17x9 or 18x9 for track?

17 inch wheels are awesome for the track and street in general. My favorite thing about 17's is how light they are and but more importantly, how much cheaper the tires are for them. Often there are sales on 17" tires. 225/45-17 tires for example are dirt cheap so you can go to the track as much as you want and not worry about tires being a huge factor in terms of pricing.

You are just working on driving skill anyway, and you aren't racing against the clock, so why would you want anything more than the combination of performance and cost that 17" wheels offer?

Also, if you are interested in 17x9 wheels for the street and track, then I could help you out.

Originally Posted by mkodama

My favorite thing about 17's is how light they are and but more importantly, how much cheaper the tires are for them.

$63 per tire for Dunlop Z1s between 255/40R17 and 255/35R18. That's about $250 per set.

According to tire rack, the 18's are 1 lb lighter than the 17's.

For me, it just comes down to cost. I don't make any money if I beat everyone around the track. So its 17s for me.

OP,

if you end up going with 17 x 9 wheels, i have very good condition "take offs" BFG
COMP R1 race tires that have a lot of life left in them. 245 / 40 / 17
50 cents on the dollar + shipping

Hey fellas,

Sorry I haven't posted back in a while. I've since moved my AST 4100s over with the Vorshlag camber plates. I've got my new UUC shift kit in and I've got Dunlop SS 275/35/18s all around with D-Force 18X9.5 wheels. I've got a 15mm spacer in the rears. I'm officially a track junky just itching to get my next fix. I finally put on PFC 06 brake pads on the car (OH WOW what a difference). I did this finally after smoking a brand new set of brake pads out at MSR. Now no brake fade ahhhhh. I may upgrade rotors in the near future.

I started posting in the 2 minute 5-6 second times consistently at TWS (CCW) in the last two HPDE sessions (thanks to following one of my instructors in his E36 M3 hey Jeff). I'm working on smoooooth and safe, not focused on times but time does help me with reference.

I'm starting to think I should have gone with 18X10 wheels now just to fit 285/30/18s on the car. Tirerack specs show the AD08 in this size are only 27lbs vs the Dunlop SS 275/35/18s which are 31. I know I have room in the rear. I'm pretty sure I can squeeze them in the front as well.

Next mods are welded in roll bar, seats and harness, header back exhaust (still debating what to buy here), CAI and software.

Damn this is addictive.

any updates defjam?
you said you wish you went 18x10 so that you can run 285's, but I think you can still run 285's with your 9.5" wheels. I ran that combo on my rx7 for 2 seasons with no issues (rx7 weighs a lot less i know).