Slakker

Cool. Upgraded pan and baffle are sitting in the garage along with a case of XP9. Next round of upgrades should start this week.

jj1

They would probably fit best on a 13. I've only seen them on 11s and 12s. 12 is much better IMO but still slightly pinched.

Slakker

Got it. Sounds great. I'm going to see if can get a set bought.

alpine003

Dunno, I see a lot of peeps always trying to fit the widest tires they can which often doesn't translate into a faster lap time for most of these guys. My $.02

Personally I don't think our cars have the justified HP levels to really make use of the wider tires(past 305). Also good luck clearing the fenders/liners/suspension depending on your setup.

18x8.5 et40
18x11 et63

Those are IMO ideal for 996 NB without any kind of fender rolling/modifications and such.

johneecatt

Good point - you'll need to roll the fenders with wider tires...
Even with my 235s on the front, we had to roll the fenders.

davidnyc

What problem are you trying to solve?

Here is my case: I am running 225/45 and 255/40 on 17" wheels on Direzza street tires at the track and street. Under tired? Yup! and perfect as I explore the limits of this RWD car that handles like a FWD car with better throttle steering. I have been track driving (FWD and RWD) since 1998 and it took me about 3-4 track events to even figure out this car and get it sliding around. I will wear these tires out and get to the point of passing the adhesion limits (just about there) and then eventually move up to street tires on 18" wheels (I will never go to R-compound, unless racing...been there and done that. R compound is not needed for HPDE).

Sneaky Pete

David it's called "Flat-out-itise "

jj1

Watch this. You'll notice the rears get very sensitive after a couple hard laps.


That's on 275s. The 996 can definitely make use of 315s. I would love to try 305s but the gearing is already long on our cars for most tracks (at least where I live) and 305s are like an inch taller. I do agree (very much dependant on offset, camber and means of gaining camber) fitting larger *front* tires may require some work. But 315s clear pretty darn easy in the rear.



I like NT01s because they stay pretty consistent for a ~20min session, they have good sizes, they work great until corded and they're cheap. Other "street" tires don't handle heat as well usually letting go after 1 hard lap. But a couple do offer 285s and 295s that are the right rolling diameter. I bet if you went NT01 you'd never go back.

davidnyc

JJ1,

I do get it about the advantages of R compound (I raced cars for a year and had R compound on other cars that I tracked). So, I definitely understand what you are saying.
Advantages of street tires=> rewards smooth driving, doesn't hide mistakes, learn the limits of the car (slides more). When they over heat, which they tend to do, I just put in a 5/10th's lap and practice my line, temps come down a bit and then I get back on it. By then the 20 minute session is over anyway.

Slakker

Caymans and Miatas. Duh. Seriously, why wouldn't I ask the guys that have spent the time to figure out what the best setup is and then build towards that? Why not get it handling at 80-85% of its limit then go learn it inside and out? If this is my 7th car over 300hp and it's been my dream to do this why wouldn't I? If I do drive like "flat out", then call me on it at the track.

Compared to my 997tt and my M3, this suspension feels a little loose, a little floaty, a little quick to understeer, and like it could definitely grip a lot better if I'm willing to sacrifice a bit of DD comfort.

In any hobby I've done, you start breaking the different variables down and then you break the variables into sub variables. You end up with a laundry list of individual parts that you have to improve on each one in order to improve as a whole. In tennis I have 35 items on that list and will pick 2 to focus on every practice session (usually 8-10x a week). In team roping I have 45, and that's only after I have my horse listening and executing on the basics.

I don't know what the list is for tracking my car but I'm figuring out the pieces as quickly as I can. But you start with car and driver. As for the car, you have safety, acceleration, braking and handling. Safety I'm limited by needing the back seat but have purchased a used racing seat to improve ability to stay in position.

While I had dreams of BBKs, simply upgrading the pads gave me more than enough stopping power for my level. So those are good for awhile.

Acceleration is a never ending addiction. I have no confidence is these engine's ability to handle additional power without a full makeover. I have plans for doing that the right way (FSI) on down the road but I need to make sure I still love this car a year from now before I shell out that kind of dough.

And then handling. I'm hopeful that coilovers, swaybars, and tires will give me the kind of grip I need for this car to feel "right."

The other main variable is me. I have to work on my lines, my car control, my steering, throttle, breaking and gear selection. I also need to know whatever track I'm going to drive well enough in advance so that I can memorize the lines quicker and start trying to execute on them.

I'm going to every car control, AutoX and track day that I can. While there, I listen intently and am the first to grab an instructor. Then I grab another after everyone else has had one. I ask to ride along with different drivers of different cars (Miata, GT3 etc) to understand how each one approaches the track and how their car brakes, handles, and accelerates and how that effects the line they choose.

So do I hope to get my tires right on the first try so that I can focus on other things? You're damn right. But if it takes me 5 different tries to find the setup that works best for me, so be it.

jj1

I totally agree.

davidnyc

Slakker,

I am going to send you a PM, so to not change the subject of this post. I hope it will help you out.

David

Slakker

Cool. Thanks!

davidnyc

What I will say is that rear tires wear out so quickly, if you start with one of the popular autox street tires (Extreme Summer on tire rack) or a "streetable" R compound, can't go wrong. Don't like that set? You can try a different set rather quickly (sell of the fronts to help fund the purchase of the other set of tires).

alpine003

One of my points and a pet peeve of mine is I see a bunch of guys always trying to squeeze the biggest wheel/tire combo as a trend. These guys often overlook or make a second priority of their driving, suspension settings, alignment, tire pressures. IMO, this is the wrong approach.

There's a a reason why Porsche didn't go any larger than the wheel specs I stated for their cup cars as well as sticking with the 245/305 wheel widths per the official cup car manual. You may or may not gain that additional edge past 305 on a 996 car but IMO, anything after 305 is a point of diminishing returns, not to mention fitment headaches that may not be worth it to some.

Also I'm a bit unclear on what you mean by 305 being an inch taller(taller than 275 assuming same sidewall aspect ratio?). Also just to clarify for others, these aggressive tire sizes may only work if you're running CO's. That's a very important factor to point out.