bhobson333

You're in good company. It filled up early and suddenly.

MaddMatt

I'll be there. Instructing.

bhobson333

Cool! You drive a 350Z?

John

iTrader: (17)

Still driving the 200SX Matt?

MaddMatt

BITE YOUR TOUNGE!!! It's a Classic 1992 SE-R thank-you-very-much. Not no beam-axle, speed limiter wanna-be.

John

iTrader: (17)

LOL, for some odd reason, I thought you had the green 200SX, but now that you mention it, I remember your posts about your adventures in your S-ER....

Eric1h

yup it sucks, but you can only remind a guy so many times! hehe JK!!!!

Flyingscot

Thanks Brian for the link to this page. I heard through Matt Graham that a good number of 350z owners would be attending this next event. I'm looking forward to seeing all of you out there. It's been a long winter away from the track so I'm sure everyone's ready to have some fun.

I'm still undecided as to which cars to bring. Of course, the spec-miata should be there for one last chance to practice before the big day down in Atlanta and then VIR Full a couple of weeks later.

I have to say, due to money constraints, I've not done a single thing to my Z except scratch up the wheels while parallel parking, so it's good to see all the mods other owners are doing.

Marty, does THSCC/TZC have a minimum tread depth rule? My Toyo T1-S tires are bald. They still feel good so I think of them as slicks. :-)

If you have had a good experience with street tires, let me know. I'm in the market again.

Cameron

----- Original Message

I thought you might be interested in reading this web page:

https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....eferrerid=2166

bhobson333

My Toyo T1-S tires on the rear are just above the wear bars; I'm hoping they'll last the weekend. I'm planning on ordering a full set of Kumho Ecsta KU-19s this week, to be installed immediately after VIR. The KU19s aren't as expensive as a lot of tires, they're getting good reviews and, also important, they're sold in sizes that work well for the 350Z. I think I'm going for 245-40 in front (which has the exact same diameter as the stock 225-45s) and 245-45 rear (stock size). I'm hoping that will reduce the understeer.

Flyingscot

Did you like the T1-S tires? Did you notice how the grip levels went up as the tire approached half-worn? The Speed World Touring guys run on shaved T1-S tires. I can see why.

I was amazed at how much understeer was eliminated (as well as fantastic turn-in) by a half-worn T1-S 235/40 front at 31 psi cold. By sticking with a 245 rear, I found the car just as likely to oversteer as it would understeer. All in all, I was very happy with my 'experiment'. Like you say Brian, it confirms the Z needs more tire up front, and there really isn't enough power to warrant going to huge rear tire - maybe no more than 2 sizes up from the front width.

I'm sure some alternative springs, shocks and anti-roll bars would do wonders, as would a little more front negative camber.

Speaking of handling, take a look at the most recent copy of Sport Compact Car mag due to hit news stands. You can't miss it, it has a big picture of a yellow 350Z on the front cover. The suspension details were listed in the mag and it had a pro-charger producing 379HP. The car lost on the drag strip to the other cars in the test, which were much higher HP cars like a 1000HP Viper, a Supra, two Skylines and two Eclipses, but kicked butt around a road course. In the end, SCC picked the 350Z as the overall winner due to its balance.

Cameron

2003z

iTrader: (7)

what are the ku-19s? the same as the ecsta MX?

bhobson333

I did like the Toyo T1-S's, Cameron. They hold the road very well. I was hoping for more than 9000 miles from them, though.

That 9000 does include a weekend on VIR Full course (will be two weekends, I hope!) and I haven't been easy on the gas pedal but I'm going to try a slight step down & see if I'll be happy with them. The KU-19s I'm planning on getting are $135 apiece instead of $200 for the T1-S's and they test slightly better than Yokohama AVS ES100s and Bridgestone Potenza RE750s.

KU-19s on tirerack.com

John

iTrader: (17)

Cameron, I could be wrong, but the WC guys runs with RA1s, not T1S'. Street tires won't hold up after 10+ laps at the way they drive... no way...

EnthuZ

iTrader: (2)

Bummer....The KU-19s only have one 17" size, 225.....not for me.

Is anyone else looking at the BFG kd? Not a R tire.....but a bit better for getting to & from tracks.

2003z

iTrader: (7)

I was gonna get the kuhmo mx, a nice soft rubber, inexpensive and lots of sizes. I got a set of touring wheels and tires on ebay instead so I don't have to keep going to discount tire and having them swap rubber on my race rims. I'm gonna use this set for track days and to and from, then replace them with the mx when done.

Eric1h

Cam, cant wait to see the miata, i'll have to let you drive the Z with the new tires, springs and hopefully the new sway bars! should be an interesting experiment.

Cam, are you instructing at VIR full?
I noticded alot less understeer with my wider front tires, not completely sold on the Falkens, they got a bit greasey but were very predicticable and i could control the drifts well, so i cant complain!

mhoward1

Some of us call it the deer hunter....It even wears Camofloge red.



I have yet to see you drive the 350Z in Anger, but I can understand the Spec Miata. From what I have heard, the Spec C is something else.

Cameron, I think as long as they are deamed safe (ie no cording), they should be OK. Mark or Stacy would probably rule on that at the track.

Azenis here, but I am sure you have heard enough about them.

There was another tire company coming out with Azenis/ Kuhmo competitors and now I can not remember who they are now.

Flyingscot

Actually, as strange as it sounds, the WC guys do run the T1-S. In fact, even the GT guys with their 600HP Corvettes use to run them - until 2003 when they switched to the RA1. I believe the Touring guys will run the RA1s for the new season.

It's the only racing series I know (or knew) that used street tires, so I understand your surprise. I've been told the organizers were trying to keep the speeds down to reduce the chances of serious accidents. It's a very important series for the sport because it's televised, manufacturer friendly and is attracting lots of sponsors.
But, don't take my word for it, check the link below

http://www.world-challenge.com/carfacts.html

Most of the Spec-Miata guys are running the RA1s and they all agree that RA1s grip better as they wear and can last 1/2 a season if you look after them. The T1-S tires have the same characteristics. One thing I like about the RA1s is their fantastic consistency. They're not prone to overheating and going greasy, and even if they do, they recover quickly. In short, Toyo makes a good tire for our kind of driving.

Cameron

Flyingscot

Thanks Marty!

The tires have no cords showing and VIR Full would be a nice way to finish them off. I'd like to bring the 350Z for maybe driving a couple of times in the advanced group - just for a laugh and/or to show students the line.

Were you thinking of Hancook tires? They're Korean I believe and are competing head to head with Kumho. The pro-Miata guys run them because they are the spec tire. However, there's very little info on them.

Flyingscot

Hey Eric,

Looking forward to checking out your new and improved 'ride'. I would offer to let you drive the miata on track, but, it doesn't have a passenger seat. Maybe you can drive it around the skidpad or something. It's like a big go-kart. The guys at Road Atlanta last year were pulling 1.65gs in the turns on the new Hoosiers. That's some serious g. Just goes to show you that a lot of what makes a good track car is its weight. The miata is 2300lbs with driver.


Tire wise, it all seems to come down to compromise. As Brian said, the Kumhos are cheap for what they deliver, but, don't perform as well as a Toyo. The Falkens are good in the dry but I understand horrible in the wet. The Toyos are lousy when they're new but are brilliant when worn.
The S03s are great when new, but, noisy, prone to feathering and less effective when worn.

Maybe we should all be driving RA1s. I know a couple of people who do and they get a few thousand miles of extreme fun.

Cameron