Race Wheel advice
 

looking to get a set of 18's for track racing...what do you guys recommend? looking for maybe 18x10 and 18x11 or 18x9 doesnt really matter..but dont want to pay an arm and a leg for beater wheels...let me know. any help will be appreciated

Forgestar wheels are great qualilty and very affordable. I know of a couple of people running them.

Konig Milligram and Kilogram, about $200-250 a pop and comes in the size you need. Never pay too much money for track use, they will get destroyed. If you can, get used ones.

My forgestars were 1200, my 350z track Ray's, I bought a set of 4 rears for 500 and had them widened for 900, so they ran 1400.

the thing I have found though, is sizes are kind of limited in 18s. I was running 275/40s, 1" shorter tires, but wearing away the bottom of the bumper when I hit the braking zone, so I moved up to a 295/40 hoosier, which is pretty tall. It might be better to go with 19s and stock tire sizes in the long run.

Factory Z34 race car runs 18 x 9.5 all round, with 250/660R18 slicks - see specs at

NISSAN FAIRLADY ZNISMO RC

I run RAYS 57 18x8.5 front with 245/45R18 and 18x9.5 rear with 275/35R18 rear which:

a) lowers the car ~20mm (my ride heights are 690mm front and rear - to top of wheelarch)
b) lowers the CoG by 20mm for improved mechanical grip

and gives me access to a reasonable range of tyres (although you in the US are much better served with selection of R-spec's and stickies in 18" and 19")

I bought the RAYS off the Oz-forum for a good price (around 45% of dealer sticker price for new ones) and they were undamaged and near new - less than $400/corner for a great wheel (strong AND light).

I use Direzza for double duty (occaisional track day and DD), but if going for ultimate grip, would use Dunlop slick in 250/640R18 in SS12 or D12 compound for sprint races and D11 or D21 for enduro (anything longer that 25-30 minutes). For R-spec, take your pick, Toyo, Yokohama, Dunlop (mostly Japanese-spec), BridgeRock, Pirelli, Hoosier - lots of choice in the US, but more limited choice over here.

Personally, 10 and 11" wheel widths put too much tyre on the car whereas 8/9 or 9/10 and 245/265 or 245/275 let you "Drift" the car - more rubber creates more grip but ultimately the breakaway is more abrupt (IMHO). The factry clearly tnks a square setup is the way to go (at least in the FIA GT4 category the NISMO RC is targetted at).

In our race category, <1200KG race weight limits total wheel width to 40" in any event, and we are not permtted to race with FI, so we'll always be power to weight constrained and getting weight out of the car is cheaper than adding horsepower to the engine ....

Enkei wheels are very nice and affordable... the RPF1 should come in those sizes and, they are super light.

Agree with most people here. Forgestar or Enkei would be the best bet.

Many of factory racers run spec classes and race teams like lower cost of hualing one size of wheels. Cuts down on what you have to haul around. Not sure thats Nissan thinking square is faster?

On track I think wider wheels/tires verses narrower is less a "drift" thing and more straight speed issue. You will always have trade off between straight speeds and corner speeds based on tire width.

For Autocross I'm looking for 12's for the rear and 10.5s for front. Cant get enough tire for those events. I drop to 10.5 and 9.5 for track with 295 rear and 285 front.

Also have to consider conditions where you will run. Cooler weather usually means smaller tires so you can get proper operating temps. Big fat cold tires dont stick as well as smaller warm tires.

I agree on not spending a ton (although that's relative), but I'd stay away from wheels that aren't forged or at least a really good cast wheel. Forged wheels tend to bend, while cast wheels (especially the cheap ones) tend to shatter. I'd much rather have a wheel bend and stay in one piece than have it explode. Things happen on the track, and when stuff gets wild I'd prefer to be as safe as possible.

Forgestar is a pretty good choice. Relatively inexpensive, with quality above average for their price range. Enkei is also an option. The RPF1 is a great track wheel. It is a cast wheel, but it's a better wheel than most of the stuff in its price range. I wish 949 Racing would make 18s...

Shamu, you're correct on sizing being related to speed. Sort of. It's related to power output. If you've only got a 140hp Civic, 18s are an awful choice. You'll waste way too much power turning them and the car is small enough to not need huge brakes. 15s and 16s are a good choice. For a 300hp Z with bigger brakes, 18s are what you'd want because the bigger brakes need the room and you've got the power to turn the bigger wheels. If you take a look at some drift cars, you'll see guys with everything from 14x8 to 20x12. Depends on their power level and braking requirements.

I believe the konigs o mentioned are forged

SSR Type-F's!

http://www.the370z.com/wheels-tires/...ls-thread.html