Is there any concensus as to what is the best wheel / tire combo for running BS in Solo2? I'd be interested to here what people are running.

This is my first time intending to do a whole season. I've previously done a few events on the stock tires and was actually competitive with the others in BS on r-compounds. I'm not very familiar with the r-compound tires out right now. I'd really like to be able to do a whole season on one set of tires. I'm not trying to win big or anything, just be competitive. A whole season for me means about 5-7 events, basically 50-70 runs (its a two-driver car), or basically 5-7 heat cycles.

From what I've seen, the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup look to have the best performance / life ratio.

Also looking at:
VictoRacer V700
ECSTA V710
Yokohama A032R (is the H compound any good for performance and tread life?)

Also interested in knowing what are some of the lighter, BS-legal wheels. Thoughts?

 

I've purchased SSR Competions. According to the Tire Rack's web site, the 18x8’s weigh 16.3 pounds. Much lighter than the stock wheels . They're a little pricey though at $469 . There might be future supply problems w/ the SSR's as the company has filed for bankruptcy fairly recently (there's been a thread or two about that topic). I decided to get a set now rather than risk running into problems. U can get wheels that are a little heavier but less expensive. All depends on how much U can and want to spend. There's a lot of info in this section so look around. I've used Hoosier AS303's (AS304 is the current version) in the past with good success. They're pricey as well but while giving excellent performance while relatively new, can lose performance rather quickly if subjected to enough heat cycles. Kumho has a tech center located close to me and, from what I've been told by one of their "reps", the 710 should give excellent performance AND good life. That's the tire I'm really looking at this year. Not all of the sizes are available yet though. The VictoRacer is an older tire. Got a bad set a few years ago and instantly gained like two seconds on a typical course. Had to put up w/ slow times for a whole season . (Don't take my one experience with the Victo's as meaning I'm bashing Kumho though. Probably just an isolated case.) Hope this helps.

 

V700s would be a good tire choice to balance life against performance (you should get two good seasons out of them with the schedule you mention), while the 710s will perform better but won't last as long (but I think you'd get a full season). Not sure how the Michelins perform on an autocross course.

SSR Comps are a good wheel choice, if you can still get them (SSR filled for bankruptcy). However, if you're not worried about the last few tenths of a second (and it sounds like you are not) they are probably overkill & expensive. I'm not sure what OEM wheels are selling for used but you should be able to look around on Ebay, etc. Really, just make sure whatever wheel you buy isn't too heavy and is within the acceptable offset range.

BTW, you might get more responses if you post in the Race section of this forum.