[s-cars] what tires to get ?

[Taka Mizutani]

Those were your choices and you went with the RX-8?!? WTF?

Eleanor Mustang all day long- can't argue w/ 600hp, classic styling and tons
and tons of aftermarket stuff (you could go
full double-wishbone coilover setup with a Mustang). Very lightweight, too-
I think you can strip them down into the 2400lb. range
or maybe less.

Since you're going with the RX-8, I'd definitely see how much weight you can
drop out of the car (and reversible, if you're not
planning on leaving it that way permanently). I would also definitely go for
reliability rather than power.

Did you see that Forza Motorsport thing on Speed? All of the cars had
mechanical problems- the fast as h*ll Camaro lost its driveshaft, the one
350Z overheated, the other 350Z lost its clutch line, the Cuda was burning
oil like crazy and the Mustang wasn't running right.

Especially with many days in the whole event, the key would be endurance-
place well enough in every event and finish every event to score well
overall.

Taka


On 3/23/07, MLP-S580 <mlped at qwet.net> wrote:
>
>  Yes, after talking it over at lunch yesterday, the choices were down to
> the Rx8 vs. a RS6, a 996 Twin Turbo, or an Elenor (? sp) Mustang.  The
> Cayman S could have been a consideration if we'd had a hitch arrangement
> figured out for it.  But at the end of the day, what was seen as faithful
> and reliable, not to mention, mostly full "amortized" carried the day for a
> "first" perhaps more exploratory attempt at this event.  Team mantra, "We're
> going to have fun!....."
>
> I don't think anyone is required to buy 10.  I think that's tirerack
> suggestion for the event ~ you're only allowed six, buy 10 practice up on
> four, and take the remaining un-used six off for the event.
>
> Our innitial thinking was along the lines of the Michelin either PS2 or
> Pilot Sport, with some favorable weight to be given to wet handling.
>
> As for prep ~ Holy S*** the only class restriction as far as I can tell is
> Original MSRP sticker, and car classification.  You can do most anything
> (and some have) to the drive train and chassis with out affecting Original
> MSRP etc.
>
> Mike
>
>  ------------------------------
> *From:* Taka Mizutani [mailto:t44tqtro at gmail.com]
> *Sent:*   Friday, March 23, 2007 5:35 AM
> *To:* mlped at qwest.net
> *Cc:* LL - NY; Bill Noland; s-car-list at audifans.com; Pollock, Thomas
> *Subject:* Re: [s-cars] what tires to get ?
>
> Mike-
> Running the RX-8, eh? :-)
>
> If you can only run 6 tires, why buy ten?
>
> The 265 and 285 sizes are common Porsche rear sizes, so you should have
> quite a nice selection of tires.
>
> That said, with the restrictions you've been given, I think you need to
> find something that is durable,
> heat resistant and still decently sticky. That's a really tough call.
>
> Off the top of my head:
> Michelin PS2
> Bridgestone RE-01R
> Yokohama Advan AD-07
>
> I don't know what the durability looks like on the Bridgestone and the
> Advan, but wet track driving is usually different
> from wet road driving. You don't usually get standing water in huge
> puddles on a track. Grip is going to be important,
> those two have some of the best grip.
>
> How much prep are you allowed to do? Can you remove the rear seats and the
> trunk trim? Weight is going to be your
> enemy in terms of tire wear.
>
> Have you talked to any Mazda experts? Brian Goodwin, perhaps? The guys at
> Flyin' Miata?
>
> Taka
>
>