I'm thinking of giving some Continental slicks a try -- on stock sized 996 GT3 rims (8.5 front and 11 rear). Does anyone have any feedback on what sort of performance they give compared to R6s? How long do they last (and what's your criteria for judging when they're "done")? What tire pressures do you run? In all, what is their"bang for the buck" score?

I'm looking at take offs of two different compounds -- size will be 245/40 18 "Challenge" fronts and 305/650 18 "Rolex GT" rear.

 

My cousin Marc just bought similar take-offs, probably even from the same place? We did a weekend at Mosport.

I think that the fronts are the same as R6's, just without the two grooves.

He was impressed. They lasted the whole 3-day weekend, and still have lots of meat left... who knows about how much grip is left, or when they will fall off.

I did a session in his car, and the car felt very solid. Both our cars are similar, but I had 50% wear Nittos, and I could feel the better stick in his car.

I'll try to get him to chime in.

Bang for the buck, at $100 a tire, is pretty darn good I would say.

 

This is exactly what i have and it is a good mix. Not all counpound can be mix with a good result but this works

Presure is 34 front / 30 back hot.

I will buy more.

As far as lasting, well many factor go in to play, did 3 days (cold to mild temp) and i will get another day easy from the back and 3 from the front.

Comparable to R6. When using R6 i would go trough 4 back while using 2 front. It looks like it will be the same minus whrat is already gone on the tire.

Dont expect them to last as long as new R6.....

Marc

 

I tried a set of Conti "grand am" spec on a different car (M3). I never ran R6 so can't compare to that. I'm still trying to figure them out as they have 0 warning before letting go, it feels like you hit a patch of ice when they go (could be that I'm not good enough yet). I was getting same lap time than with my NT01. Driving was a lot more intense as you have to be very quick with your hands. In general I didn't feel as comfortable than with NT01. Don't know if my comments apply to all slicks or specific to the Conti.

After a whole day of driving (~2hr), I couldn't see any additional wear on the tires. Looks like they will last for a while which is good.

 

Francois and Marc,

Thank you for your perceptions. It sounds like they worked pretty well for you. If a set is $400 or so, compared to, say $1400 for new R6s, it might be worth it just for the economy. it's interesting to hear that they are about the same as R6s in terms of stick. I might have wished for more, but if they stick as well (or better), last at least 75% as long as new R6s and cost 35% as much, the equation looks good.

It's interesting that the front pressures are greater than the rear. Is this driven entirely by the fact that the tires are different types?

ti-jean,

Do you know if the tires you are running are the same as the ones we're speaking of? Did you get them new or as take offs?

Rob

 

Not sure if same tires, mine are Conti grand am spec take offs. Appatently, they are made by hoosier. I suspect the one you're talking about are similar.

 

Anyone care to share source? At $400 a pop I'd be willing to try them.

 

What I meant about the fronts being the same at the R6 was not that they are "about the same in terms of stick", it was that they are the same tires as the R6.

My understanding is that the Conti GS slick is made by Hoosier, that it is a R6 with a Conti sticker.

Rear is a different, it's a proper slick.

 

I bought my set on another forums but here is 1 example from this forum:
https://rennlist.com/forums/parts-ma...ighlight=grand

 

The GS are the same as R6, the GT are the same as Hoosier Slick R100 conpound so a little stikier then R6

Again mixing conpound don't always give good result

As for Ti Jean problem, it has to do with brand, not tire, car

Seriously, I don't know the prep of your car but for running slick, you need a car with a race prep to a certain level. a stock M3 wont do you any good on slick, you are better off with nittos or pilot cup. my 1%

Marc

 

CWHOTA, you are absolutely right. There was recently a M3 in the Blue group running on slicks and it was running slower than many cars on high performance street tires. Our blue group is the advanced beginner group so I am not sure the driver would have been able to maximize the slicks. However, I was instructing another student and I wasn't in the M3 so I shouldn't comment on the capabilities of the driver.

I've run some take-off conti GM slicks recently and they took far longer to heat up than R6s but when warm they felt grippier than sticker R6s. To me, overall, they had a very different feel to R6s.

-KJ

 

I knew this was coming Trying to get myself in a 996 GT3 but for now my only relevant experience is with my M3.

My M3 is not stock, I have KW clubsport 2-way adjustable coilovers with stiffer spring rates than stock. The setup works great with NT01 but maybe I need even stiffer springs for slicks. For now, I'm just trying to get used to the much narrower window around traction limit. Once I get comfortable driving around that limit, I'll work on the setup to get better lap time.

Good to know that others are running these tires successfully. I'm going to try them again in a few weeks.

 

TRG sells used slicks