semi slicks

[Vance]

i will soon be gettin some new wheels (im after some performance superlites as
i can get them for cheap) and im plannin to run semi slicks.

what i cant decide however, is whether to use 13s or 15s.

grip levels would be way higher than that of a normal road 15, no matter what size
i choose, but im wondering bout handling feel, and sidewall flex.


i'd love some 13 x 8s, with a wideish semislick, but im wondering whether the
sidewall would flex a lot, and be wierd to drive on because i drove on my normal
13s the other day, after using 15s for ages, and it felt so so wrong. like i was
riding on big sponges for tyres. what i want to know is if the semislicks would be
the same, because if they are, i'll be running 15s for sure.

the reason i want 13s in the first place, is they are cheaper and should be lighter.


also, just having read that wheel offset thread (also concerning superlites) im thinking
8 wide with +4 offset, and a minor guard lip/flare would be all i need to fit them, yes?
this is with 3.5 neg camber.

[[haul]]

lighter? seriously man that'd be taking weight reduction too far and as far as cheaper goes if u want cheap then get something besides semislicks. do 15s. hachis are about handling and agility and putting 15s on it isnt gunna give it excessive weight gains lol let me know how it turns out aye

[ToySprinta]

Running Azenis RT215 195/60r14 on mine, and they have more grip then they got any right to. The only difference between the 14s and 15s I have noticed is that the 15's seem to skip a little over minor irregularities in the surface, but the reaction of the 14's is slightly slower... so depends on track surface i guess

[Vance]

the lighter thing isnt about weight reduction, its about minimising weight addition http://www.ae86drivingclub.com.au/forums/emoticons/tongue.gif seriously, have you weighed a semislick?? they're fukn heavy as!!
and ive heard those superlights arent really light rims either, more like superHEAVYs http://www.ae86drivingclub.com.au/forums/emoticons/tongue.gif so with my stock brakes, i'd like to minimise the unspung weight as much i can.



thats half of why id go a 13, less weight gain, but i also just love the look of them.


what sus you runnng toysprinta?? ive fitted some semislicks to a guys ITR, and the sidewalls are bloody stiff (kent of a thing to fit!) so im assuming that prob the reason why the 15s would skip a bit, spesh if your sus is massively hard.

did you notice the responsiveness pretty bad?? thats the sorta thing im tryin to avoid, as when i tried to corner with the 13 inch A539s i had, they just didnt want to know aobut it. i spose it could be something i could get used to, spesh if they have the sort of grip levels im imagining they'd have, but it just didnt feel right.

[Vance]

oh btw, if im being pedantic about this, let me know because i usually am:P

i think a lot about the theoretically best possible combination, like how to get that .1 of a sec faster type thing, but admittedly i dont really push the car that hard, never 100% under brakes for example (its not worth it on the street, too many uncontrolled factors)

i just like to be safe in the knowlegde that i have a killer set up, that i shouldnt reach the limits of in daily driving.

[Medwin_3sGTE_AE86]

I have used Yokohama Advan 032RS 205/50/15 and Advan 048R 195/60/14... the main difference i found was that the 15" were more responsive and maintained the contact patch better in most circumtances (but the 048 is a better tyre, mono block design)... Give me the choice... i'd go with 15" with a set of ultralight rims (volk te37) and 195/50/15 and Advan 048 tyres...

I feel that with 14" u need a lot more camber to get the tyres working properly... prob more than 5 degrees of neg camber... with the 15"... 3 degrees works fine...

I dont really think 13" is really even in the equation... They're just not designed with performance in mind... and i dont think many semi slicks come in those sizes... definately not Advan 048,032 or BS RE55(last time i checked)... u may find some from avon etc... personally... i wouldnt bother... go the 15's (make sure they're light rims)... u wont regret it..!

BTW.. Semi's are light... my 032RS was noticeably lighter than my dunlop fm901 road tyres... Also... if u want to be light... go the minimum width rim required... metal weighs more than rubber... 195 tyres fit beautifully on 6.5-7" rims... if u need the extra track just get a negative offset...

[SPEEDCORE]

Originally posted by ToySprinta@Feb 5 2006, 11:36 PM
Running Azenis RT215 195/60r14 on mine.
You know they are not a real semi slick yeah? Looks like one but they are infact not an R compound tyre unfortunately.

[3sglevin]

in my eyes you would go for the 15's as the side wall is smaller and there will be less flex, this will give you better responce and handeling, If you go for a 50 series tyre that is. I run 195/60/14's on my car and it is good, but if I could go to a 50 series(rules of my class) I would go to the 15 inch 50"s in a second.

[monkeymajik]

Originally posted by Funkdoc.@Feb 6 2006, 01:08 AM
Give me the choice... i'd go with 15" with a set of ultralight rims (volk te37) and 195/50/15 and Advan 048 tyres...
Any reason for 195's over 205's?

[poh_86]

if they can fit under the gaurd without scrubbing my guess

[Vance]

cheers guys, thats the sorta thing i need, actual driving experiences.

looks like i'll go the A048R in a 195 50 15, but the wheel i want (coz its cheap and easily available) is the performance superlight, which isnt really a light wheel.

anyone got some watanabes or something forged i can 'borrow'??http://www.ae86drivingclub.com.au/forums/emoticons/tongue.gif

one last question (for now) is what about the rain/cold? i know these tyres have bugger all grip when they're cold, and arent really the best at dispersing water quickly, so would these still be a wise choice for street driving in winter?

if fitted RE55s to a blokes DC5 ITR, and he said they still have awesome grip in the wet, just above that of a high performance road tyre, would the A048Rs be okay in the wet?

[monkeymajik]

I have never driven on semi's but from what I understand, wet grip is OK. It's the standing water/puddles that you have to watch out for.

If you dont mind ordering from overseas you can get 15x7 Konig Rewinds quite cheaply. These are almost the same weight as Wantabe rs8's (i.e light!)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/AE86-510-24...sspagenameZWD2V (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/AE86-510-240Z-260Z-280Z-15x7-Datsun-Konig-Rewind-Wheels_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ43955QQitemZ8035 679962QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWD2V)

[ToySprinta]

Yeah, the rt215's aren't R rated but are bloody soft.
I'm running just a whiteline setup with T3 camber tops and RCA's.
I only noticed the difference under back to back testing, but Funkdoc is right, you need to adjust the camber to compensate...

[Medwin_3sGTE_AE86]

I havent tried a set of RE55's but from what i've seen... i'd say the A048's are better in the wet than RE55's (directional as opposed to asymmetric)... But RE55's large block tread will most likely maintain better contact patch in the dry... i'm talkin about couple tenths a lap driven by a professional test driver... there really isnt much between these two...