I'd really like to get a set for auto-x/track days. Anyone???

Thanks,
Randy

 

Someting like these are what you want, 15" light ( for the price )

http://www.jaydm.com/slipstream.htm

With these tires..

http://www.vulcantire.com/azenis_t.htm.

Or you can go with Real R compoud tires and lose your Street tire bonus...

 

Thanks. I called them, and unfortunately they only sell the 16 ina 7" and the 17 in a 7.5". Both are illegal. They do have the right offset however. I'd like to talk to the SCCA auto-x rules guru to find out if MINI made a 17x7 and a 16x6.5 if I could legally run a 16x7 as long as it has the right offset.

 

Randy,
Per SCCA Solo 2 rules...to qualify for a stock class you have to run a wheel that is within 25mm of a factory offered option wheel offset (ie - the offset of a 16x6.5 or 17x7 wheel for the COOPER S) as well as a factory offered size. Since a 16 x 7 size is not offered as an OEM wheel choice it is deemed illegal. Therefore your only choices for the COOPER S are 16x6.5 or 17x7 with the appropriate offset. Given that you are here in Colorado I would say get the proper size and offset as D Stock is very competitive here. I bet after running here in the region, based on your background, you'll want to go to Nationals. At Nationals, if you happen to trophy, you will get protested due to an incorrect wheel, and you will lose your trophy

 

Thanks again Mark. Is the 16 the hot ticket due to the effective lowering of the final drive, the weight, or what? I would think the smaller relative sidewall of the 17 would help with direct suspension transfer. By the way, the AK Tire guy in FL has the correct offset and width in a 16" SSR knockoff.

On a seperate but related note, if I were to get a tire for auto-x at a regional level, is there a street tire bonus (in which case I'd get the Azenis) or is there no difference in class with an R compound such as the Ecsta V700 or the new Hoosier?

Randy

 

The main benefits by going to 16s are primarily that they will be of lower weight and you will have more tire size options (R compound and street tire size width options). You will also gain a bit of final drive advantage. In Solo 2 the rule is usually get as much tire width as possible. With the MINI you can only got up to a 215-225 before you start dealing with rubbing issues.

As for tires, you can compete in any Solo 2 stock class on street tires if you want but R compound tires (Hoosiers, Kumhos) are the tires to beat. For STS you have to run a street tire and the tire to beat is the Falken Azenis. The COOPER S has not been cleared to run in STS but it might have a good chance given its small displacement. There are contingency awards for placing 1,2,3 at National or Pro Solo events but they are typically associated with R Compound tires (Hoosier and Kumho). There are no regional contingency programs.

All that said I plan to run Falken Azenis for my summer tire next year. Low cost, very grippy, and seem to last a while.

If you are considering running the Colorado Regional series next summer we should get everyone together who has an interest in competing in a MINI and get a discussion going around the class choices, what you can do/not do, etc. If we did this over the winter it would give everyone a chance to get prepped prior to the start of the season.

Mark

 

Mark,

That sounds like a great idea. Lets get that started and find out how many Ss we have interested. Is the Colorado Regional Series SCCA, or is it the new BMWCCA? I think I'm leaning toward the Kumhos then. Do you think they'll last for the entire season?

Randy

 

There are actually about three different series that run here along the Front Range. The Rocky Mountain Region SCCA (www.rmsolo.org), BMWCCA (www.rmcbmwcca.org), and the Porsche Club. If you wanted to you could autocross or road race EVERY weekend here in the summer...not to mention ice racing in the winter with these groups.

Personally I like the competition offered with the RM SCCA. There are almost a dozen Solo 2 and Pro Solo national champions that live and compete here so you can beat the learning opportunity or the competition. This past summer there was 12 event series supporting a season points system. Additionally there are numerous events (autocrosses) in the winter that are relaxed and fun since you aren't competiting for points. You often see people driving other cars during the winter just for fun.

As far as autocrossing is concerned I want to invite those with COOPERs to compete as well. The COOPER did very well in HS Stock this year and will likely continue in 2003. Come out and beat up on the Ford Focus, Civics, and other cars found in H Stock.

Hope this is helpful!

Mark

BTW - I'm moving this over to the Racing and Competition as it has a lot of useful autocross and road racing information in it.

 

Mark,

Would my best autocross option be the local BMWCCA? I really like the lowered stance of the car, and as I understand it springs are a big no no for SCCA stock classes. I would actually like to go to coilovers or springs/aftermarket struts (Koni/Bilstein) when those are available. As I gather, under the BMWCCA system of assigning points for particular mods, I could still do some suspension changes while remaining in a stock class. Since I'm just starting out, and nationals aren't really in my sights, do you think of the local options BMWCCA is the right place for me to focus on next year?

Thanks for your advice in advance.

 

Dave,
You can definitely run in the BMWCCA series and it is a little more laid back...and you'll get more runs. That said I'm working on something that might generate your interest in running in the SCCA series as well. I'll provide more info in late November if I can get it worked out. Thanks and stay tuned!

Mark D

 

Ok, well you have my interest. I'm hoping what ever it is you have up your sleave turns out well. :smile: