I would think that the GT-500 wheels would do fine. The Ford Mustang Challenge runs on these wheels with(I think)255/45R-18 slicks. You can pick up take off wheels and F-1 Super Car Tires for approx 1500.00 online.
Best road racing wheel/tire combo for an S197
I'm looking to get a set of wheels/tires just for road racing and wanted to see if anyone has any recommendations for the S197. I was thinking of getting a set of the 18x9.5 FR500 or GT500 take offs but not sure if a racing slick would fit in the wheel well with 18's.
I've heard the Hoosier R compound is the way to go but anyone have a preference ? Bias or Radial ? Any good links ?
I've heard the Hoosier R compound is the way to go but anyone have a preference ? Bias or Radial ? Any good links ?
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I would think that the GT-500 wheels would do fine. The Ford Mustang Challenge runs on these wheels with(I think)255/45R-18 slicks. You can pick up take off wheels and F-1 Super Car Tires for approx 1500.00 online.
Appreciate that. That does look like a good tire and have seen some good reviews. I think I'd probably go with the 265/35 18.
Currently Available Prices and Sizes
I'll have to give the manufacturer a call and see what is the biggest size I can go with up front. I think the GT500 is a 255 up front but I know different manufacturer's tire sizes will vary.
On the take off wheels and tires, you can actually get them from buyfordracing.com website. They are only $999, but the tires are of no use to me so I'm just looking for a set of those rims for around $500.
Any other suggestions ? I'll update when I go with my final decision.
I ran 18x9.5" 00 Cobra R wheels with 295/30/18 Hoosier R6 tires & absolutely loved it! Very stable, never got "greasy" no matter how much heat they built up, & lasted several race weekends before the cords started peeking through.
I ran 18x9.5" 00 Cobra R wheels with 295/30/18 Hoosier R6 tires & absolutely loved it! Very stable, never got "greasy" no matter how much heat they built up, & lasted several race weekends before the cords started peeking through.
At first I didn't think those wheels would fit on the newer mustangs but the bolt pattern is the same. Learn something new every day! I might be wrong but I don't think the bigger brake packages would fit behind that wheel with it being a 22mm offset...
The wheels I was using were the FRPP original style R wheels with the 20mm offset. I have the template from Brembo for the GT500 brakes & have one of the FRPP wheels on the showroom. According to the template, they will clear!
Alright I have the 18x9.5 Steeda Pentars sitting in my living room right now(thank you Steeda Steve for an awesome deal) and got my finger on the trigger for BFG R1 275/35ZR's. This wheel/tire combination is going to be about 2 inches shorter than the 18" stock bullit/tire combo. (Shelby GT lowered 1.5 inches)
PLEASE if anyone thinks this is going to look funny or cause issues SPEAK OUT. These tires are not cheap, but most other R1 compounds are even more expensive :yup:
PLEASE if anyone thinks this is going to look funny or cause issues SPEAK OUT. These tires are not cheap, but most other R1 compounds are even more expensive :yup:
Ok just thought I'd update this thread. I got the Steeda Pentars with some 18/275/35 BFG R1 rubber and drove around a little bit. These things feel great. The difference is night and day. I really can't say how they compare to other R1 rubber, but I can't imagine it being any better. I looked it up and it appears due to the size of this wheel/tire, I am running like a 3:73 gear ratio. The rim/tire combo actually feels lighter than stock too. I can feel a difference in acceleration and it lowered the car just a little bit more. Most importantly now I can get my Brembo calipers/rotors in there. Very impressed!
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I see you already got some wheels. looks good. I just purchased a set of used Hoosier slicks from the fellow who sells used race rubber. Cant remember his name, but he advertises in Grassroots motorsport mag. I got the 275 35 18s that I had mounted on my alloy GT500 18s. These tires were used for about 10 laps for testing in the Koni challange series. There is still a bunch of good rubber on them. Should last me at least two track weekends. I paid $ 90 each so I hope they last that long. This is the first time I tried this route instead of buying a new DOT R rated tire, so I hope it works out. Next adventure is installing the 8pt roll bar I purchased. GA
I see you already got some wheels. looks good. I just purchased a set of used Hoosier slicks from the fellow who sells used race rubber. Cant remember his name, but he advertises in Grassroots motorsport mag. I got the 275 35 18s that I had mounted on my alloy GT500 18s. These tires were used for about 10 laps for testing in the Koni challange series. There is still a bunch of good rubber on them. Should last me at least two track weekends. I paid $ 90 each so I hope they last that long. This is the first time I tried this route instead of buying a new DOT R rated tire, so I hope it works out. Next adventure is installing the 8pt roll bar I purchased. GA
Rollbar is on the list. I'm looking at the chrome-moly ones from Wolfe right now. Which one did you go with ? I was thinking of a 6 point with swingouts. I just want to make sure I get one that either welds or bolts to the FRAME. I saw a video not too long ago of a S197 with a rollbar that landed on the roof and the roof collapsed because the rollbar's footing went through the floorpan. :nono:
I'll have to check out those used tires. That's like less than half of what I paid for new rubber.
yea, I saw that also... The car pancaked flat on its roof. Thats about the most severe accident a roll bar has to endure. I guess the builders just bolted the down tubes to the floor. If you go to corner-carvers.com they have a fellow there who built raised boxes off of the bulkheads on the sides of the car so he can bolt his bar to those. Lots of good picks and ideas there.
I got my kit from BD racing which advertises on Ebay. I am also going to make the forward bars removable cause my car is mostly a street car and I dont want to climb over them all the time. My idea right now is to weld some flat plate to the down tubes on each side. Im hoping to position the plate so it is flat along the bulkhead that the rear seat sits on. That is a structual member of the car, but Im not sure I can get behind it to run the bolts thru it and the flat plate. Its hard to describe but any verticle load put on the top of the roll bar will be run thru the thick bulkhead. I think 4, 3/8 grade 8 bolts on each side would be strong enough. Im going to have to wait until it gets a bit warmer cause I dont have heat in my garage and PA is pretty cold this time of year. Im also lazy and really dont want to do this, so I have to get in the right frame of mind to tear into the interior.
I only have a mig welder so I elected not to go with 4130. You should really tig that and then normalize it with a rosebud. Get the welds cherry red and let it cool. Thats hard to do in the car. Soon as I get going I'll post a bunch of pics. GA
I got my kit from BD racing which advertises on Ebay. I am also going to make the forward bars removable cause my car is mostly a street car and I dont want to climb over them all the time. My idea right now is to weld some flat plate to the down tubes on each side. Im hoping to position the plate so it is flat along the bulkhead that the rear seat sits on. That is a structual member of the car, but Im not sure I can get behind it to run the bolts thru it and the flat plate. Its hard to describe but any verticle load put on the top of the roll bar will be run thru the thick bulkhead. I think 4, 3/8 grade 8 bolts on each side would be strong enough. Im going to have to wait until it gets a bit warmer cause I dont have heat in my garage and PA is pretty cold this time of year. Im also lazy and really dont want to do this, so I have to get in the right frame of mind to tear into the interior.
I only have a mig welder so I elected not to go with 4130. You should really tig that and then normalize it with a rosebud. Get the welds cherry red and let it cool. Thats hard to do in the car. Soon as I get going I'll post a bunch of pics. GA
I've been running BFG R1's for a couple of years at Texas Motorsport Ranch. Love 'em. A hair less sticky than Hoosiers, but last way longer.
I am running the Steeda Pentar wheels with 275-40-18 Nitto NT01's. Good tire. My favorite tires so far have been the Toyo RA-1's. They last a really long time.
v710 ecsta did not see anyone list these
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