Wheel and Tire Dilemma - Need Advice/Insight on Current/Winter/Track Wheel and Tire setup.

[Optima]

Hey folks,

I'm in a bit of a dilemma. I currently have a set of 19" Neuspeed RSE102 Wheels in Bronze on my Golf R

I love the look. No rub with the fender screw mod. Problem is the Pilot Sport 4S tires are done and need to be replaced.

I currently have a set of 17" Audi wheels (unknown model) with some Winter tires that will last the season (bought used) - and they'll do for now. They barely clear the brakes. I'd like to sell them when the tires are done next summer and get a set of 18" wheels with Winter tires (don't really care about weight since no Track events) with a performance tire. Reason for this is I want to get a Big Brake Kit in the next year or two and I'll need an 18" wheel to clear it.

Problem is - I think I want a third set of wheels and tires for a dedicated Drag/AutoCross/HPDE/TrackDay setup. Obviously, tires wear faster and get chewed up when doing drag/autox/track events and cost can be a big factor in deciding between 18" and 19" and the widths and what not.

I'm not sure if I should turn my current 19" setup into the Trackday setup. Or get a 3rd set of wheels (18") to do the dedicated track setup. Obviously - weight and tires are the issue here.

Any advice from fellow trackday folks? What tires should I run here? Sizes/Brands/Wheels/Offsets/Widths/etc? Any input is appreciated!

 

[Crild]

should of posted in the tracking thread but ok. Nothing wrong with using 19's for tracking, tires might be a bit more expensive but the big question is how many days you will plan on doing per year. If its 6 or less I wouldn't waste the money getting yet another set of wheels. Plus your current wheels will clean any BBK you would want to get so thats a plus. My first season I ran the oem pretorias on stock tires and they did phenomenal. Keep in mind many cars out there run 20/21 setups on track and do just fine (porsche).

As a side note neuspeed 6 pot calipers on a 340mm rotor will fit under 17's if you wanted to keep your winters possibly.

 

[Visceral]

I agree with Crild... no need to dive into a third set of wheels if you are not going to become a dedicated track rat.