wheel/tire combos

gestalt1 · 10-23-2005, 06:57 PM

i'm in the middle of building an rsr clone out of a 73. i had a set of 15x9 and 15x11 fuchs but sold them to finance a set of lindsey 17x11/9.5 wheels ( i made money on this and have a better selection of tires). i will use the car for limited street use and for track days. i was going to get a set of g-force KDs for all-around use but i am thinking of putting hoosiers on the wheels and getting a second set of wheels for street use. i'm considering getting a set of 15" steel wheels and have them widened and put a set of cheapo all-seasons on them. i really like the look of the old 904 - 910's with steel wheels. the steel wheels are heavy but for street use they are durable. what do you guys think? - matt

Todd Simpson · 10-23-2005, 07:13 PM

Wide steelies are cool. I have no need for them and I still want to have a set made for my RS.

RSR widths are even better.

Charlie V · Charlie V's Garage

Go with a set of A032R H compound Advans.

I have these on my SC. Work good on the street. Tend to burn up fairly quick if you are into touring.

gestalt1 · 10-23-2005, 07:57 PM

i've thought about that. i use to drive to and from the track on race tires when i was racing a corvette. race tires have a stiff sidewall making for a much harsher ride and the softer compond throws rocks everywhere. in the rain they are a little scarry also. but it would be nice not to have to swap tires at the track.

Jack Olsen · 10-23-2005, 08:00 PM

I love steel wheels, but in the widths your car would need, I think they'd look a little silly.

If I were in your shoes (and I kind of am), I'd keep it simple. BFG KD's are great track tires. They're faster than the hard A032R's, on my car. The A032Rs are also crazy loud.

If you've just built the car, you're looking at a lot of track visits before the suspension is tuned the way you want it. Hoosiers are wasted money when you're still sorting out suspension settings, in my opinion.

gestalt1 · 10-24-2005, 06:25 AM

your right jack, why flat spot a set of race tires trying to set up a fresh rebuild. i've been racing for around 10 years but only front engine/rwd cars and from what i've heard the 911 is a little "special".

KobaltBlau · 10-24-2005, 11:50 AM

Ra-1s can be a good compromise too, they are in between BFG KDs and hoosiers, but pretty decent on the street too.

gestalt1 · 10-24-2005, 07:07 PM

i really like the ra-1 but i think the widest they make the 17" size is a 275. i think this is a little on the narrow side for an 11" rear wheel.

Jack Olsen · 10-24-2005, 07:35 PM

Unfortunately, you can't get 'widebody sizes' of RA-1's, Michelin Pilot Sport Cups or Falken Azenis.

For street tires, BFGoodriches are great. For track tires, Victoracers ($) or Hoosiers ($$) are the smart paths.

Matt, my concern isn't with wasting tires because of the driver, in your case. It's just that you've basically built a car from scratch. Spring rates, swaybar sizes, suspension settings, shock settings, swaybar settings, tire size and tire pressures will probably all be 'in play' for you as you shake down and set up the car. Hoosiers change so much during their lifespan that it'd be hard to get meaningful baseline notes with them. Street tires have their own special issues (mostly long warm-up time and a short window of great stick during a session), but they remain more constant, in general, over a longer lifespan.

In the case of my car, we had to build it quickly (12 weeks) because of a week-long time trial event I wanted to do. We had two shakedown dates before we were in competition. Still, two years later I'm still changing things. On the advice of my shop (and co-driver from that weeklong event) I recently got rid of my front coil springs and went back to torsion bars in order to run wider tires in front. We stiffened the effective spring rate of the front back up with more nitrogen pressure in the shocks.

I still do most of my tuning and driving with street tires.

How about some pictures (and specs) of your '73?

gestalt1 · 10-25-2005, 06:40 AM

i bought the car last year as a finished rsr clone but as i got further into safty checking the suspension and brakes i determined the car was not built to the standards i was looking for. i completely dissasembled the car and had it media blasted and found the body work was a bondo sculpture. its still at the body shop and i'm building the engine (3.2 short stroke) and restoring all the other parts. when i get the car back and start assembling i'll be posting before/after pics and info. there just isn't much to show right now. i'm going to post for color choice selection soon. thanks for the tire help.