Need help from you guys -

Need new tires for my GP - Must be street tires but I am planning to autox (the whole season) and go to the track a few times. I will be using stock wheels.

Also I have Hotchins (sp?) chamber plates currently on -1, and a JCW strut brace - Suggestions ?

What's the deal with the brakes ? I am told that the GP brakes are not ideal for the track . True? Next step?


Thanks

 

lastrega
I am using the Michelin Pilot Sport PS-2. I am very happy with the tire thus far. You can get some good tire info on them from Tire Rack. I am using the stock size 205/40/18.
As far as the brakes go, I think the stock JCW brakes are also very good. For track days what you really need more than anything else is to cool them down a bit to reduce fade. If you connect the front air scoops I think you will be presently surprised at how well they preform.
Steve

 

I also need new tires for my GP. I plan to go with a slightly wider tire. If I stay with the stock wheels I plan on 215/35-18 or 215/40-18 (probably 215/40-18 for a little more sidewall). For Auto-X you want as wide as possible but when I talked to Alex at Tire Rack he thought the 225 on the stock 7" wheel was not the best idea becuase the 225 should be on a 7.5" wheel but will go on a 7" wheel. He said putting the 225 on a 7" wheel will cause more tramlining (which I already notice with the stock 205 tires). Also, without wheel spacers I am not sure of the inside tire clearance because of the large offset on the stock wheels. I plan to run spacers to clear a Wilwood BBK so I am not concerned with inside clearance.

Tire Rack and Edge Racing are good resources for reviewing tire options.
For a combined street/auto-x (max performance) tire, in 215/40-18:
Pirelli Pzero Nero
Toyo Proxes T1r (would be my choice)
For a combined street/auto-x (max perf) tire, in 215/35-18:
Hankook R-S2 Z212 (would be my choice)
Pirelli Pzero Nero
Toyo Proxes T1r
For a combined street/auto-x (max perf)tire, in 225/35-18:
Bridgestone Potenza RE50A
Goodyear Eagle F1GS-D3 (might be my choice)
Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 (might be my choice)
Pirelli Pzero Nero
Toyo Proxes T1r
Yokohama AVS Sport

However, for the amount of auto-x you plan I would think a 17" wheel would a better choice. I know I am torn between staying with the stock GP wheels or going with a lighter and shorter 17" wheel. Also, there are some great auto-x tire options in the 215/40-17 size such as the Kumho Ecsta MX.

As for brakes. I have not tracked my GP but I did do multiple track days with my modded 2003 MCS. The stock brakes were not adequate (the JCW brakes are only slightly larger). I performed a trade-off study to decide whether to improve the stock brakes with rotors, pads, lines, bushings, and pads or go with a BBK. I found that for the long run (like 1000,000 miles) it is more cost effective to go with a Wilwood kit due to lower replacement part (rotors, pads) costs plus you get the added benefit of improved fade resistance. I have the 13" TCE Wilwood kit. You can get by with the stock brakes but you will need to be gentle with them (it also depends on the track). The problem with BBKs and the GP wheels is fitment due to the large offset. You will need spacers with the GP wheels and a BBK.

For auto-x the JCW brakes should be great with a fluid and pad switch. Other additional options to add would be SS lines and solid bushings.

 

At the last track event I used the michelin pilot sport 2's and had the brake ducts working. Even with stock pads I had no brake fade, but better pads would have been nice. The tyres were great on the 2nd day in the rain, on the dry day they were also good but toyo ra 1's are better (and street legal).
My car is going to be running with ra 1's on 17" ssr's to and from the track and goodyear eagle f1 gsd3's for day to day driving.
With 18" rim's your tyre choices are more limited.

 

of Alex at TireRack:
Motegi TrackLite 2.0 in a 17x8 with the Bridgestone RE-01R in a 235/40 or a 245/40. The car has stock suspension and brakes, we auto-x a couple times a year and are planning on several HPDE's/track days this year.
This seems to be an aggressive width, is anyone else running this wide or do you see any issues?

 

You're going to have a LOT of fun fitting 245/40's on an R53 with stock suspension. I'm not sure what the offset is on those wheels, but i'm running an ET37 and with my car raised to about stock height my fenders popped off with 225/50/R16's on the car.

The radius is about the same on both (12.4 inches). Because of the lower profile, the sidewall will be shorter, but that doesn't effect clearance. With tires that wide you'll likely have issues clearing suspension parts, we were close with my wheels.

Great Tire Size calculator here:
http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

 

FYI as another member recently pointed out all new Goodyear Eagle F1GS-D3's are now manufactured in China. That may or may not be a good thing, not sure what if any difference that makes in the quality of this tire.

 

OT ALERT!

not to make this super political, but im getting so sick and tired of people automatically associating chinese parts as inferior... if the manufacturer Goodyear kept a close eye on the operation, with very good QC, chinese made goods can be just as good as anywhere else as long as it's monitored... i went to china during christmas and i am very very impressed

sorry for singling you out, every single time i hear something like this i just get so pissed off... i realize you may not think that way i just hope that everyone on NAM realize that it has it's share of chinese population (like yours truly)

back on topic now

 

I honestly don't care, but the context of the post that I read was that the tire was somehow not as good as it was, so I was just passing along information. The majority of my tires come from Korea, Japan, and China anyway, I refuse to pay premium prices for tires that just don't show any significant improvement over the cheaper priced alternatives.

 

funny we both on the same page

it is true that michelin and bridgestone maybe the only companies that spend the bucks on R&D, but by the end of the day, will 95% of people realize the difference? probably not

im happy with my falken Azenis, that said, i kinda regret not gettin the Ventus RS2 instead

 

RS-2's and RT-615's are so close it's hard to compare the two. The Azenis appear to be slightly better in dry, RS-2's in the wet. Azenis also have a little better cornering (stiffer sidewall) RS-2's have comfort/noise. It's all a trade off. I wouldn't regret anything, it's a learning experience.

 

Too bad someone cannot try a blind drive test.

Two sets of Goodyear GSD3 on same sized rims like stock 17x7.
About the same wear on the treads.
Mount unknown set on drive A and other set on drive B then rate each trip.
Then do a change (can be either set) and make that Drive C and rate it. See how the driver rated each run and see if any difference was detectable.

A tirerack review with runs on their track could also quantify any differences.

My impression is the current GSD3 is basically the same as before but might cost less to make in China. Quality control should be at the same level as ever/before.

I did travel and checked out some GSD3s in San Antonio on display at a Goodyear shop and they were made in Germany and in the US. Go figure, probably based on tire size and old stock.

 

+1 brother

 

I have no idea why this thread was broken up and I will deal with that issue separately. In the meantime I've tried to remerge the original posts into this thread so that it can get back on track.

Mark

 

Yesterday morning I was reading with great interest the answers to my questions. I was very pleased to see people replying with good technical answers and taking their time to share either their knowledge and-or driving/ racing experience, to help me in purchasing my tires. Last night I found several e-mails informing me of replies to my OP, but when I went to see the thread I found some answers removed .. so now,according to Sam ( who doesn't own a GP nor does he races) I should go around NAM to look up answers that, although pertinent to my OP, missed the word GP or have the word "Asian", therefore removed and reallocated in other threads..

Sam I see you haven't changed, since my unfortunate experience of working with you, and keep annoying people because of your limited view point....how sad.

This post , of course, will be removed.

 

The post won't be removed. Sam does now have a GP but that is besides the point. I've emailed him to let him know that he should not be doing moderation in this or other forums.

Now that this has been address let's get back to helping you find some tires for your GP. If you're autocrossing I would suggest having a second set of wheels with R Compounds mounted. If you are tracking the car I would still probably suggest a second set of wheels but with a more track oriented compound. Regardless, if you have a second set of wheels it opens up a lot more choices on what tires you go with. If, however, you only have one set you have to come up with some type of viable compromise between day to day (weather-related) tire choice that also doesn't totally come apart at the autocross or track. I've been out of the tire options game long enough that I'm not sure of the options now available. If I were to track or autox my car now (like I did long ago) I would go with a second set of wheels that are legal for whatever class I'm running in.

Mark

 

Thanks a lot Mark. I also reported the other thread to the moderation team. I'm not sure what kind of queue system you guys use, but if you have access to it, go ahead and remove it (I was trying to get this thread back on track without bothering you).

 

Mark thanks for your input and for fixing the thread. I am shopping for tires right now and this thread is really handy.

 

If you don't want to go full out R-Compounds Falken Azenis RT-615's are great, and Hankook Ventus R-S2's are great. The Falkens are a tad more sticky in the dry and have a little stiffer sidewall, but the Ventus are better in the rain.

You can run either on the street full time, but the Hankooks are probably better suited to your area given the additional moisture over Southern California .

PS: GP!

 

n/m

 

I ended up in purchasing Hankook Ventus 215/35/18 from Edge Racing which took two days to ship ('tho it was promised same day shipping) ..Never much luck with them and their delivery schedule.. This means that Sunday I will be at the autox with my old stock run flats that are practically bold .. It shouldl be fun to drive and to watch... oh well, I'll blame my time on the tires...

 

for auto-x, worn out tires with no tread blocks are better anyways (no squirming tread blocks)....guess I'll bring my good tires so I can keep up. Brand new tires need to be broken in...running them at auto-x is a sure way to ruin them (they need 500 miles to set the rubber and also wear off the wax/release agent from the tire mold).

of course, this is all my experience on a lowly MCS....forgive me for posting in this forum w/o owning the GP

 

Of course, if you want to WIN at autocross, you'll probably want a set of 9-lb. 15x7" wheels.

They would give you faster acceleration, better braking, and better adhesion if the course is not on a glass-smooth parking lot.

Big, heavy wheels are a loser at autocross, where speeds are relatively low, but hundredths of seconds make winners and losers.

 

but if I start winning PGT won't be my friend anymore !!!

OldRick - you are right and I am looking into go with a smaller wheel - I was planning to try with the wheels from one of the other MINIs in the Scuderia.

 

Motegi Tracklite 2.0's and the Bridgestone RE-01R's on our GP. The fit is perfect, no rubbing and they look great, will post some pic's this weekend.

Tires: 215/45ZR-17 Bridgestone Potenza RE-01R
Wheels: 17x8 MOTEGI TRACK TRAKLITE 2.0