I never even thought of Pirelli before but here they are. These were are the standard equipment on the Ferrari F360 lightweight that is just being released. Don't go by the prices in this site, I have seen these tires for about $300/each at tirerack.com, but these are the first set of DOT race tires that I have found that will fit on the 18x8 and 18x8.5 Track Rays. 235F/255R are approved for those rim widths and will provide the proper stagger. Anyone else found anything that would work?

Pirelli P Zero Corsa

 

A guy came to an AutoX the other day and had a new type of Kumho that comes in 18 inch sizes. Supposed to have a new compound and will replace the Victo Racers. He said they cost about 800 for the set of 4.
He was not used to his new car, a BMW, but did turn a good time on his third run. He said the new compound is better than the Victos have and was very happy with the way the handled.
I also managed to humiliate 2 Porches that had slicks, I beat them by a second and I had street tires on. The Track model continues to amaze me with its handling and speed.
John

 

The Kumho Ecsta V700 is replacing the Victoracer V700, it is said to be much better but doesn't seem to come in the right size for the 17's or 18's.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Sizes....del=Ecsta+V700

 

Actually the only R-compound tire I can find that won't fit a stock Track wheel is the Victoracer. Everything else (Ecsta, A3S03/R3S03, Michelin PSC) comes in sizes that will fit your rims. Just because it doesn't fall within the manufacturer's "recommend rim width" bounds doesn't mean it won't work great. All the fast Miatas run 225/45-15 Hoosiers on a 6" wide rim, a far cry from recommended.

Bill Breedlove ran his 350Z in the SD National Tour and Fontana ProSolo on 245's all the way around. While it may be "nice" to retain the factory stagger, biasing things a bit towards the front can only help reduce the car's dreaded push.

 

I don't want to run the Hoosiers because I really can't afford to get a new set of tires every 3 or 4 events. My car already has an aftermarket suspension and is dead neutral, but I do run virtually no stagger with a 245f/255r setup. The only PSC tires that would work would be the 265's all around, you think running the 265 on the stock 8" fronts would be OK? I am not talking about autox where the consequences of a failure would be minimal. I am talking about open track running. What do yo think JZR?

My original plan was to go with the PCS size 285r on 10.5" SSR Type C's and 265f on 9.5" Type C's, but I got cheap and was trying to save on the wheel costs.

 

Well I'd say a 265 on an 8" rim is "stretching it" both literally and figuratively, but not impossible. A few guys I know track with 275 Hoosiers on a 7.5" rim without problems.

But that's only if you limit yourself to stock wheels. When you aren't constrained by that limitation, you want to run the widest wheels you can fit/afford. You're going to want a separate set of rims for your R-comps anyway. I'd recommend soemthing like 17x9 front, 17x10 rear with 255/40 and 275/40 Victoracers. Or you could go 18" and run 285/30's all the way around. Depends on what fits.

The 350Z's wheel sizes are almost exactly the same as the E46 M3 (18x8, 18x9) and I know that going to a 10" wheel up front with tires to suit completely transforms that car's handling.
Perhaps it could do the same for the Z?

 

So JZR, what do you think of my original plan: SSR Type C's 18X10.5 R and 18X9.5F with Michelin Pilot Sport Cups (I need to get a lot of heat cylcles out of these to justify the cost and the Hoosiers just don't last long enough) size 285 (or 295) R and 265 F?

 

Assuming everything fits okay with the new suspension, that sounds like a good plan. The 285/30 is a good size to retain a nice short gearing.

The PSC is a good tire that'll survive many heat cycles. I went through a set last year and was mostly happy with them. They'll last a long time as long as you keep a close eye on alignment and pressures - they don't like to go above 34 or 35 hot. Mine were wearing great for 2 or 3 thousand miles and a couple track days, when an off-track excursion put some toe-out in my front suspension. I didn't know it at the time, as the car still drove straight, but over the next 1000 miles the insides of the front tires got very worn. 3/8" toe-out and -2 degrees camber will do that. They lasted about 4000 miles total, with 3 or 4 track days and 3 or 4 autocrosses.

The in-between option to look at also is the Kumho Ecsta V700 - shaved to 4 or 3/32". The Kumhos are faster IMHO than the Michelins, still street driveable, cheaper, but probably won't last quite as long.

If you're not totally hung up on 18", there are lots more good tire choices in 17", like the Victoracer (which I much prefer to the Michelin). Rims are plentiful, cheaper, and usually lighter. Most racers I know of that have cars that come stock with 18" wheels (Z06s, Vipers) get a set of 17" CCW or whatever brand wheels for track/race duty. The only reason I'd go with 18" is if there's a fitment/clearance issue with an equivalent-width 17", or if you plan to run full-on slicks (most of which come in 18" sizes) sometime in the future.

Well that's probably more than you wanted to know, just my $.02....good luck!