alex3.6t

I have a 94 turbo 3.6 with some mods (Mcneil headers, B&B, HKS EVC, turbo, suspension) and the car is very fast. I estimate about 400 rwhp at 1 bar and even more at 1.1 bar. The car sometimes spins wheels at 80 mph in 3rd gear. It's time for a new set of tires - both front and rear and i'm having a hard time deciding which tire to go with. I have factory rims with 225/40/18 front and 265/35/18 rear. I do about 5000 miles a year on that car - mostly hard driving. I am considering getting Bridgestone Potenza S-02. Please give me some advise. Thanks.

John McM

Hmmm, spinning wheels in third. I have never spun my wheels in any gear; you're making me wonder if my car is putting out what it should, or more likely whether I'm taking enough whip to it.

I went out on the motorway yesterday to blow the cobwebs away and it certainly pulled well in all gears, boost gauge at 0.7, but no spin, just that creamy wave of torque. Mine is a stock motor so that may explain the difference.

As for tyres. I love my SO2s, but am about to put a set of SO3s on because the SO2s are almost unfindable in NZ. They seem to last well with my style of driving, but if I was driving with 400 rwhp I'd probably go for a cheaper tyre to keep within my budget. Are you getting extreme wear on the edges?

Ian964

John McM: I don't really get my wheels to spin either. Sometimes I might feel like a studder where the wheels break free going from 1st to 2nd but only for a fraction of a second.

alex3.6t

It seems that in 2nd i get wheelspin almost on demand anywhere over 3300 rpm or so. In third it happens only sometimes. I can't tell for sure if the car has too much power or if the tires are too worn, but the car really is very fast. I estimate mid 11s in 1/4 mile at around 123mph. I'll test it with G-tech competiton as soon as it stops raining. Any suggestions as far as other tires to use? I don't think my edges are getting extreme wear.

DJF1

I really like the new pilot sport rib tires from Michellin. Pretty sticky tire and great in the rain. If dry driving is in your mind you may decide to use R compounds like the Pilot sport cups I use on the track. Ultra sticky, but you got to be carefull in the rain...
I used to have the S0'2's on by comparison and I really did not like them. I used to swear by the P-Zero assymetrico's front and rear , the original design which have trementous grip in the dry. I thought they were pretty bad though in the rain...

alex3.6t

How long do you think the Pilot Sport Cups will last on the street?

DJF1

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Originally posted by alex3.6t:
<strong>How long do you think the Pilot Sport Cups will last on the street?</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">If there is any indication so far I have done 3 weekends of track driving at approx 300 miles a piece, 3 days of club racing ( 2 35 minute races and 8 practice sessions) add easy another 500 to that and around 500 miles on the street when I use to drive on them to the track and back and the tires look that they are half worn. So I would venture to say that you can easily see 3-5 thousand miles on the street. By comparison the Pilot Sport Ribs on my cab did 2K on and they still look like new.

Depending on your driving style your milaege may vary but I think they are worth to give'em a try especially with track work in mind. Very nice tire and when it lets go it is very progressive and very catchable. Twice on the races I had the tail step out under heavy throttle at 80+ miles per hour and it was very catchable and progressive.

Vince5

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Originally posted by Ian964:
<strong>John McM: I don't really get my wheels to spin either. Sometimes I might feel like a studder where the wheels break free going from 1st to 2nd but only for a fraction of a second.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Might be worth thinking about
I used to get wheel spin on a stock 3,3 with worn tires and old CBV while going from 1st to 2nd.
New tires and new CBV = almost no wheel spin

alex3.6t

Thank you for input, my friends. i've just ordered the cups and they should arrive monday. By the way who makes a good CBV and is it hard to put on at home?

DJF1

Alex go to the Michellin site to get info on the tire pressures. Michellin recommends factory settings for the road but for the track the operating temps are 32-35psi HOT. That means and depending on the track anywhere from 25-27 cold. If you decide to use Nitrogen to inflate them then you will not see much pressure difference around 3 pounds max. I would not advise to go low on the street as you may damage the tire and rim. However I think 34 front and 36 back should do the trick for stret driving. Have a gauge handly and do adjustments to your liking!
Anir from the 993TT board has been using the Pirreli equivalant R tyre on the streets and he can give you a better feedback from his street experience.

ian

R Compounds on the street is not that bad, provided that they are not hoosiers. I ran the Yoko A032R's on a daily driven car for months, and I am thinking about doing it again with my next set of tires. The A032R's actually worked well in the rain and provided incredible grip in the dry. They are not the most aggressive tire out there, but I think if the car is driven every now and then that is what I would go with hands down.

But as with anything you will find varying ideals on the matter....

Vince5

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Originally posted by alex3.6t:
<strong>Thank you for input, my friends. i've just ordered the cups and they should arrive monday. By the way who makes a good CBV and is it hard to put on at home?</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Forge makes a good one. You should PM Staffan here on this board he has done the switch himself (not to difficult apparently) and had the website adress to order one
Good luck