Yeah, the dead horse is being beaten....

Anyway, in reading threads & searching - I'm still looking for some clarification on tires for the Kosei wheels on track. There seem to be two options for the Toyo R1s: 235/40/17 and 255/40/17. I've had Kosei's & R1s on my e30 track car and loved the combo but am in a quandry as to which better fits my needs (no comp racing - plenty of DEs and this car will only be used on track or driving to/from track)

This all pertains to the '98 M3 sedan that I will be taking into my possession on Sat. It is seriously ready for the track, GC coilovers & many other goodies, but it's going to need some track shoes soon. I've tried looking at what other racers are running but have been slowed by all sorts of static in the many threads and many forums and had a hard time filtering the pros & cons of each.

These guys, and many of you, seem to at least look like they know what they're doing - what sizes are they running? What size are you running on 8.5" wheels?
http://www.somniplex.com/gallery/albums/cl_forum_pics/r2s.gif

thanks for your time,
krista

I just purchased a 95 which doesn't have the staggered setup of the 96 and later M3's. The owner had rolled the fenders to allow 245 40 17 Hoosier R6's on Kosei's with a stiff track setup.

There is some slight rubbing under tight turning, but the setup works pretty well. I just took the car to VIR for the weekend and it was great. He told me the Hoosiers are a"bigger" than standard tire so I'm not sure how they compare to a 255 Toyo. Check with RRT in Dulles Va. I'm probabaly going to go with Toyo 235's next since I'm not skilled enough to make use of the Hoosiers and would like some more forgiveness at the limit.

255/40/17 on Bimmerworld-supplied D-Force 17x9 wheels

255/40/17 on Bimmerworld-supplied D-Force 17x9 wheels

I woud second tha above..I have 255/40-17's on Kosei K1's with rolled fenders. no problems. If Bimmerworld had the above wheels when I bought my Koseis I would have those instead.

I just purchased a 95 which doesn't have the staggered setup of the 96 and later M3's. The owner had rolled the fenders to allow 245 40 17 Hoosier R6's on Kosei's with a stiff track setup.

There is some slight rubbing under tight turning, but the setup works pretty well. I just took the car to VIR for the weekend and it was great. He told me the Hoosiers are a"bigger" than standard tire so I'm not sure how they compare to a 255 Toyo. Check with RRT in Dulles Va. I'm probabaly going to go with Toyo 235's next since I'm not skilled enough to make use of the Hoosiers and would like some more forgiveness at the limit.

I lack the skills & funds to make use of the Hoosiers on a play car and have really liked the Toyos in the past. There's a wide range of opinions on tires here (avensis, hankook, toyo, and other's I've never heard of) so am trying to stay with what I know & like with a reasonable price point.

255/40/17 on Bimmerworld-supplied D-Force 17x9 wheels

But with tires/wheels like that.... well, I guess.... too much rubber for a stock hp sedan? No turbo here :)

I woud second tha above..I have 255/40-17's on Kosei K1's with rolled fenders. no problems. If Bimmerworld had the above wheels when I bought my Koseis I would have those instead.

Still with the Toyo's or would you have switched to the Hankook Z214s (at 255/40/17)?

255s are a little less expensive...235s would probably work better on an 8.5" wheel. I have 255s because I got then stupid cheap.

Edit: NM, NLA

Still with the Toyo's or would you have switched to the Hankook Z214s (at 255/40/17)?

I like the Toyos...They last a long time and are super predictable...If i was racing hard I might switch to a softer tire. The thought of a set of tires every week end thought is scary...Even if I had the money to blow!

Krista

PM me and we can meet up and I can show you my 328 track rat with koseis and 235/40 street tires. Then we can wheel up to Dejablue311s shop in concord and you can see his M3 race car with koseis and 235/40 Nitto NT01 r comps. let me know. Since you are coming in from the Pcar scene, did you run with the Carolinas PCA crowd? I have done a lot of instructing for them and you may have seen my green sedan out there.

Krista.....ask Ryan to bring you to my casa....tire kingdom..., or hell..i dunno...

I've got many 17 x 8 wheels with Hoosiers (225/45), Toyo's (235/40), Kumho's (225/45)...which all fit quite different..it's amazing the difference in widths...

I finally think the numbers mean almost nothing...the smallest width tire, is actually the widest....must be marketing ...hmmm..

Krista

PM me and we can meet up and I can show you my 328 track rat with koseis and 235/40 street tires. Then we can wheel up to Dejablue311s shop in concord and you can see his M3 race car with koseis and 235/40 Nitto NT01 r comps. let me know. Since you are coming in from the Pcar scene, did you run with the Carolinas PCA crowd? I have done a lot of instructing for them and you may have seen my green sedan out there.

I like the Toyos...They last a long time and are super predictable...If i was racing hard I might switch to a softer tire. The thought of a set of tires every week end thought is scary...Even if I had the money to blow!
I find that Hoosiers last me longer than Toyos. The difference between a new Hoho and an old one is greater than the difference between a new Toyo and an old one... But old hohos still seem to be faster than new toyos.

I run 245-40 hoosiers on 8.5" kosie wheels. The wheels are a great deal at tire rack. Light and durable

255s are a little less expensive...235s would probably work better on an 8.5" wheel. I have 255s because I got then stupid cheap.

Edit: NM, NLA

Is that the MA shaw wing you're sporting there? How happy are you with it?

Bruce

AirDoc do you still have the splitter stuff for sale? if not where did you purchase them from and can you buy spare splitters when you KIA one....

I looked at one of your old FS posts...:cool

Still have the undertray/splitters. Don't know what brand they are....fiberglass...maybe MA Shaw or something...

PM me if you're interested.

AirDoc do you still have the splitter stuff for sale? if not where did you purchase them from and can you buy spare splitters when you KIA one....

I looked at one of your old FS posts...:cool

Still have the undertray/splitters. Don't know what brand they are....fiberglass...maybe MA Shaw or something...

PM me if you're interested.

You have the PM option turned off on your account...it does not come up.

kristap,

Welcome to the M3/4-door club! I have a '97 that's mostly stock except for Dinan airbox/exhaust/Shark Injector/UUC lines. I run 8.5-wide M Double Spoke II rear wheels all around with 235/40-17 Bridgestone RE050As. My '97 is a nonwinter DD/touring/DE car, that I instruct in at PCA and BMW CCA DEs. With its modest setup, the car easily outperforms Porsche 944S2s and 968s with street tires/stock suspensions.

If your car has more suspension mods than mine, you would do well with a set of Toyo RA1s in 235/40-17 on 8.5 wide Kosei K1s (or forged factory Style 24 '96-'99 M3 wheels http://www.bmwwheels.com/bmwwheels_detail.asp?ws=24&Series=E36)

The cheap light wheel setup would be the D-Force 9 x 17s all around with 245/40-17 Michelin Pilot Sport Cup Comps. I would stay with 245/40-17s with 9-wides all around; 255/40-17 is too much tire weight for our mostly stock tq/hp cars; the gearing with 245/40-17 or 235/40-17 is also better for acceleration (due to shorter overall tire diameter--24.7" - 24.4" compared with 25.1")

Check the various threads with the D-Force LTW5s on this forum. The issue with the LTW5s is the current lot of 10-mm H&R spacers are not compatible with the hubcentric rings the LTW5s come with (the older lot of H&R 10-mm spacers work fine). Racers are now using 15-mm H&R hubcentric spacers or Turner 10-mm spacers with hub extenders with the LTW5s to get around the spacer compatibility issue.

Good luck, and make us proud in your M3/4-door!

-Manny

Thanks, SleepRM3. I have been trying to keep up on the threads concerning the LTW5s trying to decide on them or the Kosei's for my track wheel. The car already has GC coilovers with DA Konis which complicates/destroys my ability to apply what tiny bit of suspension knowledge I have to finding the best wheel/tire combo for me.

I really, really do not want to use spacers and it seems that each time the LTW5s come up .... someone mentions spacers so I'm actually leaning towards the Kosei's now with 235 or 245/40/17 tires. The tire debate is even more confusing given trying to figure a personal benefit/cost ratio and them being consumables.

I like your advice to stay away from the 255s on account of gearing impact on my stock hp/tq car but .... can it really make that much of a difference in gearing?

If you're leaning toward 8.5-wides, then stay with 235/40-17 or 245/40-17. Many will argue, but 255 widths will not benefit from being squeezed onto an 8.5-wide rim. 255s are much "happier" on 9 or 9.5 wides. Weight and gearing also need to be taken into account along with improved contact patch of tires and suspension mods. If you're mind is set on 8.5 x 17 Kosei K1s then definitley the 235/40-17 Toyo RA1 will be your tire choice (given your described situation). Note the 235/40-17 Toyo runs wide (they're sized more like 245/40-17s).

235/40-17 RA1 on 9 x 17 on left, 235/40-17 RA1 on 8.5 x 17 on right. Very minimal stretch on the 9 x 17. Perfectly flush on 8.5 x 17 http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=641855&highlight=235%2F40-17

Good luck!

PS. I just checked your sig. You're moving from a 2003 996 Carrera track car; you might be disappointed in the lower hp-to-weight ratio compared with the Carrera.Thanks, SleepRM3. I have been trying to keep up on the threads concerning the LTW5s trying to decide on them or the Kosei's for my track wheel. The car already has GC coilovers with DA Konis which complicates/destroys my ability to apply what tiny bit of suspension knowledge I have to finding the best wheel/tire combo for me.

I really, really do not want to use spacers and it seems that each time the LTW5s come up .... someone mentions spacers so I'm actually leaning towards the Kosei's now with 235 or 245/40/17 tires. The tire debate is even more confusing given trying to figure a personal benefit/cost ratio and them being consumables.

I like your advice to stay away from the 255s on account of gearing impact on my stock hp/tq car but .... can it really make that much of a difference in gearing?

Just to add to this thread.

My car is 2700lbs and 215rwhp. I have flares and can easily fit any tire. I am doing DEs only and am not concerned with being time competitive (I'd rather make sure my tires will last). Thus I have decided that I will run RA1s. My question is with this setup, should I be running the 235 RA1s on Koseis or the 255 RA1s on LTW5s? Price isnt really a concern, but some people have had thoughts that perhaps the 255 is too much tire for my car to pull around.

Thoughts? 235 or 255?