Cool. I bookmarked the link. Any idea if the 275 will fit in front? 255/40/17 seems like a huge drop in overall diameter from stock.

 

I ordered the Competition wheels and 255 & 275 Kumho Victaracer V700's on Wednesday. I should be getting them around Tuesday or Wednesday next week!

Since all 4 wheels are the same, w/ 27 offsets, when I get the wheels, I will try to put the 275's on the front to test the fitment. It seems like it would be too wide (since stock is 225!), but maybe since the offset is kinda low, it might fit.

 

This sucks!! I ordered the wheels & Kumho Victo V700's, but the store says the front size is backordered!! I think I'm screwed. I don't think I'll be able to get tires before this weekend's autocross clinic.

 

Thanks for checking it out.

Damn, how long are they backordered for? Up here, people are having trouble getting V710s.

 

Kumho 710's? http://www.kumhotireusa.com/Products...=1&PtnID=EV710

They have a lot more grip

 

In your rim choices, keep in mind what happens to the class you are in. Changing rims could put you in a class where you are not very competitive.

I have been running the V710's since they came out. Very impressive tire. Turn-in is not as crisp as the Hoosiers but overall grip and wear are better. Currently it appears that they are faster than the Hoosier SO5's. 275's all around work fine and allow you to rotate your tires. It also completely eliminates the understeer. For this tire keep the pressures in the low range, mine seems to work best around 33-35 pounds. I have been checking tire temps and I get a good even reading. These are not forgiving tires! If you have never run R compound before, I would recommend the VictorRacers for your first season. You can flat spot the V-710's with one spin or one over cooked corner that requires both-feet-in. An expensive mistake.

If you are into this, I recommend disconnecting your yaw sensor (do a search on this site.) This gives you full ABS but completely gets rid of the VDC intervention. Using R-Compound you can easily make the computer think you are out of control and that it needs to save you, even when you have the button pushed to off. Very disappointing when you push the gas and nothing happens coming out of a corner. You only have three runs at most autocross events.

 

So you had no problems mounting a 275 in front? What offset were your front wheels? Did they extend past the fender?

 

Stock 17" rims with 275/40WR-17 Kumho ECSTA V710. No clearance problems. Go to a good tire shop for mounting. It isn't easy to get this stiff sidewall tire onto the rim when it is oversized. An inexperienced installer could damage the rim.

 

Wow, 275's up front, that is pretty big. Since I am an auto-x newb, I'd rather go w/ the V700's first. The problem is the 275/40-17's are backordered.

What do you think about going 255/40-17 all around?

Your comment about not being competitive in a higher class has definitely crossed my mind. I don't want to chew away my expensive Michelin Pilot Sports so I figured I'd get some auto-x wheels/tires, and I might as well go all the way to comp. tires if I'm doing it. But going w/ a street tire (Falken Azenis RT-615, 200 wear rating) would probably allow me to stay in my same class, but not as much performance.

 

I'm actually taking out my plenum spacer and Z-tube this weekend so I can use my prep points towards wheels/tires while staying in stock class.

 

How do they know if you have mods? Do they do a thorough inspection? A z-tube looks very OEM (since it is, but for the Z), and the spacer is hard to see.

 

No thorough inspection but I'll know it's there and I wouldn't feel good about hiding it.

lloyd, how wide is the stock 17" rim? Does the tire bulge?

 

Stock 17" rims are 7.5 in the front and 8" in the rear. I was worried about the tire not making a good footprint with the narrow rim. Turns out that it is not a real problem with this tire. This size may not work as well in other tire brands with a different sidewall stiffness or tread cross-section. Part of the reason it works okay on this tire is that the edges of the tire are rounded, not squared off like the Hoosier. Our cars are camber challenged anyway, so the slight bulge and related rounder edge is not a big deal, it actually helps. Plus, compared to other 275's these tires are about an inch wider on the tread.

In the stock class you have very few options available to improve performance legally. The first is to put as much rubber on the road as possible. I ran 245 VictorRacers my first season (I don't think they had 275's at that time. Just before I bought the V710's I was debating buying the 255/40. Great tire, especially for your first season. Don't stagger your tires. You want to be able to rotate your tires and you want to get rid of as much of the understeer as you can. A lower aspect ratio for the tire will actually give you a slightly lower gear ratio which only helps. If you have the mudflaps beware, when your car bottoms out on the suspension, the mudflaps will hit the ground with 40 series (or less) tires.

Run with an empty gas tank, bring a can of gas with you. You will have to decide if you want to fill your car with tires and tools when you go to race. Hard on the car but it is easier than hauling a trailer or having a second car go to the event.

Remember that your aims in the first season should be pretty modest.
1. Try not to get lost on the course. The course walk is invaluable.
2. Don't hit any corner workers. Go for a ride with an experienced driver, the course looks different at speed.
3. Have a good time.
4. Improve your time on each run if possible.
5. Don't think that you can go faster by adding aftermarket parts. 90% of the improvement you can make is in the driver. Wanna prove it, have one of the better drivers take your car around the course and see what kind of time he can get with your car.
6. If you get a chance to do a school, most clubs put them on, it is well worth it. When you compare getting three minutes of practice every-other-week to doing a couple of hours of seat time at a school, it is pretty obvious.

Good luck.

 

The 3 most important things that have helped me immensely this season are:
1. Seat time
2. Seat time
3. Seat time

 

I went to an autocross clinic a couple weekends ago and the biggest help was riding shotgun with my instructor, who flew threw the course in my car. I realized I could go a lot faster. I beat my friend w/ a '98 supercharged Dinan M3 throughout the day

I think I will order the 255/40-17 Victo V700's since the 275's are OOS. That way I can rotate them and get more life out of them.