My goals for Project M3 evolved, as do most projects, over the past months. I initially wanted to build a moderately powered street car/weekend track car, and then I envisioned building a normally aspirated club racer, and finally I settled on a turbocharged speed demon, although not a full race car. It will, however, be run at various track events and time-trialing for some weekend fun.
To that end, I configured the car with a number of new items, beginning with the running gear.
Although I love the Fikse wheels fitted to the car, I wanted an additional set of wheels for the track so I could use track-specific tires. Again I wanted a set of lightweight, multi-piece forged wheels-and, yes, they had to be black. With its history of racing excellence in SCCA, Grand Am and American Le Mans, Forgeline wheels perfectly fit the description of true racing rims.
Forgeline offers both two- and three-piece wheels for street or racing, all made of high-strength forged 6061-T6 aluminum and featuring a true forged center-created by a 6,000-ton press-and aircraft-quality bolts. Forgeline also offers custom offsets, titanium bolts, custom center colors and polished or powder-coated finishes. For the true racer, Forgeline also offers center-lock wheels.
For track use, Project M3 sports Forgeline's WC3 three-piece wheels, which currently are offered only in 18-in. sizes-and I need 18s to clear the massive brakes. If you want a 17-in. wheel, Forgeline offers its sexy RS model (which I had initially chosen to go with before I made the big jump to 14-in. brakes).
In anticipation of using 245/35-18 race tires, I opted to go with a width of 8.5-in., which will also allow me, as I become more acquainted with the car, to try out some of the entry-level R-compound rubber offered as 225/40-18s. And although a staggered set would have made the most sense with the amount of torque from the turbocharged engine, I decided to go with the same size all the way around in order to be able to rotate the tires for maximum wear.
To clear the large Brembo calipers up front, I ordered a set of H&R's 5mm wheel spacers. Known for its wide range of performance suspension systems, H&R also offers spacers for almost any application. These vibration-free spacers are made from an aluminum/magnesium alloy and offer up to a 70% weight savings over steel spacers.
In order to avoid chewing up my S-03s on the track, I got hold of a set of Toyo Proxes RA1s for track testing. In Part 6 I tested these tires against the street Pirelli 7000s I was using earlier at Willow Springs Raceway, and the results were staggering. I was able to get an extra 5 mph per corner, and the braking grip was improved as well (see european car, 01/01).
The Toyo RA1's two-ply rayon casing construction and free-floating steel-cord side ply was designed to provide superior steering response and thermal stability. Additionally, Toyo engineers cooked up what it calls a Solution SBR compound, said to offer excellent wet and dry grip as well as uniform wear. These tires have an "A" rating in both traction and temperature and a treadwear rating of 40-they'll last you several track days, and you can drive them to and from the event if you reside within a few hundred miles.
The RA1s were mounted at Big O Tires in Colton, Calif., on a Hunter TC-3500 machine, good for wheel sizes up to 23-in. diameter.
Although I anticipate graduating to full slicks in the future, these RA1s are perfect as I get to know the car more on the track. They offer superior grip to any of the street tires out there but at the same time are very predictable-and their durability gives them a cost advantage over many of the other R-compound tires out there.