Width vs. compound

[chknhwk]

I don't know any other way to put it other than should I just move up to 275/40/17 street tires or get a cheaper 'R' compound tires in 245/45/17's?
I have spent about two years on street tires because I'm concerned with learning car control more than going fast. After doing the Grand Course at VIR last weekend I realize I can't escape the fact that the Cobra needs more front grip. So should I bite the bullet and buy wider wheels and wider street tires or get stock sized Azenis street/R compound tires? I don't want to increase my grip so much that it will carry me through driver's errors as I'm still learning but I want just a little bit more up front.
I enjoy taking one set of wheels to the track with me. Meaning I drive 460 miles to VIR with street tires and do the track on the same tires I drove down on. I have no trailer and no way to really transport extra wheels/tires as the Cobra sometimes does double duty. (The Cobra was on track for about 50 minutes at a time at VIR as my girlfriend would drive, hop out and I'd hop right in. Not bad for street tires! And people wonder why I recommend the Toyo's. Beotch, please.)
Anyway, if you were in my shoes which route would you take? Spend the money on cheaper R compounds or get some 17x9" wheels with wider street tires and run on them all the time? TIA...

 

[Cobra-R]

Not trying to avoid your tire question, but have you tried loosening the front swaybar endlinks to help your understeer (I presume your "front grip" problem is understeer?) It's easy to try and might help your problem until you can get the other logistics of tires worked out.

Brian

 

[chknhwk]

I have never heard about loosening the sway bar end links until now. I guess I'll have to do a search on that.
After doing some searching on Corner-Carvers I think what I'm going to do is the following. Since I have the Bullitt suspension kit (along with sway bars) I'm going to pull the front one if favor of either a 27mm or 26.4mm unit and get some Falken Azenis in the stock size. I think that will take care of my problem for now by giving me a better setup to learn on.
Any input?

 

[Serpentor]

Not trying to avoid your tire question, but have you tried loosening the front swaybar endlinks to help your understeer (I presume your "front grip" problem is understeer?) It's easy to try and might help your problem until you can get the other logistics of tires worked out.

Brian

interesting... wouldnt it cause the front end to feel "mushy"? also as your car rolls, woulndt the control in roll rate be no as linear?