Dinan wheels on the track

S62E39 · 21st June 2012, 05:38

I'm looking for some advice on my wheel and tire situation.

Current wheels and tires:
Track: I don't have any track wheels right now, but with 6+ track days/season, I'm considering getting some.

Street: I have very pricey, very light (18 lbs.), forged Dinan wheels on my E39 M5. They are 18x9 front, 18x9.5 rear. Tires are 275/35/18 front, 285/35/18 rear Pilot Super Sports, so I can't rotate. And the 285 width tires are close to $400 (275 are $280). The Dinan wheels are a total of 25 lbs. lighter than the stock E39 M5 wheels (!).

Option 1:
Track: Use the Dinan wheels, preferably with 275/35/18 tires all around. I'd like to rotate and reduce understeer. Also, 285 width tires are MUCH more expensive than 275. I have to think the forged light Dinan wheels mean better handling and durability on the track.

Street: Buy four 18x9.5 OEM M5 wheels and run a square 275 setup. This adds 25 lbs. of unsprung weight over my current street setup (care about suspension component life...). But I'll be able to rotate tires and won't have to pay $400 for each 285 in the rear.

Option 2 (Dinan staggered track, new square street):
Track: Use the Dinan wheels, but with the 275/285 tires if a square setup isn't possible/advisable.

Street: Same as above--buy four 18x9.5 OEM M5 wheels and run a square 275 setup. Again, significant added unsprung weight but benefits of rotating and not buying silly 285 tires.

Option 3 (new track, Dinan staggered street):
Track: Buy track wheels 18x9 all around, run 275 square setup. Track wheel suggestions welcome.

Street: Keep Dinan wheels and staggered 275/285 setup. No rotating and bite the bullet for $400 285 rears.

I drive on the street 99.5% of the time and am thinking it's a waste to use the Dinan wheels for the 0.5% I'm on the track. But they are super light and forged, so presumably very strong...that sounds like a really good track wheel. And I'd like to be able to rotate my street tires.

Ideal scenario would be my Pilot Super Sports standing up to track days without affecting regular driving comfort...any chance of that with a 4,000 pound car?

155plus · 18th August 2012, 19:01

You can check out the Empower wheels by D-force (sold by Turner and others) and definitely go square. The rotational value is greater than the additional 10 mm of surface area (275 versus 285).

I recommend going with dedicated track wheels and tires. Our cars are heavy and any street tire will take a beating on the track. Especially one that has been heat cycled many times. R compounds are designed for heat cycle resistance, and can be safely run down to the cord. And give you another level of grip especially for braking (in conjunction with track pads).

Dinan wheels are very pretty, keep them for street.

aznbo187 · 23rd August 2012, 02:21

I would look in to Apex wheels (ARC-8) or square stock wheels. Tracking a nice set of wheels is really pointless. You won't be fast enough to benefit the nth of a second you could possibly gain with your 25lb weight savings. I would save those for daily and get a cheaper set of wheels you can really trash on and not worry about hopping on a burn when apexing the corner.

RoundelM5 · 12th September 2012, 03:00

I ran Dinan wheels on street and a set of 4 OE 9.5" rears on track with 275/35-18 Dunlop Star Specs and then Hoosier R6 for 6 years. Wheel weight is certainly more than the Dinan's or a few other lightweight wheels but it's not noticeable on a 4K# car. The OE wheels are very strong (no sense risking destroying an expensive Dinan wheel that you can't easily replace WHEN you have an off). Side bonus was the 4 OE fronts I picked up are still used as my winter wheels.