F40 - Slick or shaved tires for Track use

Alex:

Track time!! Very exciting! You'll have to let me have a go! When I tracked the F40 I used both street and slicks. The car was brilliant on slicks btw. It didn't suck on street tires either!

I believe I got the tires for the F40 and the Indycar from a local supplier (they also hooked me up with methanol as I recall). If you get hold of me, I'll dig up the name.

Ciao...........Dino

 

Tirerack sells Hoosiers at a reasonable price. Buy online. Shipped to you in a day or 2.
www.tirerack.com

Rick

 

I just need another F40!!

 

You're welcome. When I was open road racing I was having them shipped here every month. I just bought a set of Pilots for the F40. They should be here tomorrow. Hopefully the fresh rubber will help control all the new toque.
And because they are shipped from out of state you can save on sales tax too! Allow 2-3 days for shipping.
I find that having the tires road load balanced helps also.
Keep an eye out for shoulder seperation on the Hoosiers.

Rick

 

Rick:

I run pilots on my F40. VAST improvement over the Pirellis. Of course, I changed from 17" to 18" wheels at the same time, so that could also be affecting my increased grip.

I put a fresh set of Hoosiers on my 355F1 a few years back when I tracked it at Laguna Seca and enjoyed them immensely. Of course, being brand new I had to break them in with some nasty donuts in the pit/parking lot area. That was almost as fun as running on track.

SteveJ

 

I run 18" Hoosiers and 18" Pilots, I am very happy. I have been known to run the Hoosiers on the street, I just don't like it when it rains!

 

Tire Rack has always provided great service for me. When I lived in Northern California I'd have them heat cycle my race tires prior to shipment (hard to heat cycle a tire at Sears Point or Thunderhill in November!).

 

I am suprised that nobody has tried the Pilot Sport cup. An excellent tire on the F40 or a WRX STI. The best tire still has to be the BFG comp TA R1. It is a shame that they stopped making them.

 

In what sizes?

 

345/30/18 R 285 or 295/30/18 F. The fronts outlast the rears by 4 to 1

 

You can get a 295/30 on the front of an F40?

 

Yes Grasshopper you can even get a 295/35-18 on an F40 if you have the correct wheel. The problem is that you require custom front brake ducts and it is hard to get heat into the tires. BFG did not offer a 295/30-18 when they made the compT/A R-1. I had to use the 295/35 instead. If you lower the car too much the tire rubs the bottom of the hood(a minor inconvenience) I went back to the 285 just because I could never get the temp up on the 295. At the speed you like to run (I saw your crash in the corvette on TV) this tire would rub the inside of the hood(you would crash again). Rick, what wheel was on you car in the picture outside the eating establishment? What size are your speedline wheels in the picture?

 

You guys are a ball of information here. Glad to know that I am around people who know what there talking about.

all the best

 

All the F40 wheels I have are 10.5x18 front and 13x18 rear.
The Black or yellow ones you see are Speedline (see the warning decal) http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=74159
I believe the Silver wheels you see on the car are Enkie. They are Magnesium and made in Japan.
I am running a 265/35/18 on a 10.5x18 up front and only have about a finger width to the hood. I would love to run a 305 front tire because I have a new set of the old VRL Hoosier slicks and the rears are 345/690/18. A real nice tire to make those MPH I so love to run.

 

What I was refering to was the clearance issue. At the speeds that you intend to run, the downforce created would compress the suspension enough that the tires would be in constant contact with the underside of the hood. The silver wheels that you have are the same as my current two sets. They are SAC wheels, made in Japan. Where did you get them? The Speedline wheels are cast, the SAC are forged.