Other than no ability to adjust tire pressures, how do y'all see these in a motorsports setting?
http://www.fourtitude.com/gallery/ge...scaled_600.jpg
Printable View
Other than no ability to adjust tire pressures, how do y'all see these in a motorsports setting?
http://www.fourtitude.com/gallery/ge...scaled_600.jpg
Hasn't this been around for several years and is still fruitless?
NO whitewall option...... :(
Yeah, its actually an onld idea, but it appears to be gaining traction (no pun intended) with manufacturers as technology and CAD improves. I'm not expecting to see them anytime soon (and I'd expect them to be cosmetically altered to appear more like a normal tire) but I'm wondering if the experts areound here think they would adapt well to performance applications. They could be made plenty stiff, but would they really handle side-loads properly? Maybe a shoulder would be added to some designs? Just had me thinking...
There was the person who sent ten different puns to friends, with the hope that at least one of the puns would make them laugh. Unfortunately, no pun in ten did.:jocolor:
I think they would be terrible for motorsports. On a normal tire the contact patch twists to one side under cornering force. The effect is called pneumatic trail and this is what gives you steering feedback. I don't think a tweel could do this very well.
Here is a picture explaining the effect:
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_Ii1ukGkfijY/Sq..._image0063.jpg
This is timely...what are the pros/cons of running 16" wheels/tiresIntead of 17" on equally prepped cars?
The biggest con of running 16” wheels is going to be tire selection. None of the top street tires are available in a 245 width for 16” wheels, while they are all readily available as 245 or 255 widths for a 17” wheel.
No shit... Even in the other direction a set of 6ULs + 225/45-15 RS3's will run just slightly more than Bridgestones, the only 16 inch option... Anyone want an extra set of 16" NB OEMs?
+1Quote:
Originally Posted by altiain
That sucks.
Of course, the 225 size in 16" is probably all you'd want to try to fit onto a stock wheel anyway.
^I am talking stock wheels here (for the NC that is). So if I ran 225/50/16 RS-3's on the 16x6.5" OEM's (15# wheels) versus 225/45/17 RS-3's on 17x7" (17# wheels) OEM's.
Please discuss.
the 16 will have very slightly shorter gearing. - 24.9 inch diameter vs 25 for the 17, however that's measured on 7 and 7.5 rims...
My vote would be RS3's on the 16's and street tires on your 17's. The lighter wheel/tire combo is significant enough to improve suspension function, and the slightly shorter tire is good with the 5-speed. The 7" vs 6.5" width doesn't seem significant enough to me to justify 3-4 lbs per corner.
The Star Specs in 205/50 or 55 might be an option too, since you have the option to drop down to a 24.1" tire and gain some acceleration. Much narrower tire, though.
For $109/each, its hard to argue with the RS3's. A wide, grippy heat-tolerant tire that lasts forever= WINNING!
A 6.5 inch or 7 inch wheel is too narrow for a 225 street tire. At most I would go with a 205 on the 6.5 or a 215 on the 7. Assuming the wheels were equal weight I would run the 17 inch combo.
There you have it!
David - the 16's are 2 lbs lighter than the 17's.
PS - The MS-R package CS cars (and MX5 Cup cars) run 225's on the stock 17x7's. Why is this too wide? It appears to work well for Slates on street tires.
I think Slates is running 235/40 Dunlops. I am also running 235/40 Dunlops on 7 in wheels in the front. Seems to work, but I don't have back to back testing to really know. I would not try it with R1R's or RS3's, but it seems to work with the star specs.
I always thought it was SCCA legal to "downsize" your wheels/tires from OEM specs, but I'm getting conflicting information.
I don't think it's SCCA stock class legal to downsize.
sh::turd::tQuote:
Originally Posted by Robert
Yep, I know.
A lot of people with 18, 19, and 20 inch wheels would really like to down size to save money on R-comps.
I don't think anybody would care in the tire class, it's not like you are going to go any faster on a 16 x 6.5 vs. a 17 x 7 even if they are a little lighter.
A 17 x 9 wheel would be another story.
The street tire price difference isn't really that much either, but I'd like to run the OEM 17"s on the street. If I have the opportunity or desire to run in a divisional, I'll try to buy a co-drive from someone.Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert
I do run the 235/40/17 Direzza Star Specs, and they seem to work just fine. I have been told the 225 would be a better fit for the wheel width, but the 235s are shorter than any 225 out there, which I think is important in the 5 speed car. I ran an MSR once up in Milwaukee with 215s, and that was not enough tire. Overheated really quickly, and that was on an 85 degree day.Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert
The 225/50/16 in either the Dunlop or Hankook may not be all that bad. I think the Dunlop is a pretty good all around tire. Decent in the cold, and good for a couple of fast runs in the really hot weather before they go off. Have you thought about the Kumho Exsta XS. I ran that tire for two years on my Z06. You couldn't overheat them, and the hotter it got the stickier they got. Downside is they were awful in the cold and scary-inconsistent in the wet.
Apples and OrangesQuote:
Originally Posted by OZMDD
Street tires vs R comps
Autocross vs Track
R compounds are completely different. When I ran in E stock we ran 225s on a 6" wheel. And I know Terranova somehow crammed 225s on 5" rims.
Agreed, sort-of. I keep hearing that todays street tires are much closer to R-comps than 4-5 years ago. I don't have R-comp experience, so I defer to your knowledge on how those tires work. BUT... there is the anecdotal evidence provided by Slates, Robert and others who are obviously having success in doing exactly what you're saying won't work. I guess there is a distinction between what is ideal -vs- what can work. Tomato, tomato. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Davidss
So if you take the tweel idea to the extreme you get this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOSAQjCbXZE
The energy return wheel. This guy really doesn't understand how tires work.
I ordered a set of RS-3's for the 17" wheels this morning. They are currently 'special order' from TireRack.
Good thing I ordered mine a few weeks ago. Looks like they still have a few of the 255's, less than 10 in stock. If anybody needs them, they better hurry.
I could not get my 15" RS3s, either. My order is still open, but I picked up some R1Rs for now.
I'm now very glad that I stockpiled tires in the off-season. I hope the RS3's become available again by the end of summer.
I sent Rudy @ Tirerack a PM asking if he had a clue when they'd be in stock...I'll keep y'all posted.Quote:
Originally Posted by OZMDD
^ Ahhh geeze... I was JUST about to order a set. Are all other companies out as well?
Your Order Has Shipped ::Banana::Quote:
Originally Posted by sammm
You suck. Mine are still on availability hold.Quote:
Originally Posted by sammm
Get some 17's, boy!
Rudy told me that Nevada seems to be the only warehouse that has been receiving RS3's lately. FYI
I asked/paid for them to ship out of Louisiana...maybe they are doing some juggling.Quote:
Originally Posted by OZMDD
EDIT - they are coming out of Nevada.
Last Wednesday 2/8, they estimated 3-4 weeks for 15" RS3s.
Anyone called Todd Eaddy at DT?
Todd worked hard last year to secure a supply of 17" RS3 sizes for Discount directly from Hankook. Definitely worth checking with him.Quote:
Originally Posted by OZMDD