rustyguns

these are going to be my weekend race set. i run stock sizes on street

i been reading the crap out of this tire stuff and lots of road racers go with 17" rims al around

So to go 17 inch all around means 17 pound rims and 10 pound lighter tires. this hopefully will give me better response in corners and on bumpy/uneven pavement.

plus every rotating pound equals 4 pounds of dead weight

so by going with 17's i save about 12 pounds a tire= 48 pounds less dead weight. plus easier and cooler on shocks and brakes!

best price/performance i can find is 275/40/17 on Nittos 555 RII and either magnesium n37's or Z06 rims ( mags are 1/2 to 1 pound lighter but 1/2 to 1 inch skinnery)

rears will be 1.6 inches less width but i think its enough if i don't spin the rear wheels (too much) coming out of the turns

this is for road coarse NOT drag

only wide 17" cheap road racing tire i can find for rears is 315/17 sumitomo hrt z but everyone says they suck

Do the Sumitomos suck when they are new? i don't care if they do not last very long or get hard and slippery after 2000 miles I prob toss em after 4 weekends

anyone feel free to chime in

John Shiels

never heard much about them most not so good but look at tires for cost per mile if you can. I know tire prices are big but if you get a tire for 20% more money and it last 40% longer with better performance all along it is the cheaper tire. Plenty of proven choices out there. I run DOT slicks or race slicks so I can't really help much. You will get a good response here shortly. Twelve pounds per tire is huge! Bigger tires cost more but should last longer which is what I find. I run two sets 17" and then 18" set. Eighteens are much easier to drive on when on my car.

rustyguns

unfortunately the next step up is almost 100%+ more $

so 30-40 more use doesn't do much good. these are DOT racing slicks for road coarses

i was on lsitech.com and saw avons r/a slicks on sale for 150.00

avon slicks seem good? i know none of them will last long.... that is why it is my extra/second set

thx for the reply!

VFrc

Ive run the sumitomos at putnam park twice with about 500 road miles in between and I didn't notice any drop off in grip and my laps times were consistant. However, they likely did loose some grip, as the first time I went was the first time i had driven a vette on track (been there twice before with a wrx). I was also surprised at the level of grip they offered for how cheap they are. That being said ive put another couple thousand miles on them on the street and there is very little tread left (alignment front -1.5 camber 1/16 toe out, rear -1.0 camber 1/32 toe in).

TommyBoy72

Couple of local Z06 guys here get takeoff from the Archer's Hoosier VRLs. I think they get them for $50 each. Part of using these requires 18" all around so they all just run the rear Z06 wheels all around.

Personally I picked up two sets of stock sized wheels. One for autox and one for RA-1 or NT-01. I figure they will hold up to heat a bit better and last longer.

rustyguns

wow that's cool! anything like that in phoenix?

varkwso

I have run about every tire out there - to include Sumitomos and Nittos.

I have had great luck with Sumitomos in 275/40 and 315/35 -17 on GS wheels. They do fade fast but they are a pretty good for the money - I have a set currently mounted. They are very good rain tires for the track.

The Nitto RIIs and NT-01s are great - but pricey. They are about the best "dual use" tires I have used - with Pilot Sport Cups being a very pricey alternative.

Stick with street tires for a while before jumping to the track tires...

rustyguns

yeah the street tires will make me better huh? don't stick as well

TommyBoy72

Thats why street tires are better at first. Limits are lower and you learn car control. Losing it going an extra 10-15mph through a corner is not a good thing as a beginner.

rustyguns

yeah..15+ more mph into the wall is not good!

jabrun

[IMG][/IMG]I've got an extra pair of 275/40/17 Sumitomo HTRZ's that have 7/32" tread from the front of my old ZR-1 that I would sell for $120.00 shipped in the lower 48 states. These are around 2 years old and in good shape, never patched. They are around $90.00 each new + shipping.