Did my First autocross event today...

[Jucostud]

Yep, I'm hooked lol. Did an event with vorshlag and it was a blast. Got to ride in there 5.0 beast too. I'm thinking about selling my vossens and picking up a set of wheels and tires that would be good for grip, but still daily friendly. What is considered to be a light weight 18" wheel? I was thinking about doing some 18x10.25 XXR 535's and they weigh 21.5 lbs. is this good? Anybody done any track/autocross stuff with continental DW's? Was thinking about those in a square 295/35/18 setup. The wheels would be a +20 offset so I don't want to go too tall and have to worry about hitting the fender.

 

[D98GT]

Sorry i can't answer your questions but i saw you out there slinging the car around, looked fun

 

[2013MustangGT]

Vorshlag has Forgestar wheels in 18x10 that weigh in at 20 lbs. Check out their site.

 

[I am Legend]

I went with the TSW's, fairly light, square setup although my car needs more tire (255s). I have a middle of the road tire that's good for the street and autoX, but end up burning through them too quick.

Keep the vossens for the street, pick up a set of 18x10s with some Hankook RS3s, Star Specs, Rivals, ETC and have at it. Dedicated autoX/track setup is the way to go.

If your suspension is adjustable raise it up a little so your not on the bumpstops and go from there.

 

[Whiskey11]

Yep, I'm hooked lol. Did an event with vorshlag and it was a blast. Got to ride in there 5.0 beast too. I'm thinking about selling my vossens and picking up a set of wheels and tires that would be good for grip, but still daily friendly. What is considered to be a light weight 18" wheel? I was thinking about doing some 18x10.25 XXR 535's and they weigh 21.5 lbs. is this good? Anybody done any track/autocross stuff with continental DW's? Was thinking about those in a square 295/35/18 setup. The wheels would be a +20 offset so I don't want to go too tall and have to worry about hitting the fender.

Congrats on having a good time and welcome to the crazy!

21.5lbs is pretty good for a wheel that size. I think the Enkei PF01's in 18x10.5 are right around that weight too. Certainly better than what 99% of the other Mustang owners on this forum are using in that size (which probably weigh in close to 34lbs each). Full Forged wheels are going to be lighter but they are going to be expensive as hell for maybe a lb or two less weight per corner.

I don't know if you are dead set on the Conti-DW for a specific reason, they are great tires no doubt, great rain tires too but for fast street tires, the BFG Rivals come in with 295/35/18 and are going to be that much better. You could then keep the Vossens for the show car stuff/cruising/DD wheels/tires since I know you like them.

If you need any help with suspension this forum has some pretty great minds when it comes to suspension set up!

 

[jmauld]

Will the 295 rivals work okay on a 9.5" wide wheel?

 

[Jucostud]

Thanks for the input guys! I think I'm going to take the car to vorshlag and have them corner balance the car and raise it up a little. I've already got a good suspension... Just not setup right lol.

 

[Jucostud]

Will the 295/35/18 be ok, or is that too short? I know it's an inch shorter than stock, but just wondering if that was good or bad for autoX.

 

[frank s]

Did you run out of revs room in second gear during your autocross experience? If so, a shorter tire might mean you'll be shifting up and down a lot. That's fun, good to demonstrate your skill, but I think it's almost invariably slower than not shifting so much. I mention this because it's one of the few things that thinking will help to avoid in the Reinvent-the-wheel expenses very much likely to occur in Beginning Autocross.

If you can avoid replacing and re-replacing wheels, tires, anti-roll bars, gears, et cetera, et cetera, you'll sleep better at night, which is also a speed secret.

 

[Whiskey11]

Will the 295/35/18 be ok, or is that too short? I know it's an inch shorter than stock, but just wondering if that was good or bad for autoX.

How was your car optioned out for final drive? If it was the 3.31's it will probably be an advantage, if it was 3.55's it might be a touch short with the stock RPM limiter... if you are on 4.10's, well, that wont be helpful at all! The goal is to have 65-70 MPH in 2nd gear to avoid shifting after the start. I can tell you that with stock tires, 3.55's come out to like 68 MPH, on 26.3" tires it's right around 65 with the stock rev limiter. Second gear ratio is 2.00:1 and that should be all you need on whatever tire/gear/RPM calculator you use.

Shorter sidewalls have mixed advantages. You get better steering response and better butt dyno for what the contact patch is doing but you give up some longitudinal capability to do so. Ideally for these cars, the more grip the tire has while cornering AND accelerating the better than pure lateral or pure longitudinal grip. The Rivals are pretty tolerant of slip angles and seem to grip really well in a mixed environment and they happen to be one of the only Extreme Summer Tires that come in larger than 285 wide sizes.

Also, the general rule of thumb is (and I know you've heard me say it) tire width (section width) no wider or narrower than 1" of wheel width. There are exceptions but those tires are competition only tires (Hoosier A6/R6 and all of their slicks basically).

 

[Jucostud]

I've got 3.31 gears now. My current tires are actually 295/25/20's so they are about the same height. Just did now if that was optimal for the track.

 

[csamsh]

295/35/18 is a great size. Get some of those 18x10 Forgestars like mentioned before, or some of the 18x10 D-Forces. They're about 19#.

+20 offset will not look good, it will probably poke a good inch or so in the rear.

To whoever asked about 295's on 9.5" wheels...I wouldn't do it. 265 or 275 would be better.

 

[sholzer]

295s on 9.5's aren't terrible. They work, but you will be lacking a lot of feel. Here is a picture of my car with 295/40s on a 9.5. They're a little bulged on there so it's definitely not ideal

 

[Jucostud]

I went with the TSW's, fairly light, square setup although my car needs more tire (255s). I have a middle of the road tire that's good for the street and autoX, but end up burning through them too quick.

Keep the vossens for the street, pick up a set of 18x10s with some Hankook RS3s, Star Specs, Rivals, ETC and have at it. Dedicated autoX/track setup is the way to go.

If your suspension is adjustable raise it up a little so your not on the bumpstops and go from there.

Were you the green car out there with me on Saturday?

 

[csamsh]

295 street tire* on a 9.5 are probably no good. Hoosiers are a little different though.

 

[stretch]

looked good out there.

 

[moostang09]

Were you the green car out there with me on Saturday?

Yes sir he was.

 

[SSStang]

I did a road course for the first time recently and I'm hooked. Cant wait to go out again.

 

[I am Legend]

Were you the green car out there with me on Saturday?

yes sir...

 

[phoenix335]

295s on 9.5's aren't terrible. They work, but you will be lacking a lot of feel. Here is a picture of my car with 295/40s on a 9.5. They're a little bulged on there so it's definitely not ideal

The 295/30 Hoosiers are fine on a 9.5 wide wheel. Those 295/40s were discontinued so it's a moot point.

295 street tire* on a 9.5 are probably no good. Hoosiers are a little different though.

Agreed. I'd follow the manufactures recommended wheel size, in most cases it's a 275 and maybe a 285.