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04-19-2016LAST POST
I know there have been a number of discussions already but I do need some advice...

The car has just got ESS-650, so additional changes/improvements were needed.
- Ohlins R&T has been ordered, waiting for delivery
- AP racing BBK radical 370/380 is very likely to be purchased soon

The major issue I have now is choosing the right wheels for the above configuration.

What I expect from the wheels choice:
- to have excellent dry grip being wide enough at the rear to cope with ESS 650. proper accelaration is a must
- the car is a purely weekend toy for summer time so everyday driveability is not needed an issue. Wet grip is not needed as I will not drive the car at rainy days at all
- the car is sometimes used as a track tool to improve driving skills, so I do want to have it balanced properly
- I just love the ZCP rims look and thus not really interested in any other altrenatives like Volk Rays or HRE. I have OEM 220 styling now which will be very likely changed to ZCP rims.


I did quite a search some time in the past and having looked through different tire tests and threads on this forum came to the following options:


Tire model:
I was choosing between the below in the order of preference:
1) Michelin Sport Cup 2
2) Yokohama AD08R
3) Michelin PSS

Tire width:
- 265/30/19 and 295/30/19 combo seemed to be fitting the ZCP wheels and some people, who tracked their cars reported no problems at all
- I undrstand that the better fit for ZCP should have been 255/35/19 & 285/30/19 as the GTS size. But as we all know 285/30/19 has a very poor tire selection. There is no PSS, Cup 2 or AD08R in this size.


As a result I ordered Michelin PS Cup 2 - 265/30/19 + 295/30/19 and tried to mount them on my friend's ZCP rims before placing an order for ZCP.
I was like 99% sure that everything will be perfect. When 265/30/19 were mounted on the front 9' ZCP I was absolutely happy. When 295/30/19 were mounted on the rear ZCP being 10' wide the visual result was embarrassing.
For some reason the 295 Cup2 looked too big for the rim.

Maybe I don't have experience with the Cup2, which sidewall is more roundish, than PSS and AD08R. But the person from the tire shop said it didn't look good and he was not recommending those to be
I know there have been a number of discussions already but I do need some advice...

The car has just got ESS-650, so additional changes/improvements were needed.
- Ohlins R&T has been ordered, waiting for delivery
- AP racing BBK radical 370/380 is very likely to be purchased soon

The major issue I have now is choosing the right wheels for the above configuration.

What I expect from the wheels choice:
- to have excellent dry grip being wide enough at the rear to cope with ESS 650. proper accelaration is a must
- the car is a purely weekend toy for summer time so everyday driveability is not needed an issue. Wet grip is not needed as I will not drive the car at rainy days at all
- the car is sometimes used as a track tool to improve driving skills, so I do want to have it balanced properly
- I just love the ZCP rims look and thus not really interested in any other altrenatives like Volk Rays or HRE. I have OEM 220 styling now which will be very likely changed to ZCP rims.


I did quite a search some time in the past and having looked through different tire tests and threads on this forum came to the following options:


Tire model:
I was choosing between the below in the order of preference:
1) Michelin Sport Cup 2
2) Yokohama AD08R
3) Michelin PSS

Tire width:
- 265/30/19 and 295/30/19 combo seemed to be fitting the ZCP wheels and some people, who tracked their cars reported no problems at all
- I undrstand that the better fit for ZCP should have been 255/35/19 & 285/30/19 as the GTS size. But as we all know 285/30/19 has a very poor tire selection. There is no PSS, Cup 2 or AD08R in this size.


As a result I ordered Michelin PS Cup 2 - 265/30/19 + 295/30/19 and tried to mount them on my friend's ZCP rims before placing an order for ZCP.
I was like 99% sure that everything will be perfect. When 265/30/19 were mounted on the front 9' ZCP I was absolutely happy. When 295/30/19 were mounted on the rear ZCP being 10' wide the visual result was embarrassing.
For some reason the 295 Cup 2 looked too big for the 10' wide rim.

I understand that Cup2 have by far more roundish sidewall than PSS or AD08 and maybe it is OK if it looks like that, but the person from the tire shop said it didn't look good and his reccomedation was to either have a wider rim or a narrower tire.

It all is strange to me as from a number of topics on this forum with photos many people were absolutely fine having rear ZCP with 295/30/19 both PSS and Yokohama AD08R, which is even wider than Michelins:

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showpost.php?p=19573401&postcount=5

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showpost.php?p=15215156&postcount=17

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1081586&highlight=Biggest+tire+on+zcp


For those who spent time having read in ful the above my questions are:

1) Does anybody have experience with CUP2 295/30/19 mounted on rear ZCP rims? Is its roundish sidewall shape absolutely ok or is this a problem?

2) If CUP2 is wider than PSS and AD08 which way would you go, 295/30/19 PSS or AD08R for the 10' ZCP rim to be safe running it on the track pushing hard as well as do roll-on competitions at high speed?

3) If for any reason the alternative option like 255/35/19 & 275/35/19 is the way to go please post your answers. But I guess 275 is not enough to have proper grip for ess-650 while accelerating.



Thanks in advance for all your help!
AD08R's have been great on my car with the 625 kit and, as you've linked, they fit pretty nicely on a modestly lowered car. Probably could have squeezed in 275's in the front but didn't want to risk it.

Anyway, if you want maximum summer grip and don't car about driving in cold weather or rain Toyo R888's are probably your best bet. They come in 265 and 295 but they have more of a rounded sidewall than the AD08R's.

Either way, PSS's will not provide as extreme dry grip as the other options but will perform better in cooler weather and in the rain.
Just an update.

I tried to mount today the PSS 295/30/19 on the rear ZCP rim 10' and it was jut perfect. No copmarison to how cup 2 of the same size was sitting on it. So my conclusion and a pice of advice is: DO NOT try to mount 295/30/19 Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 on the rim 10' wide, rear ZCP rim as an example, those WILL NOT fit!


Now the only question that I have: should I go with the PSS or AD08R as per my criteria?

It is very likely that for roll-on racing and street driving I'll have a set of PSS 265/295 combo and will buy a separate dedicated set for track days being square 275/30/19 AD08R or Michelin Cup 2.
I have 265 cup 2s on my zcps front and rear (square set) and i can't believe how wide they are. They seem to be wider than the 275 RE11s i had on my apex which were the same width. PSC2s run incredibly wide.
How are the PSS 295/30/19 rears doing on the ZCP wheels as far as grip goes? I'll be coming from 265/35/19 PSS's and the grip is lacking.
BrewRifle wrote
How are the PSS 295/30/19 rears doing on the ZCP wheels as far as grip goes? I'll be coming from 265/35/19 PSS's and the grip is lacking.
295/30 will be for sure better than the 265/35 :)
But don't forget to change the front to wider tire as well, say 275/30 or at least 265/30
BrewRifle wrote
How are the PSS 295/30/19 rears doing on the ZCP wheels as far as grip goes? I'll be coming from 265/35/19 PSS's and the grip is lacking.
I'm not supercharged and haven't ever taken it to a track, but I run 275/295 PSS and it sure feels grippy :D

Attached image
jra85 wrote
I'm not supercharged and haven't ever taken it to a track, but I run 275/295 PSS and it sure feels grippy :D

Attached image
From the pic, I assume these are 275/30 and 295/30?

Any issues with the rear tire rubbing?
ASBSECU E93 wrote
From the pic, I assume these are 275/30 and 295/30?

Any issues with the rear tire rubbing?
Correct on the sizes. No audible rubbing, though when I first installed them I noticed a very slight wear line around the outer edge of the sidewall where it may have been rubbing the fender slightly. I never heard it though, and I haven't observed the wear line anymore.

More pics here if interested: http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=597947&page=2
Thread referenced by eatsleepboost in Most traction on ZCP 04-21-2018