Tire Question

[n80]

Thinking about doing a check ride and trying TT in November (which will be my earliest opportunity).

 

Car is 2007 350Z, stock except it has used OEM Brembos added.

 

Base class is TT-C +7 points. Brembos are +2 points.

 

As I understand things, that gives me 10 points to work with and still stay in TT-C.

 

That would not be enough for upper A arms, which would give me some camber adjustment, plus better tires. So it seems like I should just spend those points on tires.

 

With 10 points, the stickiest tire I can get (that would fit my current wheels) would be something like the Toyo Proxes-RR (+7) at 265mm (+1).

 

This puts me at TT-C +17.

 

I've never run r-comps. Currently on Hankook RS-3s.

 

Questions: Is it reasonable to jump from an RS-3 to an R-comp (from an experience standpoint)? If so, what do I need to know, be aware of, etc? I'm assuming less feedback before losing traction? RS-3s squeal a lot before breaking loose. Also, pay for heat cycling?

 

Finally, would there be a better way to spend points than on tires? I could get upper a-arms for camber but that would leave tires at the 255mm size (smaller than what I'm running now at 265mm.

 

Sorry for the stupid questions and thanks for any advice you can give.

[kbrew8991]

better compound will more than make up for 10-20ish mm narrower size in just about 100% of cases.

 

depending on what you can get alignment wise out of the BTM equipment you may see overall gains by going narrower to allow for parts to align the car where it needs to be for r-comps as well. That's a tougher one to guarantee though.

 

as far as driving feel for r-comps they're just about all going to have a narrower sweet spot between just starting to slide and out-of-control/too-much. Haven't been on the RRs to comment on noise or oddities for those particular tires though. I found their father tires the RA1 to be a good transition tire between streets and Hoosiers though, good stepping point to get used to the extra grip envelope, little bit sharper breakaway, etc.

 

I always preferred to heat cycle tires myself, but it was *much* easier with several sets of wheels, tow vehicle, etc. to do the gentle break in session and then set aside for 24+hrs routine to make a heat cycle effective. If you're on r-comp set #1, may have to pay for it and deal with it. For regionals and for first sets you've ever run I'd def not run as stickers, the longevity is a better thing to have. You're not going for track records or national championships on session 1 day 1 for these tires, so losing a tenth or two ultimate pace off the bat to have better grip in the later heat cycles and more heat cycles before any degradation cliff(s) is probably the way to go for you.

[n80]

Thanks Ken. Sound advice and makes sense. Currently only have one set of track wheels so paying for heat cycling will probably be necessary.

 

Definitely will not be going for any track records. Even going from the RS-3s to r-comps is probably not going to get me in the podium range. I just want to give TT a try and see what competing is like. I have noticed in NASA-SE that there aren't a lot of TT-C entries..........so maybe I'll get a podium for showing up.

[kpearson]

First thing, figure out what r-comp you want to run. Some semi-slicks will be physically larger even at the same numeric size (i.e. 265 or 255). For instance, comparing Hoosiers 245's to Hankook 245's, the Hoosiers are over a half inch wider per tire even with the same numeric tire size. What that means is even if you down to go down a size in tire, it may not directly affect how much rubber you have on the road.

 

If you are looking on Tirerack, look at the specs of the tire specifically the Section and Tread Width numbers.

 

Also, depending on how much camber you are able to dial in on your stock suspension, it could cause you to not get the most out of a r-comp. Most will require decent camber to get the most out of them in a corner.