[stefanoale]

I started looking around preparing for the autoX /HPDE w the E92 M3 and I need to decide on r comps for autoX. Wheels offset offset can be specified.
Here is what I'm looking for:
- r comp
- not hoosiers as they are too soft and will need a few sets for 1 season
- same tire size all around to be able to nicely rotate the car

I was hoping to fit kumho v710 285 30 18 all around but will they fit w stock suspension? How about rollign the front lip a bit?

All 4 wheels will have the same offset to be able to rotate the tires and will adjust fit via spacers.

Thanks!

Stefano

[The HACK]

What autox class? What organization?

What I can tell you is that tires that work well for autocross may not always work well for DEs. Your autocross course will likely determine what sort of tire/offset/size you can potentially fit. I would have a different set of tires for autocross and one other set for DEs.

Lastly, widest, isn't always the best/grippiest.

[stefanoale]

autoX and most DEs with BMWCCA not scca so no restriction w tire size as long as it fits under stock suspension.
The r comps are for the autox only setup, the DE will be on streets. at an autoX I'd say that with 400HP I'll take the widest tire I can fit and softest tire I can afford - not hoosiers ;-)

Cheers,

Stefano

[The HACK]

Fender rolling allowed?

[stefanoale]

just the lip - I think so...

[Eddy@ApexWheels]

You can run 275/35/18 Nitto NT-01's front and rear with no rubbing on the APEX ARC-8 wheels. They are 18x10" et25 and 19.95lbs.

I've seen the 285 setup run before. It needs a front spacer, as 275 r-compounds are already really close to the strut tube. 285's would REALLY benefit from camber plates, as they would stick out from the front fenders on an otherwise stock suspension. If your suspension is stock, and your just going to autocross events and some HPDE's on an otherwise stock car, I do not see a need for more then a 275 r-compound setup that easily bolts on/off. Plus the NT-01 tire is significantly cheaper.

Here's a few photos of that setup in both street and track tires

[stefanoale]

That's very helpful thanks! The question is for autoX nitto nt-01 or bfgoodrich g force-R1? the both come in 275 35 18 and the R1s maybe stickier and still not hoosier soft but not bad.

[CSBM5]

The BFG R1 is definitely a better performing tire than the NT-01. I've been through two sets of NT-01s and am on 3rd set of the BFG R1. The R1 is more a "race tire" than the NT-01 (i.e. the NT-01 will sing/howl at high slip angles, etc, while the R1 is much more like a pure race tire with very little noise but still has great feedback through the wheel/seat imo).

Note that the BFG R1 runs wide for it's rated size mainly due to how it carries its section width all the way out to the tread face. You might find it necessary to run a 265/35 R1 because of this (it is wider than a 275 NT-01). Here is a picture of a 265/35 R1 on an 8.5" wheel (from my zhp autox setup) next to a 275/35 NT-01 on a 9.5" wheel (from my M5) to compare:


Chuck

[stefanoale]

Chuck great info thx!!! Let me know your thoughts about wear as I'm hoping to do 8-10 events w the '09 M3 and 2 drivers on 1 set. On my '98 m3 it would have been no problem but that's with ~180hp less and 500Lb less as well...
Cheers,
Stefano

[CSBM5]

Originally Posted by stefanoale

Chuck great info thx!!! Let me know your thoughts about wear as I'm hoping to do 8-10 events w the '09 M3 and 2 drivers on 1 set. On my '98 m3 it would have been no problem but that's with ~180hp less and 500Lb less as well...
Cheers,
Stefano

The R1 should last fine for, let's see: 9 events x 4 runs/event x 2 drivers = 72 runs. If you are running a square setup, you can rotate front to back to even out wear, and if necessary about 1/2 way through the season swap at least one pair of tires inside out to get a fresh edge up front.

Get as much front negative camber as you can (I assume the M3 has the strut pins you can tap out like the E90 non-M to gain a few tenths of negative camber), set the front toe at the minimum of spec (minimum toe-in), etc. If you can run camber plates, front edge wear will be dramatically reduced of course.

On the E46 ZHP that my daughter and I have run in D-stock for 4+ years now, we can get ~-1.2 degrees up front (not nearly enough of course) with the pins out. Since it is SCCA autox classing, only a large front sway bar and Konis are on the car along with SSR light wheels in stock sizes (8", 8.5"). We have corded the edges of new ($274 each) Hoosier A6s up front in 16 runs before. The A6 does not take kindly to camber challenged cars and quickly wears a diagonal edge along the tread-sidewall interface which then shows cords shortly.

Switching to the BFG R1 (giving up a few tenths but this is local club stuff anyway), we are able to run about 60 runs before swapping inside-out up front (no rotation due to stagger wheel widths). The last set we wore out had something greater than 140 runs.

The R1 is a great tire. It won't win in autox at a Nationals or Pro Solo of course since you need fresh off the truck A6s or V710s for that, but for club autocrossing and all, the cost versus fun time is vastly superior with the R1.

The NT-01 is "enough" of a street tire that you can drive it on the street to events. I've driven ~250 miles each way to CCA events at the BMW Performance Center a few times on NT-01s on the M5. I would never consider doing that with the R1 -- no way, it's not designed to take that type of abuse.

Here's a couple of videos I have up where you can at least hear the difference between driving the two tires. You can hear how the NT-01 is similar to a high end street tire while the R1 is mostly silent (but with great driver feedback imo, better feedback than a Hoosier A6). In the R1 video the only time you "hear" much feedback is right at the 59 sec mark when I transition through the sealed pavement and the tail gets super loose for two cycles (with the throttle pegged, lol -- R1s give great feedback!).

M5 at CCA autox at Perf Center (got FTD btw) on NT-01.

E46 ZHP on BFG R1 at local autocross event.

Regards,
Chuck

[stefanoale]

I agree completely, hoosiers are just way to pricey for how long they last, they are sticky though but I'm still leaning much more towards kumho v710s. unfortunately v710 run wide as well so the 285/30/18 is not an option for the e92 M3 with a square setup.
Sounds like R1s are really the way to go.
Thank you very much and good luck to you and your daughter on the upcoming season, my daughter is still a bit too young at 10 months :-).

Cheers

Stefano