the 15" wheel list is a short list, really. TD Pro Race 1.0 fits. I have been told that the TD Pro Race 2 does fit, EDIT: they fit well in a +35 offset. The 6UL wheels from 949 racing ***sadly*** do not fit the BDM. This is the list over on N-A-M: -Texas Speed Works BBK: TSW BBK Template 15" 15" Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2 no spacer note this is WRONG they don't fit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 15" Team Dynamics Pro Race 1 +38 16" 16" Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2 no spacer 16" OZ Ultraleggera 16x7 Rota Slipstreams in +40 NZO 16x7 Speedy Star (Kosei K1 knockoff) 16x7 Rota Slipstream (+45 Does Not Fit, +40 Fits Fine) 17" 17" Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2 +42 no spacer 17" OZ Ultraleggera 17" "Most" BBS (TSW) 17" OEM R90 BS RC 17x7, +42 worked great BBS RV-F 17x7.5, +42 works great
Team Dynamics Pro Race 2's in 15x7 with a +35 offset clear just fine, too. Come to think of it, this will likely be my next setup - TD Pro Race 2's with 225/45R15 Nitto NT-01's, FTW! Cheap-ish, somewhat stylish, and hooked up!
You would run a 225 on a 7J ? I put a Toyo 888 225 45 16 on a 16 x 8J and it does look sweet, 42 Et was just touching the threads so with the +5mm off the hat might be just right. I do fancy some 15 x 8 with Toyo 888 225 45 15
Apparently Nathan tested OEM R91 bullets at MOTD and they fit. And the template says they fit. And I'm counting on it. :yesnod:
Yes, I've run 225's on 6.5's... On a 7, they're much more at home... FWIW, the NT-01's are better than R888's...
Um..that was a bit more than a test... Those brought me back to TX from MOTD. THANKS JAY!! I am still running around on them, gosh i really should ship them back to JustJay soon...
Ahhhh... I that that was a "pop on, pop off" kinda test - not a cross country extended road test... Even better.
I am the person with the TD Pro Race 2's 15x7 that fit the BDM, they are a +35 offset on an R56S with no spacers. I also tried the Pro Race 1.2's in a +38 offset and they did NOT fit. (I have a set of 15x7's that are basically new if someone is interested). I am going to go out on a limb and say that if you live in Texas (or anywhere else where the racing surface tops 175 deg) and run the BDM with 15" wheels you are going to need a brake duct kit. I just returned from Eagles Canyon (fast track with tight corners in Texas), and completely boiled the fluid during the second session. Like off track and almost into a tire wall no pedal, missed it by less than 3 feet. The corner before it the pedal went to the floor but a couple of quick pumps and they came back enough to save the car. After babying it down the straight (like 45 mph in what should have been a 90 mph straight) I could not get the brakes to pump back up and resorted to drifting the car to scrub speed. I have a relatively modified R56 that is pretty quick down the straight and attribute this to the BDM being tough enough to take the heat. The airflow around the 15" wheels just won't allow everything to cool down enough to keep the fluid from boiling. Saturday I started out with ATE super blue and killed it, flushing after each session. Sunday I switched to Motul 660 and had similar issues, the fluid was completely black coming out of the caliper. In fairness to TSW, I didn't really experience any pad/rotor fade... just major issues with keeping the fluid cool. Anyone know of a good duct kit for the R56? I looked at the new JCW one, but the intake hose seems so small that I don't know how effective it would be.
Well, I think that was a little bit too exciting for me. Great job in saving the situation, for you and your car. I am working with Sneed Speed Shop for some R53 ducts that use a 3" hose, they might have something for the R56 as well. Not sure though. ...:::Sneed Speed Shop:::... Even if nothing on their site they still might be able to help as they do plenty of custom work. Also, are you considering going up to a 16" wheel? That will likely buy you a little bit of air flow insurance. Not exactly a cheap solution though.
I just ran Monday at blackhawk with the BDM (I run 15 inch rims too)--this is by far the toughest track on brakes I go to--and it held up great, but I did get a little fade in the last (fourth) session. But that was after a back to back sessions--I let my instructor run it a few laps (was only supposed to be 3 laps, but he was having so much fun, I kept hearing "ok, one more lap", so we ended up doing seven) before the last session, he even mentioned how good the brakes were (also was the first time on the KW V2's; he's driven my car before the new brakes/suspension and now after, and loved what it's done for the car. This guy used to race (his son, who I've also had as an instructor, still does), and at Road America he's going to hook me up with a professional driver who'll drive it a few laps to get some more suggestions for setup. Bottom line is he thinks the car is fantastic, one of his favorites to ride/drive in, and with the current setup (even though it's not a full out and out track car), he feels it's time to let a professional drive it, and see what we can do to optimize it further. Going in completely cooled off, they probably would have been fine even in the last session. Haven't had a chance to bleed the fluid yet, but I'll bet it's discolored. The rotors and pads look great; prior to the BDM, I was killing the rotors in one weekend at Blackhawk--now with two weekends there, the rotors still look new. Anyway, it was a great day--once I settled in after the first session, I ran the fastest in our group the last three sessions (basically the same group I ran with last month), which I couldn't do last month before the coilovers/R-comps, it makes a huge difference. Even caught a GT3, got props from my instructor on that one...I was seriously considering adding more power to the car (I have a full JCW 2006 MCS), but I really don't think it needs any more. I think it's more a matter of optimizing what I currently have rather than adding any more oomph, and continuing to improve as a driver. Glad I learned on street tires first though; R-comps are so damned sticky they can hide a lot of mistakes--for example, you can turn in a bit too early, and still correct in time to catch the apex, whereas you'd miss it completely with street tires. Not the fastest way around the track though. I don't know if I'd recognize that I'd made a mistake had I not spent a couple of years on street tires first. It is nice to be able to put the car EXACTLY where you want it, R-comps do make that easier, but street tires are what makes you learn the line... Anyway, I may add the Way ducts, they're not optimal with regard to directing air to the hub, but I think it'll be enough with the BDM. I have some brand new black TD 1.2's with +38 offset too, if anyone is interested.
Be interesting to hear from the guys who know. From personal experience, I had the old JCW brakes on my 2006 JCW, the heavy (and man, they are HEAVY) iron ones, and besides the weight, once those puppies heated up, it took forever for them to cool down. They're a tremendous heat sink; once they get hot, they stay that way the rest of the day. The aluminum calipers cool down much, much quicker (They probably heat up quicker too, like you pointed out. Maybe the quicker cooling outweighs the faster heat up, someone with more knowledge will have to chime in). For what it's worth, the BDM is the first kit that hasn't killed my rotors, or had serious issues with fade, even with better tires/coilovers.
Considering the [OEM] calipers are designed for the street, wouldn't you want the brake system to hold a little heat to improve street pad performance?
I was at the same event with 15 x 7 TD1s and 225/45/15 NT01s. BDM without brake ducts. No issues with brakes. The peddle did budge a bit (inch or two) towards the end of the day. ECR is where we did the duct / no duct test with the BDM. Rotors turned the same color / same peak temp (+/- couple hundred degrees). Now I will give you that ducts should reduce the time spent at peak temp. Alan
Was that really a fair test at ECR with 2 different drivers with different styles? Also, there as a few different styles of brake ducts, so some of the others may be more effective. And how do you fit those 225s on your R53 without any rubbing? I even get some rubbing with my RE01 215/45-17s, it is wide for a 215, but still. Also, slightly off topic, but why do so many select 15" wheels as their track setup? Pros: - Wheels are lighter - Tires are cheaper Cons: - big brakes kits have trouble fitting - brakes get less airflow - sidewalls are taller and therefore squishier - tire selections are getting smaller Are there a few more Pros that I am missing that really outweigh the Cons? I was thinking that 16" might be a better selection???
I have the 225/45/15's, no rubbing issues, and I'm dropped pretty low, though not as low as Mike. I get the benefits of a reduction in tire diameter coupled with a fairly decent contact patch; I may raise up a bit though, the front end was hopping a little bit.... As for the pro's, you missed a few big ones, and the reason I run the 15's: smaller diameter, and a resulting improvement in gearing for the track, low weight rims (although you can find 16's that are lightweight, although they usually end up costing more), lower weight tires, etc. . It's a cheap way to shorten the gears, and reduce unsprung weight--once you've run a lesser diameter tire, it's hard to go back; add that in with the quicker acceleration, and the car feels transformed. As for the con's, it's surprising how much room there is with the TD's. In fact, diameter of the wheel isn't as critical as the offsets--there are plenty of 16 and even 17 inch wheels that won't clear the BDM, but the TD 15's do with plenty of room to spare. The brakes may get a bit less airflow, no argument there, I may eventually put on the Way ducts, which I think would be plenty enough. Sidewalls on the Nittos aren't as tall as some other similar 15's, and the sidewalls on the R-comps are pretty darned stiff. My instructor was very impressed by the tires; him and his son are going to switch from their RA1's, when they're shot, to Nitto 01's on their Porsche race car after driving my car. Tire selection is still pretty darned good--as long as Miata's are around, there should be plenty of 15 inch tires available. And as poplular as they are for club racing, I think we'll be safe for years to come--may not be as many tires as there were a few years ago, but still a good enough selection that it shouldn't be a problem.
You are also driving an R53 where as I have an R56. I am not totally sure how this changes things, but there could very well be differences in how air flows around the brakes between the two different cars. The entire second day I concentrated on braking, so I don't think it was my technique. You are definitely much faster than me on the track, so I am probably breaking more than you are coming into the corners (r-comp's vs street tires), that and I am sure your breaking technique is better than mine. We definitely experienced a pretty big difference in the affect on our brakes.... I can not be sure exactly what the root cause is.