I am running the SCCA High Performance Car Clinic in about 7 1/2 hours. I have a delima, should I run with my 17" Kumho Victoracers(R-Compound) mounted on the new Enkei RPO-2J 16lb wheels, or should I stick the the 19" HEAVY I-Forged Wheels with SO3's?

I also have the event Sunday as well with an autocross to follow so its a fun filled weekend.

The tires are new, I just dont want to come out of the weekend and need new tires since they cost $630.

Anyone with any experience here?

I don't mind if I use 1/3 tread but I can't afford to get new tires for next weekends Autocross.

Oh, and I'm from East KC and the event is in Topeka so its 90 miles away for a total of about 360 miles back and forth between the 2 days.

and I paid $175 for the event so I want to get my monies worth with R-Compound depending on what the vets opinions are here.

Thanks!!!!

 

I'd say use what you plan to use when you are racing for best learning results, but when I went to the Evolution school, we did a ton of runs, probably as many as I would run in a whole season if I went to all the events. You might very well put a lot of wear on there.

I'm not experienced enough to probably wear through a set that quickly, though.

Tough call.

 

I'd recommend using the race tires. You'll get to learn with what you will use on the track, and even though you have a long drive there and back, I know many people who drive many miles on their race tires when going to events. Therefore, chances are high that you'd need to drive your race tires on the street anyway. Might as well get them broken in!

Also, as long as you take it easy, any wear seen on the street should be overshadowed by what happens on the track.

If you are unsure, you could always use the race tires on the first day and see how much wear has happened by the time you get home. If you are uncomfortable, you can always change back to the street tires for the second day.

-D'oh!

 

Doh,
Yeah Baby!!!! Thats the advice I wanted. I'll go throw the sticky rubber on now and take a 1 hour nap for the trip to Topeka!!!

I'll post results when I get home about 7PM or so.

later

the cool thing is, the RPO-2J's fit with the Stoptechs so I'll do a day 1 comparison with stock performance brakes

compared to

a day 2 comparison with Stoptechs!!! Maybe we will see a good fluctuation between track times with and wihout.

 

OK,next issue. The fronts are 17X9 with 275/40/17's and the wheel weights rub on the inside suspension. Do you think the tire is safe being within a 1/4" of the inside suspension?

The arm that the weights hit is at an arc so where the tire is at, the suspension arcs away from the tire. Thats the reason it doesn't rub. BUT, its within 1/4" while in the air on the jack. what happens when I take a sweeper at 110? Will it rub and cause me major problems or do tires not flex once they are on the upper rotation and off the ground?

 

Never mind, I took it for a little High Performance test drive.


WOWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!


I can't believe it. I don't think I can make this thing handle any better. Now I know the limits of a Street Prepared car.

This is one bad *****!!

I'm out to Topeka!!!!

 

I hate to be the one to differ here.

I think it depends on your level of experience, if it is your first time I would use street tires as part of the track event is to learn the car and how it handles and behaves and if you use race tires you wont because it will stick better, also you will go fatsr and impact your brakes causing more wear on them as well.

I have done 5 track days on street tires and I willl probably not get race tires until next year, it is better to get as good as you can with the street tires and then get the race tires and get that edge, those are my 0.02 and also what I have heard from other drivers and orhanizers of the events.

 

People who jump on to R compounds too quickly are much more likley to have an accident. I recommend starting with street tires, learning the limits of you car, and then after you've moved up into an advanced group, then trying R-compounds. Was this an AutoX school or a school on a track?

 

It was a school on a track, Heartland Park in Topeka, KS. I have attended probably 10 or so autocross events with progressively better results so I do have some experience this year.

The school today was unbelievable, we had 1 hour of all out racing today with limited passing areas.

I'm glad I ran the R-compounds, but they do show some good wear on them after the hour of hard driving. Oh well, now I know what its like to drive full bore during a club racing event with the best equipment available for the Z.

The Z did very very well and handled like a dream. There wasn't one car that I was near that handled as well as the Z with the new mods. I was able to gain ground or hold my ground on every car out there today through the corners, although we only had probably 15 cars in my heat.

I left my car at the track so I guess I'll run one more day on the R-compounds and we also have an autocross event tomorrow so I'll be buying new tires within a month or so!

 

The Victo's need a lot of camber to work properly and to last. They are real similar to the old R1's in that respect. How did you get more front negative camber??

 

Not sure how you do it yet, but I do have a little theory. On the E46 M3s, you can adjust the front tie bar and get about 1/2 degree of camber. Our strut bar design is quite similar, and I wonder if playing with the strut bar adjustment would pull the top of the shocks in... hmmmm...

 

Hehe, just bend the car.

-D'oh!

 

I didn't adjust to negative camber. I don't know of a way yet.