best tires 2 use for autox in mini cooper s

Post Reply
bryan
Posts: 9
Joined: Mon Apr 18, 2005 4:11 pm
Contact:

best tires 2 use for autox in mini cooper s

Post by bryan »

hey guys...i just recently purchased a 2005 mini cooper S. after taking it to the past autocross on sunday i realized that not only do tires make a differance, but man did mine get chewed up on the track. i was wondering if anyone has some recomendations for me? i would greatly appreciate it. thanks again


bryan
2005 Silver Mini Cooper S

JERSEYJIM
Posts: 279
Joined: Thu Sep 30, 2004 8:01 pm

Post by JERSEYJIM »

Hands down best bang for the buck autocross tire is the Kuhmo VictoRacer or V710 I would opt for the heat cycle and tread shave on the VictoRacer to prevent cording. These are DOT legal but do not even try to use as daily drivers. By the way I was your instructor for the autocross.

JERSEYJIM
Posts: 279
Joined: Thu Sep 30, 2004 8:01 pm

Post by JERSEYJIM »

Correction your dad's instructor. The pavement at PNC is very hard and abrasive on tires.
Here is the disclaimer from Tire Rack:

Important Notice: Kumho VictoRacer V700 tires must be shaved to 3/32" - 4/32" of remaining tread depth for any track use in dry conditions.

Kumho advises that the VictoRacer V700 DOT-legal competition radial must be shaved prior to use in dry track conditions. If this tire is not shaved, excessive wear may occur causing the tire to wear to the cords prematurely in a localized area.

Tire heat cycling will not prevent the excessive localized wear of full tread depth tires but will continue to enhance the tire consistency and wear on shaved tires.

Overlord
Posts: 31
Joined: Mon Mar 14, 2005 7:08 pm
Location: Princeton

Post by Overlord »

JIM!!!!
You rock dude. what a great time I had. Thank you so much for your patience with me and your most excellent instruction.
I especially enjoyed the ride in your 5er, man you made that thing dance on the course.
very nice.
thanks again
:D :D :D
E90 330i SP 6sp, Work Hard, Play Harder.

rumatt
Posts: 102
Joined: Sat Dec 04, 2004 12:11 am

Post by rumatt »

I wouldn't recommend r-comps for a beginning autox'er. They will just wear even faster.

What tires did you have that got chewed up?

It's not obvious that you need new tires. Autox is hard on tires, but overdriving the car and understeering a lot can make it even worse. Ask me how I know. :P

BJerolimic
Posts: 747
Joined: Wed Sep 15, 2004 2:24 pm
Location: Glen Ridge, NJ . . . . . . '98 318ti - '01 M5 - '08 X5

Post by BJerolimic »

I love my Falken Azenis. DOT approved but very stiff and pretty darn sticky... great as a set of track tires, but I wouldn't get them for daily driving. They were reasonable as well, just over $400 for a set...

And listen to Matt, it's also very important to slow down an appropriate amount and be smooth when autoxing, not only will it help cut down on tire wear but also on your times!
Image

and gone but not forgotten:
'00 323Ci Steel Grey / Black Dinan & UUC & Schnitzer mods
'89 325iX Diamond Black / Black 4dr 5spd Dinan chip, Ireland exhaust, H&R+Koni
'01 525iTa

JERSEYJIM
Posts: 279
Joined: Thu Sep 30, 2004 8:01 pm

Post by JERSEYJIM »

I would agree with rumatt. I would recommend looking for a set of used rims with some descent semi-worn tires to learn with so you do not destroy your new tires every race. Stick to stock diameter, plus 1" or 2" rims will give you less side wall and less forgiveness, they are more expensive as well. Along the same line of thinking I heard some talk about minis having run-flat tires and how they do not have enough give to them.
Rumatt also points out overdriving the car and understeering a lot can add to the problem. True and true. There are some good explanations of oversteer and understeer as well as why to heat cycle and shave brand new race tires on the net and what will happen if you do not.
What happened to your tires I think is a combination of all things that have been discussed, rough pavement, new tires, overdriving, ect. Your car also pulled double duty running with both Bryan and you.
Get yourself to the full potential of the car before you raise the bar with race tires. Yes, it will improve you times by allowing you to go faster in the sections you have mastered, the sweeper turns. They will also mask the concepts and turns you have not mastered.
I am glad you enjoyed the ride in the 528ia.

bryan
Posts: 9
Joined: Mon Apr 18, 2005 4:11 pm
Contact:

Post by bryan »

yea i realized that both my self and my father taking a spin in the same car did extra amounts of wear on my tires. as for which tires i currently have, im running on the highperformance tires from factory from mini. i believe that they are 205-45-17's i could be wrong. i also realized that overdriving my car is one big problem i currently have. i think that next time im gonna have to give my ego a rest and have a instructor come with me :oops: being 17 i think im possibly the youngest member that is competing and the least experianced. i realized after taking a look at my father run with jim in my car and obviously beat my time after awhile, that im gonna need alot more practice on my car. yes understeering is a major problem in the Mini...but i should be able to handle it after a few more events. thanks for the suggestions and if anyone knows of best bang for the buck tires id appreciate it. being young my money is quite limited :lol:
again thanks for all the advice

ivan
Posts: 348
Joined: Tue May 10, 2005 7:42 pm

Post by ivan »

Bryan,

First off - if you want to be really competitive, you will at some point have to get lighter 16x6.5 (if you want to stay stock for SCCA) wheels and get rid of the heavy and unnecessarily large 17" wheels. Not only will this pretty much guarantee better times, it will also save you quite a bit of money on tires as 17 inch tires cost a fair amount more than 16s. Your tire choice will also be much better.

Now as far as tires go:
As you know i currently run 205/50/15 Azenis 215 on my "non-S" MINI Cooper. And even though I am sqeezing on 205 "stiff as hell sidwall" tires on a 5.5" wide wheel, the result is still great. The car handles great, so I do high recommend these tires if you decided to stay in the street tire category.

The 215s are discontinued and the 615s are much more expensive now, so if you are on a budget, your next best bet may be the Hankook Ventus Rs2 Z212. They are cheaper than the 615s and (from what i hear) are just about as fast. Kumho MX is another option but they will be a bit slower until the tread wears down below 4/32. Any of these tires handles heat better than the 215s, so thats not a major concern.

Still, in my opinion, step #1 should be lighter 16 inch wheels. Hope this helps.

Post Reply