LuckyCat wrote:Hi
looking at the discussion regarding wheels and tyres for the NC, I have come to the conclusion that the best aftermarket wheel / tyre combination would be 17x7 and 205/45 17 tyres. For the simple reasons that there has been a statement about the "fastest NC around Wakefield uses stock rims and R Spec tyres". So it's really about the look, and the rubber.
As wheels like Advans and Enkeis are lighter and have different offsets they would be classed as "performance enhancing modifications", yes or no?
And as these wheels don't seem to come in the +55 offset, just by adding the wheels puts me out of Class 3 and into Class 7 where there's probably a whole lot of fast NC beasties.
So I think I'm going to put off my mods until I can get some more track time.....with the standard car. But maybe a sports muffler anyway.
cheers
Chris
Correct the fastest NC around Wakefield is Chris Gough (MX-5 Racing) running the stock rims with Kumho V70a 205x45 R-Spec tyres. He has spent many laps, days & years testing and retesting and laps in the high 1:09s to low 1:10s. Part of his business is suppling race ready and prepared track and targa NC’s to time short people. The fastest Club members with modified road registered NCs are Ralph and myself running in the mid to high 1:10s. Ralph with 215x45x17s & 4.1:1 diff and myself with 225x45x16. The fastest stock NC is Julian with a 1:14.38, OEM tyres.
Chris, in your case you are far better off starting in the stock class where the only changes allowed are things like alignment, brake pad/fluid and tyres that aren’t R-Spec. This makes for very close times and the only real difference is the driver and it’s easy to see how you are performing compared to everyone else. As you learn the track you’ll find that you’ll be analysing each corner to work out how to go quicker and each braking point to see if you can go deeper.
Once you get to the pointy end of the standard class you can start thinking about mods. The biggest improvement in times isn’t a sports muffler but sway bars and R-Spec tyres. By choosing the 205x45 tyres you keep the weight down as well as the rolling diameter. Step up to a 215 and you’ll notice the difference (drop) in acceleration. Ralph dropped a second by fitting the 4.1 diff. Time improvement from then on is like a ‘J’ curve with x=cost and y=improvement. You can spend a lot and not get much out of it.
deanb90 wrote:I wouldn't consider a wheel a performance modification, it's all in the tyre.
put it this way, when I replaced me standard wheels for my 17x9 bbs wheels, I couldn't tell the difference in speed. it was prob there as they are heavier but I couldn't notice it. go with what you want, but put it this way, 17x7 has proven to be enough width for an nc.
Dean, FYI the stock rim weighs in at 7.7kg, your BBS weighs in at 9.3kg but that’s not the end of the weight story. You should also consider the weight of the tyre because a lighter tyre can offset a slightly heavier rim. Obviously the lightest rim / tyre combination is the best but then the quality of the tyre comes into play.
To give you an example, at one stage during my NC ownership I fitted some 215x45 Toyo T1Rs to the stock rims. All up they weighed 17.7kg. Now with 215x45 Michelin Pilot Super Sports the weight is 17.25kg. My 16x8” RX7 track wheels with 225x45 Kumho V70A’s weigh in a bit less at 17kgs.
You can easily check the weight of your tyres on Tirerack.com.
I’m looking forward to the NatMeet Wakefield track day where we are running street tyres (no R-Specs) to see what a modified NC can do. It will be interesting comparing the Michelins to the Kumho KU36s that some will be using. I just hope we can beat Julian’s stock time.
