Autox / Track Tires FYI

[Raza]

They will fit on 7s.  My WRX wheels have 225/50/16 tires on them.

Are those on your Impreza!?  Talk about being over-tired!

[280Z Turbo]

They will fit on 7s.  My WRX wheels have 225/50/16 tires on them.

They'll probably fit on 6" rims too.

8" makes for better handling. I would go 245/45/16, but that would be hard to fit under the fenders with 8" rims.

[280Z Turbo]

Are those on your Impreza!?  Talk about being over-tired!

Does not compute.

Grip is good. Fat tires = more grip. More grip = faster.

[the Teuton]

Are those on your Impreza!?  Talk about being over-tired!

The tires are awfully worn, and my 14s are on the car right now, but I think I am going with either a 205/50 or a 225/50 when it comes time to replace them.  The speedometer is going to be off either way, so I really don't care.

[Raza]

Does not compute.

Grip is good. Fat tires = more grip. More grip = faster.

Yeah, but if you put 300 width tires on 20" rims on a car with 100bhp, it won't have enough power to move the wheels!

[Raza]

The tires are awfully worn, and my 14s are on the car right now, but I think I am going with either a 205/50 or a 225/50 when it comes time to replace them.  The speedometer is going to be off either way, so I really don't care.

Have you thought of 195/65/15?  It's worked for me for four years, and I've got five times the power and half the drive wheels!

[the Teuton]

While your friendly neighborhood Raza has a very valid point, the car will not be remotely fast until it gets some engine upgrades.  With all of the suspension work I plan on doing, the car will be a relative cornering beast with wide tires, though.  It'll just take forever for it to get up to those speeds.

[Raza]

While your friendly neighborhood Raza has a very valid point, the car will not be remotely fast until it gets some engine upgrades.  With all of the suspension work I plan on doing, the car will be a relative cornering beast with wide tires, though.  It'll just take forever for it to get up to those speeds.

You could try what I've done and stick less grippy tires on the back.  I've got Bridgestone Potenzas up front which had way more grip than my stock Michelins when they were new, and on the back I have my horrid MXV4s with nearly 40,000 miles on them.  Makes the rear more playful and a lot more fun in the wet. 

I'm waiting for someone to come in here and tell me how stupid and/or dangerous that is.  I don't know if it is, but I do know it's fun.  It's also how I make tail happy FWD cars in Gran Turismo 4!

[the Teuton]

That's not a bad idea at all.  I know I want my car to handle like a sports car (which might be a challenge in an automatic station wagon), and I'd like it to embarrass some of the faster cars at the GTG if it's trackworthy at that point.  We shall see.

[Raza]

That's not a bad idea at all.  I know I want my car to handle like a sports car (which might be a challenge in an automatic station wagon), and I'd like it to embarrass some of the faster cars at the GTG if it's trackworthy at that point.  We shall see.

Subaru AWD systems on automatic cars are front biased, right?

[280Z Turbo]

Yeah, but if you put 300 width tires on 20" rims on a car with 100bhp, it won't have enough power to move the wheels!

I don't think you know what you're talking about.

Take a look at any racecar. Wider is better.

[TheIntrepid]

Wider is better.

That's what she said.

[280Z Turbo]

That's what she said.

Next time you say that, I'll report your post to a moderator.

[the Teuton]

Subaru AWD systems on automatic cars are front biased, right?

Yes, but they do transfer torque between axles up to 50-50.  Otherwise, it's 90-10 in normal driving.

[MrH]

They'll probably fit on 6" rims too.

8" makes for better handling. I would go 245/45/16, but that would be hard to fit under the fenders with 8" rims.

There's no way those would fit on 6" wheels.  As an owner of lowly 6" wide wheels, I can tell you it can't fit shit most of the time.

[280Z Turbo]

There's no way those would fit on 6" wheels.  As an owner of lowly 6" wide wheels, I can tell you it can't fit shit most of the time.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Spec.jsp?make=BFGoodrich&model=g-Force+T%2FA+KD&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes&partnum=25YR6GFTAKDR&tirePageLocQty=%26partnum%3D25YR6GFTAKDR

Tirerack begs to differ.

[Cookie Monster]

I don't think you know what you're talking about.

Take a look at any racecar. Wider is better.

Raza usually doesn't know what he's talking about in the Garage anyways.

[the Teuton]

This is the only profile pic I have of my car with the WRX wheels on it, and even with that I had to get it from a video.



225/50/16s fit just fine.

[Raza]

I don't think you know what you're talking about.

Take a look at any racecar. Wider is better.

Race cars have more power than Teut's car.  A lot more. 

[280Z Turbo]

Race cars have more power than Teut's car.  A lot more. 

Not all of them.

Our 76 hp VW Rabbit has Hoosiers slicks that are wider than that.

Grip is good.

[Raza]

Not all of them.

Our 76 hp VW Rabbit has Hoosiers slicks that are wider than that.

Grip is good.

But now we're talking about cars that are built to go fast at the expense of fun.  Massive grip doesn't make a car fun.  Just like F1-style paddle shift automatic manuals are faster on a track, but not more fun in a road car.  What's good in a race car is not necessarily important in a road car.

[Cookie Monster]

But now we're talking about cars that are built to go fast at the expense of fun.  Massive grip doesn't make a car fun.  Just like F1-style paddle shift automatic manuals are faster on a track, but not more fun in a road car.  What's good in a race car is not necessarily important in a road car.

So you think sliding into a ditch because your car couldn't grip the road is fun?

[Raza]

So you think sliding into a ditch because your car couldn't grip the road is fun?

People find oversteer fun, right?  Do you think you can get oversteer if you have so much grip your wheels can't spin?

Yes, you can have too much grip in a low powered car.  People forget this in the world of 20 inch rims and 280 with tires on stock cars. 

More often than not, stability is boring.

[280Z Turbo]

People find oversteer fun, right?  Do you think you can get oversteer if you have so much grip your wheels can't spin?

Yes, you can have too much grip in a low powered car.  People forget this in the world of 20 inch rims and 280 with tires on stock cars. 

More often than not, stability is boring.

That ITC Rabbit is a lot more fun than a stock one.

The height of rims has little to do with grip.

[Cookie Monster]

People find oversteer fun, right?  Do you think you can get oversteer if you have so much grip your wheels can't spin?

Yes, you can have too much grip in a low powered car.  People forget this in the world of 20 inch rims and 280 with tires on stock cars. 

More often than not, stability is boring.

There's always the handbrake.

[hotrodalex]

There's always the handbrake.

AKA my best friend. 

[FlatBlackCaddy]

No doubts there.

I'm going an auto-x school on April 26/27 so hopefully it gets reasonably warm for that.

Auto-X school?

Where is that at?

[Champ]

Auto-X school?

Where is that at?

http://www.myautoevents.com/pls/mae/frmEventDetail.Show?psevent_id=8608

This is the June date, the April date I am doing is full.

Talking with people that have done this already - the class is kinda boring but the track time the next day is great because you always have a good instructor with you.

[Raza]

That ITC Rabbit is a lot more fun than a stock one.

The height of rims has little to do with grip.

I wasn't talking about the height of the rims.

[FlatBlackCaddy]

http://www.myautoevents.com/pls/mae/frmEventDetail.Show?psevent_id=8608

This is the June date, the April date I am doing is full.

Talking with people that have done this already - the class is kinda boring but the track time the next day is great because you always have a good instructor with you.

Interesting, thanks for the info.

Once i get this home situation sorted out(may take longer than i thought, that house deal fell through) i'm going to get my ass to some track days or autocross events.