olivierapex

Hi Guys !

I have already started to do lapping for fun It's awesome !

Maybe my question has been already asked, if yes, please refer me the proper post. I did not find it.

So, Tire Tire Tire ... Which tire are you using on your wheels for lapping and do you like them ?
I have now Achilles ATR Sport put on the 8. They are really nice for the road , but if I want to push the car a little more, I feel that I will need better tire

On the same time, I drive on OEM Wheel. I would like to know if it could be better for the handling to put spacer ? If yes, every wheel should have it or only on the rear ?

Thanks

JakeKaminskisRacing

If you are looking for a good all around street tire that is great on track, should check out Dunlop Direzza ZII. They're a little slower than the newer BFG Rivals and RE71R tires that just came out. However they'll last a hell of a lot longer and be more consistent out on track.

kbrewmr2

there's alot better points to attack for increasing grip before you get to wheel spacers and all that.

I'd get a good street tire on that - along the lines of what Jake recommends. Next I'd get a good aggressive alignment on it, not to stock/OEM specs but something with increased camber as needed.

Then see how that does for you for a few events. I'd look at swaybars next, then springs & shocks / track oriented coilovers after that. Just be sure you're not modifying the car to get around the driver's bad habits.

My $0.02 anyway.

olivierapex

Thank You guys for the advises !

I will check for the tires your recommended JakeKaminskisRacing. But, I'm oki to have 2 set of tire 1 for lapping and 1 for street. I don't know what you guys think about tire made for track only ... are they to much expensive for a beginer guys like me ?

kbrewmr2, I want to modify the car, but slowly... Yes I don't want to get bad habits :P
I have already TEIN Coilover, I bought the car like that.

Black2010R3

iTrader: (1)

Welcome to the addiction that is track driving. Unless there's something wrong with the tires, I say use them and put your money towards more track events, rather than modifications. It will make you faster and has a true lasting value, as every car you drive on track from then on will be faster too. The more I do it, the more I realize how much faster I could go with better driving, and I've been doing it for over a decade and instruct with a club in Spokane. As a fellow instructor and racer loved to say, why upgrade the car if you can't drive as fast as the car can go.

As for places to spend money on the car, firstly, make sure you've got good brake pads meant for track driving and high temperature brake fluid. Fix anything broken or worn and make sure the cooling systems (water and oil) are in top shape. Consider adding gauges to keep an eye on water temperature, oil temperature and oil pressure. Get a performance alignment. After that, look, listen and feel to see what you think the car needs next. For instance, if you're running hot, there's no point in spending on suspension, tires and such if you can't stay out there all session long. Track tires will allow you to go faster, but at first, street tires are the way to go.

Once you start getting better, faster and more consistent, if the event allows, consider a lap timer, as it'll help point out where you can go faster.

Also remember, there are no trophies at lapping days, so it doesn't matter how fast the car is, all that matters is that you have fun, be safe and get better.

blu3dragon

iTrader: (1)

Short answer to your original question: A nice upgrade tire would be Direzza ZII star spec (as also mentioned above). Don't get spacers.

Long answer:

^good advice from Black2010R3

My guess would be the first limitation you'll hit is brake temps. Fix that with some fresh ate type 200 and some high temp (track) pads. Actually if you did not already do the fluid, then do it before your next event even if you did not have a problem yet. Pads, I like raybestos ST43. They will squeal on the street though, so swap in/out for track events - not a big deal if you are also swapping wheels...

Also make sure all your maintenance is taken car of; oil, diff fluid, MT fluid, filters, coolant, plugs, coils...

Before long you will likely notice a lot of wear along the outer edge of the tires. Tire pressure can help a bit with that, but for a car with stock suspension, I would recommend a track alignment and a stiffer rear bar (to reduce understeer). Track alignment would be maximum camber up front with zero toe, similar, or a little lower camber at the rear with slight toe in.

After that, then I 2nd the recommendation for Direzza ZII star specs. I just got to the end of life for my ZII's and they really did perform and last well. This and the small suspension mods above would make for a pretty nice street/track car that you could enjoy for many years. Get a them on a cheap 2nd set of oem wheels if you want a more comfortable DD tire.

If you want to increase grip level then get some light and strong 17x9 wheels (RPF1 is a popular choice) with 255/40/17 sized Direzza ZII tires.

With the grip from the wider tires the car is going to start to feel very soft. So the next upgrade would be a good set of coilovers and matching roll bars to set the car balance.

Level up again to some 100TW tires (toyo RA1 or Nitto NT01)... now you really need these on a set of track only wheels, and should be looking at having a cage, seats, harnesses & hans as well since you will be cornering at race car speeds and the factory safety equipment is not really designed to cope with that if something goes wrong...

Welcome to the addiction :-)

Black2010R3

iTrader: (1)

I use Hawk DTC-60's on track and they handle street use to and from the track quite well. I'd definitely buy them again, but as can be said of ALL race pads, they make poor street pads.

I'd be hesitant to upgrade only the rear sway bar, as you'll make the car want to oversteer more and the RX8 is already a fairly neutrally balanced car. It can lead to trouble with an inexperienced driver. I prefer a slight understeer tendency that can be overcome with throttle in the slower corners and that pretty much described my R3 when stock at least. This way you'll be having nice, safe, predictable handling with oversteer only when you want it, where it's more easily controlled. Then when you get better, you can start to change the handling balance.

For reference, my own setup is KW V3 coilovers, Hotchkiss sway bars front and back, both set on medium, Hawk DTC-60 pads front and back, RacingBrake SS brake hoses, 17x9 TRMotorsports C3 wheels (48mm offset) with Nitto NT-01 tires. It handles very nicely with the preciously described handling balance. I'm quite satisfied with it and don't intend to change anything in the near future.

blu3dragon

iTrader: (1)

Nice set up

Must admit I have not tried the rear sway bar only upgrade myself. You are right to be cautious over doing that, and perhaps something to do only if you still have too much understeer after a track alignment. Also you would likely want to use an aftermarket MX-5 bar, that is a bit stiffer than the stock RX-8 one, and not one of the RX-8 bars that are a lot stiffer than stock.

I used DTC-60 previously and liked them, but then switched to ST43 and like them more. Mostly due to the fact that the ST-43 pads have lasted much longer, so are more economical even though the initial cost is higher. My only criticism of them is that the feel could be better. For that reason I might be tempted to try something else when I next replace them.

I just had my first set of Nitto NT-01 tires fitted. Eager to try them out in a couple of weeks. I was using Direzza ZII previously. Used them for 2.5 years and enjoyed every bit of it, but was tempted to try the more extreme tire for this set.

Black2010R3

iTrader: (1)

My opinion is that if you're going to do a sway bar change, why not go with a matched set of front and rear adjustable bars, then you can still make small changes to the handling balance if desired and it'll corner flatter overall. With the small rear bar plan, you'd likely be replacing it later with a bigger one as the mods increase, costing more money in the long run.

I do like my NT-01's (255/40/17), they've lasted me 6 days with lots of track time and I should get at least another weekend on them before they need to be replaced. There's a reason why they're the standard choice of R compound tire for lapping days.

kbrewmr2

I'd look at Maxxis or NT01 for middle-tier R-comps. RA1s need shaving for dry use and they're not as good as they were pre-sunami / R888 release (and those also suck). The RR may be ok enough to include in the discussion also.

Loki

iTrader: (1)

I feel like something like Hankook RS3 or BFG Rivals would be better to start on. You won't wear them out as quickly, but they're also more predictable and could keep you out of trouble while you develop the fine feeling for what your car is doing. Once you go through a set of those, you can decide again.

kbrewmr2

yes yes, don't move to r-comps until you're actually ready for them. Good 200ish TW street tires are all you need to start off with.

2hit6

I'm running Bridgestone RE11A right now and they seems to the great for street and stable at the track. Takes no time to warm up and temperature across the width of the tire was consistent.