Damn...

I have a JCW 06 coming in a month or so. Im trying to figure out what to do for my wheel setup.

I will be running 15+ HPDE/solo 1 events a year, so I need a dedicated set for the track... But everything I have read says that the stock sizes are hard to find good tires to fit that have good grip under track conditions. Then I heard on the WRRadio that non OE wheels dont "fit exactly perfectly", some do, some dont. Well, on the track, I dont want to feel anything odd or off...as you can imagine.

For street, I need something that allows me to fit more options in terms of tire. I like the Goodyear F1's I have on my R32. I listend to whiteroof radio and the comment was something like runflats are "snot on glass" slick. Ill need grip, even for daily driving..I ordered the "web spoke" upgrade, but may need different sizes to get decent rubber?

I can manage the wheel swaps at the track, but Im not mechanical enough to be rolling fenders, cutting trim, adjusting camber, etc etc... I want to make it easy as pie, and I want them to fit and perform. I guess Ill need the WHEEL STUD BOLT CONVERSION KIT WITH NUTS - MINI COOPER & S ?? Pretty easy? How does this work?

Tire rack keeps giving me 17's because of the JCW brakes. I need to make sure there is 100% clearance, no excepetions...no grinding, no adjustemnts please.

help help help. Ive been trying to figure it out, but the more research I do, the more confused I get. SSR keeps coming up, but they are not a sure bet. The JCW wheels are excellent looking, but Im worried about running 18's at the track, and there is not that much weight savings, from what I can tell. Im not opposed to spending money...I just need the right options I only want to make 2 purchases, not keep buying and trading for the next 12 months....

 

There are lots of threads in here about preformance tires that you can search thru. With the JCW kit you will need to run at least 17" wheels.

If you plan to do allot of track days then look for the lightest wheels you can afford. There are some from Centerline that are 13.5lbs for 7x17". Don't worry about style because weight is most important. Make sure that the offset is correct and the hub is correct.

The stud conversion is not manditory, it just can make the job of switching wheels a little easier.

Go look thru the Auto-X and track threads for tire recommendations and wheel size. The smaller the wheel diameter you can run the better for the track.

Happy hunting.

 

I was looking at some Wed's wheels on tire rack. Their 17" wheel was in the 13lbs, I think. I was going to pair that wheel with a tire that had a tread wear of 200. Something like the Dunlop Sp Sport Fm901 or Hankook Ventus Rs2 Z212 and I was going to run 215/40/17's because they are pretty close to the stock size. I figure that would be a good street/auto-x setup for the summer. I don't know how those tire will hold up to track and street driving though.

I had a pair of Falken Azenis on my golf for 2+ summers and were pretty good until the very end. Actually the were real sticky, but scary in the rain at the end.

 

You might find some 16" wheels that fit over JCW brakes, as they fit inside most stock (EOM-MINI) 17" wheels, which includes some wheels with less clearance. I have huge TCE/Wilwoods that fit inside very few 17s without spacers, but would make JCW brakes look small.
So, you might be able to run cool looking 17s on the street and lighter 16s with better rubber for AutoX.
Then again, you might not.
btw, I like the Falken RT615s, but agree they are dry weather only--then again it hasn't rained in Albuquerque for 4 months...