PEP Racing Posted November 6, 2003 Share Posted November 6, 2003 I own a 1998 Volvo V70 and i'm ready to buy a set of wheels and tires for the track. I am running 17x7.5 wheels and 225/40ZR 17 tires for street use right now. I do have the stock 15" wheels and tires as well. Last time I ran at Infineon I noticed so many different options for tire size. I'm looking for some advice on a wheel and tire package sizes. What profile works best at the track, 35, 40, 45, 50...? I like the idea of keeping the 17's for both to make them more interchangable but want to get the best size for overall handling. I already have the 15's but i'm not sure if the taller profile will work as well for a track tire. I have looked at several brands and any input on options would be greatly accepted! Thanks, Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jp99gt Posted November 6, 2003 Share Posted November 6, 2003 Phil, I have a lot of questions before a you can get a good answer. How many track events have you run? What is your experience level like? What have your instructors told you about your performance level to date? One good piece of advice is that you stay with street tires for the first year or so and learn car control. If you are ready for R-compounds, then we can talk about tire sizes and types. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PEP Racing Posted November 6, 2003 Author Share Posted November 6, 2003 Thanks Jim! I am a new driver with some racing school and one track event under my belt. My instructor has moved me upto HPDE 2 for my next event on 11/23/2003. He felt that I have great control of my vehicle and a smooth race line. I'm mainly looking for a set of tires that will handle the hard driving and I don't want to wear-out my street tires. I guess i'm really looking for a good D.O.T. tire that will have great traction and maybe have a better tread pattern on the side lugs so they wont cap as much as my street tires. I'm running NITTO NT-555 225/40ZR 17s right now and they feel good so far. I hope this makes my request for info make more sense. Thanks, Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jp99gt Posted November 7, 2003 Share Posted November 7, 2003 Based on your experience and that you are just moving up to HPDE 2, I suggest you remain on street tires for now. You have many more skills to pick up and street tires allow you to learn them more easily. I'm not sure if you meant street tires by "DOT tire with great traction" or if you meant a DOT-approved race compound tire. Since DOT can mean either pure street or an R-compound, I'm not clear on what you think you want to buy next. As far as sizes go, I think a set of 225/40ZR 17s will be a great size for your track tire. 40-series don't roll the sidewall as much as higher profile tires. You could even run some 18 dia wheels if you wanted a lower profile such as 35 series. I don't run 18" even though I could because the tires cost a lot more and my shop charges more to mount them (more difficult). Usually there are fewer choices for 18" sizes, so keep that in mind. Pick a street tire with large rubber blocks for your track use. The relatively new Kumho MX's are a good example of this tire type. There may be some others in your size, so check TireRack or DiscountTire for options. Large tread blocks run cooler under hard cornering because they don't flex as much. And they will still give you adequate rain traction. Start at this point, and you'll progress well as you listen to your instructors and be ready for some r-compound sticky tires soon enough! (FYI - I started out staying with my stock Goodyears on my Mustang, then bought some Kumho Ecsta 712's for my next street tires - no MX available then - and today I run the Nitto RII road racing tire for track days) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PEP Racing Posted November 7, 2003 Author Share Posted November 7, 2003 Thanks for the valuable info! I did mean D.O.T. race compound tires. I was leaning tword the 225/40ZR 17s anyway for easy swaping down the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beerkat Posted November 7, 2003 Share Posted November 7, 2003 Just my two cents. I am one of the odd balls that drives a F150 Lightning in the HPDE. I run the NT 555 Extremes 295/45 ZR 18's on the street and on the track. I have about 15,000 miles on them and that includes three on track events. I know that my truck probablly has a 1000 to 1500 pounds on your car so I thinkd that I will wear out my tires faster than you. I hope to get another 10,000 miles out of them and one or two more events. I also want a set of tires for the track but when I start thinking of the dollars involved wiith rims and tires I have other thing that I need more, lilke better brakes. I hope to get moved up to HPDE 2 this coming season. Last thing Nitto now has a tire for road course and autox it is called NT 555 RR. they only make it in a few sizes right now but you might want to check it out. Kim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PEP Racing Posted November 10, 2003 Author Share Posted November 10, 2003 Bump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.