Now that we have our steed in hand, it’s time to put a real plan into place to maximize our ability to finish and score well at One Lap–because to finish first, first you must finish.
That’s the beauty of the Tire Rack One Lap of America Presented by Grassroots Motorsports: With its no-limits rule set, its teams are constantly balancing pace with reliability. Running a car that is mostly stock gives you that built-in OE reliability–but you also have to rely on it. And not all cars are designed to be run on track every day for a week.
Fortunately, our 2023 Elantra N promises to do just that–not just from Hyundai’s marketing pitch but also according to existing customers. But just to make sure, we’ll be doing some basic maintenance during our prep: fluids, brakes, alignment.
[How to properly tech a used car for the track]
And while the stock brake pads should be sufficient to handle the short three-lap time trial stints, we’re looking to partner with a supplier of real track pads so we need not worry.
The only hard and fast prep rule for One Lap is the requirement of real street tires–200tw or better–sourced directly from Tire Rack. This keeps out any ringer rubber. Further, you only get one set to last the week, so choose carefully.
Another key deciding point on tires is weather: “April showers bring May flowers.”
This year’s route is predominantly in the upper Midwest, meaning more showers than flowers. So wet performance is key both on track and during transits.
To that end, many teams will choose a 300tw tire like the Continental ExtremeContact Sport 02 or the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S. These will easily last the week and have more tread depth to combat hydroplaning at high speed.
We have chosen to be somewhat aggressive with a more dry-focused choice–the Bridgestone Potenza RE-71RZ. While one of the quickest Super 200 tires in our recent dry track testing, it’s also quite good in the wet–so long as you don’t have deep puddling. Its low-void-ratio tread design does not evacuate water as well as those other choices mentioned.
Image courtesy Bridgestone
One challenge with the RZ is its newness: Stock in many sizes is still ramping up, and the preorder list is quite long for back-ordered sizes like our 265/35R18. Fortunately, we were able to put a set on hold just as they came into stock at Tire Rack–thanks, Luke!
But wait, some will say, the Elantra N comes on 19-inch wheels while you’re running 18-inch tires!
Yep, we went -1 on the wheel diameter for two reasons.
[Video: Can downsizing your wheels really save you money?]
One, sizing availability is much wider in 18s.
But more important is the extra sidewall we get with 18s. Last year, we suffered a bent wheel and damaged tire from a pothole strike on the highway when using a low-profile fitment.
So dropping from 19- to 18-inch tires that use the same OD gets us a more compliant–and safe–sidewall.
Speaking of wheels, we’re currently soliciting partners there, too. We hope to have further announcements on that front shortly.
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Comments
Whether or not a 265 will fit is a point of online debate. Some people say they run a 265 on stock suspension with no issues or minor rubbing; others say no way. I'm sure that tire choice has a lot to do with it.
When I bought 18 x 9.5 wheels with a 38mm offset, a 265 V730 would fit out back with as much camber as stock adjustments would allow, but the front end required camber bolts. I didn't actually choose that offset; I got a great deal on some Craigslist wheels; a different offset may open more options.
I would be careful with 265, especially on the rear if you are only utilizing the stock camber adjustment. I wrinkled one of my rear fenders with just a 255/35/18 on 9.5 wide wheels with 45mm offset. I don’t think it happened on track though, It happened while the car was nice and heavy with 2 adults and a trunk full of tools on the way to the track.
IDK how people are having issues w/ 18x9.5 ET45 265/35/18. Are you running stock camber? The manual cars are ~80 lbs lighter, but regardless I've never had issues with rubbing of any kind on mine. Even during pretty, uh, massive suspension compression events.
goingnowherefast said:
IDK how people are having issues w/ 18x9.5 ET45 265/35/18. Are you running stock camber? The manual cars are ~80 lbs lighter, but regardless I've never had issues with rubbing of any kind on mine. Even during pretty, uh, massive suspension compression events.
Grattan?
Planning on camber bolts to get a proper alignment.
And yes, 18x9.5 ET45 for wheels.
Hopefully, our experience is like yours.
If not, it will make for a good story. "The Internet said these would fit, but we had to use a sawzall instead" 
Will you do full range of motion testing with struts and no shocks to confirm/create clearance or will you just bolt them on and send it?
Keith Tanner said:
Will you do full range of motion testing with struts and no shocks to confirm/create clearance or will you just bolt them on and send it
If the car was in Texas, I'd do the former. But it's in Florida until OLOA and Tom doesn't have retiree levels of free time for a proper analysis. So "trust but verify" is the plan.
Andy Hollis said:
Keith Tanner said:
Will you do full range of motion testing with struts and no shocks to confirm/create clearance or will you just bolt them on and send it
If the car was in Texas, I'd do the former. But it's in Florida until OLOA and Tom doesn't have retiree levels of free time for a proper analysis. So "trust but verify" is the plan.
Ah, but it’s content so it’s Tom’s real job :) Besides, everyone loves a photo at full stuff.
Keith Tanner said:
Andy Hollis said:
Keith Tanner said:
Will you do full range of motion testing with struts and no shocks to confirm/create clearance or will you just bolt them on and send it
If the car was in Texas, I'd do the former. But it's in Florida until OLOA and Tom doesn't have retiree levels of free time for a proper analysis. So "trust but verify" is the plan.
Ah, but it’s content so it’s Tom’s real job :) Besides, everyone loves a photo at full stuff.
True, but he's also in the throes of buying a new house and trying to close before OLOA.
Are to you allowed to add camber bolts while staying in the “stock” class for OLOA?
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