Understood . .. my point was (is?) smaller is better IF possible. Until 2006, the stock wheel size was 15" so it would seem a 15" wheel is possible.

Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but, were the factory upgrade 17" wheels, 17 x 7? I thought they were narrower than 7".

Anyway, it's not important . . . my original post, was a repost from another thread that was discussing the same issues. I don't race in the SCCA and I'm unfamiliar with their rules. If the rules say you can only run a stock size wheel including width, then there really aren't any good solutions . . . just compromise solutions.

I was just trying to help.

Randy

 

Randy, input is always very good. Sometimes it makes people realize that what they have always been doing may not be the right way.

That being said, in Stock class SCCA solo competition, one must run a stock sized wheel, and within 1/4" of offset. So, for a mini Cooper, that means a 15X5.5" wheel, or a 16X6.5" wheel. For a MCS, you can run a 16X6.5" or a 17X7" wheel.

Up until this year, no wide, but short enough tires existed in 17", so almost everyone ran 205/45s or 215/40R16s. Now that Hoosier has come out with a 225/40R17, it makes it a very valid option.

All of this being said, I was not overly happy with the 215/40 V710s. Switching to 225/50 up front cured a few of my issues, and I went faster. In Ontario, for the most part, we run slower courses because of the lot sizes. This may have had something to do with it, but I do not know. I do know that a 225 section width tire on a 6.5" wheel looks ugly but works.

Given the choice, I think that 225/45 or 225/50R15 is the way to go, but it is not Stock legal.

Has anyone heard about the possibility of the new Toyo R888 beign available in 225/45R16?

 

The R888 is available in very limited (and large) sizes..I'm testing them tomorrow at the Tire Rack against the usual suspects. We wound up choosing 285/30R18 (on a BStock RX8) as that was the one size that every manufacturer had.

 

Yes, this is definitely compromise solutions. That's what we should define "Stock classes" as...."compromised solutions!"

the 17s are 7" wide, so it does help with the top speed 2nd gear, another big issue in Solo that you won't see in Club racing.

btw, if anyone is interested in a set of 16x6.5" wheels, email me. I just bought another set of 17s for our R56 and really have no need for the 16s.

Dan

 

There are tires that fit the 17x7's, that extra .5" would normally be a no brainer, but with the R53, we're dealing with horrible camber, or lack thereof. R56 is the big question mark, because I have seen people squeeze a bit more camber than I thought would be possible. I'll be running the Salt Lake Pro this weekend in my 05 MCS and we have a couple of R56's and R53's. I'll be running a R56 at Nationals and we've opt'd to go with 16" still with the still competitive V710's.

 

Markertoo-the new Toyo's will be available in a 225/45r16, I believe starting either late this year or early next year.


I'd love to hear reviews of the R888's, as I'm thinking of aquiring a set for next season.

 

So Per, how quick were these? Are they (or the new BFGs) going to compete with the V710 or the Hoosier?

 

Hmmm. probably not.

BFGs..maybe, certainly for road racing.

 

Hmm. That means no. :-) Unless they are within a tenth, there is no point in thinking they are top shelf.

Interesting about the BFG. Is it to be marketed as a Solo 2 tire, or just a road race tire?

 

I am looking to get a 16 x 6.5 rim to stay in the gs class but the required offset is 48. The slipstreams that people have recommended are 45mm offset. Can anyone recommend a rim of this size?

 

45mm offset is still GS legal. you can go +-6mm from factory 48mm

 

Aaaahhhh good to know. Thanks.

 

Check out the latest issue of GRMS. They have a test on some of the popular R compound tires and their data provides additional information that might help anyone making a tire/wheel choice. It would be great if we could all make controlled tests using our own cars, but for most if us it simply is not possible. Plus, there are so many variables that it is difficult to determine what is best for an individual driver.

cheers,

Joe

 

Did you ever get to the bottom of this? Courses out here are pretty high speed and I'd prefer the taller tire if I can swing it. Haven't been able to find the definitive word on whether the 225s fit in the back.

 

I have been using the 225/50-16 Bridgestone Potenza RE-01S on my R56 MCS for a few months for daily driving and autoX with no rubbing. If their the best choice I can't say as they don't provide as much feedback as I like, but have more traction.

 

Yes, the 225/50R16 V710's fit the R56 and at least a '05 R50 in the front. I haven't tried them in the rear, but I believe I talked to a couple of guys at Nationals that ran them in the back, so they should fit as well (sorry, not definitive, but pretty close). I don't know if the Hoosier will fit, though. By the way, it looks kind of funny. I ran a staggered 225f/215r for testing.

Performance-wise, I've only done limited testing and the jury's still out for me. I had convinced myself that the 215 was quicker, but the last time I ran the 225's I put some pretty decent times in comparison. I'll do more testing this season. The new 215/45 will be interesting, too.

Good luck.

John

 

The car I ran at nationals (07 R56 MCS) did have the 225/50/16 V710's in the rear. They did fit but the sidewall deflected enough under cornering to make a nice polished strip on the aluminum trailing arm. Unless you are getting them for free like we did, I can't see any reason why one would choose to run those in the rear.
Jason

 

Thanks, that's great info. Unfortunately won't be getting anything for free, so I'm glad to avoid an unpleasant (and expensive!) fitment issue.

Looks like I'll be going with the 215s.

 

The 215s are cheaper, too. You could always start with the 215s and if you're always riding the rev-limiter, you could go to a staggered 225 front/215 rear setup. This does raise the car's CG a little more than half an inch, but I don't think you'd notice it. You will notice less wheel spin and more sidewall squish, though.

Thanks for chiming in on the 225 rears, Jason. I wish I got free tires. At least I'm not running Hoosiers and have to buy 2-3 sets to get the same amount of runs as every 1 set of Kumhos. Uh oh, maybe I should take that back before I start something here...

 

Maybe I should expand upon the free tires. The 225's in question were old, hard throwaways from a friend's junk pile :-P , not much value in those! They did make the car very easy to rotate though!

Jason

 

Funny enough, I ran the exact same combination. I ran 215s all around until the fronts wore out, and then bought the HUGE 225/50s for the front. I think our cars need the extra width. that is why the 225/40R17 looks to be a possible option.

 

Of course you ran the same combo...I bought the 225's from you!

Yeah, I'd like to try the 17's. If I had a lot more free $$$, I'd test them back to back. Maybe sometime in the future. For now, though, I know the 215/40R16's run well. I don't know what the 215/45R16's will do, though. Word from Kumho is 60 more days until they're available. Does anybody know if they're going to get rid of the 40-series? Or are they going to have both available? If they get rid of the 40, the 45 BETTER be quicker.

 

I thought I would resurrect this thread based upon my recent experience with Hoosier 225/50/16 tires on the front of an '06 Cooper S (215s in the rear). The general consensus from previous posts is that these tires would fit without problems. However, after my first runs I found serious rubbing on the shocks- to the point where the casings were deformed inward. The inner tire sidewalls were very polished, but do not look damaged. My rims have a 45 offset, so I am adding a 3 mm spacer to bring it down to the 42 limit. Hopefully, that will take care of the problem. If it doesn't, I've wasted $500 (the mounted cost of the heat-treated tires). For me, the jury is still out regarding any advantages of these tires. Wheel spin seems to be reduced, but there is some bogging coming out of slow conners. Right now the rubbing issue dominates my perspective.

 

The strut body does have a flat formed into it right where the tire will contact it. Are you sure you actually deformed the body or is it possible that you just rubbed the paint off of the flat that was already there? I've seen this case before with slight rubbing up front.

Jason

 

I didn't know that and if that is the case, my problem is less severe than I thought. Still, lots of paint gone. Thanks for the info.