i saw on another thread that someone is running 225/45/15 tires without rubbing. i am contemplating a move to race compound (probably the new kumho ectsa 700) next year in either 225/50/14 or 225/45/15.

i know that using a 225 street tire requires at least a 7" if not a 7.5" wide wheel, but race rubber is supposed to do ok with narrower wheels. Is this just true of Hoosiers, or the Kumhos as well?

if i do go with the 225s, I'd assume the 37-38mm offset wheels that can work with 205s would now be a big problem on the outer fender edges... right? what offset range would i want to stick to running the 225s?

thanks for your help,
phil

 

I run 225-50-15 kumho victoracers on stock 15" rims. At stock height, there's just the slightest rubbing on my right inside fender from turning left. 5mm spacer (or offset change) probably would eliminate this prob altogether.

The tire shop just has to use a 2nd "pry" bar to get it on.

This is for autox and for the fronts. Don't know about the backs since I run smaller tires (205s) to help rotation.

-allen

 

You might be wise to go with a 225/45/13 and some panasport 13x8's or something. The most I would go is a 14" rim. Definitely not a 15" if I didn't have to. And it still holds true--the wider the better. The same R compound will be faster on a 8" wheel than a 6" wide wheel.

 

why not a 15? how much weight do i save using a 13 vs. 15? i can get the 15x7 ssr competitions that weigh about 9 lbs. or is overall wheel+tire diameter what you are getting at?

i'm not sure a 13" wheel will clear my brakes (stock integra)... my current 14s barely clear... like 2 mm at most. but these have a lip with bent spokes, which reduce clearance... but don't the panasports have a lip like that too?

thanks for the continued advise. i always prefer to make the most informed decision.

-phil

 

Talk to RacerMike about his 13x8 panasports on his GSR.

The problem with larger wheels is that you have a much larger rolling diameter. A set of 13" wheels will make you accelerate ultra quick, which you will probably need with your relatively tall LS gearbox.

Plus, a 13x8" wheel can be had with no rubbing issues. If you run a 15x8 or something like that, you may run into problems with rubbing. I'm going to try and run a 15x8 on my ITR next year in STX and I think I can make it work, but we'll see. If I had a choice though, I'd much rather have a smaller wheel diameter.

 

Did they change the rules on the maximum wheel width in the street touring classes? SCCA used to have a 7.5" max width, from what I remember.

 

STS allows up to 7.5" and STX allows up to 8". but i'm looking to run in a race-tire class (there is talk of bringing an STR class back locally) next year.