Next year I want to run R compounds- help.

Very simple, On a budget and want to run a tire that will allow me to be more competitive. I was pretty much at the back of my class in this last showing due to my own fault. It went from a 56.781 to a 50.204. This is too big of a gap. All runs were clean I had a ride along and was told I need to be more aggressive attcking the salom to get the rear to work with me.

How much will a good set of R's run or is there a preferred budget R that I can run a whole season out of? My budget will call for 15" maybe 16"s but would prefer to stay with the smaller of the size due to wheel weights. I have a larger brake kit that I am doing over the winter. Only 1" increase out of stock parts.

So I will be going from 256mm to 280mm brakes, these fit under 15"s hence why I don't run 14" wheels.

Any help would be appreciated.

Hi Greg,

What I would recommend is using 15's with R comps as they are fairly cheap and don't diminish your acceleration too much. As for the type R comp there are several good companies that are making tires that will last you a season.

Kumho V710- Cost is not too bad for a R and provides debatably the best grip for an R (currently, next year something might come out that is better). Downside- limited sizes for a 15 inch wheel. I picked the 205 as it would allow me to clear the body and the front strut helper spring mounts on my suspension. Kevin (also in our class) picked the 225 which allow him more grip per the wider tire but he has also rolled his fenders. Also, these tires don't like warmer ambient temps and require cooling between runs.

Kumho Victoracer- Cheaper than the V710 and provides excellent life. Grippy tire and a great choice for the budget minded. You also have more size choices and better heat resistance.
Downside- more life at the expense of grip (Not quite as grippy as the V710).

Kumho V700- Cheaper but not as grippy as the victoracer (for heavier cars) but a great overall tire. A lot of people with lighter cars like these tires.

Hoosier SO3-SO5- Grippy tire but sky high price. I would stay away from this one. Also the newer S05 seems to like warmer weather as they have some problems heating up in cooler temps.

Yokohama AO32R- Grippy but not as good as the tires mentioned above but will provide life that will amaze you. These where my first R tire and they where very good starter to the R comps. They behave very much like a street tire in the way they let go and I had about 5 seasons on my tires before I saw cords.
Downside- A bit pricey initially but the life they return will make up for it. They are also really noisy when you drive on them.

One thing to keep in mind is that R comps will extend the limits of your cars abilities but will change the way the car communicates with you right before it lets go. It is also recommended that you have a couple of seasons under your belt so that you are not masking bad habits since R's can hide them.

Hope this helps,

Hopefully, I won't be kicking myself later by making you faster than me.

Pete

Greg, I'm about to get rid of a set of six used Hankook RSS's (medium compound) in 205/50/15. All are now grooved slick; since I bought them used from Barry Brown in April, four have seen 4 track days, and will see two more in October. Two are about 60% worn, two are 50% and two are 30%.

I'll sell all 6 to you for ~$90. If you're interested, you can come by and see them after Oct. 9th.

The tires have been great on the track, but SpecE30 specifies RA-1s.

I've been running them on the Team Dynamics Pro Race 1's that Bimmerworld sells for $125, pre-spaced for E30 offset.

Greg,
I would recommend the 15" wheels with a Toyo RA-1 in a 225/50-15 or 225/45-15. Both are available from Radial Tire. I don't think clearance will be a problem. If it is, the offset E30M3 lower control arm bushing may solve that issue.
The RA-1 will not have the ultimate stick of the Kumho or Hoosier, but will be cheaper and last much longer. When you think the Toyos are keeping you from a podium finish in National events, you might want to switch to the Ks or Hs.
Woody
88 M3, 96 328is

Thanks Guys for the constuctive help. I think I'm going to take Shark up on his offer as November, the next Auto X I do will be too cold? for these.

I plan on running these on Kosei K1's I have a set on my other car presently that I use for the street. The R's will put me into SS class but I will either have added the M3 cams to my M50 engine or added the S52 I have for the car.

I have talked to Mr Bennet from Davison airfield and he said that they are getting ready to do some tarmac repair on the field. So for next year he said we might get to run an event there.

I still need to talk to the Public Affairs section and Security. Updates on that as I get them.

oh back to tires, cleaning them and care? tire softeners? Thanks Rookies need help huh...

As Woody said, RA-1s. That would also work really well for DEs. I ran 225/45/15s on my E30.

Greg,

I'm having Radial tire pull the Hankook's on Wednesday (putting RA-1's on for this weekend). If you'd like, you're welcome to come by and take a look starting next Monday (Columbus day).

Drop me a line to work out the details: sharkd [at] dvsmith [dot] net

$90 for all 6 Hankook Ventus RSS C50 tires.
http://www.hankooktireusa.com/images/uploads/Z211.jpg

Will do :)