Buying an extra set of tires/wheels for the first time. Some questions
 

I have a brand new 2007 Mini Cooper S

I've driven in about 4 auto-x events and one all day auto-x/driving school. (in my old car) So I have finally decided to stop shredding my day-to-day tires, and I am going to buy a set of rims and tires specifically for auto-x.

I plan on getting some Rota Slipstreams:

16 x 6.5 4x100 offset 45 HB 56.1 (not sure what hb is)

And some Kuhmo V710 Tires:

215/40 R 16


I also need a lug wrench and a jack.

For the lug wrench I was considering using an Impact driver I have or a regular cordless drill. Do the lug nuts need to be tightened to a certain torque setting? If so does anyone know what torque setting to use? Is it a good idea to get a torque wrench? Or should I just do it all by hand using a normal lug wrench?

Any other advice for a newbie buying a set of extra tires/wheels would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

BTW: I'll probably end up going to a few SFR SCCA events and possibly some local BMWCCA events. Hello to anyone from one of those clubs!

a torque wrench is a must. the impact wrench will spin off the bolts without loosening, a cordless drill requires loosening the bolts first.

Be sure to hand start all the bolts, and if they start to bind, either replace them or get a tap and die and clean the thread. I have changed to studs and nuts, it makes changing tires significantly easier.

I use 90lb/ft, I think the factory spec is 86.

The recommended torque spec for the new 14mm X 1.25mm lug bolts is 103 lbf-ft. The spec for the old 12mm bolts was 88 lbf-ft.

Good to know. I'm glad there are so many knowledgable people here. Thanks for the torque specs. I'll be ordering a torque wrench for sure.

Buy some tire totes to keep the inside of your car from getting dirtied up. soloperformance.com and tirerack carry them.

If you aren't going to use a tire trailer I have found that standing them up in the rear seat works well. Put a blanket down. I have D rings attached the rear child seat anchors to use with tie downs. The tires don't move.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...race_tires.jpg

Nice setup! I checked out your gallery, and realized we've talked before. I haven't been out to an autox in a while(family comes first), but I've asked you a few questions in the past. I saw you did pretty well last year.

Also: What kind of tires/wheels setup are you using there? I think when we first talked you were still running the 710s on the pepper white car.

It always makes me smile when I see a photo like above.

He obviously has plenty of money for wheels and tires, but when it comes to non-performance related stuff like car numbers, he draws a line in the sand. hehehehehehe

(just having fun with ya!) :)

James has numbers, in fact he is running the Atwater NT this weekend (requiring numbers). He may have simply forgotten them that day. :razz:

:razz: :razz: :razz: :razz:
Sorry guys, hate to let you all down but those pictures are 3 years old taken when I first started, 3 Atwater's ago. Note the old school tires are shaved V700's.

Since I have some of the vets here, what are some pointers for driving the mini fast? (besides the normal seat time seat time seat time advice)

My last car was front-heavy AWD which I'm guessing is much different. It seems pretty easy to spin the front wheels on the mini and end up going nowhere. It also seems that you could end up fighing some torque steer if you gas it in the wrong part of a corner.

I'm still trying to figure out how to make it go fast. You did get the LSD option didn't you? I think once you get race rubber on wheel spin won't be much of a problem. Just remember sometimes you have to ease the throttle on, seat time will teach you that.

This one is for mitchman :grin: ......I really do have numbers.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co.../571/nt02t.jpg

http://motoringfile.com/2007/03/19/s...lts/#more-5668

Hahaha! Nice looking numbers!

BTW, the wheel spin doesn't go away with race tires. I'm still trying to figure out how to launch this FWD pig on asphalt. In that extent, I miss my Miata. But once it gets traction.....hang on! :)

Yeah I optioned LSD and Sport Suspension. Easing off of the throttle seems like the most obvious thing.The last FWD car I owned was an old 97 dodge neon. It didn't have nearly the amount of power/torque going to the front wheels with an LSD like the mini has.

My first event may be the BMWCCA event at Marina if I can get my crap together (buying tires/ lug wrench/ jack etc). I probably won't run Monster park again since I ruined a wheel bearing there on my old audi. James do you run at monster? Any problems in the past?

Anyway I love the car so far. Very unique. I've never owned or driven any car like it.

One last question... Anyone have any advice on tire wheel combo? does the setup I mentioned above sound good for a novice? I know nobody wants to give away trade secrets :grin:

Any difference with slicks I should know?

Yes I always run at Monster Park. The course designers have done a good job of keeping the course out of the problem areas. Stock cars seem to do OK there without breaking things. I've never had a problem there. The courses there are always long and a ton of fun. It is my second favorite site after Castle.

Your tire combo looks good. I've got 67 runs and 15 events on the 710's I ran last year. They haven't been flipped. Grip has started to go away or went away last Oakland event went I went sideways into a cone wall :eek2:. Either that or I should have used a bit more break going into that corner. Oh well.

Oakland seems to like Hoosiers a bit more. They seem to stick to slicker surfaces a bit better. San Diego was murder on on the Hoosiers, 16 runs and we are flipping them, the 710's had no where near the wear on them at that location.

Wow.. I hadn't even thought that each tire responds differently at each location. That makes total sense, but not something I had thought of before. I figure since I am basically still a novice just one set of 710s will do the job. If I somehow become more competitive I can experiment with other combos. The main thing now is I want better grip, and I don't want to tear up my runflats since they are so expensive and the car is my daily driver.

Well someday you will want a set of tires for the big events and a set for practice...I mean local events :wink: . I'm running last years tires locally.

I have Rota slipstreams and love'em. Can't beat the price, plus it's also nice to have the HB (hub) size right for the Mini's, which is 56.1. Otherwise you'd have to get some centering rings, which I haven't have very good experiences with. So your Rota's are perfect.

I ran some V710's all last year. They were used (75% tread left) and they lasted all season, and we get 6-7 runs an event in our Utah region with an average of 2 events a month. I also did the Wendover Pro on the same set last year and ran toe to toe with Craigy boy, until he and Graeme stopped sandbaggin it of course and pulled ahead by a few tenths overall. Man that was fun though:):nod:. Craig you going to come out to Salt Lake again, I want a rematch :razz:. I guess my point is, if you're still kind of new to autocross and it will only be you driving, one set will last you a loooong time for R compounds. They did for me.

As for a Tire trailer, there really isn't a need at all if you're just towing around one set. I just fold the seat down andthey all fit perfectly. Not to mention I've got room for my jack and all my other stuff if I'm staying the night at a hotel. I just wish I had room for my 180 lb dog, he's staying home for most events.

This is an old picture, but the best one I have of my wheels. I was actually running Azenis for a while as I was trying to improve the driver first before the car. http://www.miniutah.com/modules/gall...8_th.sized.jpg

Also I won't have to worry about winning if I'm running against you and the other GS regulars from SFR. :razz:

Lug bolt/nut torque
 

riquiscott cited 104 ft.pds. as the proper torque for 14mm lug bolts/nuts. What is the source for this figure? The owners manual for my '06 Cooper S states 88.5 (or 120 Nm). Since over-tightening can lead to metal fatigue and failure, we all should have the proper torque setting on our wrenches. What is it?

I believe the cars built after may of 06 came with the 14mm studs. If you have an older car with the 12mm studs then the 88.5 value would apply.

The owner's manual for the '07 lists 103 lbf-ft, while the manual for the '06 and earlier lists 88 lbf-ft. The problem is, the switch to 14mm bolts didn't occur cleanly at the model year break.

I can't think of anything else besides the lug bolt change that would have changed the torque spec from 88 lbf-ft to 103 lbf-ft, so I think it's correct to use 103 lbf-ft for all of the pre-'07 cars that have the 14mm bolts as well.

I believe the 14 mm bolts became standard midway through the 2005 model year. In any case, I have 14 mm lug bolts on my '06 and the manual (which has an '06 print date) shows the same torque as for the previous 12 mm lugs. I would like a solid answer to the question of torque because on a forum for another of my cars a number of owners have experienced lug bolt breakage during track days. The finger was pointed to previous over-torquing with impact wrenches- something I have discovered with my MINI after it left a tire shop. So the important question remains- what is the "official" torque for 14mm lug bolts.

riquiscott: Your answer clears things up. It is logical that the 103 figure would apply to all 14mm lugs. Thanks.