dhays

iTrader: (10)

Don't sweat the thread jack. I'm interested in what folks come up with.

You probably drive much better than I do.

Here is a stupid question, but.... Those setups have an inch diameter difference, particularly the 255s. Will that give you VDC problems? I've understood that the VDC likes something between 0-3% of stagger. https://my350z.com/forum/4936171-post42.html

You could opt for a 0% stagger. I know that I've read that some have run a completely square setup (same height a well as width) of 255/45 on all four corners. I'd be leery of putting 265s on the 8.5 inch rims myself, but I know that others have done it.

I think the best compromise size might be 245/45F, 255/45R. This increases the contact patch in the front by 9% and the rear by 4% which should help the understeer and it will be VDC happy. Unfortunately, only the Hankook v12 and the Eagle F1 are good options in those sizes.

A 9" inch rim is also recommended for a 265 tire, depending on what manufacturer to look at.

I do know that with my stock 265/35 Bridgestones, I easily can lose the back end coming out of corners on an AutoX course. That is with a stock RevUp.

StarscreamZ33

iTrader: (1)

The inch stagger is because it's close to the stock sizes.
OEM front = 225/45-18 (~26" depending on company and model tire)
OEM Rear = 245/45-18 (~26.6" depending on company and model tire)

So w/ a 245/40-18 in front the set-up will be square and the OD of the front tire will be ~25.7. Because of the Z33 wheel archs, unless you're lowered (which being in stock class, you can't) rim/tire set-ups look better w/ the Stagger like OEM, not to mention doing a FULL square set-up will either raise the front (245/45 all corners) or make the ***-end sag (245/40 all corners). But that's just a personal preference I guess.

And I know a stock powered Z33 can over power up to a 275 width tire. But it also depends on what the tire is. 200 treadware of less 245 width tire is much harder to spin on track than a 265 width tire w/ a ~300-280 treadware, but then you all look at the tread pattern, tire compound, etc, which all roll into how the tire is able to loose traction, etc. A Bridgestone RE050A and a RE-11 may have the same treadware, but given equare sizes, due to the tread pattern and overall tire construction the RE-11 will provide much greater grip.

I guess I was more or less asking if a 245 width tire on a 8.5" width rim would be greater or lesser of a benefit compared to a 275 width tire on a 8.5" width rim

Also another tire I forgot to mention was the Yokohama Advan AD08, another great tire w/ great reviews, and has a large selection of tire sizes. But also is in the upper price range like the RE-11

dhays

iTrader: (10)

I took them off this afternoon since it happened to be a warm and sunny day. It took me a couple of hours (I'm slow). I think I'll hang on to them at least for now. I may decide to put them back on at some point in the future, but not for this season.

I didn't have a chance to put the front sway on. I'll need another dry day to get that done.

StarscreamZ33

iTrader: (1)

After thinking about it, the small 18mm difference up front would barely do much appearance wise. So I think I might do 245/45-18's all around after all, see how I like the square set-up. Then we'll see about shocks and a front sway.

If you don't mind me asking dhays, what front sway did you end up going with?

dhays

iTrader: (10)

I went with the Hotchkis adjustable. Partly because of the very positive reviews from folks here on the forum, but mostly because there a local Z owner who had an unused front sway for sale at a very reasonable price.

PDX_Racer

iTrader: (2)

I'm able to spin my 295 DOT-R tires (Hoosiers) with a stock drivetrain, so power won't be an issue.

Once you get 245s up front and a good front anti-roll bar, a lot of the understeer seems to go away -- but then you end up with a neutral car that tends to oversteer, so bigger tires on the rear help with that.

I've been running 245/275 on my 8/8.5-inch-wide rims almost since I got my car, and just so that we're all on the same page, most of the "tire recommendations" are just that -- recommendations (and often "colored" by legal advice as well). However, after seeing pictures of my car mid-corner with 245s, I won't have anything less than 275s on the rims for dry weather (245s put the rims perilously close to the ground when cornering).

AznSky

iTrader: (12)

FYI I run 265/40 on my 18x8.5 Track Rims all around (Square) without an issue.

dhays

iTrader: (10)

You guys have been great. I'd like some other input on tire selection.



My thought is to use these wheels and tires just for Autocross and use my other sets of wheels and tires for DD until the tires done. Once the tires on the v.2 are done, or I wear out the tires on the DD sets, then I can rethink what I want to do.

I'm looking to run in street tire as a CS index.

v.2 Track wheels (18x9 30mm offset, 19x10 30mm offset)

Stock tires for the car are:
245/40-18, 265/35-19 (25.7"/26.3" tall)

Options:

Yokohama ADVAN Neova AD08
265/35-18, 295/30-19 (25.3"/26.0" tall, 2.8% stagger, 1.2% slower 59.3 @ 60mph indicated)

or

Bridgestone Potenza RE-11
265/40-18, 285/35-19 (26.3"/26.9" tall 2.1% stagger, 2.2% faster, 61.3mph @ 60mph indicated)

• Price is almost exactly the same between the two options.
• The ADVANs are going to be about .4" shorter than stock, the RE-11s will be about 1/2" taller than stock.
• The RE-11s may be a bit better in the wet, the ADVANs in the dry.
• The ADVANs are symmetric so I might be able to do a flip and get some more life out of them.

So, what would you do?

StarscreamZ33

iTrader: (1)

My suggestion, the RE-11's. This is way I think that: You look at majority of the street tire classes at Nationals over the past few years and Bridgestones tend to be fastest tire of choice. Also, being that they are taller in the rear, means more gearing, and especially in autoX where 3rd gear usually doesn't get seen on course in a stock powered car, this will allow you to push 1st and 2nd gears further speed-wise. Where as the Advans will make your gearing shorter, which on a lower powered vehicle might benefit from this, but a Z w/ 287+ hp and nice torquey V6, IMO, the taller gearing would be more beneficial on the autoX course in the Z's and G's.


PDX,

What tires do you have in 245/275 on the 8/8.5? Also, what rims and specs to you have for the Hoosiers? And finally what sway bar do you recommend for street tire set-up?
I know there's certain sway bars that are too aggressive for street tires, dunno if that's the case for the Z's available sway bars.

Thanks,

Jay

Ruff Z

iTrader: (8)

If I remember correctly he has Kumho ASX tires. For the hoosiers he's running the same 8/8.5 03-05 track wheels. Any sway bar for the Z is good for the front for stock class SCCA, none are too aggressive. Once you have higher spring rate then the larger front bar might be too much.

StarscreamZ33

iTrader: (1)

However looking at the specs of those tires, the Advans do seem to offer a much larger contact patch about 3/4" more front and rear. Also the Advans are lighter, about 1lbs lighter per rear tire, and 4lbs lighter per front tire, so about 10lbs difference between the two.

Just to give you an idea of what I mean on the gearing...

Based on 7000rpm in 1st/2nd/3rd gears
-OEM 265/35-19 is ~41mph/67mph/95mph
-RE11 285/35-19 is ~42mph/68mph/97mph
-AD08 295/30-19 is ~40mph/66mph/94mph

Now that might not seem like much, but it can be a much larger difference on the autoX course. Then again, the 10lbs difference can also be a good advantage going w/ the lesser of the two, as you'd be at a 8lbs reduction of weight UP FRONT of unsprung weight. I guess after looking at it, being that the price is pretty much the same* for less weight and more tire, the Advan's might be the better choice.

It's tough I know, I'm going through the same sh^t myself. Granted I'm comparing the same sizes between the three tires (StarSpecs, RE11, and AD08), but still it puts yourself in quite the pickle! The StarSpecs are nice, cheaper by quite a bit, but in my racing experience I've had alot better quality of tire w/ the Bridgestones and Yokohamas Vs. any Dunlops I've ran. (Not to mention you look at any tuner in Japan that runs in a street-tire classed time attack class and you'll see either the RE11 or AD08) Plus from what I've heard from a couple WRX/STi and EVO guys, the StarSpecs can get greasy at lapping days and track events that are in the 15min range or greater. They also lose that great cold-tire grip once they get down to about 70% or less tread, which is pretty much their greatest selling point over the other two when comparing autoX tires. Running a square set-up would best benefit from the RE11 tread pattern, however like you said about flipping the tires, the directional tread pattern of the AD08 (or StarSpecs) would benefit you more and the staggered set-up.

* $18 more (before shipping) for the Advans comparing the two on TireRack. However the AD08 can be had for $38 less (shipped) on DiscountTireDirect (which doesn't offer the RE11) compared to TireRack prices. And comparing the prices of the AD08 (DTD) vs. the RE11 (TR) then yeah their about the same after shipping.

AznSky

iTrader: (12)

My vote is for RE-11's. But I'm a bit biased

And I'm not so sure about the Advan's being better than the RE-11's dry. Cuz my RE-11's stick like crazy dry.

06platinumG

iTrader: (1)

It's a tough decision between the RE11 and the AD08's. I just went through the process and decided on the AD08's. The RE11's are very popular at the national level but the AD08's where not available untill halfway through the year last year and most people had already made their decision on tires for the year.

Recent test's show the AD08 a little better in the dry and RE11 better in the wet, however the difference is so small that the biggest difference would be the ability of the driver. Also in the PNW you never know if it's going to be wet or dry.

I made my final decision on tire size. I run 275/30/19 front and 295/30/19 rear and with the RE11's I would have had to move to a 305/30/19 rear which would have been pushing the size a little for a 10" rim.

I would look at what size tire you what to run and make you decision based on that. Either tire will proform well.

StarscreamZ33

iTrader: (1)

Saw a few of your vids on youtube at Miller Park for the BS Nat. Street Tire Challenge, looking good out there.

Just wondering if you have any pics of your rim/tire set-up?

dhays

iTrader: (10)

That was my thought. The ADVANS are a new tire.

Neither tire is available in what I would consider an "ideal" size for my wheels. I'm leaning to the Advan to get that extra cm of contact as well as the possibility of doing a flip. I wish the tires were a tad taller, but....

PDX_Racer

iTrader: (2)

I've had Kumho ASXs as my "daily driver" tires for a while -- they do a pretty good job for an all-season.

I've got the Hotchkis anti-roll bar kit -- front bar only -- on my car since it was new.

My shocks are a prototype of the double-adjustable Koni -- which I have only because I needed that "little bit more rope to hang myself with." Seriously though, the SA Konis are actually quite good, and I only got the DA because I wanted that little bit more adjustability -- and because I got a killer deal on them.

For tires, I run either the 285/30R18 Kumho V710s or the 295/30R18 Hoosier A6s. Both work well, although the 710s last longer than the A6s.

scotts300

iTrader: (46)

Have you ever written a description of how you use the settings on the DAs, what works/what doesn't, etc.? I bought a set locally, but I autox and track the car, so am not confident I am getting all I can out of them given their adjustability, so am looking to learn. I run V710s for autox and Hoosiers for HPDE.

PDX_Racer

iTrader: (2)

Generally I use "balanced" settings (equivalent adjustments on compression and rebound), but for lower-grip events, I use less compression and leave the rebound set quite a bit softer than compression to help keep the tires on the ground.

Generally my settings are still very similar to what I've posted before, which are very similar (but not exactly) what Jim and Carter Thompson had posted before as well.

Personally, I *like* a very loose car at the limit, mainly because I grew up doing a lot of "rally-like" driving, so my setup tends to reflect this, but it also requires driving closer to the edge than most people feel comfortable. However, it's also a quick setup if you don't drive as close to the edge as I like to do.

dhays

iTrader: (10)

This afternoon, despite a steady heavy rain, I installed the Hotchkis front sway. It would have been an easy process except that I cross-threaded one of the bolts on the sway bracket. Those bolts are 30mm, 10x1.25. It took me three stores before I found a 10x1.25 tap so I could repair the threads. Once that was taken care of, it was a piece of cake.

Initially I set the bar at second hole from softest (4 hole Hotchkis). One question I have is for those folks that adjust their sways at the track. Without a tire trailer, how do you get the jack, stands, etc to the track to adjust them?

Also, I'm assuming for those that do this, you leave your undertray off?

I'm thinking that a practice day would be a good opportunity to do some tuning of the front sway. Otherwise, I'll have to just change the settings after an event for the next event.

Dave

Ruff Z

iTrader: (8)

I'd set the bar and forget it. Once you have it where you want it for autoxing, you don't need to change it for the street.

As for tools, it all fits in the car. I can get 4 tires, jack, jack stands, tools, etc all in the car. Oh, and go stiffer!