djspecv

Hi RL,

I’m wondering if anyone has tried fitting 200tw “track tires” on the winter wheel set.

I tried looking for the same size tires (as my winter wheels) but couldn’t find any exact matches. I realize there is wiggle room with tire sizes and would appreciate anyone with experience on these wheels or someone with general track tire sizing expertise, to suggest what size tires might be ideal for track day.

The wheel and tire specs

Continental Winter Contact TS 860S
Front - 8.5 x 19 ET 52 - 235/40 R 19 96V XL M+S 
Rear - 11 x 20 ET 66 - 295/35 R 20 105V XL M+S

RRich

I had a set of track wheels in a similar size, usually ran 245 & 305s. I wouldn’t go any smaller than that.

Nankang CR-S V2 –good grip, doesn’t get greasy when hot, grip doesn’t fall off much with heat cycles, good wear characteristics
Cup2 – Great first day grip, get greasy when hot, grip falls off with heat cycles, wears fast
Goodyear SuperCar3 – a little less grip that above tires, less expensive, better wear characteristics , stiff sidewall gives impressive steering responsiveness. These are the tires I started with.

VarTheVar

If you end up getting new wheels you can run GT3 sizes but with your current setup I would agree with 245/305. No smaller, and actually not much bigger either. Maybe 255 on the front but that's going to decrease steering response as the tire is beginning to get too wide for the wheel. 245/305 is what the factory 20/21 runs so the balance should be perfectly fine

djspecv

Thanks @RRich and @VarTheVar , I appreciate the replies.
Where do you get your tires from? I don't see any of the ones you recommended on Trackdaytire.com.

Looking at the Conti ECF as an example for sizing options, which combo would you recommend for my staggered 19/20 (winter) wheels (if any)?
Maybe the 235/35ZR19 + 305/30ZR20 combo? Not sure if that'll throw off the balance or how that would impact driving characteristics.
Sorry for asking such basic questions but I'm def a noob when it comes to tire sizing. Thanks.

djspecv

Also quick note, I will be swapping to these wheels/tires at home and driving to the track on them. So I can't go full slicks and will need some tread for street drivability. I'm just sick of destroying my PS4S's every other track day.

VarTheVar

So 235/305 bumps up your front/rear difference from the factory 6.55% to 7.59%.
Meaning that from the factory, your rear tire is 6.55% taller than the front. And installing a 305 rear with the same front will increase that difference to 7.59%.

If you want to stick closer to the factory ratios, you should bump the front to a 245/40.It seems like these continentals don't have that option nor do the Nankang.

My advice is that the tire compound is more important that a 10mm difference in width. I would do whatever you can to make the Nankangs work if they have sizing that makes sense. Even if it's the smaller. They will be vastly superior to the Contis in a track environment and they double as a pretty great summer tire.

Unfortunately there are too many tire sizes for manufacturers to keep up with all of them like they used to in the old days. So people are kind of stuck with what is offered. Are a set of different wheels out of the question?

toma nova

Tirerack.com for tire research and selection.

TacomaWorld tire size calculator to compare overall diameters of different width / aspect ratio combinations. https://www.tacomaworld.com/tirecalc

Keep the overall diameter close to OE for the easiest fitment.

RRich

I use this site, and typically select Tire Rack as the provider.
https://tiresize.com/how-to-read-tire-size/

This is where I get Nankang from.
https://philstireservice.com/product/nankang-cr-s-v2/

As I got faster I tried 255s on the front as braking dropped off too much when the tires got hot. With 255s braking was great as was front end grip but the rear was too lose for my liking. I tried to compensate by running higher front tire pressure, but the final solution was wider wheels with 265/325 rubber.