http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=485446

I posted a link cause I know this thread doesn't belong here...but you guys are most likely the crowd/demographic to ask...

 

Depends on what you're going for, long lasting or best performance. If you DON'T rotate you might get two years of driving/auto-x'ing out of Kuhmos, they just don't heat up or wear much more because of hard driving.

 

so you have ran victo's and ra-1's...? or just from asking around? if so what was your opinion of each?

I know the tradeoff in grip vs. longevity is there...but my decision to purchase what will be based on whether the victo's really grip that much more and are worth the extra wear (how much extra wear are we talking over the ra-1's is what I am essentially getting at)...

 

Sorry I didn't read the link, I was at work and just assumed STS.

Don't know if this helps or not

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/arc...p/t-14238.html
I run Kuhmo's but not R-compounds, and I got two years out of the fronts with a lot of traveling and some auto-x. I didn't have auto-x tires, just run what I brung.

 

the pricing between the two is very close these days...the victo's are no longer cheaper than the ra-1's...

I don't drive on them to the autoX...I change them out there...

 

From what I have been told by guys running the RA1 and VictoRacers. The RA1 is a better track tire for open track events. They don't come up to temp on a short 60sec or so autoX run. They Victos come up to temp quicker and hold up well to heat cycling. I've also been told the RA1 sidewall is a little softer and they don't transition as well as the Victos. Looks like I'm going with the Victos next, I thought about the RA1s but edgeracing is out of my sizes. Personally if I was changing tires at the track. I would go with a real slick.... V710s

 

the v710's will only last 1/2 a season of autoX'ing on our front heavy high powered FWD cars...

if you want ra-1's...it took me 2 months of looking around and asking, but the absolute best price bar none is http://www.bmwwheels.com/bmwwheels_toyo_tires.asp

they even have an option for shaving right on that page before you order...

I am only worried about how much faster the victo's will last...and their consistency throughout their lifespan/heatcycling...meaning I hear they drop off in performance as more and more heatcycles occur...whereas the ra-1's stay the same or even get faster...but if the grip/performance of the victo's is really that much higher/better than the ra-1's...then I am willing to try them...

 

damn I wish toyo would just import their new R888 tire (sucessor to the ra-1) which is only available overseas...no word on when they will pass DOT approval to be sold over here...but I hear they are 2-2.5 seconds faster than ra-1 on a 1:20 course and wear in between victo's and ra-1's...crazyness!

 

http://www.aimtire.com/typ_category....&ObjectID=6369

that's the place I've bought my RA-1 from the last few times I've bought them. great service and prices as well.

 

 

that would make them about as fast as hoosiers and V710's! with much better wear...I guess it makes sense as the toyo r888's are brand new technology whereas the ra-1's and victoracers are running on tire/rubber tech that is more than a decade old now...

 

Yokohama A032R's. From personal experience... they're pricey, but worth it.

 

Rookie auto-x Q for all:

I am presently running 225/45/17 Azenis on 17 x 7 rims and am very competitive in our auto-x club but would like to try a tire with more surface area. Over the season I notice I plateau about run 3 and stay within a 10th or two for the rest of the day (we get about 6 runs per event). The tires come up to temp and are not overheating (according to the pyro) and they are in their first season. I just think for the size car I am just under-tired. I can run with the two top cars in my class (VR6 GTI & Civic Sir hatch - both on V710s) but tend to max out earlier in the day than they do.

I am thinking of going to an R compound (V710s) using a wider rim and tire. 17 x 8 with 245/45/17.

For those who have made the switch to the wider size or r-comps (irish?):

1) Does the 20mm more tread offer a noticable performance diff?
2) Are there any clearance issues?
3) Any pros/cons/considerations/suggestions would be appreciated.

BTW:

Running -1.8 camber per tire up front, shocks at 4/5, tires at 41/38 psi.

 

the 20mm more tread will only be noticeable if you really know your car, but you will definitely see your times drop...the biggest difference will be going from azenis to the v710's being an actual r compound tire which is specifically designed for autoX temps...not to mention that sidewall stiffness on V710's are really good so transitions and slaloms will be much improved especially since our cars are so sluggish in that respect. I just ran 245/45/17 v710's on enkei rpf1's 17x8.5 all the way around...the rears cleared fine with a lot of room to spare, but the front required 3mm spacers as they were rubbing on the spring...but that is because of the high profile of the tire compared to what I usually run and not so much the width...plus I am running 2.3 degrees neg camber...

if you don't have coilovers they probably won't fit as then you have that huge spring perch instead of small collars like I do...your clearance will also be largely dependant on what offset the rims are...mine are +38 or +40 if memory serves...

it's extremely impressive that you are competing with civic sir hatch's that run on V710's....that would not be possible in the west coast chapter here where they are some of the most competitive cars...the azenis' can get heat soaked in autoX on hot days, so keep them cool with water sprayers...which is why they get heat soaked/tired as the day rolls on...

I ran the V710's at a practice event to get used to them, but my practice tires will be RA-1 255/40/17...unshaved for now...but I will run them on the street for a little bit to get them down to be competitive.

 

also the v710s are wider than a street tire in the same size, my 225 width 710s have a 9" tread and a 10.25" section width and the inner seat area that contacts the rim is 9" wide with the tires off of the rim. they would probably perform best on a 9" wide rim but i have them on an 8" rim.

 

Great feedback guys, thx.

Michael - tell me about transitional sluggishness - I feel like I've brought a stock car to an F1 race! And our Queen Mary turning radius doesn't help on some courses either. A stiffer sidewall from the V710s would definitely help. I am only using bolts for camber up front and max out at -2.0 per side. I heard that the r's need pretty aggressive negative camber to work right - do you think 2 would be enough?

Q#2 - I was looking at some F-Noirs in 17x8 with a 35mm offset. There don't seem to be many 8 or 8.5 rims that will fit our car. Any others you'd recommend and best size to match to fight roll over?

As for the temps, I have a sprayer and the temps haven't been over 100 degrees so far this summer on any part of the contact patch (unless I've screwed up and entered terminal understeer mode).

Our club uses modified SCCA rules for club events to allow our race director to arbitrarily move competitors up or down a class to keep the competition close. That's why I even get to compete with r-compound cars. When I run regionals or out of province or club events with other clubs they put me in STX. We have 70 competitors an event and right now a heavily modified 350Z is the fastest thing in the club (over the auto-x miatas, S2000s, bimmers, subies and moostangs). He's running non-staggered 275 V710s all around with corner balanced coilovers.

I am in a more lowly C class but, for my part, am leading the club novice championship (fingers crossed).

FWIW - here's a short vid and link promoting our next regional event at Scotiabank Place (home of the Ottawa Senators). Anyone close by is definitely invited to compete with us on either the Sat or Sunday. Saturday is our club rules (4 class system) and Sunday is strict SCCA w/pax adjustments. For those stuck behind civic monsters due to the SCCA rules, you may want to give it a try. I am told we get competitors from NY all the time too.

I am No. 151 in the vid - blink and you'll miss it.
The FTD guy is #138 in the 350Z.
The hot girl in the intro runs a nice 'Silvia' 240Z.

http://advantechstudios.com/videos/dhpromo.h264.mov
http://advantechstudios.com/videos/dhpromo.vmv9.wmv
http://www.mco.org/cms/index.php?nam...ewtopic&t=5667


Kevin

 

if you need more camber you can put bolts in the bottom hole in the strut as well the ones in the top hole and adjust them the other direction. i dont know if id drive on the street like that but for a race it could get you more camber without getting expensive camber plates. watch your toe in, it will change alot with any camber change

 

wow...your regional autox sounds completely opposite of ours on the west coast! it is the miata's, sti's and vette's which are consistently the fastest with very few 350z's even showing up let alone being competitive...!

if you are going to run 245/45/17 v710's I would recommend an 8" wheel as a minimum with wider being even better...! I am going to run them at one more practice to really get a hang of them and then switch them out for my ra-1's and save them for championships...

the v710's are specifically made for autoX so the sidewalls are extremely stiff by comparison to most r compound tires...in addition you run lower pressures in them then you would with street tires as rollover is less of an issue with such stiff sidewalls! although with 245/45's the sidewalls are still kinda high (wish kumho made a 245/40 or 255/40) so you still have to keep the pressures up somewhat!

-2 degrees is a decent amount...consider I am not running much more than that...the real key to our cars is running a good amount of toe out up front in my experiences as far as alignment goes. running 275/40 v710's all the way around is like cheating almost...lol out here in the west coast no maxima is going to be seriously competitive in an autoX environment, but I have found that when it comes to road coarses...things are more even and the large wheelbased maxima has a lot of grip and stability and power which keeps it competitive...

 

He's the exception and not the rule. Miata's, STi's and Vette's top the charts here too, but his driver skill and well thought out setup show a 3200lb RWD car can compete.



What pressures do you find work best for you? I typically run 41 front and 38 rear on the 615s. The 350Z with V710s runs 32 and 37 respectively.

Very true. Auto-x is more challenging in the Max and FTD will never be threatened in it around here. But, like you said, for track days and for Solo 2 the Max is very competitive and easy to drive. Love that torque. I should say, it was easy to drive once I got a strong enough brake setup bolted on.
GD - I've got the upper and lower camber bolts from Eibach, Stillen doesn't even sell the camber plates any more. I run a little toe out in front (1/16th) and haven't been burning the tires off yet.

Does anyone know of any strong 17 x 8.5 rims out there for the Max?

 

mine...enkei rpf1's I got them used from an sti guy who used to autoX...and I know they are strong as a good deal of the cars in the speed world challenge series are using them currently...they are not the ones in my sig/avatar...

plus they don't put a huge dent on your wallet like volks would!

I haven't played around with the pressures that much yet with the V710's...next event I will, but as of right now, I run 35f/37r cold...then I try to keep the front's at around 40 hot and the rears around 42 hot...

 

That's why I'm putting them on this car