As you all know from my earlier post I need new tires. Well I spoke with the boss (aka the wife) & she has agreed to me getting a set of track tires With my last expirence with Michelin I was thinking about going with the Hoosiers. After reading the survey on the tire rack website I found that the pilot sport cups were rated #1 & the Hoosier's were rated #7!! So since that survey wasn't limited to p-cars I thought I would ask the question "Those that have track only tires, Which tire is prefered by P-car drivers?"

 

Are you going to have to drive any distance to get to the track on those tires, or are you able to switch wheels at the track?

If you have to drive to the track on the tires I would opt for the Michelins over the Hoosiers.

I have been happy using Pirelli P Zero Corsas, and driving to and from the track on them.

 

So if ultimate grip is what you are looking for, go with the Hoosiers..... Oh, and you save money too...

 

There is a new version of Hoosiers now (R3 SO4, I think) that is supposed to be great. Check them out at www.tirerack.com

 

Kristoffer,

From what I've read here, the 'Cups are supposed to last much longer than the Hoosiers, which have more ultimate grip. It seems that a lot of people doing DE's are running 'Cups, despite their higher initial cost, (and Toyo RA-1's, too) while more club racers are on the cheaper but shorter-lived Hoosiers.

I tried out the 'Cups after a full season on the respected old Michelin Pilot Sports and dropped over three seconds from my lap times my first day out with them. I also have RA-1's for the rain but haven't run them yet.

 

I can't say for Hoosiers since I haven't tried them but I've been really happy with the 'Cups.

I've hear (someone comfirm if you have experience) that they might "let go" little less aggressively than Hoosiers (although comparing to street tyres, they "let go" faster), another thing to keep in mind.

 

If you don't have to drive on the street with them get the Hoosiers, IMO.
They have better feel at the limit, and more grip. The Michelins are diabolical in the cold or cool temps and take a long time to warm up. In slow corners they tend to understeer and in the fast ones they would have a nasty snap oversteer. Never had as many close calls with any tires as I have had with these. But if you are not racing or running at the limit they are pretty good. It was just trying to keep up with other cars on Hoosiers that I had problems. I picked up a bit over 2 seconds at my home track when I went from Michelins back to Hoosiers. I can run the Hoosiers at 90% of my best lap time on the first lap.

Benefits of the Michelin. Longevity, they rarely, if ever overheat, and streetablity.

 

I could not agree more with Greg. I'm waiting for the new Radial Hoosier to come out in our sizes so I can test drive them. Hopefully they are going to last much longer than the present Hoosiers. If they do not I will stick to Sport Cups for DE's and Hoosiers for races. For sure the Sport Cups last very long (8+ weekends on my last set!!!)and they are very consistent in long runs/sessions.

 

Greg has waaaaay more experience than I do with racing Porsches and driving on Sport Cups, but from the point of view of a less-than-fully-seasoned newcomer who had never tried R compounds before, I found the 'Cups to be delightfully forgiving and communicative at the limit (my limit), compared to my old street tires (NOT Hoosiers), when they finally broke free. I feel that I'm able to hold the car on the edge and more easily control the attitude, at least with my relatively softer (compared to JRZ's or Motons) PSS-9 suspension. Maybe the full-on race suspensions are harsher and more brittle at their higher limits. I had heard all of the dire warnings about the scary handling characteristics of R comps, but I was ecstatic to find that they made driving faster and more controllable.

Greg is also right about the cold characteristics of the 'Cups. I ran in 40 degree weather at VIR and it took two laps before I felt comfortable enough to push the car.

 

The new Hoosiers are steel-belted and are supposed to last as long as the Michelins and be safe on the street (in the dry) and they're slightly cheaper too...

 

OK, so I gather that while the Pilot sports cups are good the Hoosiers are better as long as you can change your tires at the track. Do you guys have tire rack heat cycle them?

With that being said those that are running 18" rims what tire setup are you running (ie 225-245 front 265-285 rear)? With my street tires I am running 225F 285R but I would like to go wider in the front if I can. I have 18x8 in front. Can I fit wider on my rims & in my wheel well?

Thanks Guys!!!!

 

Coincidently, I'm at the same decision point - graduating to R for this season & plan to buy PSC since I need a streetable tire. So, same question re: TireRack's heat cycling which is at minimal added cost & theoretically should increase useful life. Correct?

BTW, w/oem 17" Cups (7' & 9") I assume sizing is 225/45 & 255/40.

 

That is what I had on my race car Dan. MPSC's on 17 Cups with the tire sizes you have there. I had them heatcycled at tirerack and they lasted 2 club racing weekends and about 6 DE's!! Regarding the value of heat cycle it is very inexpensive for me to double think about it...

Kris, on 18's if you run Hoosiers the popular choise is 245/35/18 upfront and 285/30/18 rear. You need an 8.5 or 9 inch rim upfront though.
On your 8" rims the perfect fit is the 225 but a 235 also can fit. The MPSC is coming outwith a 235 size, it is taller than the rear though. At Tirerack check under specs the diameter of the tire you are looking at and match it closely if you can with the rear tire diameter. Also bear in mind that stock tires are around 25" diameter so like Greg clarified to me how tall is the tire has an effect on your gearing which makes absolute sense.

 

Ohhhh, THAT's what was going on with Danny's car!

Hey Danny, just a week or so more 'till dry land, right?

 

Thanks for the confirmation. Does that mean I'll be as fast as you? I had planned on heat cycling from TireRack - seems a small price for the benefits.