[dbjb]

FYI, the 275 definitely did not work. 265 may be possible. It doesn't matter though as I just want to run 255. Sadly, I have no update on fitment yet. Discounttires have yet to ship them. Frustrating but not critical as I have no events planned in November... at least not yet.

[mocohead]

I ran the Star Specs on my 335i and on my GTI. They are very grippy in both wet and dry, but make a horrible tread noise all the time. Wear was very good and they worked extremely well from the first lap to the last. However (and this is a big however) I had a couple of them fail dramatically on my GTI, with large strips peeling off the tread. A number of other users had the same experience.

Thus when it was time to get tires for the Evo, I bought the RS-3. They have been on the car for about 14k miles. The grip in the dry is outstanding, and they have been fairly good in the rain. Regrettably while I go to a number of autocross events, I have been too busy running them to run in them. I did get one track day on the RS-3 and was very impressed. So far no complaints.

I have a dedicated track setup on which I run NT-01's. They feel faster than the RS-3, but I have no data to back that up. Just the (not so) trusty butt dyno...

Enjoy your new setup and sorry for coming late to the conversation.

[dbjb]

Thanks for all the input here. Guess what's finally here? Now, it's on to the shop to finally test fitment!

[WDBi]

updates?

[dbjb]

Sorry guys. Between work, kids and home, I've been super busy. I finally got a chance to test fit the fronts. If you haven't kept up, I decided to get a square set of Kosei K1 17x8.5 40mm offset with Nitto NT01 in 255/40/17. I had no idea whether or not they would fit as I am lowered on HR Sport springs and Koni Yellows. In addition, I have M3 arms & wishbones.

Before test fitting, I decided to measure the width of the tire. Unmounted, the new NT01 tire measured 10 1/2" wide. Mounted, it decreased to just under 10". That's quite a bit less but still substantially wider than my street Hankook V12 that measure a total 9" wide.

Now, onto fitment. I had 2 sets of spacers ready to go; 5 and 10mm. I first decided to test fitment without using any spacers as I would rather run none if possible just to stay on the safe side. I mounted the wheel and checked spacing between the sidewall and strut. The tire spun freely with about 3mm of space. Jack removed, I took the next few shots. I know the car doesn't look lowered but trust me, it's just an optical illusion with these 17" wheels. From the fender wall, the tire is recessed a few mm. When the suspension fully compressed, I assume it would tuck in around 5-8mm.

I hit the road. Full lock turning, no rubbing. I then drove and took some aggressive corners. Nothing. Finally, I took it onto the highway to see if anything would happen driving over long undulations. Well, I'm happy to report that everything fit just fine. 255/40/17 will work on a lowered vehicle. Results may vary based on suspension but on HR Sports/Yellows, it'll work.

I'm signed up for Laguna Seca on New Years Eve and looking forward to finally putting these things to use!

[3002 tii]

Congrats man... looking good.

Haven't read all 3 pages but do you have any neg camber up front? If not, you should consider as you'll see a much bigger benefit with turn-in especially with 255s.

[mid-corner fun]

off-topic but it bugs me , what's up with the big gap between your bumper and fender (last pic)?

[dbjb]

Originally Posted by Dubbedown

Congrats man... looking good.

Haven't read all 3 pages but do you have any neg camber up front? If not, you should consider as you'll see a much bigger benefit with turn-in especially with 255s.

Thanks. I'm running -1.5 up front.

[dbjb]

Originally Posted by PeterM1

off-topic but it bugs me , what's up with the big gap between your bumper and fender (last pic)?

Yeah, I saw that too. Must be an optical illusion or something. In person, it lines up just fine. Of course, that doesn't matter much since my Mtech bumper should be here soon.

[BMWWW]

Originally Posted by SpeedOften

I do believe the most recent Grassroots Motorsports Magazine had a comparo in the wet between the Kuhmo XS, Dunlop Direzza Z1 SS, the Hankook RS3's, the Yoko Advan Neova AD08's, toyo R1R's and Nitto NT-05's...

The Advan's came in 1st in the wet followed by the Dunlops. They still consider the RS3's to be the king in the dry.

They also compared the Hoosier A6 R comp to a Goodyear I think?

I've been out of the game this past summer, but I recall speculations during last winter that the NT01 were essentially the r888 tread pattern on a compound very similiar to the RA1's.

Nicer(?) tread, but with the return of the good ole durability from the RA1's--which the r888's lacked.

[meepster]

Looks good dude - make sure you bring your spacers down to Laguna just incase

[The HACK]

Originally Posted by BMWWW

I've been out of the game this past summer, but I recall speculations during last winter that the NT01 were essentially the r888 tread pattern on a compound very similiar to the RA1's.

Nicer(?) tread, but with the return of the good ole durability from the RA1's--which the r888's lacked.

There isn't a lot of "magic" behind actual tread compounds. They're all just a formula between various materials mixed to make the compound. Higher silica content will result in a more pliable compound. The magic happens in how the belts are laid in the carcass of the tire and the pattern of the weave on the nylon ply, as well as the construct of the sidewalls.

So when I tell you, the NT-01, the R888, and the RA-1 are all identical compounds, it actually means very little. The actual compounds themselves determine only a small portion of the behavior of a specific tire. Since Toyo and Nitto share the same plant in Japan, the rubber and the formulation of all three compounds are PROBABLY identical. The question remains to the engineers, is how the carcass is constructed and how the sidewall is constructed, and how much actual surface area is covered by the tread pattern. Larger blocks will result in larger overall surface area in the contact patch. Larger CONTINUOUS blocks will result in better lateral tread support and less tread squirm. Round shoulder blocks will result in a more progressive break-away characteristic while square blocks will result in higher lateral grip. The amount of tension on the nylon or other synthetic fiber ply (Michelin and Goodyear uses a derivative of Kevlar rather than nylon) and the direction and pattern of how the fibers are weaved will affect the actual shape of the contact patch and therefore affect cornering characteristics and to some extent, tread squirm. The depth of the tread will also affect tread squirm. Sidewall construct and stiffness will affect weight of the tire and turn-in feel/turn-in response, but too stiff a sidewall will result in early break away.

So, as you can see, despite the fact that the NT-01, R888, and RA-1 most likely sharing the same identical formulation of compound, how each tire will behave will likely depend on a wide variety of variables. in all honesty, they are different tires built for slightly different use.

[daveishi]

sorry to resurrect an old thread, but in my defense the OP said this should be about tires AND wheels, thus: What wheels are you guys running on the track?

I just went to my first track event at Streets of Willow with my 335is (freshly broken in at 1k miles), pretty much bone stock (with stock RE 050A runflats) but I loved it and want to get back out very soon, however this time with tires, race brake fluid flush, pads, etc. I'm pretty set on the 255/40ZR17 R-S3's but so far I’ve only picked out these two wheels from this thread:

Kosei K1 17x8.5 40mm (from OP dsbj) and Apex Arc-8 17x9 (from meepster)

A buddy recommended Enkei RPF1's but they only come in a handful of sizes for our lug pattern, and unfortunately not the size I'm looking for.

I’m looking for a decent set of wheels that won’t break the bank (I realize I’m tracking a BMW but I only plan to go out 4-5 times a year). Obviously want something light yet strong, 9-10 inch, and I don’t really care much about aesthetics, price is more important. The Apex’s seem within range (and oddly inexpensive), just curious what else is out there.

Also, dsbj, how did you fit those 255 Nitto’s on an 8.5 wheel? I see the wheel pulled them in about 0.5 inch, but still that wheel seems narrow to me.

While I’m at it, what pads do you guys run? I’ll obviously swap them out for track use only, all input is greatly appreciated! Thanks guys

[mid-corner fun]

Do a search in this subforum, we've all listed our wheels/tires combos before.

Either Arc-8s or K1s will do fine for 335/328s but I don't know if there's a difference in ride height between 335i ZSP and 335is, you may need to search the tires forum. BTW, it's a tight fit, they both barely clear the 335 calipers.

Originally Posted by daveishi

sorry to resurrect an old thread, but in my defense the OP said this should be about tires AND wheels, thus: What wheels are you guys running on the track?

I just went to my first track event at Streets of Willow with my 335is (freshly broken in at 1k miles), pretty much bone stock (with stock RE 050A runflats) but I loved it and want to get back out very soon, however this time with tires, race brake fluid flush, pads, etc. I'm pretty set on the 255/40ZR17 R-S3's but so far I’ve only picked out these two wheels from this thread:

Kosei K1 17x8.5 40mm (from OP dsbj) and Apex Arc-8 17x9 (from meepster)

A buddy recommended Enkei RPF1's but they only come in a handful of sizes for our lug pattern, and unfortunately not the size I'm looking for.

I’m looking for a decent set of wheels that won’t break the bank (I realize I’m tracking a BMW but I only plan to go out 4-5 times a year). Obviously want something light yet strong, 9-10 inch, and I don’t really care much about aesthetics, price is more important. The Apex’s seem within range (and oddly inexpensive), just curious what else is out there.

Also, dsbj, how did you fit those 255 Nitto’s on an 8.5 wheel? I see the wheel pulled them in about 0.5 inch, but still that wheel seems narrow to me.

While I’m at it, what pads do you guys run? I’ll obviously swap them out for track use only, all input is greatly appreciated! Thanks guys

[jbass524]

Originally Posted by PeterM1

Do a search in this subforum, we've all listed our wheels/tires combos before.

Either Arc-8s or K1s will do fine for 335/328s but I don't know if there's a difference in ride height between 335i ZSP and 335is, you may need to search the tires forum. BTW, it's a tight fit, they both barely clear the 335 calipers.

The 17" ARC 8s are perfect. About 17 lbs. and affordable and super durable. I know because I have a set of 17s for track and I have 18s for the street.

I also have Stoptech brakes and the 17s clear. It's not by much, about 3mm, but it's enough. I've probably done 0ver 40 track days on them and never an issue. I also used them with my stock brakes and they were fine.

255s require about -2 camber up front depending on how low your car is. Just be ready for some rubbing without enough camber.

For absolute fitment information call APEX. Great people.

[Doyle]

Originally Posted by jbass524

The 17" ARC 8s are perfect. About 17 lbs. and affordable and super durable. I know because I have a set of 17s for track and I have 18s for the street.

I also have Stoptech brakes and the 17s clear. It's not by much, about 3mm, but it's enough. I've probably done 0ver 40 track days on them and never an issue. I also used them with my stock brakes and they were fine.

255s require about -2 camber up front depending on how low your car is. Just be ready for some rubbing without enough camber.

For absolute fitment information call APEX. Great people.

More details on the specific stoptech kit, as well as the spacers and suspension setup, please!

[jbass524]

Originally Posted by Doyle

More details on the specific stoptech kit, as well as the spacers and suspension setup, please!

Call APEX for fitment information. Your setup will be different than mine. It's their specialty.

[mid-corner fun]

My 2012 track plan is beginning to take shape, first 2 255/40 NT01s arrived today to replace the 245/40 StarSpecs. I'll confirm front fitment and order the other 2.

[dbjb]

Originally Posted by PeterM1

My 2012 track plan is beginning to take shape, first 2 255/40 NT01s arrived today to replace the 245/40 StarSpecs. I'll confirm front fitment and order the other 2.

I spy Hawk pads, Centric rotors, Motiv bleeder, oil, tools, and a shitload of tires. Lol.

Good luck with the fitment!

[mid-corner fun]

test successful!

Glad to report that front 255/40/17 NT01s on K1s don't rub with ZSP suspension and M3 control arms (-1.6). Special thanks to dsbj for helping me spend more $$$...

[dbjb]

You're welcome. Now, if you really want to save money, perhaps you should attend less than 117 events a year. Just sayin.

[turugara]

Originally Posted by dsbj

You're welcome. Now, if you really want to save money, perhaps you should attend less than 117 events a year. Just sayin.

haha time to get a sponsor?