steepsnow

Hello,

I am planning a road trip from CO to CA this fall to check out some of the NorCal tracks. Then down the coast to SoCal and back to CO. I will not have room to take two sets of tires.

I am considering some Nitto NT-01 tires for my '99 C4.
F: 235/45/18
R: 275/35/18

They seem to be a decent tire for driving to the track, then driving on the track. ...certainly for short trips to/from a local track.
However, could they handle a long road trip with potentially variable weather? (heh, assuming no snow)


I am trying to decide if I should:

1) Run NT-01's on hwy and track, possibly have to buy a set of rears along the trip since tire wear seems to be about 2 rears to 1 front for most tires I have used on the C4.

2) Just run "street" tires on both hwy and track and compromise track handling for highway safety and weather variations.

3) Figure out some complicated coordination of tire swapping and tire transportation. For example: use a street tire to get to CA, then swap to NT-01, stash the street tire (somewhere), burn up the NT-01's, then swap back to street. (any suggestions about this strategy could also be helpful, tires services at/near tracks)

Any thoughts from people that have used these tires on how bad they are in the rain? ...potential road damage from hwy use?
Also, regarding the life of these tires, how many DE's would they handle

Any suggestions for other tires that might work/last would be helpful also.

Here are some real world reports from other tires that I have run for hwy/track mixed use:

1) Sumitomo HTRZ3
F: 225/35/18
R: 265/35/18
Decent DE/Track life for a street tire (7 DE and.or lapping days, overall about 9-10k miles. Less grip on track that Tire #2 below, but decent warning at limit and recovery.
Note regarding F/R tire life: seem to be 2 rears worn out to 1 front

2) Goodyear F1 GS D3
F: 245/35/18
R: 285/30/18
These lasted only 5 DE/Lapping days, but much better grip and control than #1. Overall withe mixed use about 78K miles. Obviously, with the size difference there is more contact patch as well; especially in the front.
Note regarding F/R tire life: seem to be about 3 rears worn out to 2 front
(the rears don't wear our as fast as #1)

Regarding the wear comments above I should note that I have PSS10, H&R Sways front and rear and for brakes have been using Hawk Blue and Motul fluid. (YMMV)


Lastly, keep in mind that my goal here is just hwy (although long) and track use. I do not intend on long-term daily-driving on NT-01's or another R-compound tire (DOT or not). For the local tracks in CO, I can just swap tires/wheels as needed.

THANKS!
Douglas

TRT41

My .02, it's all about which compromise you favor. Street vs track, you can't have it both ways. I have no idea about how structured your trip is, if you have firm dates try shipping the track tires ahead.
If you do street drive with the nittos you'll have to stop or slow to a safe speedsif it rains, don't force the drive- pull over.
Also, having no idea about your track skills, you are learning new tracks so your early focus will be on learning the line not driving flat out...which favor street tires.

Sboxin

+1 for shipping Nitto w/track wheels to race track - just contact them and ask for shipping instructions - UPS is your friend

Or, buy some nice Michelin PS2's and save a lot of time/effort

Or, build a small tire trailer for your trip

Also agree about learning a new track with street tires -- unless, of course, you are an experienced track driver on several different tracks

Have a good and safe trip,
Roy

cgfen

IMO you should use good street tires and just dial back your track-based performance expectations so you can enjoy the trip.

NT01s are very noisy on the road.
I've actually lapped faster same day / same track on Yoko Advans than my NT01s.

NT01s come into their own with lots of negative camber > -3 degrees which you probably don't run?

Sold my Nitto's, kept the Yoko's

have fun.

Craig

cgfen

bingo!

Van

Not to toot my own horn, but I'm a pretty advanced driver, and I drive my car on PS2s on the track when I don't want to deal with the hassle of trailering my track car. IMHO, PS2s are about as good as a street tire gets.

I've used the sumis, and if you're intermediate or higher, I think you'll be disappointed by their performance.

steepsnow

For those of you that have used the PS2's for mixed road/track use, how long have they lasted?

The "street tire" recommendations make sense except for one major problem: tire life for street tires at tracks.

One of the "compromises" is also budget. Obviously a bigger budget, lots of options are possible.

I'd like to hit 4-5 track sessions. With some spirited hwy driving and even 4 sessions in CA, I'd probably have to buy tires for the return trip (at least rear tires) anyway.

...at first glance, the cost of PS2's seems expensive vs. a less expensive street tire and swapping to NT-01's for track use an short-trips (like track to track). ...unless the PS2's have can last more than 4-5 session ans still have enough trad to be safe on the road.

Although I have not used the Nittos yet, I am testing them next Friday at a lapping day. Their performance on my car at the track as compared to others I have used will help this decision process.


Regarding "swapping," what tire/service shops are recommended near Infineon and Laguna Seca.
...any of the them good and reasonably priced or just the big-box tires companies

Thanks!
Douglas

cgfen

ps.

this trip sounds like a bunch-of-fun

have a great time and post up a story when you return.
Craig

and a few other tire choices.
I've had great luck with Yoko Advan ADO7s
and good luck with Hankook Ventus V12s
for a similar application as yours.

Rob996

This reminds me of the snow tires versus all season tire debate..

All options listed will yield inferior results to one degree or another.
What are your priorities?
A) best for track
B) best for street
C) road noise

I have used many brands of tires, finding the Michelin PS2 the compromise option.