and that often shows when I'm making suspension setup recommendations.

 

I run square. I admit, the car did feel "weird" at first. But, definietley handled better. More grip. I just needed to get used to it - as far as street vs. track.

I've debated about going back (now that I have boost) for higher speeds in the straights. But, not because of grip problems.

 

See this is what I was thinking as well...my car will my boosted as well come next season and I though it might be a better idea to go staggered...

 

As far as wheel fitment goes...anyone have input as to whether a 285/35/18 will fit upfront on a 9.5 +15 RPF1? If if doesnt look like its gonna happen I have to settle for a 9.5 +27 all around...

 

I've ran both square (275s all around) and staggered (265 F / 285 R) setups for autocross. I'm running faster and it feels more balanced with my current staggered setup. Steering is lighter (less grip) with the 265s in front vs 275s. Have yet to run the staggered setup on a road course.

 

Was the switch of sizes on the same tire? or diff staggered tires altogether...

 

From what I hear the Hankook RS-3's are supposed to be better than the Dunlops...and its thats the case a 265/285 change to rs-3s will be better overall than the 275 dunlops and will not result in less grip...

 

Good point. I noticed the same thing. It seem like the steering is very heavy running wider up front for auto-x. But, it lightens up on track. Perhaps this is more what you are thinking.

 

The switch was from Hankook Z211s (square) to Dunlop slicks (stagger). Granted, the Dunlops were much lighter (less rubber with slicks) and the rims were also slightly lighter (even though I went from 17s to 18s).