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school me tire sizes grip handling square v staggered

3K views 9 replies 6 participants last post by  95silverM 
#1 ·
I've seen so many threads that have a lot of information on tires from brand to sizes and best results on X type of racing and most are usually about 1/4 dragging or 60-130 pulls or some form of straight line street/(mexico) racing, etc. I'm looking for the Ideal tire size that will give me grip (turbo m3) can be driven on street/track hpde type events and if caught in the rain wont send me flying into a wall while just trying to make it back the garage.
I have another set of wheels/tires for normal driving conditions but as my m3 isnt my daily driver and when pulled out will be spirited driving or track events when will i ever use these wheels? Which is why I decided to post this up. Below are the details of my current rims as well as questions additional questions.

Wheels: CCW LM20 18x9.5 18x11 for too long I've seen too many people use their classics for stanced cars (i'm one of these people except for using lm20s) and never seen anyone really use these wheels on the track. Whats the reason for this? If anyone can shine some light I'm totally open to learning something I didnt know and will consider another wheel if there's some logical reasoning behind it. Obviously this setup is staggered and seems not to be the recommended setup to run, THIS also arises many questions.

Staggered M3 v Square M3? What are the pros and cons of this for someone as myself considering my goals and type of driving the car will be subject to.

Thanks to anyone who takes the time to read my post and contribute useful information to this thread. My car is about to be built and I'm trying to pick up the right items first so this post will definitely be the deciding factor in my future purchase.
 
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#2 ·
Friction = (Coefficient of friction) x (Normal Force)

translates to:

Grip of your tires = (how sticky your tires are) x (how much force you are pressing down on the tire)

Also, the more pressure you put on rubber, the coefficient of friction drops very lightly. This is why if you have a lighter car or wider/taller tire, you get a little more grip, but the difference is small compared to the difference of tire compound.

You have a big heavy street car, so your best bet is probably going to be fitting the largest and stickiest tires you can inside your wheel wells. Your handling will then be tuned with your suspension and alignment. Your CCWs should be fine for both the application and their size.
 
#6 ·
So I've narrowed my search down to Toyo proxes R888 based on all the google searching (vette/mustang forums offer a lot of great input on tires btw) and now I'm left to decide sizing. Originally I was looking for 295/35 18s for my 18x11 wheel however, R888's only come in 295/30 OR 285/35 OR 305/30 I was a perfect fit finish without having to mod or bang at my baby with a mallet! Also theres a significant price between these sizes :confused: as well so I'm looking to for some insight on what size is the best bang for buck. Also what would be a proper size for the front wheel 18x9.5 based on which X rear size I go? I'm assuming theres certain staggered tire sizes that wont work properly and in return I'll have a horrible handing m3:bawling:
 
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