I am looking for 17" non dot slicks. I am currenty using yok's, but the widest one they have is a 230. I would like to find something wider. Anyone know if there is anything out there, and where to get them??

Thanks, Rick

I'm following this thread because I'll be in mod the 3 BMW races I run this year and I can run slicks in GTS3 with a small weight penalty.

Contact Sasco sports. I believe they carry Avon slicks. Maybe they come in 250 instead of 230s for 17" wheels.

Dunlop has a 235/620R17 and 265/630R17. The 265 fits on 9.5-10.5 wheels, so that may not work under stock fenders. More measurements available here:
http://www.sascosports.com/products/dunlop/gt_2002.html

You might check with Sasco...I believe that sizing guide is a couple years old. Dunlop may have some new sizes available. The BEST size for stock fendered E30's and E36's is the 250/640R18...but you would need to buy 18" wheels. They will fit on 9 inch wide wheels.

It appears that there are a few options in the Avon Radials:
http://www.sascosports.com/products/avon/tyrerange.html

240, 250, and 265 width's available in a range of diameters from 610 to 650 for 17" wheels.

You'll probably pay more for avon if they are not already in the states, but if they happen to have them in the us warehouses, avon's are really good. You'd probbaly need to do some testing to find a good setup for them though.

Thanks guys...Has anyone used the avon's?? These are true slicks right? I don't know to much about these tires just wondering how they compare to the yok's or the dunlops?

Thanks Again,
Rick

Its all relative really. Some people prefer yok's, some like dunlops. Both require thier own specific setup for different tracks/conditions.

Avon's are normally a bit softer, however they have some newer harder compounds for heavier cars. Avon's are THE tire in uk for a lot of formula cars, and they now have a US program with 3 tires (normal, high performance and dot r).

You'll probably need 18" wheels to get a better selection of slicks, lots of series have 18" slicks that you can get scrubs for as well, big plus if you want a $300 set of tires that can last you a while.

Is the rest of your car able to handle slicks? They do a lot of damage to the car if not properly prepared.

Also 230 is a decent width, assuming you are using an 8.5" wheel. I have 230's on all corners and its great! (18's). I'm trying some dunlops out next week though, going to see how they compare to the yoks with my current setup.

Yes my car is set up for slicks...But I did brake 2 driver side sway bar links at the last race at VIR. The yok's are working well but they seem to fall off after 10-12 laps. I was running 245-40-17 hoosiers before moving the car to Mod. I have alot of room for a wider tire. Fenders are spaced and rolled I could probably fit a 250 or maybe 265 width tire. From what I have seen there are alot of 16" and 18" slicks, but not much in 17". I did see some guys at the last race running p-zero slicks they said they got them out of Europe but I can't seem to find those. I'm just trying not to buy anymore rims. I have 3 sets of 17's now. I guess I will try a couple of different kinds and see what I like. Thanks for the source on the dunlops and avons.

Rick

Avon's are THE tire in uk for a lot of formula cars, and they now have a US program with 3 tires (normal, high performance and dot r).

They are the tire to have for Forumla Fords and Formula Continentals in the States as well...at least I saw a lot of Avons when I ran my Formula Mazda against those cars.

You'll probably need 18" wheels to get a better selection of slicks, lots of series have 18" slicks that you can get scrubs for as well, big plus if you want a $300 set of tires that can last you a while.

Avon seems to have a LOT of 17 inch sizes, so he may be in luck if Avon makes some suitable compounds.

yea definitely look into the avons.

As far as yok's falling off after 12laps, how pressures are you running or are you using as your "hot" target pressure?

I am running them at 32 psi hot...The range of temp. is within 25 deg. across the tire. I probably could use a little more camber based on the temps., but I was at what was rec. by the person I get the tires from. What camber are you running with the yok's.? I think I'm at 3.5 deg. all around. I don't have my last setup sheet hear but I think that's right. By falling off I mean they seem to get greasy. Also what kind of temps. should these be at hot?

So can you run a slick on a standard wheel? If so, what would be the size that is the same at 245/40/17?

The auto-xs out here do not specify a dot tire. Also How do these wear?

So can you run a slick on a standard wheel? If so, what would be the size that is the same at 245/40/17?

The auto-xs out here do not specify a dot tire. Also How do these wear?

Running slicks in auto-x probably wouldnt be a good idea as they need a lot of heat to be effective. For the first 1-2 laps in a race, there very greasey but than become like glue when heat gets into them. It wouldnt be beneficial to use in auto-x

Well, our auto-x here usually run 100mph and are around 90 sec. about the same as a race track. I dont think heat would be an issue.

The stick like glue part would be good, Im also concerned with wear.

Other Options

Yoko 250/610/17, but it's not imported
Michelin has one in 240, but can't remember the height
Pirelli also has something
Dunlop in addition to the tyres mentioned also has a bias ply at 240/605/17 which is popular in GrpN in Europe, because it works well with minimal negative camber and is SHORT....

Running slicks in auto-x probably wouldnt be a good idea as they need a lot of heat to be effective. For the first 1-2 laps in a race, there very greasey but than become like glue when heat gets into them. It wouldnt be beneficial to use in auto-x
Actually slicks can work pretty well, you just need the right compound.

who makes 16in slicks besides avon?

The auto-xs out here do not specify a dot tire. Also How do these wear?

You'll have a hard time finding slicks in a soft enough compound for auto-x in 17"+ sizes that are designed to work on 3000 pound cars. Most of the really soft compounds are made for lightweight cars and come in 13-15 inch sizes.

Even if your auto-x gets up to 100mph and lasts 90 seconds, you won't be able to get the road racing compounds up to operating temp until perhaps the last turn as you cross the finish line. It normally takes me 1.5 laps at VIR at full speed (3 minutes) to get the slicks we run up to temp. Soft R-comps are probably the better choice...R-comps tend to be faster for the first 1-3 laps of a race than slicks anyway, but once the slicks are up to temp they stick as well as or better than R-comps and then never really go away.

Michelin also makes 16" slicks

If so, what would be the size that is the same at 245/40/17?


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Approxmations on the right:
http://www.sascosports.com/products/dunlop/gt_2002.html

But, the problem with street tire sizing is that it often varies quite a bit even between tires listed as the same "size". You really need all of the measurements for the street tire you are comparing to (often available from the tire manufacturer or TireRack). The race tire manufacturers give precise and accuratement measurements for various dimensions because the tires are often fitted with minimal amounts of clearance.

Thanks

You'll have a hard time finding slicks in a soft enough compound for auto-x in 17"+ sizes that are designed to work on 3000 pound cars. Most of the really soft compounds are made for lightweight cars and come in 13-15 inch sizes.

Even if your auto-x gets up to 100mph and lasts 90 seconds, you won't be able to get the road racing compounds up to operating temp until perhaps the last turn as you cross the finish line. It normally takes me 1.5 laps at VIR at full speed (3 minutes) to get the slicks we run up to temp. Soft R-comps are probably the better choice...R-comps tend to be faster for the first 1-3 laps of a race than slicks anyway, but once the slicks are up to temp they stick as well as or better than R-comps and then never really go away.

I never said what kind of car at an autox :evil2

Talked to Sasco sports yesterday...They aren't importing any avon's over 15" until next year. They said they wanted to see how the smaller sizes sold this year before getting into the larger sizes.(17" and 18") The guy there told me the dunlops are much better slick than the yok's, but they are over a $150 more per tire. He did say that you should get 12 or more heat cycles out of them?? At $380 a tire I'm not sure I going to get them, but we'll see. If they are that much better and they really last that long they maybe worth it.

Bryan is your dad running the Dunlops? If so are you seeing them last 12 heat cycles?


Rick-

Bryan is your dad running the Dunlops? If so are you seeing them last 12 heat cycles?

We run used Dunlops..so it's tough to tell. We have run new Dunlops in the past, but I don't remember what we got out of them.

I have a set of Dunlops that I got used. They came marked as having 3 heat cycles, and I have put 13 on them and have not felt ANY degredation.

I don't know about heat cycles, but I did run my best laptime at VIR in the CMod car on a set of Dunlops that were corded when I came in on the following lap. Since then, I haven't been back to within 0.8's of a second of that laptime on fresh tires. :)