roman944

a few friends are saying I should totally try my 944 in the auto-x; I've been to a few already, taking lots of pictures, watching cars go around

I'm kind of afraid of doing it because I have the worst luck and I'm afraid of breaking something, but it looks like so much fun!

in any case, they are saying I can go in novice class, drive a couple of times around, get a feel for it, and see if I like it / if it's for me

I wouldn't mind, but I have a little problem with my tires.

the front ones are 225/50/16 - and they rub if I have to make a 180 from stand still; rear ones are 225/60/16 (yes, the sames ones as on those 3/4 ton Chevy vans)

So I definetly want a smaller tire. Probably with less sidewall. Probably a summer tire. Obviously I don't need auto-x slicks like Hoosiers or anything, but I definetly want a tire on which I could drive around town/freeway, and stop by to run a few circles on the Auto-X track.

So question I have for you guys is, for all you people with 16" wheels on a 944 that Auto-X your cars, what size tires do you have?

tdz

Hankook Ventus R-S2 (Z212) Tires 245/45/16 is a good high performance street tire that will survive in the rain for actual street use. Falcon RT615 is pretty much a dry only tire. I'm not sure about the Bridgestone. The 245 is a bit of a sqeeze on a 7" rim, but it works. The balance is better with the same size tires front and rear.

Now for the real problem. If your 225/50/16 is rubbing, something is wrong. Do you have the correct offset wheels? Is your camber off? You need to figure this out first.

The 245/45/16 is the same diameter as the 225/50/16, just wider. If you're rubbing now it will only get worse. But they shouldn't rub.

Tom

roman944

its not rubbing regular driving, its only rubbing when the wheel is turned to the side ALL the way and car is basically doing a 180 - and it barely does it at that

as far as I know there aren't any suspension modifications, except that the car has a rear sway bar (size = ???)

ritzblitz

A 205/45R16 Hankook R-S2 would work well. Your car will sit about .8" lower too but the speedo wont read correctly. When your speedo reads 60mph your actually doing 56mph.

roman944

hahah that would mean I am putting less miles on my car! oh wait, odometer doesn't work anyways

yah! lowering the car by going with smaller wheel and smaller tire! sounds like some VW owners I hang out with

lol, really, are there any other options?

can someone talk to me more about what's allowed and not allowed in the novice class? from what I keep hearing, I should love it; almost like this is what 944 was designed for - not too much power, but enough handling for it to go around the track very nicely

what about sidewall? I don't want stretch, but I don't want as much "flex" as the car has now! I'm sure this will improve the car's handling by itself a lot!

ritzblitz

You asked for a tire with less sidewall... So your gonna turn out vw with that.

Performance tires will have a stiffer sidewall.

roman944

yeah and I am guessing/hoping it will be better then what I have now

have you tried yours at the a-x?

M758

225/50 15 or 225/45 15.

Get some cheap 15" wheels. Most run $200 a set.

PedalFaster

There are no standardized novice class rules, but generally it's just run what you brung as long as it passes the safety check.

You're getting ahead of yourself with this thread. Don't buy new tires to go autocrossing -- just go. I guarantee that tires won't be what's holding you back your first time; buying new tires will just be a more expensive way to go slow.

roman944

like phone dials , ah damn

and if I wanted to use the 16" wheels I have now? I don't know, I will try to get a better/nicer/cleaner look of the car; some days I like them, other days I wish they were some other wheels

edit:
asking on 16" sizes because that is what I have; 205 is kind of small-ish isn't it? my audi has 215/50/16 tires

ritzblitz

It really depends on if you want any "ballooning" going on with your tires. 205 is pretty much a straight sidewall on a 7" wide wheel unless your sidewall is huge.

thewerxracing

Roman, I have to agree with...Just go!

If its your first event ever, go with your set-up right now, because you could hate every second of it (Extremely, unreal-ly, impossible) But anyway, you might not like it enough to dump money into it.

That being said, go with your current set-up and run in a Novice or Stock Class. Do not take the day as serious as the other people there, youre simply going to try it out. Run with a passenger (preferrably an experienced driver) and have them see what youre doing wrong. Have someone videotape you and the others in your class so you can see what your doing wrong when you get home. And keep in mind, youre there for fun.

Now, if you like it, finish out this season with your set-up. Run the tires you have until theyre toast. Then, if you like it enough to be willing to invest in the fun weekend sport, buy some upgrades.

When? Over the winter time. When your car is in the garage start tinkering with things that will get you on the podium for next season. Get the stickier tires, firm springs, and ceramic pads. This way, youll have a few events under your belt, and youll start next season with a more competitive car.

Browse around and see what upgrades you can use. Also, walk around the pits and see where others have spent. Chances are your competition has invested their money in A: Tires, B: Suspension, and C: Brakes. Notice, power comes last, mostly because more power in a NA944 means a much faster class, but also because it is worthless without control.

So, go. And treat the rest of this season as NOTHING but practice.

roman944

I want different sized tires regardless of whether I like auto-x or not though; these just aren't working out;

the other thing why I'm debating whether to do this or not, is because my car had no power steering from factory, so I'm not sure what to even expect

ritzblitz

Im confused with what you said about power steering...

There is no harm in buying new tires except you cant see how much better they are than your current ones.

TurboTommy

How wide are your wheels; that will determine to a big extent what tires you can run.
It gets to a point that a wider tire on a certain wheel width will not get you anymore traction (well, maybe in a straight line), or better handling.
And yeah, you should find out why your rubbing. Is your car too low, weak suspension, perhaps?