alreed

Hey all! New owner and totally new to driving on a track. I'm on a 992 C2S and started last year on the OEM tires (Pirelli's). Replaced the rears earlier this year and now I think the fronts are wearing out, I think in a normal way but would love to hear people's thoughts about what's going on.

This is the front right which I had off.



Front left (which is sill on the car in this picture) so they're not as good:

drcollie

HA! Welcome to track days....that's all normal if you push a car hard on the track. Outsides always wear faster than insides as you are running stock camber and toe. In the middle of your tire that's not wear per se, its your tire picking up rubber from the track when hot, and it stays on the tire when it cools off. As you can see, street tires get chewed up pretty fast in track environments. What us old track junkies do is run two sets of wheels and tires so we are not chewing up our good street tires. Save the worn ones like you have above for track days and run them to the cord. A more advanced option is to get off street tires altogether and run more dedicated track tires like Cup tires or R-Comps on your second set of wheels (track wheels don't have to be pretty -the more banged up they are the faster you go).

Tires and brake pads are consumables when you start tracking your car. You can get 8 to 12 events out of a set, depending on the track, the surface and your driving style.

ipse dixit

What's going on?

Nothing, except normal high performance use.

CodyBigdog

Curious - How many street miles on the tires, and how many track miles (or track events) ? Do track a lot?

detansinn

Totally normal. Welcome to properly using your tires.

aggie57

Welcome to the fun part of owning a 911, and as others say that looks pretty normal. Worn tires like this are actually pretty good for track use, well these are possibly a little too worn for a full day but either way new street tires on the track can get chewed up pretty quick.

alreed

I got the car used, but pretty sure they're original so about 5k "normal" miles and 6 tracks days of about an hour each. Being a novice, I'm guessing I didn't thrash them toooo hard...

alreed

So the consensus is - these are looking normal (they seem to be wearing way more in the middle?) and they've still got some life in 'em?

Thanks again, everyone. Really appreciate the advice.

drcollie

They are not really suitable as street tires, because you are down to the wear makers, which will make them quite hazardous in the rain and prone to hydroplaning. They are fine as track-only tires, however. If you just want to run one set of tires and wheels, then you should get replacements soon.

aggie57

Yeah, looks like a bit more wear in the middle; what hot pressures do you run?

garthg

Diagnosis: expensive hobby.

CanAutM3

I see tread shredding in the middle of the tires, which usually is the result of overheating and potentially caused by over inflation. What hot pressures were you running?

Richard_Wallace

I was going to reply with the same question, I am betting that the hot temp PSI is running a little high (ie upper 30's low 40's). For the OP, once you get the tires up to temp, you can deflate down to 30/32 front - 32/34 rear and you will get less wear in the middle of the tire. (or start a little lower - though you may throw a low PSI sensor until up to temp).

But honestly not that bad. If you are going to track somewhat frequently, likely a new set of tires every year (or 2 times per year) will be in your future. On a few of my other cars, I just bite the bullet and get a dedicate track rim and tire set and have my road tires for another. Makes swapping easy, inspection, and swapping out new rubber easier when needed.

CodyBigdog

Wow. I’ve had Pirellis before and know they have soft rubber, and known for short lifetime (on the street)…I’m coming up on 4K miles (street use, only). I see wear, but nothing like your pics, so I will presume, much of the wear is due to the track.

TJ74

Not to hijack the thread, but I am a first time Porsche owner, C2S, getting ready to track my car. My previous car was a C7 Grand Sport. Corvette has a track prep section in the owners manual with recommended cold tire pressure (28psi) for all four tires. 30psi was the recommended street pressure. At Ron Fellows they said to aim for 34-35psi hot.
On the Porsche for the street I am running 29/32. Richard Wallace recommended to start at these pressures, my question is what temps are you looking for when hot? I was going to shoot for the same 34-35 all around as in the Corvette? Maybe since front & rear pressures are different I should look for a similar split, 6-7psi rise, 35-36 front & 38-39 rear?