Brakes Wheels 2nd Gen Tires Sticky 18" Tires

2006 R52, Stock springs/height. Wheels: 18X8 HD Signature Wheels. Tires: 215X40X18 Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3. They just fit and rub only when hitting a fairly hard bump. I would say, due to the 8 inch wide rims, these are the biggest tires this car can comfortably handle without rubbing on ordinary road surfaces. Tire Rack shows 0.94 lateral acceleration for these tires on their BMW 3 mule car. The Pilot supersports go 1.0.

 

Dunlop ZII Starspec's All DAY long, I have them and the Grip is just crazy.

Also you may want to drop down to 17's or even better 15's to drop the unspring weight. 18 on a MINI are not any good for autocross.

All Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires suck at a track or autocross. You should never run any All Season tire on a track or Autocross. I use my Michelins Pilot Sport + A/S as my winter beaters because that's all they are really good for.

The only good track tire Michelin makes is the Cup tire and they cost some big bucks.

 

I thought about stickier tires, but I don't do track of any kind. Just some half-spirited highway, twisties, club runs etc. and year-round driving. Lots of rain in Oregon, so I chose A/S 3s based solely on Tire Rack test results for the AS group and other club members who liked the tire. Compared to other tires, to me, the car handles and corners much better.

 

+1 to what Dave said about size, I wouldn't go any bigger than 17's if your looking for traction, a decent percentage of your grip comes from sidewall flex.

 

Bigger is NOT always better for wheels, contrary to popular belief.

I went down from 17" OEMs to 16's and like that size MUCH better. But it also has more limited tire options than 17".

I'm investigating 15" for the track.

And yes... the Star Specs are awesome.

 

I agree with everything said about smaller wheels and Star Spec tires. I autocross regularly and have used larger and smaller diameter wheels. Smaller is better for autocross primarily for the gearing. I tried a set of BFG Rivals and do not like them. I do not believe they have as much grip. The Dunlop's are easy to read when they are developing maximum grip. The BFG's do not build grip quickly, and are hard to read when they are developing max grip before sliding into understeer.

 

I have a 2006 GP with stock 18x7" wheels so I have been looking at sticky tire options for street and Auto-X. There are very few good options in a narrow 18" tire such as 215/40-18. About the only reasonable choices are the Michelin Pilot Super Sport (UTQC=300) or the Hankook Ventus V12 EVO2 (UTQC=320). I currently have the Hankook V12 EVO (not the new EVO2) and the sidewall is too soft for Auto-X. Thus that only leaves the Pilot Super Sport which are suppose to be pretty good but I would prefer something in the UTQC=200 range such as the Dunlap Direzza Z11 Star Spec.

Anyone know of any other good choices for sticky street tires in the 215/40-18 size?

I was even thinking of going to a 215/45-18 because the Bridgestone Potenza RE050A and S-02A (UTQC=140) are available in that size but I hate to increase the tire diameter even more (already too tall) and I already rub in the rear with 215/40 so probably even more issues with 215/45.

I really do not want to spend money on 17" wheels and tires to get stickier tires for Auto-X so I hope someone will have a 18" suggestion for me. I cannot go smaller than 17" wheels because I have 14" BBK in the front.

 

Lightweight grip and low times cost a few bucks. This is what I run when I don't have my 17' OEM S- boat anchors on for Winter. FYI your 18's weight at least 25 lbs each.

If you want excellent grip and quick turn ins with a stiffer side wall you need D ZII's

Get a set of Enkei PF01's at $243.00 each and only 15.5 lbs.

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/WheelCloseUpServlet?target=runWheelSearch&initialPartNumber=4607704945BS&wheelMake=Enkei+Racing&wheelModel=PF01&wheelFinish=Bright+Silver+Paint&showRear=no&autoMake=MINI&autoModel=Cooper+S&autoYear=2005&autoModClar=&filterFinish=All&filterSize=17&filterBrand=Enkei+Racing&filterSpecial=false&filterNew=All&filterWeight=All&sort=Brand


Tires $142.00 each now

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Dunlop&tireModel=Direzza+ZII&partnum=145WR7Z2&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&autoMake=Mini&autoYear=2005&autoModel=Cooper+S&autoModClar=

 

I only use my DZII's for MOTD, Spring & Summer. They come off the car at the end of September for the NE winter.

DZ II's are also excellent in the wet. Tire Rack in not the end all in testing tires check out other on-line reviews for the Dunlop D ZII's. :mad2:

 

It would be nice to buy 17" wheels but that is another $1,000. My 18" GP wheels are closer to 20 lbs each so not that heavy for an 18" wheel. Hard to justify $1,000 for 3 lbs per wheel. I am already much lighter than stock at each front wheel due to BBK being much lighter than JCW setup.
Any 215/40-18 sticky summer tire suggestions?

 

These look like they meet your needs and are only $98.00 each. UTQG 240 Everything else is too hard.
You have an rare size for really good performance tires for what you want to do.

Federal Tires Ss595 By Federal Tires Size 215/40-18 Size 215/40-18 Size 8.7 - Starting from $96.00 with BSW Side Walls, Free Shipping and Free Warranty - Buy Tires Online from Performance Plus Wheel and Tire


Here they are for $68 bucks.

https://www.onlinetires.com/products/vehicle/tires/federal/215%252F40-18+federal+ss-595+85+bsw.html



A 225/40/18 will have a much wider selection then the stock size. They will be slightly wider, but offer a larger contact patch too. Sidewalls will be slightly tall, but barely noticeable. The tradeoff might be a very slight increase in ride comfort.

Something like a Hankook EVO V12 is an excellent tire and affordable too.

Oh and you can buy Dunlop StarSpec ZII's in that size buy they are $$$$ 197.00 each

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Dunlop&tireModel=Direzza+ZII+Star+Spec&sidewall=Blackwall&partnum=24WR8Z2SS&tab=Sizes

 

Thank you for all the suggestions.

I looked into going to a 225/40-18 but most articles I read suggested not installing a 225 wide tire on a 7" wheel especially with a 40 series sidewall.

I currently have Hankook V12 EVO which I do not like because the sidewall is not stiff enough for Auto-X (rolls under very easily even with -2 camber). Hankook now has the EVO2 but I am not sure what was changed/improved over the original EVO. The write-ups say something about sidewall stiffeners so maybe they addressed the sidewall flex issue in the EVO2. However, it still appears that the Pilot Super Sport is still better than the V12 EVO2 based on Tire Rack testing.

Looks like my two main decision options are:
1. 215/40-18 Pilot Super Sport for about $800
2. 215/40-17 Dunlop Direzza ZII Star Spec with Enkei RPF1 Black wheels for about $1,600.
Option 2 gives me better tires, 4 lb lighter wheels, and a spare set of 18" GP wheels.