_snowbird_

I recently purchased a set of 996 Turbo hollow-spokes (18x8f, 11r) to dedicate for use as DE wheels on my C4S.

I plan on doing 1-3 DE's a summer, but I'm new at it. I expect to graduate from the Green run group during my first DE this summer, and run in 1-2 Yellow groups by the end of the season.

In my first Green DE in Aug, I ran my street set of Conti DW's (stock sizes 225/285) and frankly felt like I lacked traction on our challenging course (Mosport). Understeer was an issue all weekend at speed, and I had to "catch" the car multiple of times to avoid going off course. My instructor says I'm showing good car control and anticipation of trouble, but also thought my setup was not ideal. We played with tire pressures which helped a little. I generally respect the reco that new DE drivers should learn on challenging tires to get a feel for the car - but I also don't think you should have to avoid better tech simply for the nobility of it

I've been reading several threads about tire size and model selection. I really like the insights from Trophy, Bill V and nile13 in this thread.

From all I've read, I'm leaning towards 235f & 285r sizing in Bridgestone RE71R. I'm expecting the extra width up front to provide a more neutral balance (helping remove understeer), and the RE71's to provide good overall grip. The pricing seems good too - relative to any of the Michelin options.

Does this sound like a reasonable approach? Can you tell I'm looking forward to spring?

e9stibi

As a novice, the RE 71 are to sticky. It is a good thing to learn on street tires because the car gets progressively loose at lower speeds which allows you a safer learning of the fundamentals. THere are plenty of good street tires.

As an FYI, on the rims that you got, I prefer 235/40 front and 275/35 rear and depending on the tire, I go to 245 in the front. 245 can b e tough to fit depending on suspension settings.

Stay safe on the track and have fun. Most important thing: Listen to your instructor

LexVan

Are you driving to events, or trailer. Did you consider the Yoko AD08R tres? You should.

NC TRACKRAT

LexVan poses an excellent question: Driving or towing? If you're driving to and from, then you'll need a tire that will do the job in the wet or dry. Same goes for on track. The RE71R, at full depth, will do the job but e9stibi gives good advice. I'd rather see you chew up a set of Hankook V12 EVO's for a season before "graduating" to the RE71R's.

Bill Verburg

any of the 993 s cars will under steer, it's because of rear track width and rear wheel/tie width relative to the front.

to alleviate it
bolt on/ easy changes
play w/ tire pressures higher in front lower in back but only to a point beyond that you loose grip

use wider front wheels and tires, 8.5 for the wheel and 245/ for the tires, you will need to use as short a front as possible, 245/35 x18 is best, while doing that keep the rear width down 265/35 x18 would be good w/ the 245/35 front

add adjustable sways, RS front and rear would be nice, crank up the rear and ease off the front

more camber in front less in back, again to a point

more expensive and intrusive
change the suspension , stiffer springs in back relative to front, softer shocks settings in front stiffer in back

add front flares and use 9" front wheels 245 or even 255 tires to balance 285 rears

Street tires do tend to give you more warning than track tires

_snowbird_

Yes, I'll be driving to/from the track on my "track" wheels. About an hour drive.

Car is set to about RS height on PSS9's.

If RE71's are too advanced - how are the RE11's? I don't want to get an equally crappy street tire (for track) as the DW's.

ToSi

For DE you want something durable & predictable that won't overheat and get greasy like a typical street tire. The RE71's are great but will wear much faster than the Yoko AD08 or Nitto NT-01. All of these have a similar, precise feel thanks to fairly stiff sidewalls and would be good choices.

The RE-11 is softer & more autocross (lower temperature) oriented. 235/285 stagger is good, as you get faster the car will feel looser, especially in the really fast stuff.

e9stibi

RE11 have been my tire of choice as "rain tires" for the track but they are not produced anymore. They would have been a great choice for your objectives.

prschmn

Might be best to check with your region on whether you're allowed to run any R tire before you've moved up in run groups. I'd recommend staying with less pricey tires regardless-as many have said
you'll learn car control more easily that way.

il pirata

Did you change anything else on the suspension when the PSS9's went on?

If your at RS height, and do not have the RS wheel carrier, your going to have bump steer, and depending on the track (or road) enough to make driving more difficult. If you want to stay at RS height I would advise getting the RS wheel carrier installed.

If the rest of the suspension is original, you should look at getting new rubber and/or arms, the spherical ends could be worn done as well. You should check the motor mounts as well.

nile13

Nitto NT-01 is an R-comp tire isn't it? I'm not sure I'd run it for this application. Plus, I'm a big proponent of learning on non-R tires. Yoko 008 is a very good tire, but much more expensive.

I still think that RE-71R is the answer, followed by BFG Rival S. But I'm not a track person, so this is more hearsay for the track, more for autocross and street.

mpruden

I really enjoyed learning to drive on the track with street tires in my nearly stock 993. Compared to other beginners that started with me, I feel my lower-performance tires and understeer (not to mention relatively low HP, high weight, and no driver aids) forced me to learn a higher degree of balance and car control than my peers in order to keep up with traffic as we moved up in run groups.

After trying Michelins and Hankooks, I've settled on the Sumitomos HTRZ3s (in stock sizes) because they are dirt cheap, predictable wet or dry, slide quite a bit, and squeal like hell as they approach the limit. To me, they're the perfect "training wheel" tire. There's nothing like pushing the back tires to join the fronts in a loud squeal as you control that perfectly balanced 4 wheel drift for the first time.

Also, I think the car's stock tendency to understeer has helped me learn trail braking (and all the other ways get the front wheels to grip) just a bit better than some of the other guys with "better" tires and "faster" cars. I am a bit jealous of the guys that can botch every other corner and still keep up though. They usually have 350hp+ and PDKs

nile13

And that's why the answer always is... a Miata Which also happens to cost about the same as a set of wheels and tires for a 993.

mpruden

Tell me about it. I was checking one out just yesterday

nile13

You can ask Mark in Baltimore as he's the track person and can better verbalize it. But, honestly, a $4K Miata NB with $500 for a set of fresh RE-71Rs on a set of $600 12 lb wheels and $2K suspension with all the consumables being dirt cheap... And not being afraid of stuffing it into the wall... priceless.