My race wheels have finally come in after months of waiting. These are the OZ Ultraleggera wheels in 18×8 +48. As the stock offset is +55, this is the max wider offset allowed in SCCA street class (7mm +-). The wheels weigh 18.4lbs. Not the lightest in the world, but for the price, that’s decent enough. A fully forged set of wheels would probably be closer to 16lbs in this size, but also cost double or triple.

The tires I opted to try are the Vitour P1s, in 255/35-18. I’ve only got one autox in them, but they have proven tricky to drive. Basically, they require a lot of heat. The grip is definitely there in raw time, but keeping control of the car is difficult. The latter half of a lap feels fantastic, but the first half usually results in a pretty big slide somewhere. I’ll go more into detail for the event write-up, but even in the latter runs I had difficulty controlling the rear.

This has never been an issue for me in the past. If anything, I’m used to spraying down the front tires to cool them down. Since the veloster has so much issue with the rear, I’ve finally broken down and created tire blankets. Cost about $45 with some hvac material and tape from Menards. Hoping this will help keep heat in the rears. I don’t think it requires a lot, given the car felt great towards the last half of the run, so we’ll see. One thing for sure, if these come in 285/30-18, I’ll definitely get them for the Evo.