Independent1

I have an FRC that I plan to take to a number of HPDEs once I get my ducks in order. One of those is picking some good rims and rubber for both street and HPDE use. Not ready for track tires only yet.

I was thinking of going with the 17" grand sport rims all the way around with 9.5" in the front and 11" in the rear. Was going to put some Goodyear F1 SC on with 275/40/17 in the front and 315/35/17 in the rear.

My car has the Z06 rear brake ducts installed.

What do people think of this combination?

Anybody know a good place to buy the rims? I have seen a bunch of different places selling the GS rims in a variety of styles (chrome, poilished aluminum, etc.) and prices. I have also seen them referred to as "A-mold" rims.

Thanks for your help.

95jersey

Depends on what size you want to run? I think they only make the original supercars in the stock Z06 sizes, which means if you go 17", you are stuck with 265's which is just too small for any kind of track use especially in the rear. So, you will have to go 18".

If you want to stay 17", then you can run Kuhmo MX, they are not as stickly as F1's, but they are 1/2 the price and you'll tear through the F1's on the track like butter. So, for cost and durability and traction, I recommend the Kuhmo MX's. The only downside is you can't get them bigger than a 285 in 17".

If your delima is driving to the track, then buy yourself 2 sets of rims/tirs. Stay with stock for street and buy some Toyo R1's, you can drive them to and from the track and take them off when you get home...the other alternative is tire trailer (what I did for years).

yellow01

Challenging to find a dual purpose solution, but certainly can be done.

When I ran only 1 set, I picked up some OEM Z06 (17"/18") wheels for relatively cheap, alot of chrome-goers out there, and then ran Kumho-MX which are really a great dual purpose. After 3 weekends they will get hard though.

Or as stated, run two sets.

Independent1

Thanks for the response. By "hard" do you mean they begin to lose their grip?

I know the ideal solution is to run two sets, unfortunately that's not doable right now and also be a newbie I have read it is best to use street tires since they give more warning before going away on you.

Cobra4B

You're right... street tires talk to you. My advice is to get a set of oem Z06 wheels and get a set of Kumho Ecsta MXs. You'll get 275/40s up front and 295/35s out back. They're resonably priced and will last for a long time.

They may get slightly harder after 3-4 track weekends, but they'll still perform and talk to you when you need them to.

At first I tracked on my CCW classic street wheels w/ Kumho's. Then eventually I put a set of spare Kumho's on my stock wheels to run through w/o messing up my nice CCWs for the street.

After running a year on the kumhos to get more experience under my belt, I went the route of a trailer hitch, tire trailer w/ tool box, and a set of Hoosier RS304s on my Z06 wheels.

Now... I've got CCWs for the street, a used set of oem supercars on my oem wheels for wet track, and a set of oem Grand Sport wheels all 17x11 w/ 315 Kumho V710s at all four corners.

As you see... it gets expensive over time!

My dad picked up an '04 Z06 Z16 last summer... we put in a BK harness bar, BK lap belt mount kit, and 6-point g-force harnesses. Then we added an intake, custom allignment, and fresh set of Kumho Ecsta MXs on his oem wheels.

It's very low maintenance and he tracks it like that... Z06 pads and the Kumhos are great for now.

He's close to getting some aftermarket grand sport wheels 17x9.5 and 17x11 w/ som DOT R tires.

Cya,
B

Solo2GS

No reason you can't run GS 17 X 11 rims with 315's on all four corners. I do and they work quite well!





Why go with a street tire for the track? They cost more and they don't perform as well. Get some Hoosier or Kumho V710 scrubs. Used once or twice by racers then sold off fairly cheap. There are several shops on the Forum that sell them. Even if you do buy the tires new they are still cheaper then street tires!

AFS Wheels sell a lot of repro rims. They also sell them on ebay for less then their online store. If you go this route make sure you get the GS offset.

The trick is with DOT-R compound is getting to the track with them, although I do know many people who drive a good hour there and back on them...

Independent1

^^Thanks for the advice. I will definitely consider it.

Where is your dad looking to buy the GS rims from? I saw a bunch of places selling them at all different prices and finishes.

Independent1

^^ Those rims and wheels look really good on your car. Any rubbing issues, etc?

The main reason for going with street rubber at this time is that I have no HPDE experience, and I need to get some new rims and tires for the street. I have done a lot of research on the subject and it seems there are a lot of very good reasons to go 17" all the way around in terms of performance and tire availability.

I have gotten a little ahead of myself in the past to say the least. Won't go into details but I could write a book. Anyway, I am try to take a slow and measured approach from now on and to do as much research and information gathering as I can.

My plan is to eventually go to track only tires, but that is down the road a piece.

Thanks

Cobra4B

Ebay... not sure which vendor. His car is LeMans Blue so he'll most likely get the silver ones.

If your a novice definately run on street tires for 5-10 events maybe more. All of the HPDEs I got to they always stress this for beginners:

"Tires don't make you a better driver, they just make your car faster."

17x11s will rub in the front at full lock turns, but you only come close to that in the paddock so you have to be careful there.

SouthernSon

A combination that worked well for me while street driving between events consisted of stock wheels (spun cast, light and strong), Hawk HP+ pads, stock tire sizes all the way around in Firestone Wide Ovals. This combination allows you to go deep into turns, spirited around corners, and lasts a good while on the street.

Those that are track prepared with Track tires, Track brake pads only, and coolers on the engine oil and tranny will pass you and outlast you on the track. However, you will find yourself in the top 5% at most tracks with the above combination.

Don't do what I did at first; try to street a 'track brake pad only'. I ate up my rotors and pads, never stopped well on the street and had no pad when it came time to go to the track. YMMV.

Cobra4B

^ True... a prepped Z will beat a non prepped one, but a basically stock Z06 will be better than most all cars out there, even some race cars.

Just make sure your have a good high temp brake fluid, decent pad life left, and go have fun.

geerookie

Checkout the Nitto 555 for street.
http://www.nittotire.com/#index%2Etire%2Ent555
I use them at the track and they stick. They don't get hard after multiple track days. I also drive 4 hours to and from Watkins Glen, 2 for Pocono and 6 for VIR. I have been very happy with these tires and they seem to last and the price is very reasonable. Then if you decide to go to R compound Nitto NT01 or 555RII not the NT555R (it's for drag racing).

geerookie

[QUOTE=southern_son;1560533958]A combination that worked well for me while street driving between events consisted of stock wheels (spun cast, light and strong), Hawk HP+ pads, stock tire sizes all the way around in Firestone Wide Ovals. This combination allows you to go deep into turns, spirited around corners, and lasts a good while on the street.

Those that are track prepared with Track tires, Track brake pads only, and coolers on the engine oil and tranny will pass you and outlast you on the track. However, you will find yourself in the top 5% at most tracks with the above combination.

QUOTE]

I also use the HP+ pads and 18" Wagon Wheels front and rear w/ 275/40-18. Light and strong, also you can rotate front to back to even out wear. Also balances out the normal push in the corners that the C5 has.
I use Rock Auto or NAPA rotors and HP+ pads. I change pads and rotors for track days just because of the brake dust from the HP+ pads. I also have drilled rotors for the street with chrome wheels. Takes about 1 1/2 hours to swap including bleeding the brakes.

Solo2GS

NAPA rotor are a good buy at about $25 each. Personally I run Carbotech XP12 (front) and XP10 (rears). I have been very happy with Carbotech products and have used them for years.

I suggest some good brake fluid no matter what pads you run. Flush out the old stuff with some Motul 600. Easily found at any motorcycle shop then autopart store.

Brake cooling is a must as well. DRM has a great set that finishes off the stock setup.


As mentioned with the 315's there is some slight rubbing at full lock, but you are only going to see that in the paddock and not on the track. I know some people who have also wired tired their rack so steering cannot go that far. The 315's will not hinder you so you might as well get the correct rim size from the start. If someone is looking for a set (2) of black GS 9.5 X 17's I have a very nice pair in my garage I would be happy to sell off. Only ever been used for auto-x a season.

I as well started off running on street tires. Mostly because I did not have an extra set of rims yet. It does not take long on certain tracks to chunck a nice set of street tires. So whatever street tires they are don't send too much on them.

Solo2GS

Over the years I have put together several preparation guides for racing for various clubs i have been. Feel free to check them out at this link

Independent1

Thanks for the brake advice. One of the many areas I jumped ahead in.

I have the stock brakes right now with stock C5 pads on the car. Probably have enough pad life for one good HPDE before switching out. Need to find a good street/track pad. I have heard a lot of good things about the carbo-tech pads for track only use.

Over the winter I plan to put on some new brake calipers (Z06 with SS pistons in the front), SS lines, speed bleeders, and brake ducts. Also got the Motul 600.

Going to also install polybushings all the way around, Pfadt coilovers and anti-sway bars, HD ball joints, etc. Have all the parts sitting in by brother's garage. Like I said earlier, got a wee bit ahead of myself.:o

Keep the good advice coming!!

yellow01

Yes to the first question. The Kumho MXs grip VERY VERY WELL for a street set. Did I say VERY WELL?! After two full weekends, they do harden up and do lose grip. You will be wondering why you can't go as fast as you used to I even notice now on the street, punch it and T/C will kick in... My MXs lost grip before being dead tread-wise. I retired them to street only and I expect to get another 15-20k depending on how I drive. It is just something to be aware of, that tread life may not be the limiter for dual use tires.

On the 2nd point, I think that's one reason to stay on streets, but another is just the overall speeds you attain with streets vs. DOTR. The speeds I reached with the v710s are what started me thinking about a cage and the like. The v710s do make noise at the limit (if you approach the limit gently) but certainly not as much as fully treaded tires.

Independent1

Anybody else have suggestions for rims and tires?

The Kumhos sound like a good possibility for a dual purpose tire. Anybody else have tire recommendations.

Based on what I have heard, I have slightly revised the rims and tires.

Here is what I am thinking now.

ZR1 chrome wheels with GS offset. 17 X 9.5 front, and 17 X 11 rear.
Can get them from Tom Z wheels for about $600 on fleabay.

Tires. Kumho Ecsta MXs.

Front: 275/40 X 17
Rear: 285/40 X 17

Looked up the specs on Tirerack. Should work with the rims above. The rear treadwdth will be a little bigger due to slightly larger rim width.

Question: How will having tires in the front and rear with pretty close to equal treadwidth have on handling of car, especially on the track?

Thanks. Sorry about being a little long-winded.

Cobra4B

Car should be just fine... I'd go with that setup except for 1 thing... ditch the chrome.

My Dad is buying the same wheels but in polished from AFS. It was going to be the painted ones, but then we say they're making them in polished, which is perfect for his LeMans edition Z06.

Not sure what's going on w/ tires.

Solo2GS

Only thought is if you are eventually go with DOT-R tires then you might just consider getting 4 - 17 X 11 rims and run the 285's all around.

Chrome is heavier, so I'd go with black or polished. Just remember about how black your wheels will get with brake dust on the track. Same reason I went with black rims!