What kinda rubber are you wrapped in?

[ChitownA34DR]

Wheel and tire combos? I am looking for ideas for the Jetta so tires would really interest me but I am sure some others would like to know the wheels for their SHOs.

 

[mrecoolgar]

I prefer latex.
Actually I'm running Michelins.
Michelin Sport AS and Exalto AS.
Dunlops are good also.
I have the 9000's on my 68 Cougar.

 

[PAracer]

ES100s on Slicers are fine on a wet track. Avon Tech R for dry days.

Compared back to back on a dry track, the Yokohama treaded tires feel numb and have a fraction of the grip.

 

[thebigjimsho]

Hoosier Grand Am Cup slicks. Not DOT approved.

 

[Speedie13]

BFGoodrich KDWS 235/45/ZR17 on 17" ICW rims <---old combo (Loved this combo)

Slicers with 225/50 Goodyear Eagle <---Currently (Undecided lol)

Slicers with 225/60 Dunlops in rear, 245/50 Eagle RS-A's up front (From a T/A) <---last summer's combo lol.
Had to use 1/4" spacers in the front to keep from rubbing struts...still rubbed in back with spacers so i only ran the T/A's up front. I liked the look but cornering was horrible, im suprised I didnt pop the front tires.

 

[SinisterSHO]

I'm currently runnin the BFG KDW2 235/40/18. I like them alot, they have good grip all the time, so I cant complain. They did fairly well at Gingerman, as well.

 

[92inPA]

ES100s on Slicers are fine on a wet track. Avon Tech R for dry days.

Compared back to back on a dry track, the Yokohama treaded tires feel numb and have a fraction of the grip.

Actually, the ES100s are pretty much useless on the track. They belong on the street only.

 

[Whip]

im running Sumitomo HTR Z 245/40/17 on 17x7 svt rims

i gotta say they work sweet in wet or dry

 

[RonPorter]

Actually, the ES100s are pretty much useless on the track. They belong on the street only.

I ran ES100s on my '94 at Blackhawk and at ThunderHill, and thought they did fine......as long as I had 50 psi hot up front. 225 tires are not good on 6" slicers, no matter what the tire.

Anyway the Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 has been a great tire on the Subie for 20k+ miles and four track events. I was hoping to stretch them out until Fall through the Gingerman event, but the heat and the speed of Memphis Motorsports Park did a number on the LF tire with chunking and half the "Michelin" gone from the sidewall. Plus, it now leaks.

Went through the decision process yesterday on the Tire Rack site. Basic criteria were (1) 215/45/17, (2) summer tires only, (3) no treadware over 300, (4) no tire heavier than 22#s, (5) silica-compound, and (6) preferably under $125/tire.

I bought the original Exalto PE2s for $100/each on a super deal, but $161 for new ones, although I loved them, was a bit rich. One advantage to them is that they are not directional, and very regular rotations has made them last as long as they did.. I highly recommend them.

It was a toss-up among the Kumho MX, Goodyear F1 GS-D3, and ES100.

The final choice was......."None Of The Above".

I went with the Dunlop Direzza DZ101. I dont know anyone who has them, and I never heard of them until yesterday. But I also never heard of the Exalto PE2s before I bought them, either. Should have them on by early next week.

 

[K-Dawg]

I threw on a set of Kumho Ecsta SPTs right before the convention. I was pretty happy with my previous ES100s, but these are much better. They did better than I expected on the roadcourse, and ride still ride nice. Considering the abuse that I've put them through in the last two weeks, they seem to be holding up pretty good.

Ron, how wide are the wheels on your car? Something I noticed about your car was that through some of the turns, the tire was rolled over so far that the rim was almost touching the pavement.

 

[RonPorter]

Ron, how wide are the wheels on your car? Something I noticed about your car was that through some of the turns, the tire was rolled over so far that the rim was almost touching the pavement.

They are 215/45/17s on 17x7.5" Rota rims. Sidewalls are short as it is.

I've loaded pics of the front tire at the beginning of the Gingerman album:

http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=10138192&uid=168194

Per the pics, the LF was only rolling "halfway" down the sidewall (!!!). This didn't start until 2-3 laps into the session, when the front end would get. The track layout was brutal for the LF tire with all of the right turns and curves, not counting the heat.

I started the day at 40 psi in the front, and it would get to 48 psi by the end of a session. If I go much higher, it gets skittish in the front.

Basically, I was overdriving the tires. I would stay close to Kirk (track tires), and with Sergio (track tires).

Before my next track day in Fall, I will have bigger sway bars, which should level the car a bit, and get the back end pivoting a bit more.

 

[shodup]

Im wrapped in durex, thats what i prefer.

 

[92inPA]

Before my next track day in Fall, I will have bigger sway bars, which should level the car a bit, and get the back end pivoting a bit more.

Bigger rear bar, or a smaller front bar.

 

[PAracer]

I don't think Ron has an SHO any more, Dad. He has a Subie, IIRC.

 

[RonPorter]

Bigger rear bar, or a smaller front bar.

Both are larger. I keep forgetting the sizes, but the factory bars are tubular (hollow), as are the Cobb bars I'm getting. Cobb rates the fronts as 50% stiffer than stock, and the rears (2-way adjustable) are 195% and 215% stiffer.

The sizes are something like 19/17mm stock, and 23/21mm Cobb, but I don't recall exactly. They recommend going with the set. In the Subie world, the actual diameters don't seem to be a hot topic of conversation. One thing is that some of the aftermarket bars are solid, so it's apples-to-oranges versus hollow bars.

The car leans a lot. Flattening out both the rear and the front will help, especially the torture that I inflict on the LF.

FWIW, I have gotten over my FWD (SHO) driving & car setup habits, and have gotten the AWD thing "down" much better. Putnam was my first track event with it last year. My "benchmark" has been running with Kirk and his red car. He easily had me at Putnam, was a hair better at the Fall Gingerman meet. At the Spring Gingerman, I was passing him. He now has track rubber. He was passing everyone in Advanced at Memphis, but he was just slowly pullling out on me, and a lot of it was in the Turn 1 carousel wth the long left turn where his tires would really help.

 

[chknhwk]

I've heard good things about the Cobb stuff.

I've always been a big fan of the Toyo T1-S's. They just take awhile to break in for track use, that's all. The tall tread in a silica compound seems to heat up pretty fast if they're brand new.
After doing VIR in Terri's (dobiehut's) Cobra and running the new wheels and 275/40 Kumho MX's I'm a believer in those as well. They don't have the wet traction of the Toyo's, however.

 

[kaoticSHO]

Bridgestone SO 3 235/45/17 SSR GT1

Eagle F1 GSD3 235/45/17 SSR GT1

Firehawk Wide Oval 225/50/16 ASA AR1

 

[thebigjimsho]

Bridgestone SO 3 235/45/17 SSR GT1

Eagle F1 GSD3 235/45/17 SSR GT1

Firehawk Wide Oval 225/50/16 ASA AR1

Who let this guy in here?

 

[SinisterSHO]

I think I remember reading somewhere about Kuhmo V700 vs V710s. The 710s were faster, but did they wear alot faster as well?

 

[shomesomesho]

For autocross (not necessarily for road racing), Grass Roots Motorsports magazine in 2005 did a comparison (this article is available online in .pdf format somewhere).

In terms of R compounds, the Kuhmo V710's came out on top.

For street tires used in autocross, the Falken Azenis RT 615 came out on top.

When my current set of Kuhmo Victoracer V700's wear out, I am definitely getting a set of V710's even if I have to use 16" rims. Many experienced autocrossers I have talked with all say the V710's are significantly faster than the V700's, and last about as long, which is about twice as long as the Hoosiers. In fact, most of the guys at our meets that are good enough to compete at the national level use the V710's. The one's that don't use V710's use Hoosiers.