re: this years tire selection

[ADAM]

hi guys,
i am thinking about getting
245/45/16 up front
275/45/16 in the rear on a3s03 hoosiers...how do you think this set up will behave?

on my s13 nissan 240sx...

any concerns about the height difference?

what are the rules on fender clearance? or does it matter?

[Dave]

That's too much rubber for a gutless, old tin can of a Nissan :D

No rules concerns, since tires can stick out beyond the fender lip, inner fender panels may be modified to facilitate wheel/tire clearance, and the fender lip may be rolled/flattened at the SuperStock level and up and in SP and up you can add fender flares, reshape fender lips, and modify exterior trim items to facilitate wheel/tire clearance. In other words, you can make modifications at the SP level which should allow you to run just about any wheel/tire combo you're limited intellect can dream up :) Who loves ya baby!

Adam, get 315's for the front and 335's for the rear if you must but you're still going to get OWNED by the Hondas :cool:

Happy shopping,
Dave

[ADAM]

he he.....just wait..i am still tuning my motor....by the start of solo 1 i am coming with 250rwhp and 270ftlbs....with that i am gonna need some big arse tires..since my 225's are getting smoked with 238rwhp right now...

bring it on honda boys....nissan is gonna slap you silly..those little honda motors are gonna shake in fear at the sound of my turbo hissing :)

the time for hondas are over...nissan will rule 2002

(i hope anyway..with my luck the car will just break down)

ok...big tires it is then....big nasty stanky huge sticky tires with lots of silly camber..

[Taylor]

Representing the Toyota powerhouse contingent I feel it's my duty to shi!t talk the both of you.

Bought an upgraded turbo today, I should be able to put down 250 without a heck of a lot of additional investment (beyond what I was already going to do) and still stay in SS2. :) BOOYEAH!

Unfortunately, my car is SO kick ass, it's not down there in the dregs with your little B and C-Class tin cans so I'm fully expecting the excuses of mine being an A-Class car when my skillz 0WN J00! :)

[Taylor]

On a more serious (and realistic) note, I'm concerned that my 225's won't put up with this kind of power for long. I wonder if I should be in the market for 16's.. what do you guys know of this sort of situation?

[ADAM]

what kind of car do you have?

remember we have light cars...mine is only 2700lbs..so you are going to have to really be fast to slap the hondas or nissans of CSP class..

[Chris P]

He has a 91 MR2 Turbo.

2500lbs if i remember correctly ;)

[Taylor]

Psh.. like the car is everthing.. I'll beat you with my mad SKILLZ! :)

But yeah.. 91 Turbo. <2700lbs.

That said, that car has more power than the S2000 I started last season with and I was much slower in it than in the S (and that's with zero experience to some experience) so...

I really don't expect to come close to Pratte, but maybe I can con him into a drag race or two at shannonville or cayu.. err Toronto Motorsports Park. Course, I have reservations of beating him there too, that car of his is (should be) a monster.

[Dave]

Krispy would know more about this than I do, but wasn't Jason Yeo running Motorola Cup (now Grand Am) NSX wheels and tires? I believe they were something like 225's front and 255's rear (on 16'' rims I believe). Running big rubber out back on your car might be a good plan, since they'll help you put the power down. At the same time, running a narrower front tire may on the MR2's relatively light front end may help turn-in without carrying around a whole bunch of extra rubber you may not need. Basically the same principle Honda and many other companies apply when they stagger tire size front to back, like on your S2000 and on the NSX.

I good way to research what the fast wheel/tire set-up for your car is might be to find out what the best Solo 2 guys in the U.S. are running on your car. Solo 2's down there are pretty fast (often in 3rd gear), so they're more comparable to Solo 1 up here than you might think. Or if anyone is still running the MR2's in the Grand Am series, find out what tire sizes they're running. May as well put their experience to use.

Dave

[Taylor]

Yeah good idea, I'll ask around to see what the top SCCA modified MR2 drivers are running. (I'd hate to put on a heavier tire, but I'm thinking with that kind of power, I won't have much of a choice).