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Old 03-17-2021, 06:56 PM   #1
snow_bound26
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Default Track wheel/tire combination advice

To all of you track day/weekend racers, I'd like some advice on some track wheel/tire options I'm looking into. Overall weight vs price are my primary talking points. Many years ago I had placed a lot of priority on performance and chasing numbers. In recent years I haven't been on track much, maybe 4 times in the last 10 years unfortunately. At this point in my life I'm in it for the fun factor and won't be chasing tenths. I'll probably do 3-5 auto x events and 4-5 track weekends between May-November.

Here are the choices I'm looking into:
Wheels
Enkei RPF1 17x8 +45, 15.6lbs, $252ea

Mach V 17x9 +42, 17.8lbs, $249ea

Tires
Nitto NT05 235/40-17, 23lbs, 852 rev/mile 9.57" width (contact width not published), 24.4" diameter, $157ea

Falken RT660 235/40-17, 25lbs, 850 rev/mile, 9.6" width/8.6" contact width, 24.4" diameter, $189ea

Falken RT660 245/40-17 26lbs, 840 rev/mile, 10" width (contact width not published), 24.8" diameter, $159ea

Dunlop Direzza ZIII 245/40-17, 24lbs, 840 rev/mile, 9.3" width/8.8" contact width, 24.8" diameter, $174ea

Hankook Ventus R-S4 245/40-17, 25lbs, 848 rev/mile, 10.1" width/9" contact width, 24.5" diameter, $173ea

Based on my thought of weight vs price I'm leaning toward the RPF1 w/NT05 combination. If I would benefit from the slightly wider 245 options then I'd go with Mach V wheels. If one of these tires is a true standout then I have no problem starting there and getting the wheel that will fit it properly.

Car is an 05 9-2x pushing 330/266 to the wheels. 05 STi trans for those wondering about gearing. I am looking into a flex fuel tune and will hopefully raise average torque by 10%. But E will be mostly for cooling the chamber and knock prevention rather than increasing power. With a 17x8 wheel I can get about -3* camber up front. With 17x9 I can safely get -2*.

Thoughts and advice appreciated.
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Old 03-18-2021, 10:21 AM   #2
Craig4g63
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I would say pay attention to the width of those tires. Some 245's get almost as wide as some 265's when dealing with auto x tires. So you may have issues fitting correctly without pulling fenders to get camber where you want. you will at least have to roll if you haven't already.

NOTE: I'm not that familiar with fitment on the 9-2x so you will want to verify this. I'm dealing with the 03 wrx sedan.

I haven't noticed much difference between the 235 vs the 245. 245's do seem to have a slight increase in overall traction but seem a little heavier in steering effort. That makes the 235 feel a little more nimble. 235's also give a little gearing advantage so the car feels a little quicker responding to throttle input.
All the differences are very small but it may make a difference to you at an auto x.

I think you would be very happy with either wheel. I think the Mach V have better clearance for big brakes if you have or plan to upgrade those.

I've only had experience with the RS4 and the Direzza. I preferred the Direzza slightly at auto x as they seemed to have a slight increase in over all traction vs the RS4. The RS4 do wear well and may be better at your track days due to that. The Direzza also felt a little better in the wet.

Hope that helps.
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Old 03-18-2021, 10:22 AM   #3
Patrick Olsen
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I'd recommend posting here to catch more of the folks interested in auto-x/track day stuff.

I know you said you're not chasing tenths, but the NT05 isn't in the same league as the other tires you've listed. It may still be a worthwhile option to consider if it has better longevity to balance against the better performance of the other tires you've listed, but I don't have experience with them to say whether that's the case.
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Old 03-18-2021, 01:16 PM   #4
snow_bound26
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Craig4g63 View Post
I would say pay attention to the width of those tires. Some 245's get almost as wide as some 265's when dealing with auto x tires. So you may have issues fitting correctly without pulling fenders to get camber where you want. you will at least have to roll if you haven't already.



NOTE: I'm not that familiar with fitment on the 9-2x so you will want to verify this. I'm dealing with the 03 wrx sedan.



I haven't noticed much difference between the 235 vs the 245. 245's do seem to have a slight increase in overall traction but seem a little heavier in steering effort. That makes the 235 feel a little more nimble. 235's also give a little gearing advantage so the car feels a little quicker responding to throttle input.

All the differences are very small but it may make a difference to you at an auto x.



I think you would be very happy with either wheel. I think the Mach V have better clearance for big brakes if you have or plan to upgrade those.



I've only had experience with the RS4 and the Direzza. I preferred the Direzza slightly at auto x as they seemed to have a slight increase in over all traction vs the RS4. The RS4 do wear well and may be better at your track days due to that. The Direzza also felt a little better in the wet.



Hope that helps.


Already rolled front and rear and have GD Brembo up front and FHI 2 pot rear. Street setup is a 17x9 with 235/45 NT555 which run fairly wide with a diameter of 25.5". I'm not getting any rubbing currently so hoping the smaller rolling diameter of any of the mentioned tires will be fine. Still have a bit more room to roll before pulling the fenders.

RS-4 was originally my first choice as my last track tire was the RS-3 which I was fairly happy with. There's just so many options now and and trying to decide where to cut weight vs which tire will be most consistent. The weight savings of some of the other options is what made me start thinking differently.

I had forgot to mention that I have my car set up fairly neutral. Have a slight oversteer issue I'm trying to figure out when turning left, but it's very minor and only right in the limit. I do prefer a progressive breakaway rather than massive grip right to the point of breakaway.
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Old 03-18-2021, 01:18 PM   #5
snow_bound26
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Patrick Olsen View Post
I'd recommend posting here to catch more of the folks interested in auto-x/track day stuff.

I know you said you're not chasing tenths, but the NT05 isn't in the same league as the other tires you've listed. It may still be a worthwhile option to consider if it has better longevity to balance against the better performance of the other tires you've listed, but I don't have experience with them to say whether that's the case.


It's been hard to find info on the NT05. I wasn't originally looking at it until I saw the weight difference compared to many of the other tires.
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Old 03-18-2021, 01:23 PM   #6
snow_bound26
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Mods, would you mind moving this to the Motorsport forum? Thank you
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