Somewhere there was a great thread about what to spend $$$ on first and it came out buy sticky rubber over lighter wheels first. Where would wheel size fit in the list of priorities for H-stock?

 

Im not sure, but i think in H stock you need to have OEM rims, but not tires. I have the 8 hole OEM 15s for autocrossing. The weigh like 11-12 pounds. The only problem with them is that they are only 5.5 in wide. So you are limited with tire choices, as well as handleing. I picked mine up from my dealer for $120 brand new. They had a large stockpile that they needed to get rid of.

 

If you are autocrossing in SCCA H-stock with an MC then best setup would be:
stock 15x5.5" holey rims (12 pounds each) and
any DOT approved competition tire in 205/50-15 (fits the rim and works OK)
Common choices- Avon Tech R/Ra, Kumho Victoracers, Kumho V710
Toyo Ra1, Falken Azenis sport Rt-215 (both can be run on the street a bit).
The Rt-215 is old and being replaced by the Rt-615
Also the Hankook Ventus Rs2 Z-212 will work for street and autocross- see
http://edgeracing.com/tires/2055015/

But these tires are typically not for use on the street for any significant length. Some of us load up the race tires in plastic bags into the back of our MINI and haul them to the event and change tires before and after. If you'd rather just run in street tires then it's possible to use max performance or ultra High performance tires or the Toyos or Falkens as mentioned.

 

I must second what MINIhune said. I love my Falken Azenis sport Rt-215 and drove the car to the Dragon on them this year. They are now my every day summer driving tire and autocross rain tire.

For the money holey rims with 710 Kumho's seem a very fast rig. Marshall Cone, a great MC driver locally, is running that combo. In the past he ran 700 Victoracers and did very well in a competive DC SCCA area. The Victoracers may be a good way to go if you want to drive to the event on the tires.

If you decide to run R compound tires blanket bags from LL Bean or another like store are a good plan. They last longer than plastic bags (cost more though). I'd like to tell you where to look for the best deal but I got mine from some one who could not store the wheels tyres that were in them. (I must return them if he can figure out a way to transport wheels and tires in an Elise).

I have just switched to R compounds from my Falkens a little less than 20 events into running a MINI (almost a year). I got my Hoosers used, more for a school event to learn how to drive on them before spending the cash on a new set. I know several people that have corded a tire or two learning the way the car drives on gum.

Sadly work is not letting me run get as much seat time this year. My schools are the local SCCA events instead school events (I do not suggest this rout to learn by). I am very much slower this year than I was last year with the same number of events AND a school or two.

Driving on R tires is very different and much faster as compared to driving on street tires. The car moves out, turns and stops faster. The down side is there is no warning when you are about to loose everything and go for a slide. A big part of driving on gum is learning to do the same thing every time and then changing only what needs to be changed. That is easier said than done on a 60 second run.
John

 

i wonder how well has people use the new hankook ventus rs2s... im thinking of getting a set for next season.. going thru one set each season would save me money in the long run instead of getting street tires and chewing them thru trackdays and autocrosses

since rt615 hasn't come out with any size i want

 

Ive had the new rt-615's for about 4 events. They are awsome, and ok in the rain. Alot better than the old ones were in the rain, from what ive heard. They stick like glue, and im still in AST.

 

Lots of great info. here, but back to my original question;

If you were on a really tight budget would what would you buy first:

Seems like the concessions for #1Get stickier rubber than the stock.

2. Would you pick getting the stock 16” wheels or lighter weight 15” wheels?



In other words is weight (lets say +5-8 lbs. per wheel) of the wheels more or less important than the width of the rubber patch?

 

Get the sticky tires. If you can get smaller wheels, you'll improve turn in and effective gear ratio....

matt

 

For autocross (lots of turns) most experienced drivers really prefer the widest tires possible on those stock rims even if it means a few more pounds.

Stock 15" rims are going to be lighter than stock 16" rims.
Stock 15" rims are only 5.5" wide compared to 6.5" for 16" rims
So wider tires can fit on the 16" rims.

Smaller tire diameter is helpful for lower effective gearing.

 

I run 16's (SSR's for the Hoosiers, Stock V spoke's for the Hankook's). I would recommend 16's because the extra width is invaluable. Some of us drivers could stand too loose 10-20 lbs (me included) so I would say weight is less of a concern, especially when your car weights 2400+ lbs.