Does Higher Wear = More Grip? Treadwear Track Test Between Michelin, Goodyear and Toyo!

Toyo R888R 265/35/18 on BBS LM 18 x 10 +20 wheels

The only thing touching the road is the tire.  The right, or wrong tire effects handling, braking, and acceleration. In real life your tire is a compromise. A long life tire, generally will not last as long, and may have wet or noise compromises. 

UTQG tread wear ratings can play an important part in peoples tire purchase decision, especially for track day tires where the assumption is a lower treadwear means a grippier tire. To test this, I buy five popular tires, with treadwear 300, 220, 180 and 100 UTQG ratings, and test them on track to see if a lower treadwear rating really does mean more grip! The tires on test are the immensely popular: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S UTQG 300 AA A Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 180 AA A Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3 220 AA A Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3R 100 AA A Toyo R888R 100 AA A This was tested at the fastest track in North America, Nelson Ledges in Ohio, using a Chevrolet Camaro SS 1LE, which was a mighty impressive car!

Buy USA Legal R32, R33, and R34 Skylines at Importavehicle.com!

Lap times Pilot Sport 4S vs Eagle F1 Supercar 3R vs Toyo R888R

Index and Start Page

Read More

bluecar March 2021

With my son. Picture by Alvin Miles. Thanks Alvin. 

Its March 2021. Still working on the bluecar. Still tinkering with things.   Got some things coming up with it.  Still sorta prepping it to sell. The sooner I sell it, the sooner I can focus back on Nismo 500, and BB2.  

Nismo 500 has just been siting in the warehouse for more than a year. 

I did an update in February, so here is what has happened since then.   I filled it up with E85.  $2.49 per gallon with Vons discount.  79% ethanol by my ECB-1

Buy USA Legal R32, R33, and R34 Skylines at Importavehicle.com!
Index and Start Page

Ryobi 18v grinder taking the head off some allen hardware

More than that.  I replaced the rotor rings on the two piece front rotors. Racing Brakes had some rings in stock, and the car needed them. They had been run hard, and were showing those signs. The old hardware, allens didn't all come off that easy.  So took to the Ryobi 18v grinder to take the heads off. I really like this Ryobi grinder. Works much better than the Craftsman 19.2 that I have used a long time. The Craftsman never seem to last long on a charge, and always seem to stop/ not take much of a load.  At $45 to $70 the Ryobi is great if you have that line of cordless tools. 

Old Brembo hardware. These did not come out without a fight

Torqueing the hardware to 108 in/lbs or 9 ft-lbs

Racing Brakes Brembo/Stoptech replacement rotor ring installation guide

Rotor Ring (355x32) for Stoptech/Brembo BBK Replacement (Brembo P/N: 09.9306.11 &.21)

The Racing Brake 355 x 32 rotors with my aluminum hats weighed in at 18.96 lbs or 19 between friends. 

The Racing Brake locking hardware. They also don't use allen head bolts. So should be easier to remove after a lot of heat cycles. 

Rotor Ring (355x32) for Stoptech/Brembo BBK Replacement (Brembo P/N: 09.9306.11 &.21)

Testing some GMR 04 wheels on the bluecar

Huge caliper clearance with the GMR 04 wheels from VR Wheels

Don't worry with what is going on there. 

Toyo R88R 265-35-18

Interesting how the stackup changes mounted to un mounted. The R888R are 265. The RE71R are 275

R888R 265/35/18 on the left, RE71R 275/35/18 on the right

I removed the GK Tech uppers. I just wasn't that happy with them. The bearings in them aren't durable enough for me. The adjustment of them on car is pretty difficult.  The silver sliders are something I have had for a while. I forget who made them.  I was going to install them, but I think I am going to work on something else suspension wise for the front.  

Nismo upper mounts, and stock upper arm.  The bluecar also has the longer lower control arm from Nismo.  The OEM is 5mm shorter C-C. So this will give you more camber. It also widens the front track a little, something you want to help front grip. 

Put the Auto Select front radiator plate back on the car. I like this one, it covers everything in the front including the headlights. Air through things is important. Very important. 

ARC Grille Mount Oil cooler. In this car I run two oil coolers. It also has one mounted under the car. When I run a GT-R hard, I get the oil hot. 

Read More

18 x 10.5 +22 Wheels with Staggered Tires on a Nissan Skyline GT-R

18 x 10.5 +22 front and rear. 275/35/18 front and 295/30/18 rear tire

This would be a non standard setup for a Nissan Skyline GT-R. We generally don't like to see a staggered tire setup on an all wheel drive car.  This car is running a 18x 10.5 +22 wheel front and rear. The front and rear fenders are rolled. The car runs an adjustable upper control arm in the front and in the rear.  In the rear there is a lot of room, in the front not much room to the upright. Even some telltales of it making contact. 275/35/18 in the front, and a 295/30/18 in the back. The front tires/wheels already stick out further than we would like in the front, sorry we don't do the "poke." Terrible for aerodynamics, a look for kids and their Hondas. Adults try and keep the wheel and tire within the bodylines.

The smart thing for us to do on this car is to square it up with a 265/35 or a 275/35 tire. The 15 mm in diameter difference is more than we want to see with an all wheel drive car.

275/35-18	295/30-18	Difference
Diameter inches (mm)	25.58 (649.7)	24.97 (634.2)	-0.61 (-15.5) -2.4%
Width inches (mm)	10.83 (275)	11.61 (295)	0.79 (20) 7.3%
Circum. inches (mm)	80.36 (2041.09)	78.44 (1992.4)	-1.92 (-48.69) -2.4%
Sidewall Height inches (mm)	3.79 (96.25)	3.48 (88.5)	-0.31 (-7.75) -8.1%
Revolutions per mile (km)	788.47 (489.93)	807.74 (501.91)	19.27 (11.97) 2.4%

What wheels fit on my R32 Skyline GT-R?

Can I run different sized tires on my Nissan Skyline GT-R? 

So, can you do it?  The answer I like to give people is - NO.  The reason is because I don't want them to do something wrong, and screw up their transfer case or ATTESA system, and blame it on me.

The real answer is, if the overall heights/diameters are similar enough, you can get away with different sized front and rear wheels, tires, etc.

There are no specs in the R32 Service manual, but the R35 service manual says

Diameter difference front/rear
0-4 mm STOCK
4-8 mm OK
8mm- and greater NO GOOD

I have seen worn tires throw an ATTESA code. You could get a code running tire pressures way wacky ie 40 psi in 3 tires, and 20 psi in one.

Most often people try and do some kind of staggered setup, don't do the calculations before they purchase tires, and now end up with a 2wd Nissan Skyline GT-R.  Which may sound like fun, until you want/need the all wheel drive.   So always check the diameters, make sure before you buy anything.  The safe way is stay square. Lets you rotate the wheels and tires around the car.

Front 25.58 inches (649.7 mm tall) 10.83 inches (275 mm) wide

Rear 24.97 inches (634.2 mm) tall. 11.61 inches (295mm) wide

Buy USA Legal R32 Skylines at Importavehicle.com!
Buy-R.com for Nissan Skyline GT-R and GT-R parts.

Read More

What Wheels Fit My R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R?

BBS LM Wheels . 18 x 10 + 20 offset. 

Now that we are seeing more and more legally imported, over 25 year old JDM Nissan Skyline GT-R in the US, there are lots of questions.   One of the more common questions is : What wheels fit?  What will these wheels look like? What is the widest wheel that will fit? What is the most aggressive fit?

Volk TE37SL 18 x 9.5 +22

First question -  What do you do with your car? 

Is it a daily driver? Is it a weekend car? Is it a car you use at the drag strip? Do you use it on the road course?

Second question - What brakes are you running?

Brakes make a big difference in what wheel and tire will clear and fit.

Third question - What compromises are you willing to make? 

Everything is a compromise, which are you willing to make for look vs performance.

OEM R32 GT-R 16 inch wheels. 16 x 8 +30

Read More

Drag Radial vs Street Tyre - Motive Garage 650whp R32 GT-R

The Motive Garage R32 GT-R getting some on some 18" drag radials

Does a tire really make that much of a difference?  Andrew from Motive Garage wanted to put the old saying to the test, 0.1 in the 60 foot is worth 0.2 at the big end. Did he find out its true, or a myth?

Check out the video to find out.

Read More

16 Inch Tire Options for Stock R32 GT-R Wheels

NISMO R32 GT-R on stock 16 inch wheels. 

Do you have an R32 GT-R on stock wheels?  Not a lot of people keep the stock wheels, but if you are, and are looking for some performance tire options, what is out there?


Buy USA Legal R32 Skylines at Importavehicle.com!
Buy-R.com for Nissan Skyline GT-R and GT-R parts.

The stock wheels are a good OEM wheel. They aren't light, they are durable, and light enough.  16 inches by 8 inches wide, 30 offset.  Stock tires are a 225/50/16.  Can you run different sized tires front to back on a GT-R? Answer with why not here!

Skyline GT-R Wheel and Tire size

Size	Height
225/50/16 OEM R32 GT-R	24.86 in (631.4 mm)
125/90/16 OEM R32 GT-R spare	24.86 in (631.4 mm)
225/50/17 OEM Vspec	25.86 in (656.8 mm)
245/45/17 OEM Vspec II	25.68 in (652.3 mm)
245/45/17  OEM R33 GT-R	25.68 in (652.3 mm)
245/45/18 OEM R34 GT-R	26.68 in (677.7 mm)
145/70/17 OEM R34 spare	24.99 in (634.8 mm)
265/35/18 common GT-R size	25.3 in (642.7 mm)
275/35/18 less common GT-R size	25.58 in (649.7 mm)

Road course/track day/ street tires

Bridgestone RE-71R - 200 treadwear, but fast

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Bridgestone&tireModel=Potenza+RE-71R&sidewall=Blackwall&partnum=25VR6RE71R&tab=Sizes

SIZE	UTQG	MAX. LOAD	MAX. INFLATION PRESSURE	TREAD DEPTH	TIRE WEIGHT	RIM WIDTH RANGE	MEAS. RIM WIDTH	SECT. WIDTH	TREAD WIDTH	OVERALL DIAM.	REVS. PER MILE	COUNTRY OF ORIGIN*
225/50R16 92V SL	200 A A	1,389 lbs.	51 psi	8/32"	24 lbs.	6-8"	7"	9.2"	7.6"	24.9"	837	JP

Toyo R888 - 100 treadwear  

245/45/16 is 24.4 tall, which is 1.5 inches shorter. 

TIRE SIZE	LOAD / SPEED	LOAD ID	SIDEWALL	TREAD DEPTH(1/32")	PRODUCT CODE	APPROVED RIM WIDTH RANGE (IN.)	WEIGHT(LBS.)	TREAD WIDTH(IN.)	INFLATED OVERALL DIAMETER(IN.)	INFLATED OVERALL WIDTH(IN.)	STATIC LOADED RADIUS (IN.)	MAX LOAD(LBS.)	MAX PRESSURE(PSI)	UTQG	REVS PER MILE
195/50ZR16	84W	SL	BSW	6.4	168290	5.5-6.0-7.0	20	7.5	23.5	7.9	10.9	1102	51	100 AA A	883
205/55ZR16	90W	SL	BSW	6.3	168220	5.5-6.5-7.5	22	7.9	24.7	8.4	11.4	1323	51	100 AA A	840
225/45ZR16	89W	SL	BSW	6.3	168260	7.0-7.5-8.5	21	8.7	23.8	9.0	11.0	1279	51	100 AA A	872
225/50ZR16	92W	SL	BSW	6.3	168150	6.0-7.0-8.0	24	8.7	24.7	9.3	11.4	1389	51	100 AA A	840
245/45R16	94W	SL	BSW	6.3	168030	7.5-8.0-9.0	24	9.4	24.4	9.8	11.3	1477	51	100 AA A	850
255/50ZR16	99W	SL	BSW	6.4	168050	7.0-8.0-9.0	27	10.0	25.9	10.6	11.8	1709	51	100 AA A	803

Nitto has an NT01  100 treadwear

16''

245/50ZR16

371070

6.3

25.47

9.96

7.0-(7.5)-8.5

1609

@

51

We have used the Bridgestone RE-71R, the R888, and the NT01 on street/track cars. They are all fast and predictable tires. Our experience with the RE-71R is fairly limited, but extensive with the R888, and NT01. Both of them are very durable, and forgiving as a track day tire.  They won't last forever, don't overheat them, and they will treat you well. 

NISMO on 16 inch Mickey Thompson Drag Radials, and 18 inch R888. 

Read More