Need track tire help...

[Andy (Portland, OR)]

I've got an extra set of 17" S rims. I want to mount street legal track tires on them for DE lapping.

The problem is with size availability. I want to run 225s front, 255s rear. The two tires I'm primarily interested in -- Toyo RA1 and Yoko AO32 -- are not available in 225s. (The AO48 is available in a 225, but not a 255!) The 235s are too wide for the 7" front rim.

Lorne @ Vancouver (PPBB handle) states he has the Yokos in 225/17 purchased in B.C., but they are not listed on Yoko's website or Tire Rack's -- what's with this.? Don't I lose credit card protections if the purchase is outside the US?

So, now I'm thinking of either Michelin Pilot Sport Cups or Kuhmo VictoRacers, both of which are available in in the sizes I'm looking for. The Michelins cost quite a bit more, roughly $70-80 per tire, depending on size, shaving, etc., but according to Tire Rack reviews last quite a bit longer although perhaps not quite as sticky. Will the added longevity make up for the additional cost?

Any performance, sizing, longevity opinions/recommendations/suggestions? (No autocross, just lapping in dry weather.)

Thanks, Andy

[ar38070]

The biggest question is what type of suspension does your car have? If it is a stock suspension then go with the victoracers. If you cannot get -2 degrees of negative camber up front then you are going to have uneven tire wear problems. The victoracers you can flip inside edge to outside when you have worn them about a third of the way. The michelen PSC's are not supposed to be flipped.

[Andy (Portland, OR)]

use different compounds on the inner and outer tread.

By the way, what is the max negative camber obtainable with the stock suspension?

Andy

[Tom M]

On my stock 030 suspension I get -0.9 in the front and -1.9 in the rear. Some get a tad bit more. Some a bit less.

[Andy (Portland, OR)]

Since I assume you have no easy way to adjust your settings, you leave it the same for street and track. So, how is your tire wear, straight line tracking, etc.?

Andy

[ar38070]

Assuming the car is stock then set the front to max negative camber and the rear to the front plus 1 degree. Set minimal toe in up front and 1/16 to 1/8 total toe in at the rear. You should not have too much of an issue with front tire wear from street driving with this setup.

[Kevin C. (Saratoga, CA)]

The factory specs seem kind of goofy. Something like an acceptable range of -0.5 to +0.5 degrees. My car came with a little negative camber on one side and a little positive camber on the other side.

I was able to get -0.8 degrees with the stock 030 suspension. As ar says, this won't cause much problem for wear on the street.

[heeltoer]

check out
www.aimtire.com

located inside infineon raceway paddocks. have pretty much any Rcompound tire ud need.
If you have a spare set of tires and have the means to transport them to the DE event, hoosiers are more performance for a little more buck. and they come in the right sizes.

-heeltoer