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I crashed my 911 on a track day at a pca event earlier in the year and decided that if I wanted to to keep doing this I wanted something with a full cage. This car landed in my lap with perfect timing. Having very little actual knowledge of what I was buying I just went for it. Sometimes you just gotta jump in.
The car was originally listed for sale on here back in 2010 - http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...e-Car-For-Sale
Then later again listed for sale 3 years later here - https://rennlist.com/forums/vehicle-...e1499566097430
The guy that bought it on Rennlist in 2014 never drove it. Not once. It sat at a porsche shop for 2-3 years when we happened to cross paths and he decided to sell it to me.
I spent 3 grand getting the car totally ready and it (though not me) performed flawlessly at a 3 session event last week. Coming out of a 911S and into this is a learning curve, one that I'm going to enjoy every second of.
Anyway, I wanted to share my story, see if any of you had thoughts on the build or know the original owner and if you have tire recommendations. The car will not be driven on the street but I want to hold off on slicks for now. Currently considering Toyo Ra1's or R888r's.
Thanks.
Member
No on the ra1's or R888r. Yes on NT01! 255/40/17 is perfect fitment on some arc8 17x9 wheels. Buy the wheels when apex does a group buy and discount tire does the 100 off deal in Sept.Originally Posted by bigchallah
Tires should last atleast 50-60 heat cycles and are extremely easy to drive on from the first lap out. Get faster as they wear too! Another member is having success with the toyo RR's, but eigther tire will be a tremendous step up in wear and traction from the two you listed.
Interested in hearing more about your comparison of driving enjoyment between the 991s and e36!
If you have any questions, just post them!
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I'd also recommend learning the car on Nitto NT01's. They really are all that for HPDE.
Then move up if/when needed. (I may be the member Olemiss referenced re the Toyo RR's, and wouldn't say no to those either. But why not go the cheaper and plenty good enough route with the NT01s for at least a set or 2!)
And definately add some comments on tracking the 911 vs E36!
Last edited by aeronaut; 07-29-2017 at 10:03 AM.
Member
Thanks for the reply's guys. As for the comparison, it's really unfair at this point. I had 3 years of track time (and a bunch of back road time) in the porsche versus 3 sessions in the e36.
Those 3 sessions were really focused on finding all the things I need to dial in and I felt distracted the whole time. First time on track since the crash, first time with a full cage, first time with an angle racing mirror (shockingly hard to adjust to...coming out of the car this week), the list goes on and on. Not a good setup for comparing anything. I have 2 days planned towards the end of august and then a Watkins Glen trip at the end of September with the best track day coach I've ever had, so I'll be sure to come back and put some real thought into comparing them.
Member
Agreed NT01 are perfect track day tires. They are fast until they cord. Never gotten 50-60 HCs like olemiss540 posted but around half that. Also, RA1 are exact same tire compound as NT01 just different tread pattern. You can't go wrong with them either.
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Current Stable:
2016 Cayman GT4
1995 E36 M3 Dakar Yellow (NASA GTS2)
1994 E36 325i (AER)
1988 E30 M3 (Alpine White)
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I dunno about you guys but I thought my full tread RA-1's lost their tread pretty quickly in dry conditions. There is plenty of life left after the tread is gone but it seems OP wants his tires to work in dry and wet.
Member
Oh, if OP wants a tire that also works in wet...I wouldn't recommend the 2nd half of life of an NT01 either.
Member
If you want to use NT01 in the wet, just don't use them more than a few days. I'll take the scrubs off your hands, no problem . . . .
With the Apex wheels being so cheap, many guys just have a dry tire set and a wet tire set.
If God meant for man to motor-swap LS engines into track cars, He wouldn't have created Corvettes.
Member
Maybe I'm reading too far into the OP's first post where he says he wants to "hold off on slicks for now." I am guessing that's for wet weather driving but I dunno. Maybe I just derailed this whole thread!
Member
I've never been on slicks and I want to get to know the car better before adding that variable. The newness of the car coupled with my recent crash have me under-driving the capacity a good bit, I have a ways to go before adding slicks.
Member
In that case, just be aware that Toyo RA1's will become slicks (i.e. the tread pattern will wear off) before the end of two weekends. If you want tires that will talk to you and keep their tread for quite a while, I was very happy with my Hankook Ventus RS-3's.
Member
I just ran an event with Federal RS-RR at Shenandoah....VERY impressed. Tick slower than a RA1's/NT01's but the wear is fantastic and the tire has enough sound for guys that like that. If you are budget minded/sorting the car I think they'd be a great choice. Forgot to add...these things run VERY big. 235's are a tick larger than 245's from other brands. In fact, damn close to some 255's.
Don
Last edited by dcvee; 08-03-2017 at 06:45 AM.
Member
NT01s over RA1 or R888/R888R. I'm not convinced the NT01 is faster than either, but they wear well and are usually cheaper than the Toyos. If you need a wet, get an RA1 and use them only in the wet.
Also look at Maxxis RC-1s. In canada they are $200 less per set in the size I run on my racecar. They look like full slicks but the wear and grip is more along the lines of a treaded rcomp.
Last edited by Crustashio; 08-03-2017 at 07:17 AM.
Senior Member
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Cool that you moved into a caged E36 after a track "incident". It is unfortunate that it takes having a crash or worse - getting hurt - to get people to move into a dedicated caged track car, but that's usually the way it goes. I am guilty of this myself...
As for wheel/tire combos I am another that recommends the 17x9" wheel and 255/40/17 tire. That should fit with some camber up front and just rolled rear fenders. Biggest tire you can safely add to this chassis without flares.
This is a 255/40/17 on a 17x9.5" wheel square. This wheel was custom but 17x9 is easy to find
What are people calling "slicks" these days, I wonder? Not dedicated radial racing slicks, as very few racers actually run those. Mostly its R-compound DOT radials like Hoosiers, BFG R1, KumhoV710, etc. I am not a fan of Toyo or Nitto or Maxxis or other cheap pseudo R-compound tires.
These Toyo/Nitto/Maxxis what what I call a "2nd tier" R-compound. They wear like an R but they have the grip of a good 200 treadwear tire. I'd put a Bridgestone RE71R up head-to-head against those 2nd tier R-compounds for speed and even wear. Toyo has to buy their way into Spec series to get seen on race cars. But cost is usually the driving factor for the 2nd tier tires, not speed/competitiveness, and the budget HPDE folks flock to these tires.
I'm not here to defend the advantages of Hoosier R7 or A7 tires, I just know how many races I've won and track records I've set on these tires - and how I've not lost to racers on the 2nd tier stuff. And Hoosier's contingency is pretty good, too. "You get what you pay for"
Cheers,
Terry Fair @ Vorshlag Motorsports
Member
Yeah. Slicks are better than 2nd tier tires.
Don
Member
Please define 'better'. (Seriously). Understanding that they can provide faster lap times.
Member
Better for the money? More fun? We are talking about an HPDE, not a racing series where tire contingency and lap times are paramount unless I missed something in the OP. I will go back and rescan...
I pass plenty of folks running slicks with my second tier tires while spending 80 bucks a day on rubber.
Member
Geez. Guys. Sarcasm.
Don
- - - Updated - - -
So you're the guy passing everyone on slicks? Damn. I've heard about you. There seems to be 2 groups in HPDE "racing". Those that pass everyone when they're on slicks and those that get passed ONLY because they're on 2nd tier tires.
Don
Member
I need smiley faces!!!!
Member
LOL!! Sorry, I'm very not good with communication!!
Don
Member
NT01s are such great HPDE tires because they're so consistent and easy to live with. They're consistent over a lap, over a session, over a day, over their life. They're not very picky about pressures or heat cycles or temperatures. They're not the fastest, but they're fast enough to hang in top groups where you need something more than a street tire to keep up with the joneses and they wear very well for their pace. RE71Rs might be a tick faster for a lap, but they don't tolerate heat well and will grease up. They also wear faster than NT01s.
The biggest problem with them is that they've made me lazy and now that i'm doing TTs on R1-Ss i'm like, "wtf, i have to care about all this shit? Gah".
Member
Yep, that's me :-). Why invest in more expensive equipment if you are already fastest?
Member
I hear ya
Don
Member
Damnit. Have you been Google searching me again? Any recs on a 3rd tier tire for next season? Thinking Nexen but open to any all season really....I hear ya
Don
Member
LOL! NP, I ran a 500whp e36M3 7 years ago as my track car. Had a gang of hipsters pushing their helmet hair around come up on me after a session at Summit Point Main. They all huddled mid-car and pointed to my RA-1's and almost in unison said, "HE'S ON TRACK TIRES"!! Satisfied, the group then retreated to their own cars...none of them noticing the large intercooler behind the front bumper that was responsible for the uneven tans their left arms were getting that weekend.
Don
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