All_For_Senna Posted May 6, 2010 Share Posted May 6, 2010 Greetings friends, so I am working on a Miata that picked up a while ago, trying to get it ready for HPDE. The car came with a set of 17" Tenzo rims, which in my opinion is just wrong for that car. However, I was looking into buying a pair of cheap alloy wheels from tirerack.com, but my concern is safety, quality, and over all is it ok to just go with a pair of Sport Edition CD for $77 a rim? Believe me if it was up to me I would get a set of Kosei K1's, but for right now are the Sport Edition's a good choice? The size I would get is 15X6.5, with tire size 205 50 15 (Kumho ASX's)? Any suggestions or comments are very much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whoahstu Posted May 6, 2010 Share Posted May 6, 2010 You can spend just a little bit more and get a lot better wheel. Start here: http://www.good-win-racing.com/Mazda-Performance-Parts/Miata/Wheels-Tires/Wheels.html ..and here: http://949racing.com/6ul-wheels.aspx I'd go with a 200-280 treadwear tire if you haven't bought them yet. If you have, just run those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All_For_Senna Posted May 6, 2010 Author Share Posted May 6, 2010 I havent gotten any wheels or tires just yet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor57 Posted May 6, 2010 Share Posted May 6, 2010 Cheap wheels are fine for hpde. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cooper93 Posted May 6, 2010 Share Posted May 6, 2010 Concentrate on brakes! Trust me, I learned that the hard way. After my 2nd HPDE session last weekend at CMP, I had to limp to the auto parts store and buy new front pads and rotors! Any wheel/tire combo will be just fine for your journey through HPDE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krystar Posted May 6, 2010 Share Posted May 6, 2010 shop for used track wheels. spec miata guys should have a pile of em in their garage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DangerMoose Posted May 7, 2010 Share Posted May 7, 2010 Definitely should be able to find some used. I run Enkei RS7's on my Civic. I like them because they're very open and provide a lot of ventilation for my brakes. So, even my wheel choice goes back to what another poster said: concentrate on brakes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All_For_Senna Posted May 7, 2010 Author Share Posted May 7, 2010 brakes most definitely are important, last weekend I got my self some ATE vented and slotted rotors for the fronts, with Hawk HPS pads front and rear. I see your point to the open wheels, considering how much heat the rotors and pads have to put up with. Also using Castrol LMA brake fluid. Is that good for starters? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor57 Posted May 7, 2010 Share Posted May 7, 2010 That fluid may work fine, but it has a lower boiling point than many of the racing fluids available. I rotate between ate super blue, and motul 600 with good success. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cooper93 Posted May 7, 2010 Share Posted May 7, 2010 I'm not gonna hijack this thread by talking about brakes. All_For_Senna, you have a PM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All_For_Senna Posted May 8, 2010 Author Share Posted May 8, 2010 Wow, this post has gone from wheels to brakes...I really appreciate that, and now I think I should put even a greater emphasis on the brakes. With respect to that, how many of you tow your cars to the track? I am just asking b/c a lot of people who do HPDE drive their cars actually to the track, so in terms of breaks they try to achive the street/track set up when it comes to wheels, tires, brakes and what not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whoahstu Posted May 8, 2010 Share Posted May 8, 2010 I agree with those who say you can run what's on the car as long as it is in good working order. But, if you haven't bought any of these things, and you plan to do many track days in the future, why not buy the right thing the first time? I hate spending different money on the same thing twice. -Yogi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gonz Posted May 11, 2010 Share Posted May 11, 2010 Greetings friends, so I am working on a Miata that picked up a while ago, trying to get it ready for HPDE. The car came with a set of 17" Tenzo rims, which in my opinion is just wrong for that car. However, I was looking into buying a pair of cheap alloy wheels from tirerack.com, but my concern is safety, quality, and over all is it ok to just go with a pair of Sport Edition CD for $77 a rim? Believe me if it was up to me I would get a set of Kosei K1's, but for right now are the Sport Edition's a good choice? The size I would get is 15X6.5, with tire size 205 50 15 (Kumho ASX's)? Any suggestions or comments are very much appreciated. For new rims, why not get some 15x7's ? Personally, I would skip the sport edition wheels because they are narrower (6.5) and heavier, than something like the Tire rack's TR C1M or many similar Miata size wheels . I think these were around $90 each when I was shopping. The Kumho ASX is an all season tire. Will you be driving the Miata on those tires, in the winter ? If not, I would suggest a summer tire that can be driven to and from the track. (ie, Dunlop Z1 * ) For most cars, brakes are by far the most necessary upgrade for HPDE. On a Miata, you can get away with HP+ pads on street tires or a Carbotech XP8. Something like that you can keep on the car, at least in the summer time. If you go to Rcomps, you'll want more brake pad. Make sure your cooling system is in good order. Just like your stock brakes may not be up to the task of repeated braking from high speed, your cooling system may not be up to the task of repeated runs to redline, if it's not been maintained. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krystar Posted May 11, 2010 Share Posted May 11, 2010 Wow, this post has gone from wheels to brakes...I really appreciate that, and now I think I should put even a greater emphasis on the brakes. With respect to that, how many of you tow your cars to the track? I am just asking b/c a lot of people who do HPDE drive their cars actually to the track, so in terms of breaks they try to achive the street/track set up when it comes to wheels, tires, brakes and what not. all depends on how hardcore u want to be. my track car is street driven. it's not meant to be a daily commuter. but i drive it to the track. mainly cause i don't finances for a truck and trailer. u don't need to build the car for street/track. u can just make it track and just be highway streetable. all that means is have an extra set of rims with normal summer or all season tires. of course for a miata, that means u need a tire trailer and a hitch. or a really good friend to drive your tires to the track with u. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbright007 Posted May 11, 2010 Share Posted May 11, 2010 Greetings friends, so I am working on a Miata that picked up a while ago, trying to get it ready for HPDE. The car came with a set of 17" Tenzo rims, which in my opinion is just wrong for that car. However, I was looking into buying a pair of cheap alloy wheels from tirerack.com, but my concern is safety, quality, and over all is it ok to just go with a pair of Sport Edition CD for $77 a rim? Believe me if it was up to me I would get a set of Kosei K1's, but for right now are the Sport Edition's a good choice? The size I would get is 15X6.5, with tire size 205 50 15 (Kumho ASX's)? Any suggestions or comments are very much appreciated. What year miata? Go for at least 15x7 if you can. For that price in a 15" tire - look at dunlop direzza star spec or yoko AD08. Super dual purpose tires for the $ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Marcel D. Posted May 17, 2010 Members Share Posted May 17, 2010 buy a set of team dynamic, maybe one of the best racing wheel out there for the price. Check my website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All_For_Senna Posted May 19, 2010 Author Share Posted May 19, 2010 Ok so here is what i have decided to do...I have listen to you all, and that is why I like this forum, you get to meet good peeps and get good ideas. I am getting some 15X7 team dynamics pro race 1.3. I am getting the 25mm offset, with a set of kuhmo ecsta xs. I have been reading the review on them, and they are amazing. the miata is a 1995, the car came with a set of Tenzo R 17" wheels. They look good, but not the right size in my opinion. I have pretty much stripped the interior, no carpet, no middle consul,...just the dash is still there. Now I just need the hard dog hard core bar, and a harness bar...and I think I am almost ready to go. A little while ago I did some maintanance work on the car, timing belt, water pump, tensioner, thermostat, etc. The car feels very good. My only concern is heat. I want to make sure the stock radiator can take the high revs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honda-Junky Posted May 21, 2010 Share Posted May 21, 2010 If for some reason you don't get the new 15" rims and you decide to run the Tenzo's, I have some advice for you: Make sure that the rims are Straight, True, Balanced and have no flat spots. Long story short, with such a small sidewall on the 17" Tires, especially on a miata, your rims may vibrate at high speeds because any imperfections in the rims caused by normal driving prior to you owning the car will increase ten-fold at speeds in excess of 100 mph, which you most likely will hit on your first track day. I have a pair of 17" Tenzo Rims which were on a daily driver and I had hit a few potholes, the Tenzo rims seem to be fairly prone to warping/etc. Good Luck and Have Fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All_For_Senna Posted May 22, 2010 Author Share Posted May 22, 2010 If for some reason you don't get the new 15" rims and you decide to run the Tenzo's, I have some advice for you: Make sure that the rims are Straight, True, Balanced and have no flat spots. Long story short, with such a small sidewall on the 17" Tires, especially on a miata, your rims may vibrate at high speeds because any imperfections in the rims caused by normal driving prior to you owning the car will increase ten-fold at speeds in excess of 100 mph, which you most likely will hit on your first track day. I have a pair of 17" Tenzo Rims which were on a daily driver and I had hit a few potholes, the Tenzo rims seem to be fairly prone to warping/etc. Good Luck and Have Fun! Thanks for the advice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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