I have a 97 M3 coupe with oem staggered setup... many people
recommends that I should get same wheel+tire setup all around
for a more ideal track setup....

Here's the dilemma....

should I get 17x8.5 all around..... or 17x7.5 all around... ?

I could either get 17x7.5 with Falken Azenis Sport all around....
Or 17x8.5 with some other tire (Kumho MX?) all around....

The advantage of Falken Azenis Sport is, of course, a lot less
expensive... and sticky enough for autox...

Getting 17x8.5 running other tires.... of course.... is that I could
get wider tires...

What should I do?.. Opinions please....

Thanks,

Also... would I need anything else to put either 8.5 wheels in
the front or 7.5 wheels in the rear???

After some search... seems like I will need spacers to fit the
8.5's in the front.... can anyone confirm this?

Thanks,

If you have the 10-spoke II's, I'll trade you my 7.5's for your 8.5's and I'll pay shipping :)

get the widest wheel possible!!! I run 17X9's on all four corners. Definitely run the same size front to back. The wider wheel will let you run a wider tire or at least provide a wider contact patch given the same size tire.

You might need a spacer up front depending on which wheel you get. I run a 15mm up front.

Wider is better.

Originally posted by ///Mracer
get the widest wheel possible!!! I run 17X9's on all four corners. Definitely run the same size front to back. The wider wheel will let you run a wider tire or at least provide a wider contact patch given the same size tire.

You might need a spacer up front depending on which wheel you get. I run a 15mm up front.


I plan on running the oem 17x8.5's on the front.... would I need
spacers??


I know that certainly wider is better.... but isn't Azenis Sport tires
stickier than most tires in the same price range??

So the question really comes down to.... get slightly stickier tires
or slightly wider tires??

regarding a spacer up front, it depends on the offset of the wheel. I think you might need to run a 8mm or 10mm spacer to get clearance, but do not quote me on that.

8.5" wheels on all four corners will work very well. The Falkens come in an odd size don't they? I am not sure if they make a decent size for our car? They are one of the stickest "street" tire you can get according to the STS auto-x results, definitly the favored tire.

Do you plan on using them for auto-x or track? For track events I have heard that they generate A LOT of heat and become greasy quickly.

Originally posted by ///Mracer
regarding a spacer up front, it depends on the offset of the wheel. I think you might need to run a 8mm or 10mm spacer to get clearance, but do not quote me on that.

8.5" wheels on all four corners will work very well. The Falkens come in an odd size don't they? I am not sure if they make a decent size for our car? They are one of the stickest "street" tire you can get according to the STS auto-x results, definitly the favored tire.

Do you plan on using them for auto-x or track? For track events I have heard that they generate A LOT of heat and become greasy quickly.

Just checked E36 M3 FAQ... seems like all M3 wheels (95 to 96+,
front or rear), all having the same offset....
http://www.warhof.com/warp/emmma/e36m3faq.pdf

Falken Azenis Sport only comes in VERY FEW sizes.... there are
only two sizes for 17's..... 225/45 and 245/45's..... :(

So I could either run 225/45 Azenis all around... or 245/40 some
other tires all around.... Azenis advantage being cheap and just
as sticky if not stickier than other tires....

:)

If you get wider rubber (say 245/40 Kumho MX), you'll have more grip than Azenis in the 225 size.

Kumho MX is an amazing tire from what I've seen and felt. It's just about as sticky as the S-03's in the dry and will cope with track punishment. They are not that expensive either.

On a side note, 245/45 Azenis should work also.

Originally posted by Akakubi

On a side note, 245/45 Azenis should work also.


Yup... but then I'll have deal with taller gearing not to mention
the added weight....


So sounds like I should go with getting two more 8.5's...
(which actually is very difficult to find... )


Thanks everyone... !!
:)

stock offset is 41. it should be ok unless u have some radical suspension, otherwise just get a small spacer, i use the M68 8.5 and i need a 10mm spacer

The first thing to do is look at the rules for the class that you're planning to run in. If you're planning on running in SCCA Stock class, you have to stick with the 7.5" wheels in the front, and the 8.5" wheels in the rear. If you've already done mods that move you into SP or SM, then wheels are unlimited - if you want to be truly competitive, you should probably go with the max that will fit. At least 17x8.5, with most people using 9" or wider rims.

For tires, the fast guys are on Hoosiers or Kumhos. Falkens are pretty sticky, but will still be 1-2 seconds slower on a 60 second course than the DOT-R tires. I think even the slowest of the R tires, the Yokohama A032, is a little faster than the Falken Azenis.

Jim

would 18" rims be less ideal than 17's for track use?

Depends. If the overall diameter with the tire is the same as the 17" setup, then the 18" wheel will perform about the same. However....:D You must make sure that overall weight (wheel + tire) is the same or less than the 17" package or you will lose acceleration.

There is one advantage to running larger rims: you can upgrade your brakes to larger diameter.

Since the 18" tire will have a stiffer sidewall due to the lower profile, you will have a bit crisper turn-in and less float.

The downside: cost. Both wheels and tires in 18" sizes are more expensive. So unless you really need to install a Big Brake Kit, there is little need to upsize the wheels for the track.

Originally posted by Akakubi


Kumho MX is an amazing tire from what I've seen and felt. It's just about as sticky as the S-03's in the dry and will cope with track punishment. They are not that expensive either.



yeah, but they don't come in a 235 if you wanted to go the same size all around with the staggered rims ... :(

Originally posted by Jim O.
The first thing to do is look at the rules for the class that you're planning to run in. If you're planning on running in SCCA Stock class, you have to stick with the 7.5" wheels in the front, and the 8.5" wheels in the rear. If you've already done mods that move you into SP or SM, then wheels are unlimited - if you want to be truly competitive, you should probably go with the max that will fit. At least 17x8.5, with most people using 9" or wider rims.



Yup... already have eibach sways.... I'm in SP.. :)

17x8.5 wheels (stock offset) with 235/40 tires will fit on all 4 corners without spacers and no concerns. If you are looking for a good AutoX and track setup consider R-compounds and don't bother with street tires. Street tires heat up quickly and become greasy as soon as they overheat.'

I also have a '97 M3 and was running on a staggered street tire setup in stock class but I just recently purchased the Kosei K1 17x8.5 with R compounds to run in AutoX.

Hope this helps.

Originally posted by hellrotvic
17x8.5 wheels (stock offset) with 235/40 tires will fit on all 4 corners without spacers and no concerns. If you are looking for a good AutoX and track setup consider R-compounds and don't bother with street tires. Street tires heat up quickly and become greasy as soon as they overheat.'

I also have a '97 M3 and was running on a staggered street tire setup in stock class but I just recently purchased the Kosei K1 17x8.5 with R compounds to run in AutoX.

Hope this helps.

Doesn't that mean you'll need a trailer for your 4 extra wheels
plus tires??
Or does some R compounds street-able??

For AutoX I usually just drive to the local AutoX site with my wheels and tires because it's not too far away (~10 miles). If I wanted, I could carry the 4 tires in the car (fold the seats down) and change on the spot but it's not worth the hassle. If I was driving further I might consider driving with street tires first but my R-compounds are not super soft so the wear will be minimal while driving on the street.

If you get Hoosiers then you should not drive them on the street but the other tires (Kumho, Yokohamas...) should take minimal wear on the streets.