I feel like I need to check out the PNW sometime

 

I think I need to try a dumpster...

 

Since it's been a month since my last event in my Evo, and will be another 1.5 until the next event, my brain is going into silly season mode.

I'm fairly tempted to try fitting a set of Dunlop 285/30R18 tires on my car, in an otherwise STU-legal way. Mainly for ****s and giggles, and running T-ASP at other clubs.

It's been claimed that the 285s will fit with just a roll in the rear. I assume this means I'd be on 18x9.5 wheels in the rear, right?
Would an 18x10 (or wider) fit?
Would I have to change the trailing arms to make it fit under the bodywork?

I think it would be trivial to make 18x10 wheels fit in the front without any rolling or modification, correct?
Would wider wheels fit before you start having issues with rubbing?

I know Justin has 285 Hoosiers on his ASP Evo, 18x10 front wheels (PF01), and 18x9.5 rear (RPF1). I don't think the rear fenders would pass muster in STU, legality-wise (although they aren't that far off).

I imagine that the 285s will be a setup compromise since the tires will be pinched on 9.5" wheels, and even 10.5 would be pretty narrow for them. Given the stiff side walls of the Dunlops, that disadvantage will be somewhat mitigated.

What says the intertubes?

Feel free to blatantly ignore me. It's quite unlikely that I'll be able to actually attempt any of this in the near-term. Maybe it'll be a winter project and I can pick up a set of ZII Star Specs in the spring.

-Bryan

 

I hate to say it, but if we start putting 285s on an 18 inch wheel, we can all say goodbye to our transfer cases and clutches - especially on concrete at a pro solo doing hot lap launches.

Any other strategies?

 

Transfer cases should be just fine, stock clutch isnt strong enough to kill it and STU isnt really making that much power. Maybe an inspection ever few years but nothing like an ASP or SM car can go through.

 

My windshield cracked over the weekend while I was washing the car. Cold water on a hot windshield. Won't be making that mistake again.

Apparently the OEM Evo windshield is about 3lbs lighter than the OEM Lancer windshield. The OEM Evo windshield is also over $500 everywhere I look, not including shipping or installation.

As much as I don't want to add 3lbs to the front of the car, I can't justify spending $500+ extra just to save that 3lbs.

 

Auto Insurance will often cover windshields, it's a safety thing. Often only a $200 deductible.

 

I was thinking the same

 

Brian and I were talking about this at Toledo. The heatshield for the exhaust manifold - if you replace the manifold do you have to put the shield back?

I know in Subaru land, there's a turbo heatshield that contacts the downpipe and you are only allowed to trim it.

But for us, is that applicable?
I don't have the heatshield handy to look - but it solely attaches to the manifold/exhaust, right? Or does it attach to something else somewhere?

 

That manifold shield can be removed. But the lower shield (just below that) must stay because it bolts to the turbo.

So we do a clutch a year....we go faster though! Faster is never cheap and the reliability curve falls very fast :/

Other strategy...buy a Z or C

If that ends up being the case then next we could go for allowing any clutch, but at some point it just becomes SP on street tires.

 

Yeah - stiff springs don't help the problem either. I vote to reduce the tire allowance on the Z and c5, and increase our tire allowance to say a 255?

We can all keep our wheels and can get rid of that herra frush look too! Clutch and t-case life is only slightly reduced = )

Thoughts?

 

Problem is we would only be able to get 2WD down to 275's (if even possible) because the C5 stock rear wheel size is that, 275. Cant make them run smaller tires :/

Still 255's wont be enough. Making a 9" or 9.5" wheels the 2WD max would help a little. Might be hard to get a bunch of little changes to pass, just making one rule change of eliminating AWD tire size restriction would be easier IMO.

 

I agree with Geoff! Nit-picking at this time (take this here, add this there,...) would not fly with a ruling comity. Removing tire size restriction for all is the best way to go!

For those worried about braking parts...well, it is racing and we do break things here and there. It is true that launching at the Pros would affect this the most (although I am still not sold that effect would be that drastic), but there are not that many of those to attend for most of us (three a season is the most realistic number for most dedicated few), so everyone else would benefit from it through majority of the regular autoX events. In the worst case, you don't have to pull 1.7 short times all the time and keep it at around 2.0 and make the lost time out on the course - again Pro Solo specific only.

 

I would really like to see a tire size increase for STU -AWD.

_I am not sure about the 350Z top speed in second gear, but it may be around 62 MPH and with the 285s they may lose 2MPH??? If the tunes are raising the red line they may gain back what they lost.

_The Corvette; I am not familiar with all the models/ editions for every year, but the C5 second gear should be a lot higher than 60 MPH so running a wider tire will actually help them…

_The Evos and STIs already have short second gears, increasing the tire size will only make that problem worse, so it is a trade off. Also I do not feel comfortable raising the red line on a STU Evo or most turbo cars; not sure how everyone else feels about it.

Also this doesn’t make sense to me
STX (2WD) = 265 mm
STX (AWD) = 245mm

STU (2WD) = 285 mm
STU (AWD) = 245 mm

If the STX difference between 2WD & AWD is 20mm why is the difference in STU 40mm???

 

That doesn't make sense to me too especially after they included those heavy HP cars into the mix that can actually use those wider tires. At this point if we couldn't get restriction lifted 265s or even 275s would still be better than 245s