Toyo R1R

The Toyos treated me well and were fast on my STS and STR Miatas, so I bought a pair of short tires just for use in the rear.  Better gearing and they put down power very well.  Also good in the wet and cold.  Ultimate speed in second gear is calculated to be 58.6 mph with this size tire.  Full tread; not shaved.  A-B testing with the 225 Dunlop will hopefully take place at the next Qualcomm autocross on March 16th. 

23 1/8" tall and 37.6 lbs.

205/45-16 Toyo R1R on 16x7 +50 Sport Edition F7 wheels from the TireRack.

Dunlop ZII

   My first chance to drive Dunlops on a car that I actually own.  225/45-16 on the cheezy looking silver wheels.  Started with higher air pressures 35F/32R and worked my way down to 30F/27R.  The tires got quite warm during my four run heat and I did not have water to try to cool them down. Got a little greasy on my last couple of runs but nothing serious.  More predictable, sharper, and precise than my previous BFG Rivals.

The TireTail worked okay, but I only carried two wheels on it because I am worried about side loads on the hitch receiver.  I plan to use the factory bumper mounted tie-down hook with a turnbuckle (or similar) to eliminate any sideways rocking.

Local B-Street competition is mostly comprised of leftover RTR cars from last year with a few oddballs or novices in the mix. Nationally, a large diverse class could easily take a year or two to develop. 

February 16th Autox Results

Sweet Sixteen

   CS1 Sport Edition brand wheels sold by the TireRack look good and are the correct size.  17.5 lbs. per wheel and over 41 lbs. total including the Dunlop DII tires.

Tire size is 225/45-16 and stand 23 3/4" tall mounted on the 7" wide wheels.  Offset is +53.

As per the SCCA rules for B-Strret, the +/-1" allowance makes this shorter wheel combination a good way to lower the gearing and reduce the center of gravity.  A full inch shorter than my current 17" Rivals, second gear should top out at 60 mph.

Some of you may be asking why I don't just use the 215/40-17 Dunlop, which has a nearly identical O.D. of 23.8" and fits my existing lightweight Kosei wheels.  The 215 size is proven and I actually have seat time on this specific size and it does work well. An extra 10mm of width and a cheaper price are my primary reasons for the 16" tires, however I also plan to use the Toyos in a 205/45-16 size so the smaller wheels were already on my shopping list.

But wait...  The current R1R Toyos are 140 TW and will not be legal in 2015.   Correct, and I will cross that bridge when the time comes.  In the meantime, I need to find the combination that makes my car as fast as possible and try to prove the MSR's competitiveness in B-Street.   

Welcome to 2014 and B-Street

  A few local events keep me busy while I make plans to make the MS-R more competitive in the new B-Street class.  I purchased and installed a Hard Dog hidden trailer hitch and got a used TireTail that will make transporting wheels much easier and reduce wear and limit heat cycles on my competition tires.  This should help with my ultimate plan to lower the gearing and increase traction by using a mixed combination of shorter 16" Dunlops and Toyos.  Waiting around for some used or cheap wheels to become available but I am running out of time - difficult to find the correct offset and bore size in a 16x7 wheel that is both lightweight and priced well.  17.5 lbs. @ $89 each from the TireRack may have to do.

First official event in B-Street at out local Qualcomm Stadium. 





Season ending event in RTR on November 19th was a wet one at the Q.