[CanberraCooperS]

Hey everyone... can those who have fitted Track tyres to 17's tell me of their experiences.
Ive been Racing on street tyres and i know where im lacking so I want to hear from you all what your impressions are? Plus what make and model, compounds etc you all have tried.

I have been told of a few that are availiable but none are really the right size to replace the factory fitment Rolling Circumference and i dont want to throw the speedo out to much.

Plus if anyone has had any good experiences with 215/40/17 non RunFlats. Can you tell me what brand and model you tried.
I have had 3 sets of tyres now and have tried a few. The Original RunFlats actually lasted the longest, but had the least grip. Ive tried Sumo Firenza's and they not bad for a cheapy. Had a set of Yokahama AVS1000's and they where great but they lasted 8000klms. WAY TO SOFT.

so if anyones got any suggestions ... Tell me please.

[evilmini]

Hey CanberraCooperS,
Check with m1n130. He has been running Falken Azenis 215/?/17 for the track. No doubt he could provide some feedback on their performance. I have just picked up 16's for my MCS in the Azenis as well, mainly due to cost. They appear to be a good alternative to the more expensive Yokahama A048R's and the Dunlop Formula R D0-1J.
Both of these tyres are nearly twice the price of the Falkens.
I doubt whether you would be getting twice the performance based on price.

[CanberraCooperS]

Thanks dude... i have looked at Azenis but the only ones that fit are the st-115 or the FK-451 which are normal street tyres.
To get the proper Azenis Sport in 17's they start at 225/45/17
You can get a 215/45/16 but thats no good for me.

[erichui]

Quote: Originally Posted by evilmini

Hey CanberraCooperS,
Check with m1n130. He has been running Falken Azenis 215/?/17 for the track. No doubt he could provide some feedback on their performance. I have just picked up 16's for my MCS in the Azenis as well, mainly due to cost. They appear to be a good alternative to the more expensive Yokahama A048R's and the Dunlop Formula R D0-1J.
Both of these tyres are nearly twice the price of the Falkens.
I doubt whether you would be getting twice the performance based on price.

hey
evilmini, so u just got a set of 16inch ?
so how much did u pay for them??
and which size did u get?
did u get the 215/45/16?
i guess this would fit right??
and hows the performance in the wet ?? (on street and on track)
thanks

[kenhenry]

Quote: Originally Posted by CanberraCooperS

Thanks dude... i have looked at Azenis but the only ones that fit are the st-115 or the FK-451 which are normal street tyres.
To get the proper Azenis Sport in 17's they start at 225/45/17
You can get a 215/45/16 but thats no good for me.

Canberra,

I am trying to find out if I can arrange a group buy for track tyres at the moment. Some of the guys in Bris will be running 16s and others 17s on the track. It might be advantageous if will all stay in touch. Down the East Coast I am sure we've got the numbers to get a reasonable deal.

Take a look at http://www.mini2.com/forum/showthrea...2&page=2&pp=15

Also, check out www.queenslandraceway.com.au and the look under stock under Dunlop Motorsport. This will give you and idea of what sizes they have.I'll be watching the posts, but if you've got any info you wish to pass on feel free to pm.

Ken

[robbo mcs]

Hi Everyone,

Canberra Cooper S please read the thread on Qld suspension. I recently posted a summary of tyre options there.

However, to summarise,

A decent type R tyre is worth around 1.5 secs per minute (to me) on the track. It is by far the best mod you can make time wise. If you are serious you need 2 sets of rims and tyres, one for the street and one for the track.

Unfortunately this post has been redirected to an international forum by the moderator. So be prepared to be bombarded by non-relevant suggestions.

Robbo

[robbo mcs]

Quote: Originally Posted by robbo mcs

Hi Everyone,



Unfortunately this post has been redirected to an international forum by the moderator. So be prepared to be bombarded by non-relevant suggestions.

Robbo

Hi,

To qualify that statement, I am not criticising input by anyone. However, here in Australia our choice of tyres is very different to Europe or USA. I am simply stating that any valuable input may be rendered non-relevant due to the fact that our choice of tires is different.

For what it is worth my choice of tyre is the dunlop formula R DO-J 205-16-50 sp

Robbo

[m1n130]

Quote: Originally Posted by CanberraCooperS

Thanks dude... i have looked at Azenis but the only ones that fit are the st-115 or the FK-451 which are normal street tyres.
To get the proper Azenis Sport in 17's they start at 225/45/17
You can get a 215/45/16 but thats no good for me.

The Azenis Sport that I have for Guzzler are 215/45/17 and are readily available, I don't think that their website lists them though. The main reason I went with Falken was the cost. I have a second set of 17" wheels with them fitted and they appear to work pretty well on the track. I have never been on the track with my run flats because I simply did not want to go to the hassle of replacing them early on in the peace, thus I got the second set of wheels and tyres. There is a bit of scrubbing in the rear when going over the odd bump, but appart from that everything is AOK with them. I have not used any other track type tyre and thus can't comment, but I would suspect that after our last track day, the only thing difference between my times and all the other MINI's was the tyres and against kenhenry's JCW enhanced beast, that resulted in about a second, driving styles aside Hence I would recommend getting a second set of wheels and tyres if your track days are going to be a regular thing i.e. twice a month, otherwise live with your runflats being killed off a little earlier than normal

[Dipper66]

Hey mate,

For the street I've been running 215/45/17 Pirelli P-Zero Neros on my Cooper S and have nothing but great things to day about them. Many may ask why a 45 rather than a 40 profile but when you look at rolling diameters you'll see why.

195/55/16 (considered the 'standard' size) = 620.9mm
215/40/17 = 603.4mm (approx 2.9% under)
215/45/17 = 625mm (approx 0.8% over) Obviously much closer...

Speedo reading and gearing change is neglagible but cornering and ride have both greatly improved both in the wet and dry, plus wheel spin has been kept at bay (sort of !)

As for the track I've been running with Dunlop D01's also in a 215/45/17. They are ridiculously harsh and loud on the road but once you're on the track all is forgotten - grip has leapt to another level again... These are the tyres that are used in the John Cooper Challenge (on a 15 inch wheel) but are also recommended on a 17" (as run in special Goodwood Days etc).

Give JCW a call if you like, they were the ones that originally advised me.

Good luck.

[kenhenry]

Quote: Originally Posted by robbo mcs

Hi,

To qualify that statement, I am not criticising input by anyone. However, here in Australia our choice of tyres is very different to Europe or USA. I am simply stating that any valuable input may be rendered non-relevant due to the fact that our choice of tires is different.

Robbo

I agree with Robbo. Even if this remains open as an international thread, please only post here if you have direct knowledge of Australian specicification and availabilty. We get less than 10% of the track tyres available in the US or Europe. Most information from outside of Australia is useless to us. In addition, if we are intending a group buy within Eastern Australia, then the subject is regional. We will not be bringing in track tyres from overseas. Therefore only tyres already available in Australia would be considered.

As Robbo indicated, no offense intended to anyone - but we need info relevant to Australia only.

Ken

[Dipper66]

I'm writing from Melbourne!

[swamos]

Quote: Originally Posted by robbo mcs

Hi,

To qualify that statement, I am not criticising input by anyone. However, here in Australia our choice of tyres is very different to Europe or USA. I am simply stating that any valuable input may be rendered non-relevant due to the fact that our choice of tires is different.

Robbo

Oops, I'm sorry everyone I deliberately left a re-direct so that us Aussies could follow it here

On the other hand, last time I checked, there aren't any track tyres made in Australia, so, unless these huge international corporations make a special run of 50 sets of tyres just for Australia I presume that these things are sold elsewhere. Lets see if the wealth of international knowledge out there can help us out with these things

I really would encourage the Aussie forum contributors to discuss what you want out of your forum in here At the moment the charter is to further Aussie events and social meetings and discussions. As of tonight, about 30% of the threads in the Aussie forum about tuning, tyres or faults. Is this what everyone wants

[Boo]

Hey CanberraCooperS ..
I run Bridgestone Potenzas RE540 (i think that is whar they are) semi slicks. They are virtually the same as the D-O1's and the sizes are 215/45/17 ... Got the wrapped around 17" OzRacing Chrono Evolutions that weigh about 7 kg's

[Dawing]

I wouldn't limit your choices in order to maintain speedo accuracey.You shouldn't be looking at it any way.Do what most drivers do when it comes to speeds....lie. A shorter tire will get you out of the corners better which will give you faster lap times.What ever tires you get,make sure the are shaved and heat cycled. The front drive mini makes mince-meat out of the fronts.Front camber is a must for tire longevity.Be prepared to rotate your tires alot throughout the day.My personal preference is a harder R compound ( endurance) for longevity.

Have fun !

[robbo mcs]

Hi,

Swamos said : Oops, I'm sorry everyone I deliberately left a re-direct so that us Aussies could follow it here

On the other hand, last time I checked, there aren't any track tyres made in Australia, so, unless these huge international corporations make a special run of 50 sets of tyres just for Australia I presume that these things are sold elsewhere. Lets see if the wealth of international knowledge out there can help us out with these things

Sorry! I wasn't meaning to criticise you! You are right, that we should try and keep the Aussie board relevant.

However, track tyres is a difficult subject. When I was getting track tyres for the M3 a couple of years ago it was very frustrating. I received a lot of information from people in the USA and Europe, much of which turned to be not helpful, and some was actually misleading!
Some tyres that are named the same actually differ from country to country. Also, there are regional differences in compounds. Some tyres are actually made in various compounds, and different countries get different tyres. For instance there is a Kumho track tyre (Ectsa from memory?) which a lot people use on the M3 in the USA. However, here in Australia it is completely different tyre, with different tread wear rating, tread pattern and compound, and it comes in a different range of sizes that dont fit the M3 wheels!

This is also true for street tyres. We are considered a hot weather country with poor roads, and our tyres vary from cold weather countries in terms of compounds, tread wear etc.

Robbo

[robbo mcs]

Quote: Originally Posted by Dawing

I wouldn't limit your choices in order to maintain speedo accuracey.You shouldn't be looking at it any way.Do what most drivers do when it comes to speeds....lie. A shorter tire will get you out of the corners better which will give you faster lap times.What ever tires you get,make sure the are shaved and heat cycled. The front drive mini makes mince-meat out of the fronts.Front camber is a must for tire longevity.Be prepared to rotate your tires alot throughout the day.My personal preference is a harder R compound ( endurance) for longevity.

Have fun !

Hi,

You make some excellent points. I couldn't agree more about speedo error. That is irrelevant on the track. I run a slightly shorter tyre, and it definitely improves acceleration.

Your point about rotating tyres is also a good one. If you are doing a lot a laps at a hard cornering circuit (eg Eastern Creek or Phillip Island) you can kill the front outside of a tyre in one day! Rotate front to rear during the day. Also remember that although most track tyres are directional you can actually run them in reverse if it is not wet, allowing you to swap side to side.

Lots of negative camber will help the outside wear of the tyres, but wont completely cure it. I am running -3.5 front annd -4.5 rear which is about as far as I want to take it, and there is still uneven wear. As a result you should get the tyres flipped on the rims frequently.

I know in the USA some tyre shops will heat cycle your tyres in a special machine before you get them. I am not aware if this is available in Australia. Presumably the big race teams do it, but does anyone know of a commercial place you can get it done?

Robbo

[evilmini]

Hey erichui,
The tyres I got were Falken Azenis 205/50/16's on a set of Performance 16x7 alloys. The wheels have a slight paint imperfection (dust in the paint), which I'm sure no one will see when they are spinning like hell. Total cost of wheels and tyres was $1500.00. If you are using the wheels for track meets, just make sure they don't try to sell you multi-fit wheels as many tracks won't let you use them as they are not as strong as proper offsets.

[CanberraCooperS]

Well after much looking and debating with alot of people.... i have decided to try somthing i saw on half the WRX's at a track day recently at wakefield.

Kumho KU15 is now being sold in Australia. Its the version that everyone raves about in the US. So i went out to see if I could get it and yes its not expensive either. I have just bought a set of Four Fitted for under $850. initial impressions are (WOW) what a change. Ok they are a little noisy but thats to be expected with that type of tyre... They are the road going version of the highly succesfull KumhoS700 race tyres which are used by many professional drivers and one make series.

I have stayed with the 215/40/17 as I have seen a dramatic cornering difference in having slightly smaller rotational tyres. Plus it means less chance of me being caught speeding HA.

Will keep you all informed how they last as they are to be my everyday and track tyres.... but hey at just on $220 each im a happy boy now. I believe the only people who sell them in Aust are Tyremaster or Quick Fit.

news Thread on tyre. www.tyremaster.com.au/press_releases/ 2003/2003-01-20.asp