I have been following a 'tire' thread in the 997 forum that is worth checking out for the entertainment value alone.

https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...007-turbo.html


This weekend, I attended my first autocross event in Marina, CA. I realized at the halfway point that i was going to need another set of wheels and tires if I am going to autocross and track this car.

I have several questions, so here they are and please give me your thoughts, keeping in mind that I am a novice on a tight budget. Thanks.

1) Will the stock rims suffice for track use? I see 996 stock rims on ebay that are in the $4-600 range. Some of the sets even have tires on them. I am hoping to get away with these rims and recylce the tires for the road if possible. I have a 996TT. I am getting the feeling htat 996TT rims are different than the base 996 rims. Will rims from a regular 996 fit our cars or will I need to shim them and get longer lugs? If anyone has the PN for the stock tt rims, that would be really helpful.

2. I am completely unfamiliar with track tires and have no experience with them. What brand/model tires are you guys running and what kind of life expectancy can I get out of them?

I would hope I could get a set that would last me at least one season of autocross and one track day. I am assuming that I cannot put them on at home and drive 30 miles to the track, but if that would be an option, i would like to hear about it.

3. If you 996ers have tires that cost $600 each, can you recommend some track tires that are less expensive, even if they compromise on performance a little (assuming i am using the stock rims)?

what do you think of this wheel set?http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...K%3AMEWAX%3AIT




Thanks for all your help!
Scott

 

If you want to do well everywhere, you'll need lots of sets of wheels and tires. One for
dry autocross, one for wet autocross, one for dry road courses, one for wet road courses, and one for street driving.
So, assuming that's not in the cards, let's assume you can only have two sets of
wheels and tires, and still want to drive in the street with one of them. The race
tire that can autocross would be the Kumho 710, and it's street legal so you can
drive it to events. You will use the rears up within 100 or so minutes of hard cornering.
I only autocross and drive to events, and I go through a set of rear tires in about
100 autocross minutes.
Oh, and be careful to get as much negative camber as possible, else you may wear
out the outside edge of the tire quickly and cord a tire after one track session...
Joe

 

I don't autocross but do go to the track every month. I use Nitto NT01's and get almost a full season out of them, they cost about $1000 for a set. You do have to have the proper alignment for the tires or you can trash them much quicker. I drive them to and from the track. Toyo 888's are also an option but they make a lot of road noise.

Stock rims work fine, certain 996 rims are lighter, which is good, but IMO don't look as good as the stock rims. The link you posted is for 19" wheels which are not a good choice for track use. Tires are more expensive and the car works better on 18" wheels.

 

Agreed. Plus I have set of hollow spoke 996tt rims with your name on them! I'm heading to Laguna in a couple weekends so I could even drop them off.

I would highly recommend a 18" wheel over 19' for quite a few reasons which have been discussed on here before. I run NT-01s as well and absolutely love them but that is on a road course and not autocross. I'm sure they'd do alright autocrossing but I bet there are some other tires out there that are better suited to that application. I know people love the Hoosier A6s but that might be more than you're looking for.

 

I have not done any autox yet but do run the hollow turbo twist wheels with a Pilot Sport Cup in stock sizes that I love on the road course. I get about 6-7 track days out of these with a proper road course alignment. Recently tried the Yoko ADO8 in stock sizes and found them to be a few sec slower than the cups but I can see that I will get a bit more usage out of them. I run those on the gt3 style wheel that came with the 996 turbo S not in gt2 sizes.

Stock wheels are heavier than others out there but the price point is right and they hold up well. I will do a CCW for my next track wheel which should be nice and light. I run HRE 19's with a Nitto Invo in 235/315 for the street. The PS2 performes better but the Invo is much less $.

 

I'm like Hollywood's setup - stock hollows with MPSCups. Coilovers/droplinks/spacers and car is rock solid for the track. Used old PS2 and Sumis and neither touched the Cups for me.

Also using this as mg street setup, but I take it easy around town typically.

 

Hoosiers will give you better traction, but I know some GT3 guys who only get 1 weekend out of a set, so longevity is not good compared to the Nittos.

 

Agree. Stick with stock size wheels for AutoX and Track. 19" are for street only.

You can use street tires or Track Tires. I just switched to Nitto NT-01's for Road Atlanta...that was my personal preference based on my own driving skill right now.

Autocross - depends on what "class" you want to be in. If you go to track tires...you will move out of stock class. Street tires are acceptable...but you will be working them hard. I think some tires you don't mind tossing around are a good option here.

Keep this in mind. Street tires are more forgiving and warn you sooner when loosing traction (squealing tires, gradual slippage). Track tires do not...they transition from grip to slippage much faster and can catch you off guard.

If you are new to DE's...I would suggest get good, inexpensive tires - and use those for both DE's and AutoX...so you get used to how they feel and respond at the edge of traction. You will be a better driver the better you know the tire's limits.

As a side note...it is hard to find tires that fit our Turbo's. Remember to check diameter's or RPM's and they should be within 3% of each other.

I am running 235/40/18 FR and 315/30/18 Rear on the Nitto NT-01's for Track.
Street I run Continental DW Extreme 225/40/18 Fr and 285/30/18 Rear (GREAT TIRE)

 

Lets assume I am not going to re-align the car every time I change tires. I like to do mechanical work, but I am not going to adjust my suspension for 15 minutes of driving 2 times a month (then re-adjust it it back for my street tires afterwards). That is not a realistic expectation for me time-wise or moneywise. I am just looking to head down to the airport, get a good adrenaline fix,and come home. I would not miind chaging the tires before and after as my shop is set up for that.

Knowing this, would you recommend that I just use what is on my car already (Michelin pilot sport N3) and just plan on replacing them more often?

 

Kumho Ecsta XS are great for dry performance. They come in 235/40/18 and 315/30/18 which fit the stock rims. They cost around $1000 for a set.

 

Ok, so 18" rims are a must. Used stock rims seem like the best bang for the buck.

What size nittos do you run? I dont see them listed under the stock sizes at tirerack.com. I can do the calcs easy enough to get the front and rear sizes the same, but i dont want any rub.

Great! what weekend are you going to laguna? i could meet you down there if you want. how much do you want for the stockers?

 

You don't need to do the calcs. Tirerack lists the diameter of all their tires under the "spec" tab. I've been really impressed with the Kumho XS. You should at least have a look.

 

thanks for the info on the rims
what size nnt01's are you running?

 

My concern is not really matching the sizes front to rear, but more of choosing the right size to begin with. Many of the tires guys here are recommending do not show up on tirerack when i list my vehicle, so they must be using a non-stock size. I would not want to choose a tire that will not fit the car or rub somewhere.

Scott

 

I'm using the MPSC in stock sizes and get considerable understeer. At the end of this season I will be going Hoosier R6 and will also be increasing the size on the fronts to try and get rid of some of the understeer.

Joe has some very good points in his post. He is also very talented Autocrosser.

Keep us posted on your results.