Brake ducts, tires in 18s and other track prep goodes

[boro92]

Hi guys,

I'm new in these parts. I'm > this < close to buying a Boss 302. Always liked the car, but now am wondering about things that will affect me and my use of the car. The car, as with many of you, will be used as a pure "toy" car. It's primary function in the summer will be track use.

I wanted to first inquire about the brake ducts. In my experience (currently: E36 M3 track car), ducts will not work in street use, as you cannot get close to lock to lock without the tire contacting the duct work. Because the 302 for me would be a dual purpose car, would this also be the case? Looking at the under body shots, it looks almost as if Ford designed it to work with duct work, and that the ducts can be secured far enough away from tire contact. I just want to know if this is true or not. Otherwise, I'll just do what I usually do -- disconnect the ducts when I'm in the streets. But of course, I'd prefer not to!

RE: Tires. Looks like the Boss uses some relatively odd sizes. I compete in a street tire class locally, and wanted to know what kind of 18 rubber are people using? The usual suspects (Zii, RS3, R1R) don't seem to come in the appropriate sizing. Are most of you just sticking with 19s? I'm considering 18s due to the lower cost of tires...

Anyway, hope to hear back from you folks!

Cheers.

 

[cloud9]

Hey Boro welcome to BMO. Regarding your two specific questions:

1) No the brake ducts can be routed with plenty of clearance for street use. You can go full lock to lock without contacting them.

2) Many of us with staggered setups are running 305/650/18 rear and 285/645/18 front Conti or Pirelli takeoff slicks. Others are running 305/35/18 and 285/35/18 Nitto 555RIIs. The most popular square setups seem to be 275/(35 or 40)/18 Nitto NT-01 or Hoosier R6s. For street tires some guys are running the Hankook RS-3 or Ventus V12s. Do a search and you'll find some threads on that.

 

[boro92]

Hey Boro welcome to BMO. Regarding your two specific questions:

1) No the brake ducts can be routed with plenty of clearance for street use. You can go full lock to lock without contacting them.

2) Many of us with staggered setups are running 305/650/18 rear and 285/645/18 front Conti or Pirelli takeoff slicks. Others are running 305/35/18 and 285/35/18 Nitto 555RIIs. The most popular square setups seem to be 275/(35 or 40)/18 Nitto NT-01 or Hoosier R6s. For street tires some guys are running the Hankook RS-3 or Ventus V12s. Do a search and you'll find some threads on that.

Thanks, Cloud9! Good info here.

I'd prefer to stay away from V12s, but RS3's are a good option--infact, I'm perusing the thread on that now! Thank you! Also, excellent to know that duct work will clear for street use. That's a big game changer for a car of this weight. Superb

 

[PeteInCT]

+1 on what Gary said. I've found that the car seems a lot happier with 18"'s. I also run 305/35 and 285/35, so the smaller wheel + the shorter sidewall from stock up front get's you at least 3/4" lower up front. Add at least -2 degrees of camber and you've transformed the car a lot from stock as far as handling is concerned. I'm a big fan of the Nitto NT-555R-II's. Great wear and probably as sticky as you can get unless you go to a 60 wear rating slick like an R6. The good thing about the Nitto's is you can run them at least 22 to 24 heat cycles (assume 30 minute sessions) and they run well down to the cords, unlike the R6's that turn into rocks as they are heat cycled.

And YES, those brake ducts come in handy. Lastly, and I assume you know this, the stock pads need to go. Unless you are just starting out in the sport don't even try them on the track, you will burn through them in a day or so.

 

[VoodooBoss]

I just finished my first track day on RS3's and they were a huge improvement over the stock Pirelli's. I'm using the same 18" Enkei wheels that Gary, Pete and several other members use. For a street tire for the track the upcoming BFG Rival looks promising. Terry at Vorshlag is very familiar with the RS3 and got a chance to test the Rival. He thinks the Rival is better but they won't be available until June. They are also wider than the RS3.