catamount

After 7 years of ownership, this past March I finally took my '87 951 to my first PCA DE (3 days) at VIR. (Talk about getting spoiled right off, they'd just finished repaving the track. So, it was smooth with that new asphalt extra grip.) Since then, I've done another 3 day DE and one 1/2 day at VIR. I've progressed nicely and have been moved up from the green (novice) group to blue.

In all my DEs I have been running on my 18" Bridgestone Potenza RE760 Sport tires, 225/40 fronts, 255/35 rears. These are my street tires which have performed admirably in their dual duty. But, I'd like to go to a dedicated 16" track tire for a couple of reasons, first not wear out my street tires and second increase grip. Why 16" you ask? Because I have my original phone dials and a set of C2 5 spoke wheels from a 968, which has the same RE760 tires (205/55 and 225/50).

BTW, as for suspension modifications, all bushing have been replaced, a strut brace installed, Koni adjustable coilovers on the front and just installed rear coilovers (TB still in place and ride height adjusted).

So, I'm curious what 16" tires others are running on the track or as dedicated DE tires and why.

slivel

Tires are a consumable. Hard to make a big mistake because they wear out. That said 16 inch performance tires are getting a bit hard to find these days with most going to 18, 19, and 20 on the new stuff.

I would buy a set of Hoosier 245/45/16 in the R6 or newer R7 for your DE. You should have 8 or 9 inch wide wheels to fit these properly. 275/45/16 if you have 9's. Other choices that will perform well are the Hankooks, Toyo's, and Kumho's.
Steve

goatfarmerdave

toyo r888 or nitto nt01

PorscheDoc

I went back from 18's to 16's for track rubber until I put on the GT3 brakes and had to go back to 18's. 16" rubber is a bit cheaper to buy as well. I ran either 275 square (You will need camber plates if going that big in front), or staggered 245/275 (Hoosier R6's) depending on the track. If you are driving to the track and not trailering, then you might consider the toyo or nitto.

Brian A.

I would sell one set of 16" wheels in order to buy two more 8" wide of which ever set you keep and then run Toyo R888 245/45-16 at all four corners. Very affordable plus you can keep swapping them around. No need for the Hoosier R6s unless they're giving out trophies in DE now. :-)

Crazy Eddie

I have the Toyo R1's
Love them but they are not a daily drive tire....
TOYO RA1 245/45ZR16
TOYO RA1 225/50ZR16
No road noise I believe they have a 8/32 tread depth
Regards
Ed

catamount

Brian, I've been trying to sell the C2 5 spokes but haven't been successful. I hadn't thought about selling them to buy 8" phone dials. Now you have me thinking even more.

Crazy Eddie

Great suggestion
I did this with the Mg Turbo Cup wheels 245 16's all around
Awesome set up
Less under-steer
I think the 928 had 8 inch fronts ?

Droops83

8x16 phone dials all around on 225 tires is a good setup, I have run this for 7+ years, though I will likely go 17x9 and 255s all around at some point.

I would suggest any of the current crop of "extreme summer" tires that are currently out there: Bridgestone RE11/A, BFG Rival, Dunlop Direzza ZII/Star Spec, Hankook RS3, or Yokohama AD08.

All are available in your sizes, and are all $150 per tire or less. They all offer nearly the grip of any of the R-comp tires listed above, but they do not heat cycle out so they last much longer. Plus they are good for a daily driven street tire, though some are better than others in terms of noise and wet/cold weather drivability (all are way better than R-comps in this regard). See Tire Rack and Grassroots Motorsports magazine tire tests for more info.

I feel that something like a Hoosier is overkill for a novice driver just starting out with track events. Learn how to drive your car well on a good set of the above tires (get as much quality instruction as you can!), and perhaps later you can graduate to a wider set of full R-comp tires.

BTW I have an extra pair of late offset 16x8 phone dials if you want them. They are painted black, but that could be easily changed if you want. PM me if interested.

Droops83

I like the white Mg Turbo Cups . . . .

Make sure you don't drop the left front into the rut inside the apex curb of turn 6 at Laguna, or you will be crying!

Crazy Eddie

Man that sucks ...
That's the thing with these wheels ( they are kind of irreplaceable ).
When I drove them at the track you could still get one if you had to ... Now, not so much
BTW I agree with what you said above, but the RA1's do not heat cycle like the R888.... or other R compounds
I actually drive the RA1's as my reg tire, but I don't drive the car in the rain and its not a daily driver
Best regards
Ed

Droops83

Luckily I have never dropped a wheel there myself, but I have seen it happen!

I have a set of RA1s as well, and I don't think they have much on the latest crop of summer tires that I mentioned as they are an old design. They are great for the money and last a long time, however.

rsabeebe

many options have already been presented and they're all good options. i agree you would be well served by something like the RE-11, R-S3 or XS, which are all available in the sizes you initially mentioned. i just wanted to mention, that if you bump up to the 245 width, you will be limited to the RE-11, the Proxes R888 or the Proxes RA-1. unfortunately, the Direzza ZII, R-S3, Ecsta XS, Falken RT615 and others are not available in anything wider than 225 in 16". more competition oriented tires (Hoosier, for instance) open the available sizes up again.

catamount

Thanks everyone for all the ideas and feedback! Much appreciated!!

I think I may stick with the Bridgestone RE760s that I have and go square by upgrading the fronts to 225/50/16s. That's actually a fairly cheap option too given those tires run just over $105 each. Once I wear them out then go to something like the RE-11s, which everyone I have talked to seem to love.