MicVelo

Front fenders.... normal. They are factory "rolled" (designed in). That's natural as the fronts need room to steer.

Clearance isn't usually an issue in front but....

I didn't run 275 up front.... 255. No issue. 275s on the rear caused the intermittent rub. With my fenders rolled, I have no issues with 275s and even with 285s on 10.5w +14 and +22s, respectively.



275s on 19x10.5 +14 (effective)


285s on 19x10.5 +22 (natural)

And now back on 19x10 +30s...

...and looking positively sunken and skinny!

But these are my favorites, handling wise, along with my Volks (above) and the RPF1s I had.

N80

Thanks. Good info. Sounds like stuffing 275s in the fronts is probably not a good idea with out additional camber. And even then, I don't want to be forced into too much camber just to get a tire to fit.

Beginning to think about going staggered again. They'll just wear out faster staggered.

Maybe I'll do 275/40s on the back and 265/35 on the front.

terrasmak

iTrader: (8)

Front camber only helps the car handle better, it's really n ended if you plan on turning corners.

N80

Just like everything else in car set up, you can have too much camber. I'm dropping a bunch of cash on tires, roll bar and HAHNs right now so camber arms are still not in the budget yet. Top of the list now.......

.......of course, when I do get them I might as well replace hubs (original) and put some ARP long lug studs on while everything is pulled apart.......

Anyway, I think I'm going to pull the trigger on Hankook rs-4s, 265/35 up front, 274/40 in the back. Both are available and less pricey than most other comparable tires. This will give me the 'final drive ratio' I'm looking for and I know the 265/35s fit fine up front. Will roll rears myself. Probably will not 'pull' on my rear fenders because one of them has got Bondo.

terrasmak

iTrader: (8)

If your going to play with rs4, just run a 285/35-18 out back, better ratio to keep electronics happy.

To much camber with an RS4 depending on spring rate would be around -4.

N80

I'll play around with the tire size calculator. I'm just finding that on the tracks I run, the closer to OEM tire diameter I can get the better the car does. With the 265/35 I am always running out of RPMs approaching a corner (just too late to shift) and yet they don't seem to improve things much coming out of a slow corner. The 275/40 is almost exactly the same diameter/circ as the oem 245/45. I'll see how the 285/35s compare.

The thing is, I can't use traction control on track with any set up, even OEM. It is constantly interfering. With a square set up it even interferes around town. My car does not have VDC.

Have not noticed any issues with anti-lock brakes regardless of tire size.

MicVelo

[ Longish "tip", you are warned. ]


Ahhh yesssss, the age old "camber versus ultimate grip" "argument"...

N80 and terra already know all of this but it doesn't hurt to remind those that have less experience in suspension tuning. Just a good opportunity to mention that setting camber angles is that they should be based on intended USAGE and NOT on tire FIT.

Yes, increasing camber angle (or would that be "decreasing" since its going further into the negative zone ) does improve lateral grip BUT at the expense of "streetability" and steering response.

For track use, this isn't much of a concern as suspension should be tuned for specific track conditions and less for street/highway comfort and interacting with your car (see the downsides of too much camber on the street below). Meaning that one might want to increase camber overall and increasing cross camber (delta between left and right front camber angles) based on track configuration.

For example, when I ran Laguna Seca (now Mazda Raceway) back in the day (before the Indycar re-configuration of adding an infield with two right turns, 3 and 4), I usually dialed in more negative camber on the right side due to the fact that there are more left(ish) turns than right (counter clock config); therefore more lateral grip needed on the outside wheel (right). Contrast that to running at Sears where there are "about" equal number of lateral loads left and right and a more uniform (no or little cross camber) set up was the "hot tip".

But gotta tell ya, track settings versus street settings are very different. Unless one finds it OK to accept the dartiness (or pulling side to side) of the car and the relatively more difficult steering and lessening of steering response with increased static camber (in search of a consistent dynamic camber number), anyone who asks me, I'd say, "stay within the OEM range" and NEVER alter camber merely to fit tires. Tuning FOR the tires is fine but to do it just to decrease the possibility of fender contact... nyet. Better solution is to find the right size tires for street use without too much deviation from OEM alignment range.

About a year and a half ago, I experimented with going outside the OE range just for the halibut (see last pic of car in previous post to visibly see that the front camber is very negative). That amount of camber just wasn't doing it for me.

Yes, more grip was attained but it really screwed with handling CHARACTERISTICS (steering attitude went backwards from oversteer bias), steering response and road comfort in the steering. Have since moved it back to just at the maximum edge of OE camber and all is good again. (And yes, I'm very picky with how the car behaves.)

If it was a strictly (or say 75%) track duty car, I'da left it as it was but given that my use is grocery runner as well as "hills car", it's right for that application now.

Bottom line:

"Always tune for the purpose and know what the tradeoffs are."

N80

At this point my car is probably going to be 90% track, 10% street. Before I gutted the interior last month it was just the opposite. I drove it to work every day. Kinda sad about it not being my DD anymore. Now I'm driving a pickup (Titan) to work. Boring.

(Fortunately my wife's car is a G37 6MT that is fun to drive and pleasant for long trips too.)

N80

Mic, one more question. In the pictures of the various tire and wheel combos you have, is that car lowered? Assuming it is.

travlee

iTrader: (8)

if i remember correctly, he is on the eibach pro-kit springs with bilstein shocks

N80

It looks lowered a little. With 265/40s on the rear of mine there is more clearance above the tire compared to his pictures.

I'm ordering 265/35s for the front and 275/40s for the rear later today.

I know the fronts will clear because that's what I run now. I'll roll the rears myself if I need to for the 275s.

Saw a YouTube video of a guy rolling his fenders using sockets and a ratchet wrench. He used progressively larger sockets. Not the best for the paint but I don't care about that at this point. I have a heat gun and may use it if I have time.

travlee

iTrader: (8)

i had the pro-kits, 275/40/18 and 9.5+15 combo and needed to roll.

dont ghetto roll it, B2 in florida rents a heat gun (so the paint flexes), and roller for $80 for 3 days. the total charge is $380, with 300 being refunded when it is returned

http://www.b2autodesigns.com/product...oducts_id=2212

N80

I've got a heat gun. Car is fairly beat up anyway.

MicVelo

My car is on Pro-Kit and Koni Sports. 19mm drop (and 15mm on Bilstein).

"Ghetto rolling"... hahaha! Hey, nothing compared to my using my old #35 baseball bat progressively moving from handle to trademark while rolling the car a few feet at a time.

What was once "state of the art" is now called "old school fender rolling". 😄🤡

Now I just take it to my guy. $75 and 30 mins later, full roll and another 30 mins with a tube of silicone sealer, done.

travlee

iTrader: (8)

$65 for the roller, and you could make extra money

http://www.eastwood.com/ew-fender-ro...struction.html

N80

What is the sealer for?

travlee

iTrader: (8)

my guess is to put along the inner side of the newly rolled fender so water doesnt get in there and sit

MicVelo

This (thanks Trav). ^^^

Just preventative measure.... no clue on whether paint or sealer cracked on the inside so wire brushed it out and sealed it.

N80

Well, after all this, problem solved....for now. Tire Rack had a set of Yokohama Advan Neova ADO8 Rs on clearance in the 265/40 size. TW rating is 180 so maybe a little more sticky than the RS-4s that I wanted. There is no way they will last as long as my previous RS-3s but they were $180 each so I couldn't pass that up.

So, in the last few weeks I've gotten a roll bar installed, race seat installed, 6 point harness installed, got a NecksGen Rev 2 Lite head and neck device and a new set of tires.

Big $$$$ but ready for VIR next weekend. Can't wait.

Appreciate all the help getting this worked out.

MicVelo

Have fun! But a bit of advice.... get those tires on ASAP and scrub 'em before getting on track. Fresh tires at a track event, ehhhhhh, not s'good.......