which tires for c/street?

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DavidM938
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Joined: Fri Jul 26, 2013 10:20 am

Re: which tires for c/street?

Post by DavidM938 »

brian,
just completed a great weekend of driver's school and test and tune autocross and really liked the upgrades of progress bar and super Q. Reaffirmed what I sorta knew that the car is a lot faster than I am! the instructors kept telling me to drive harder, trust the car to stick.. so I guess I'll have to do lots more events! I just put in my order for a set of Koni's and the FMC sport bumpstops. Is there any real need (or benefit) to getting adjustable front end links at this time? Also, how much should I drive after the shock installation before getting re-aligned? thanks david
Brian
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Re: which tires for c/street?

Post by Brian »

The answer is indeed seat time, seat time, seat time. The more seat time you get, the more comfortable you are taking the car to the limit and playing and having BIG FUN at that limit.

Indeed no need for endlinks at stock height unless you can't reach one of the sway bar holes and want to use that hole.
Brian Goodwin
Good-Win Racing
www.good-win-racing.com
DavidM938
Posts: 33
Joined: Fri Jul 26, 2013 10:20 am

Re: which tires for c/street?

Post by DavidM938 »

Brian, just installed the Koni's and the FCM bumpstops yesterday, along with the Powerflex rear sway bushings. Boy, do I like the shocks! The stock Bilsteins were actually leaking noticeably at 32k miles and the stock bumpstops were torn, so it was indeed time for the change! I was able to get a bit more neg. camber, too, set it at -1.7 front and rear, 6 deg caster and a little bit of toe in. Now the car is not yo-yo ing up and down when on or off the throttle or brakes and the ride is no worse. I set the fronts 1/2 turn from full soft, and the rears 1 full turn, and will tune from there. I now can feel the Progress front bar working, too. I also installed a set of RE-71R's on the stock rims and you were right about the fact that they feel more like a dedicated autocross tire than a 200 treadwear "street" tire. Since I drive this car only 3-400 hundred miles a month, I can live with these tires until I can swing the set of 6UL 17x8's for my street Michelins. Meanwhile, next autocross is 2 weeks and for the first time, I won't feel like I'm bringing a knife to a gunfight in C street! This car is now so more more responsive and controlled, I highly recommend these changes to anyone not ready to plunge into the expensive STR-type mods. Thanks again for all the help. David M Nashville
Brian
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Re: which tires for c/street?

Post by Brian »

Happy to hear you are having fun with the upgrades, good luck at next autocross event.
Brian Goodwin
Good-Win Racing
www.good-win-racing.com
DavidM938
Posts: 33
Joined: Fri Jul 26, 2013 10:20 am

Re: which tires for c/street?

Post by DavidM938 »

I have a question about ride height. I was looking back on the build for the 2012 of Andi's, and noted that it had initial heights that were a bit over 14 1/2 at all 4 corners. I also measured a 2014 GT on our lot (I'm in the car business) and it was 14 1/2 front and 14 3/4 rear. my 2013 club is now at 13 3/4 front and 13 1/2 rear with just the Koni/ FCM bumpstop installation. I like the drop a lot but was wondering why it dropped nearly an inch. Do the club's start lower? I forgot to record the starting heights (had a senior moment). Does this car work better with the rear slightly lower than the front? Can I expect the car to settle a bit more? I only have about 200 miles on the new setup so far. Next autocross in 1 week is on an old rough parking lot here at Nashville dragstrip and was wondering what the thinking is on a low traction bumpy track regarding shock settings. Do I want to adjust softer and run lower air pressures to prevent skipping around? thanks for anyone's feedback on this. I love the combo of the Koni's and the RE71R tires but am looking for a good baseline as to set up. Thanks david nashville
Brian
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Re: which tires for c/street?

Post by Brian »

Without having starting heights hard to say if some of the difference is just the manner in which you are taking the measurements. What we can say for sure is KONI lower the car from stock shocks because the twin tube construction is lower pressure by design compared to the higher pressure monotubes that come stock on the car, with the difference being about half inch of lowering for the KONI. That half inch of lowering does give much needed negative camber, which helps autocross performance a lot. Optimal tire pressures will take some experimentation, really need a tire pyrometer to get the results right (Google for numerous guides on that process), much depends on condition of the lot you are racing on (our local lot here is breaking up and rough, lower pressures win here but higher pressures needed on smooth lots, etc).
Brian Goodwin
Good-Win Racing
www.good-win-racing.com
DavidM938
Posts: 33
Joined: Fri Jul 26, 2013 10:20 am

Re: which tires for c/street?

Post by DavidM938 »

I just got a probe type tire pyrometer, and have been reading the various forums and even you tube instructions, but what I can't find is what temps the RE 71's are the happiest at. tried tire rack, they said bridgestone doesn't publish that info. since it seems all the fast guys are running this tire, hoping someone could give me a baseline for what this tire needs. thanks david nashville
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