[AirBoyzT]

Hey Guys! You've been helpful thus far in my needs, so I have a new question. A buddy of mine has gotten me into Autocrossing through NASA. I'm thinkin of getting wheels and tires just for this so I can put them on before a race so I don't ruin my regular rims and tires. my question is, should I go with a wider rear wheel and smaller front or all the same.....Any advice on wheel/tire combos would be appreciated. I saw some deep dish, but not sure a 20" rim would be good for Auto Cross....

Thanks!
-Aaron

[06HellFireGT]

ive done some autocrossing so heres the skinny you want the same width all the way around there is a guy here that i know who has an 08 gt with steeda pentars 18x9 or 18x9.5 with 275 on all corners stay away from 20s if your gonna autocross it i did it a few times when i had my 20s and yeah more weight than whats needed as for a good tire alot of guys i run with at the autocrosses use hoosier a6 its a good sticky dot tire

[AirBoyzT]

Originally Posted by 06HellFireGT ive done some autocrossing so heres the skinny you want the same width all the way around there is a guy here that i know who has an 08 gt with steeda pentars 18x9 or 18x9.5 with 275 on all corners stay away from 20s if your gonna autocross it i did it a few times when i had my 20s and yeah more weight than whats needed as for a good tire alot of guys i run with at the autocrosses use hoosier a6 its a good sticky dot tire

Yea I like those steeda pentars, a bit pricey, but awesome wheels, I guess I'll have to save up lol

[AirBoyzT]

What size tires for the 18x9.5's?

[JakeM]

Best advice I can give you is, read the rule book over and over until you figure out where you want your car to be. Then buy tires based on the class your running. Most classes have a max width and you want to go with the most short rim you can. So if you plan on upgrading the brakes, then get some 18's. But if you don't plan on getting big brakes in the near future find some cheap'ish 17x9's (Depending on the class your going to run) and get the best rubber you can afford. The 'entry' level classes in NASA and SCCA for the most part only allow up to at 275/xx/xx tire. Just like stated above, the less rotating mass the better.

If its your first time DON'T GET A R COMPOUND TIRE. You won't learn anything. For the first season, unless you race EVERY weekend, you are going to want to run on a regular street radial. The reason being, street radials come to there limits more quickly and are easy to predict. For example, street tires, when you come to the limit, get loud and start screaming for the most part. So you can tell when a street tire is about to let go, whereas a R compound tire will let you take it all the way to the limit and then passed with little to no warning. This way you can learn the actual limits of your car faster. You will be able to learn how to 'feel' when your car is coming to its limit. That way when you do switch to R compounds you know whats comming.

[06HellFireGT]

well i know for a fact that 275s will fit up front on a lowered stang no problem and its the size he has on his pentars

[06HellFireGT]

Originally Posted by Towelly Best advice I can give you is, read the rule book over and over until you figure out where you want your car to be. Then buy tires based on the class your running. Most classes have a max width and you want to go with the most short rim you can. So if you plan on upgrading the brakes, then get some 18's. But if you don't plan on getting big brakes in the near future find some cheap'ish 17x9's (Depending on the class your going to run) and get the best rubber you can afford. The 'entry' level classes in NASA and SCCA for the most part only allow up to at 275/xx/xx tire. Just like stated above, the less rotating mass the better.

yeah im going by SCCA rules since thats who i compete with

[JakeM]

Originally Posted by AirBoyzT What size tires for the 18x9.5's?

Depending on the tire, between 265 and 285. Tires run differen't width's from manufacterer to manufacterer. For the most part though, 275.

[JakeM]

Originally Posted by 06HellFireGT well i know for a fact that 275s will fit up front on a lowered stang no problem and its the size he has on his pentars

Yup. There are several guys with GT500's that I know running 285's all the way around on the stock 18x9.5's. Little rubbing here and there, but its possible.

[AirBoyzT]

Originally Posted by Towelly Depending on the tire, between 265 and 285. Tires run differen't width's from manufacterer to manufacterer. For the most part though, 275.

Yea the class I would be in is 255 or smaller without a point assessment, but I am no where close to bumping up a class so I would be fine with 275 I Think

[06HellFireGT]

are you running novice class?

[AirBoyzT]

Originally Posted by 06HellFireGT are you running novice class?

Tech I could, but I think I'll probably just try to run C Class, IDK if you can just do that though

[06HellFireGT]

i skipped novice class ... but thats cuz i didnt know that was a class lol

[AirBoyzT]

yea i tried to read up on the novice class, but couldn't find any rules except your first 5 races can be novice...ill probably just go to c class...

[JakeM]

Originally Posted by AirBoyzT Tech I could, but I think I'll probably just try to run C Class, IDK if you can just do that though

If your unsure where you want to run, talk to the local guys that have been doing it for a while. They should be able to help you class your car.

[AirBoyzT]

Yea will do, thanks guys...

[NastyFX4]

Since you're going to want to stick to that class than run the 275s on a 18 or 20 inch wheel that is 9" wide.

Check out the Nitto NT01, Nitto NT555II, or even my favorite the Nitto NT05.

Nitto Tire - High Performance Tires for Car and Truck Enthusiasts

[Mickey]

NT05's are sick

[NastyFX4]

That's what I'm saying man! I'm eying the Nitto NT05 315/35/20s for my street set-up.

[Sam Strano]

I can help you out... seeing that I'm not only an autocrosser, but a pretty good one. I also teach autocrossing, and know about these cars (since I own one and have multiple National Championships in them, and others).

It's not quite so simple as to take a poll on the 'net. For instance, I run 295's all around, and I also run 10's at all 4 corners with no mods to the body. 18x9.5's are no sweat and again, you can get some big rubber on there--but tires do vary a bit in actual size so not every 295 will fit, and you have to watch you wheel offset.

Steeda Pentar's aren't very expensive, I have set of those among the wheels I have have collected for the car over the years. In fact I think they are among the best looking wheels.

Anyway, my suggestions? First, understand the rules for the Sactioning body and category you want to run with. NASA does some autocross, but SCCA is the big daddy in the USA and most run with their rules. If your mod list is accurate (cold-air and a tune) you are ok for STX, STU, or ESP (not F-stock). The car can be pretty good in all 3, but best in ESP because the use of R-compound tires helps a heavy, powerful RWD car the most. In the ST classes you will have to run against lighter, smaller cars that can mod as much as you can but get power down better due to better traction on the less sticky tires vs. R-comps.