The Official 370Z Autocross Thread

[Shamu]

Originally Posted by ChrisSlicks

The Goodwood Festival of Speed is a huge event, but there are much smaller hillclimb events here in the US. There are at least a couple in the North East where I'm at, so check around.

Lots of hillclimbs in the North West US. And they are much longer. Here is a video of me at my first ever hillclimb a few years ago. I was very careful. I went faster in a slower car the next year but my videos didnt turn out well.

I'm planning to bring my new Nismo Z to hillclimb this year. Other than crappy LSD the car should do OK as Hillclimbs usually reward power.

[handyman]

I need some advice. I just started running in the street tire CS class my local SCCA has. I want to upgrade to some better tires, and hopefully get rid of the understeer. The car is 100% stock. What size/type of tires do you guys recommend? It seems like RE-11's are the best option. I'm hoping to reduce understeer by reducing the difference in front/rear width. Am I better off running 275/30 front & 285/35 rear or 285/35 all around? It seems like 285's are a bit of a stretch on 9" wheels in front, but the 275/30's are 1.2" smaller diameter than stock.

Also, what would you recommend for alignment settings on a stock Z? I know were pretty much screwed for camber, but has anyone tried playing around with the other settings?

[cossie1600]

285/35/19 all around works. I only have one event under the belt with the new setup, but I can already tell the plow is less noticeable than before. There is a stretch, but you will live.

[Lemers]

Add

[handyman]

Thanks, I will go with 285's. Any advice on the alignment?

[OppositeLock]

After skimming through the thread I saw a few other people talking about competing in SCCA C-Stock. Does C-stock really allow slicks? For some reason I thought it was DOT tire only, but looks like I'm mistaken. What are the other allowances I should be aware of besides front bar?

What slicks are you guys using, and is the consensus 285's on all 4 corners?

I've got 2 autox's under my belt on the stock RE050s, time to step up.

[ChrisSlicks]

Originally Posted by OppositeLock

After skimming through the thread I saw a few other people talking about competing in SCCA C-Stock. Does C-stock really allow slicks? For some reason I thought it was DOT tire only, but looks like I'm mistaken. What are the other allowances I should be aware of besides front bar?

What slicks are you guys using, and is the consensus 285's on all 4 corners?

I've got 2 autox's under my belt on the stock RE050s, time to step up.

Yes, stock class allows slicks - DOT slicks is the catch. Personally I would prefer that stock class was street tires as originally intended and leave the slicks to the prepared categories, but alas that is not the case.

For SCCA the fastest street legal slicks are Hoosier A6's. 285 is a good size all around for the short courses they run.

I'm in the prepared class and run 315 front 345 rear V710 on after market wheels, but they are too big for 60 second courses as there is no way to get heat into them. They are good on our clubs 100+ second long course with 6-7 runs a session though.

The other big allowance for stock class besides a front sway bar is an aftermarket or adjustable struts. The catch is that they must be exactly the same length as stock, so options are extremely limited and expensive. You can adjust suspension (camber/toe) using factory adjusters. You can add a high-flow air filter (K&N etc) but not a cold air intake.

[cossie1600]

i believe there is a nationa ltour guy here, he should have all the answer

i think most were referring the a6s as slicks.

i dont know how committed you are, all i have to say is dont waste your money until you are really ready to commit

[handyman]

What they said^

Also, many local clubs have a street tire stock class, which is a good way to go for new guys. It's nice to be competitive without dropping the $$$ on spare wheels and hoosiers.

[AutoX Z]

Originally Posted by OppositeLock

After skimming through the thread I saw a few other people talking about competing in SCCA C-Stock. Does C-stock really allow slicks? For some reason I thought it was DOT tire only, but looks like I'm mistaken. What are the other allowances I should be aware of besides front bar?

What slicks are you guys using, and is the consensus 285's on all 4 corners?

I've got 2 autox's under my belt on the stock RE050s, time to step up.

To clarify Hoosier A6s are not slicks, they are DOT race tires. Slicks are a completely different animal and are not allowed in stock or street prepared. If you are going to get some Hoosiers 295/30/19 is the size you want on all 4 corners. I would spend some more time on your stockers before making the jump to r-comps. If you think you're ready to drop 1300 on a set of tires that will last maybe 1/2 season and cannot be driven on the street then by all means.

Ps if you're wondering don't waste you're time with other r-comps like Toyo r888's and the like. Hoosiers are the only ones worth paying for.

[cossie1600]

Yeah, R888s are garbage

[OppositeLock]

Thanks for the clarification. I'll probably do the first couple SCCA events on street tires and see what the competition looks like.

[Shamu]

Originally Posted by AutoX Z

To clarify Hoosier A6s are not slicks, they are DOT race tires. Slicks are a completely different animal and are not allowed in stock or street prepared. If you are going to get some Hoosiers 295/30/19 is the size you want on all 4 corners. I would spend some more time on your stockers before making the jump to r-comps. If you think you're ready to drop 1300 on a set of tires that will last maybe 1/2 season and cannot be driven on the street then by all means.

Ps if you're wondering don't waste you're time with other r-comps like Toyo r888's and the like. Hoosiers are the only ones worth paying for.

I would contend that A6's are very much DOT R slicks as opposed to DOT R treaded tires. An A6 is closer to a radial race slick than a treaded street tire. Compounds the A6 uses are very similar to true race slick compounds as well. I have always found it amusing when some people try to say an A6 isnt a slick but a DOT R race tire. What exactly does that mean in a practical sense as in many venues an A6 is superior to non DOT race slick. Thats especially true now as Good Year and Hoosier have stopped producing many non DOT race slick sizes in soft compounds in favor of supporting road racing compounds that just dont work in AX. Again there are exceptions but really A6 is a slick in general sense of the word. Its not a tire you can drive on the street any more practically than a true radial race slick.

Also I would challenge assumption that A6 is only way to go for a DOT R tire. It depends on your goals and skill level. Toyo R888 is a fair tire and if you need something to drive back and forth to event its far better choice than a A6. Treaded DOT R can also double as an intermediate rain tire where A6 would fail. And tread life will be far greater on treaded DOT tire. I'm actually a fan of Nitto NTo1 as intermediate tire that can be driven to events.

Not everyone is headed to Nationals and having flexibility to run a streetable treaded DOT tire is something many of us who dont want to trailer tires use. My street wheels have R888's and I only use them for local AX now. My race wheels have R6's for track work. A6 is just over priced and only really required if you are out for National Tour or big event win. Also dont ignore the new Good Year DOT R tires. They make a soft AX compound now and cars on Good Year DOTs in San Diego were beating Hoosier clad cars at National tour. I think a few more National title winners will be on Good Year DOT R tires this year. That pretty much puts a stick in things for Hoosier being the " only ones worth paying for".

[cossie1600]

as an idiot who purchased 2 sets of r888s new, i want to say they are absolute garbage compare to its predecessor. the r888 might have been fast the first couple heat cycles, but they drop off so fast that they are virtually garbage even with full treads showing.

i might try the nt01s if they dont have the same drop off as the r888s

[ChrisSlicks]

I used the NT01's for a season with many heat cycles. I really didn't notice any drop off in performance, and I like them as a track tire for their durability. Certainly not as fast as the full R-comps but was faster than the RE-11 by a second or 2.

The only thing I don't like about the NT01 is the noise (okay for driving to the track but I wouldn't leave them on). Also not particularly good in wet conditions, for that I would go with a full tread depth tire.