ordered new 17inch Volks 245 and 275 good? for autox and roadrace
 

My FD is primarily for autox and few roadrace tracks like laguna or Thill. What would be the best combination?

rim sizes are 17x8.5 front +40 17x9.5 +38 rears.

Should i go with which of the following:

Fronts Rears
235 255
245 265
245 275


which would u guys suggest and for what reason?

Personally I like 245/265...if you can find the right aspect ratio and so on...I am personally going with 235/265 on 18's..but that's more because I lack on 245's in 18's...Was thinking about 255's but then I dont want to worry about my front fenders too much..

for autox...you want to heat those puppy up quick..so 255 might actually be better...for road it's nice to have a lot of meat...but a big stagger..235/275 will give a little more understeer then you might want...another reason I like 245/265 or 235/255.

kumho victoracers
 

these are the tires I want, cuz they are the best bang for the $ and i don't drive my FD on the streets. only to autox and tracks.

no 235s or 265 sizes.. grrr...

who runs 255's in front on 17's with 1inch or so drop without rubbing?

or i might just run 245 275 since i can adjust the Cusco Zero2 coilovers to stiffen or soften the suspension to counter that understeer.

yeah run the biggest you can fit...yes you can counter the understeer with suspension adjustments...shock/sway.. By the time I get my GC's in with my new 18's...and the correct offset...I should be able to run 255x35x18 up front...but I'll run 235x40x18 for now..because I got a pretty good deal on some tires.

When I ran 235x45x17 upfront..I got some rub when I drove hard and cranked the wheel all the way.. offset was 37...different rims but my thinking you with 40 should be better off. Suspension was really low to...EIbach + Gab Super..good luck to you...nice just having a autox/track car... I have a garage queen

ok. i guess i'll give 255/275 combo a try once i get the wheels. I figure since my cusco coilovers spring rates are 12k F and 10K R
the suspension would be pretty stiff to avoid lot of bouncing and up and down in front. I drive a subaru impreza as a daily driver. FD as the daily sux too much on gas. but im selling my impreza to get a 13sec civic hb as a daily.

I have the same wheel sizes except my wheels are the lighter, less expensive, and better-looking SSR Competitions. The SSR Comp offset is 42 mm vs the Volks' 38 mm offset--is that right? The Volks should be 40 mm offsets fr/rr!?

I road race on high speed circuits (Mid Ohio, Road America, Road Atlanta, GingerMan, Summit Point, Putnam Park) and do two autocrosses per year (to meet the Mazda Comp minimum of two race results per year). My tire setup is 245/45-17 Hoosier R3S03s for the 8.5 x 17s, and 275/40-17 for the 9.5 x 17s. The overall diameter of the Hoosier R3S03 (and A3S03 autocross compound) in those sizes is 25.3 inches. Hoosier tire widths when mounted on their respective rim widths are 10 and 11 inches. I haven't been on track with my new setup yet, but I don't expect to have any rubbing problems (H&R springs, R1 shocks, and Eibach sway bars). I'm not worried about an increase in understeer. I plan to change my driving style to take advantage of the increased rubber contact in back. Basically, I'll brake much later, use the Skip Barber brake-turning technique, and mash the throttle once I get the car turned into the corner. Try that with same-sized tires all around, and you'll swap ends!

If your heart is set on Kumho V700, try the 245/45-17 and 255/40-17 sizes, for the 8.5 and 9.5 x 17s, respectively. According to the spec sheets, the 8.5-inch rim width works nicely with Kumho's 245 mm section width. The overall diameter of the 245/45-17 Kumho V700 is 25.3 or 24.8 inches, depending on which source you reference (Kumho USA specs the 245/45-17 OD @24.8 inches, while the Tire Rack specs the 245/45-17 OD @25.3 inches). The 255/40-17 works nicely with the 9.5-inch rim width and keeps the tire weight down to a minimum, as Kumhos are quite heavy as competition tires go. With 38 or 40 mm offsets, the 255-on-8.5 up front might rub the left front fenderlip bolt.

The 235/45-17 and 255/40-17 Toyo RA-1s (available from CUT, Inc, Royal, IL) are also a viable option for your Volks. The 235/45-17 fronts have an OD of 25.2 inches, while the rear 255/40-17 is 25.1 inches. Respective tire section widths when mounted on 8.5 and 9.5 rim widths are, 9.5 and 10.6 inches (referencing Toyo.Com spec sheet).

If you plan to drive to-and-from each track/autocross event, I recommend going with either the Kumho or Toyo setup. The Hoosiers will be too delicate to use on the street.

I think i'll go with 245/40/17 front and 275/40/17 rear then.. With my offset, after calculation, if i run 255's in front, i'll rub for sure.

How much were your ssr? my volks are not that expensive. I purchased the GramLights. 17x8.5 and 17x9.5 for 1k out the door.

Not familiar with gram lights, only the SE37Ks.

My SSR Comps were $1300 shipped to my door from a private party. 8.5 x 17 are 15 lbs, 9.5 x 17s 16 lbs.

Here is a picture of it. pretty good price for your ssr's.

My rep told me that these wheels are produced by RAY's, but is not a Volk wheel. He also mentioned that they are cast and somewhat light, but for the price I'd probably buy the Enkei RP01.

Did you go to BOZZ?

Thanks, Rishie

Rishie, I know the RP01's are a good deal as well, but i don't like how they look. Alain bought his from you I know, I saw it.
so how much would the 17x8.5 and 17x9.5 stagger set from you cost for the rp01? i got the gramlights at extemely cheap price and wasn't from bozz, i can't disclose the name of my source. i got the whole set for $1k out the door. =)

That is definitely a good price. In the future I'd be able to offer you a price better than that, but for now they are requiring another buyin on this wheel, since it is not Volk. Sucks ass!!!!!

But if guys are interested, I could hook them up for $950 - $1000. But you got a quick style homie hookup, that wheel hasn't even hit the shore yet.

You don't like the rims on Vinay's NSX. For the price, they're hella cool looking. But I feel ya, the RAY's name itself is a whole notha' ballpark.

Later,

Rishie

Congrats, we gotta hook up when they come in. Do you got shit setup for mt and balance? Just bring the wheels and tires, you can put them on yourself. hehe. Really good balancer, we do ccw's and hoosier's all the time with it. Machine was purchased for the purpose of true racer clientele.

I'll need a mount and balance soon...Rishie..
Hood a brudda Ok...but dont scratch my k58's

rishie, i know they aren't really volks to be exact per sae, but it is still fairly light, cheap and not bad looking. Only bought these for the sake of racing, so I dont' really need good looking expensive rims and stuff. Thanks for them offers. BTW, how much can you get Advan RG's for?

SSR Comps
 

See post below

SSR Comp (Type C)
 

SSR Comp is much better-looking wheel, as racing wheels go, especially when all the cool decals are applied to the wheels. The SSR Comps are lightweight and reasonably priced even at full retail at the Tire Rack.

I just had my Hoosier R3S03 racing tires mounted on the wheels today. The 8.5 x 17s got 245/45-17s and the 9.5 x 17s got 275/40-17s. Perfect fit on on both sizes. The tires's sidewalls don't bulge out, nor do the sidewalls appear stretched out on the rims. The sidewalls are perfectly flat (no bulge at all), and are rock-hard!

It's interesting to note that new Hoosiers in these sizes come with rim protectors on the sidewall, so when you lay the tires sideways on the ground, you don't worry about the rim lips contacting the asphalt!

I'm also amazed at the lightness of the wheel/tire combination considering the tire sizes!

I'll be testing the wheel/tire setup's performance with my Rx7 R1 at Putnam Park next Saturday, Dec. 15...(it's good to know the track owner for such occasions). Tire pressures are set to 35 psi cold as a starting point...

SSR Comps/Hoosier R3S03s Testing
 

We tested a new wheel/tire setup for my "all stock" Rx7 R1 yesterday (Dec. 15) at Putnam Park. Wheels were the SSR Competitions in 8.5 (fr) and 9.5 (rr) x 17. Tire sizes were 245/45 (fr) and 275/40 (rr) -17s. Hoosier compound was R3S03. Clearance within the fenderwells was not an issue. There was never any rubbing during any of hot track sessions despite everyone's worry about the 245/45-17 being "too tall" for the front position. Both sizes have an overall diameter spec of 25.3 inches.

Brake pads were Hawk Black fronts and Carbotech Panther rears. Conditions were dry, but cloudy with ambient temps ranging from 40 to 44 degree F. Track surface temp was 40 to 42 F. During the morning hours, the track was damp. The track surface never dried completely as the day wore, due to the lack of sunshine and high humidity.

My initial impression with the new setup was a "hint" more understeer, but not nearly as much as I was expecting . I couldn't rush into the turns like I once did with the old setup (245/45-16 Hoosier Motorola Cup compound with 8.5 x 16 Kosei K1s all around). I changed my driving style to slow-in, fast-out. I also feathered the throttle through the longer turns (Dead Bear and 9-10) to keep the nose point toward the apex. The larger rear tires inspired confidence, allowing me to mash the gas coming of the turn 7 hairpin in 2nd gear. I was expecting to swing the tail wide (as would happen with the old setup), but only drifted the rear slightly more than the front. The taller tires also meant that I didn't red-line before completely exiting that turn. The amount of stick the new setup offered was impressive considering the cool temperatures.

We checked tire temps throughout the day (inside, center, and outside), and found that the alignment settings were pretty much on. The tire pressure changes (hot vs cold) didn't suggest any extreme handling behavior. We did let air out of some of the tires to help me get accustomed to the new setup (by helping the front stick more).

Overall we improved over my last hotlap time clocked in September (warmer conditions). The important change this time out was consistent performance; we were within 0.4 to 0.5 seconds of the current hotlap time every lap of each 20-minute session.

great info, thx.

Let me know what happens.... I have 235 ft and 255rr with A032r and love it.