Autocross

[bruce0293]

Gents,

First lets get this out of the way,,,, I took delivery yesterday after a longgggg wait having placed an order back in May to a small dealership, and friend. Jerry Taylor Ford (Dan and Ryan, father and son owners) in Grove City, PA.

I traded a 2011 C6 GS (reluctantly as it was a big bang for the buck car, and handled GREAT!! ) but felt it prudent to let it go. I very successfully autocrossed it (not bragging, just stating, and had done the same prior with an S2000 for several years) and plan on doing the same with the GT350. I checked with an autocross friend, and he stated the GT350 will be in AS, and the R in SS. I think I may run in the street tire class initially, but may opt for R compounds and run in SS?

1) That being said, I'm wondering how big a tire will fit on the front and rear wit hthe standard 10.5" and 11" wheels, and clear the body panels. I'd like to try??? to fit 325's on the rear, and maybe 315's on front, if possible. It may pinch the tires ever so slightly, but I want to maximize the foot print. Does anyone have any educated thoughts?

2) What is the maximum camber we can get front and rear with factory suspension parts, no after market camber plates?

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[xt6wagon]

If you look at the photos its pretty much maxed out right now. They also have a slight stretch on the tire for responsiveness which you would lose with a wider tire.

Good news is GT350R diameter tires are far more common than GT350 and open up more fender clearence .

 

[GT_Dave]

2) What is the maximum camber we can get front and rear with factory suspension parts, no after market camber plates?

There is an insert in the owners manual packet with Fords recommendations for suspension adjustments if you're going to track your car.
They show 1.5 degrees for the GT350 and 1.75 degrees for the GT350R in the front and 1.00 / 1.25 in the rear. I would expect that you could push that a bit along with the toe in adjustment.

 

[FTD]

If solely for autox, I think you're going to want more camber in the front than Ford recommends.

Good autox tires aren't made in sizes larger than 305; that might change next year due to the Pony car classes.

The GT350 wasn't classed in SSR, so if you want R compounds you'll be in ASP. You could petition them to be included in SSR, but as of now they are not.

 

[bruce0293]

Thanks for the correction Chad, I just assumed the R compounds would bump it into SSR? I'm likely going to run in AS, with either a second set of super sports, or if available, some RE071R's, or the Rivals. Last year they were nearly impossible to get, and if memory serves me there were no 19's available??? I'll do some research and see what I can find???

ON camber, I am guessing know one knows as of yet, but I am going to try and see if I can get over -2 up front as a starter. For reference, the corvette had -2.7, and with that turned is very well. I too drove it on the street with no issues.

 

[nastang87xx]

The GT350 wasn't classed in SSR, so if you want R compounds you'll be in ASP. You could petition them to be included in SSR, but as of now they are not.

Not sure why'd we want to do that either. We'd get our asses handed to us. I'm still not sure how the car will fair in AS for that matter either. Lets get real: a 3300lb C6 Grand Sport is a pretty nimble machine especially on good tires. And of course the cheater car, the S2000 C/R. Those bastards... :cheers:



OP, I plan on running lighter wheels and stickier tires. Hopefully the RE71R's will come in a 305/30-19. If not, I will be running RE11's in 305/30-19 front and I'm going to do my homework to see if a 325/30-19 will work out back. Otherwise I'm going to square off at 305/30-19 all around and just deal with it. I also plan on running front caster camber plates and just maxing the shizz; full caster and full camber (my guess is typical maxed camber will be -2.5). I'm going to start there and see what happens.

In the future, I'd be interested in a lighter driveshaft for sure, rear seat delete (but that'll put us into XP I believe), and eventually a bump in power. You can get used to anything so...why not?!

 

[nastang87xx]

I'm likely going to run in AS, with either a second set of super sports, or if available, some RE071R's, or the Rivals. Last year they were nearly impossible to get, and if memory serves me there were no 19's available??? I'll do some research and see what I can find???

Unfortunately Rival S's don't come in a size that will work for us. Very much a shame because I like that tire.

 

[nastang87xx]

If you look at the photos its pretty much maxed out right now. They also have a slight stretch on the tire for responsiveness which you would lose with a wider tire.

Good news is GT350R diameter tires are far more common than GT350 and open up more fender clearence .

I'm sure a wheel manufacturer could work something out to get a 325 out back. The biggest issue I see is actually clearing the rear suspension parts, not the fender.

 

[bruce0293]

nastang87xx, I agree with your tire sizes, and the point as to how the GT350 will fair against the GS. Then why the switch? I love what Ford has done maximizing the S550 platform, taking things as far as they could, and mostly for the efforts in the motor, I simply had to have one!!!!!!

I love to win, however it too is a sport to go have some spirited fun and poke fun at each other. There are the nut cases who buy a ringer car solely for PAX indexing, etc, or are less than humble if they don't win. If you autox, then you know what I'm talking about. Most people are very nice!


I think that if the 315's will fit, then 325 should in the super sports. HOWEVER some of the tire manufacturers, must throw the sizes out the window on the sticky type tires, as the section and overall widths are much wider than the OEM tires. I'm unclear as to how the RE-11's sections and tread width compare? It is a shame Bridgestone doesn't make the RE071R, in our size! I too am unsure if the Re-11's are a better tire than the Super Sports? I would appreciate any knowledge you gain in tires/wheels, camber, etc.

FYI: you can't add camber plates and run in stock class.

PS: mine is race red track pack, no stripes. The red, stands out!

 

[FTD]

I was told by a Bridgestone Rep at a national event last Summer that they plan to make a 305/30/19 size RE71R this year. Rivals could make a size too, they are favored by the Chevy crowd.

 

[nastang87xx]

FYI: you can't add camber plates and run in stock class.

No??? Doh! I thought that was a free allowance.

The RE11 ' s will outperform the Super Sports but it is a two generation old tire unfortunately. But beggars can't be choosers.

 

[nastang87xx]

I was told by a Bridgestone Rep at a national event last Summer that they plan to make a 305/30/19 size RE71R this year. Rivals could make a size too, they are favored by the Chevy crowd.

Do you know when they plan on releasing it?

 

[FTD]

Do you know when they plan on releasing it?

New tires/sizes usually come out in March or April. Just a guess, I wasn't told anything more than this year.

 

[boardkat]

Do you know when they plan on releasing it?

8/1/2016 - and if you don't already have a preorder in, chances are you won't be getting a set from the first shipment if their availability is anything like the previous allocations of new in-demand sizes. i personally know more than a handful of people in FS (last gen camaro, E9x M3) picking sets up before nats in september. it's also expected to be a popular size for people running in CAM/Optima events. for completeness, here's the full list of new RE-71R sizes being released in 2016:

265/45R18 3/1
235/45R18 3/1
245/35R20 3/1
235/40R19 3/1
265/40R19 3/1
195/50R15 3/1
285/30R18 7/24
255/40R20 8/1
295/30R20 8/1
285/35R20 8/1
305/30R19 8/1

 

[FTD]

Bah, by August Ill be on my third set of tires.

Thanks for the update boardkat

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