Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Autocross and Open Track Wheels

Originally posted by Kremithefrog:

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One day (not anytime soon), I want to buy a set of wheels/tires just for auto-xing or auto-x type stuff. I was thinking 14"s or even 13"s with low profiles. If I went with 14"s and 225/45 that would lower my car nearly 2". That would be OK, right?

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That won't create a problem. But as already mentioned front brake clearance may be a problem with 13's. They're 22" overall diameter vs 23.2" for a 195.60/14 stocker, so you've got 1.2" less diameter = 0.6" lower. Where you'll run into problems is sourcing performance tires and rims to fit. You may find you've got to go to 15" to get any reasonable choice and doing so would allow you to upgrade to SVT rotors (not all 15" rims will clear) if you wanted to latter.

Originally posted by Kremithefrog:

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Or would that mean I need an alignment (and alignment kit) everytime I want to run with low profile 14"s? I'm not worried about excessive tire wear, just stability of the car. So will the car stay stable like that,, or what?

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The alignment shouldn't change noticably, you may get a little more negative camber which will improve handling but it should be marginal and there is the posibility of a change in toe-in. You'll likely want to do an alignment around that time anyway, if you're looking at doing Auto-X'ing so I'd suggest that you make a deal with the shop that you buy your tires/rims from. Get the best price you can for them plus an alignment before committing to the deal, and then ask them if they'll also take an alignment reading (giving you a print-out) on your existing setup just before you put on the auto-x tires/rims for the full reading + alignment. This way you'll know if there are actually any changes and can make informed decisions from there. If there are differences then you can try to reach a compromise in your settings to minimize them.

Originally posted by Kremithefrog:

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I just want to know what is the best thing I can do with wheels and tire size for acceleration and handling. Thanks.

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What you're looking for is a compromise. You want the lightest package possible with the best grip available. Lighter weight will improve handling, acceleration and braking, but getting more traction means going to greater section width which typically means more weight, friction, and aerodynamic drag. You can also over-tire a car, putting too much tread on the ground to have it stick like glue but actually go a bit slower.
I run 215/45/17's on the street and 225/50/15's on the track. A 45 or 50 series would be nice but aren't available in the tires I want to run (Toyo RA-1) which are an excellent DOT legal race tire.

If you decide to go 15", one rim to consider is the 15x7 ASA LW5. It's $89 and one of the lighter rims available, at 14.4 pounds, without spending $200+ per rim.
The TireRack now posts wheel weights for many of their rims when you view them on your vehicle. The weight is listed about halfway down the left column right below the price.
http://www.tirerack.com/upgrade_garage/WheelSearch.jsp?changeColor=Toreador+Red&filterSize=15&filterFinish=&filterSpecial=Pricing&autoMake=Ford&autoModel=Contour&autoModClar=&autoYear=1998
Regards, Alan