• Welcome to the Contour Enthusiasts Group, the best resource for the Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique.

    You can register to join the community.

High horsepower and wheel width

R

Randy Gunn

New CEG'er
Joined
Sep 7, 2003
Messages
12
Location
Round Rock, Tx
So "Track Contour Part I" never worked out and after a several year hiatus I've got another CSVT that I want to build as a track car. Specifically a NASA Time Trial car. While the build won't begin full bore 'til the end of this year or early next year, I'm getting familiar with all of the rules and deciding exactly which class to aim for. If I can nail down a class, then I can figure what the build will look like and keep my eye on any parts deals that start cropping up.

The fastest class that I see a Contour competing in allows me to bring ~370 whp to the game. Of all the logistical hurdles this entails, the one I'm immediately concerned about is getting enough tire on the car. Lurking around the NASA Time Trial site, I find that there is almost total agreement that tire compound trumps tire width. I get this but surely you have to get in the neighborhood of a certain width given your car's weight and horsepower levels.

-Where do you see that width being for a 370 whp CSVT?
-Is there a wheel size that supports this?

Thanks,
Randy
 
Unless u're going with forged engine internals, i would say don't do it. You'll pop it in 2-3 yrs. How do i know? Engine number 3 for me quite possibly has just given up. And in your case, since u'll be running it hard, i'd say you should pop it in about a year or less. If i'm not mistaken, there isn't a single turbo'd 3L that's consistently tracked on here. All tracked tours are N/A.
Now to answer your question; There isn't a wheel that fits that can support that kinda power. Not without significant improvement to your suspension/chasis. Being a FWD car n all...
 
I'll preface this by saying I haven't open tracked mine yet, but have built a few open track Mustangs.
My plan (if I do hit the track) is nothing more than about a 205/55/16 with a good R compound tire that is a slick (like a BFG R1). Keep in mind they tend to run physically wider than a street tire, plus you get a huge contact patch (usually more than double) compared to an equal width street tire.
I've run both BFG R1 and Continental's Extreme Contact R compounds and love the fact that you don't need much width at all. On my Mustangs, I went from 265/35/18 and 295/35/18 (front/rear) 'performance' street tires to a 255/35 all the way around (different rims) and gained much more lateral grip.

Whast brake set up are you planning on running? I'd get a wheel set up just big enough to clear that, then look into the wheel/tire combo that fits your driving style. You'll just have to learn to drive to the level the tire allows.
 
im putting 346 hp to the wheels on my SC3L. Im running 275's up front on 8" wheels. (needs to be on a 9" rim) previously i was running 245's on an 8" wheel when i was making only 300hp. it was good for that power range but i dont think the 245's would be enough for what im running now.

LilRoush, i ran 225's when the car was NA (200hp) and it wasnt enough to get traction, a 205 would just spin. all of these combinations have been on Hoosier A6 or R6's

so Randy if you plan on running 370hp youre going to need at least an 8" rim and 245 minimum
 
BAD SVT- yes, if I were to follow thru with a build for this particular class I would do full forged internals

LilRoush- I would probably go with the Cobra setup or similar

Jaged- Yowza...kinda what I was afraid of

I'm not ready to cry uncle just yet. I've got time and initiative (now I just need some of Josh's talent!) to try out a couple of things. There are plenty of well-attended classes where the CSVT can be made to be competitive for a hell of a lot cheaper than what I discussed above but there's just that gnawing appeal to go giant hunting in a l'il 'ol 4 door Contour. I'm sure you all know where I'm coming from. And I know.....there's a huge difference between giant hunting and giant slaying! I'm not down for getting my arse kicked just so I can say I'm running with the big dogs.
 
ive ran hoosiers on the 2.5, 3.0, sc3l, and built sc3l. 16" and 17', 6.5, 7.5, 8" wide. hope to go wider this year if $$ allows
 
im running a set of saleen mustang replicas. they are heavy (26lbs), but the price was right. i would suggest some team dynamics, i want to run rpf1's but im not seeing them in the size/offset i want so i may have to get them drilled.

also i will add to this, just had kuhmo 275's mounted on the 8" wheels this weekend and they are ballooning, where the hooisers did not. the hoosiers hang over the lip of the rim
 
theres not many people that run tires and wheels this wide and use them correctly so its good to get it out there. Ive never checked personally but if i understand things right the tour doesnt have as much clearance as the cougar does so it may take a bit of work/cutting to make things work for you
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top