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Recommendations on a track/street tire for 10 DE's a year?
Thanks to a change in living location, I've been able to primarily dedicate my 997 to track and spirited drives! I've had 6 track days so far with many more to time and I've been educating myself on what car mods I should consider for an even more driving experience. I'm not really chasing track times, but I run 1:49 at Laguna Seca and 2:10 at Thunderhill East if that gives you an idea of my skill level.
My current setup is as follows on a '06 C2s:
Ohlins Road & Track coilovers
RSS semi-solid engine mounts
Corner balanced/aligned:
Front Camber: -1.5
Rear Camber: -2.0
235/305 19'' Michelin Pilots 4S tires
The Michelin PS4S tires have been great on windy roads and on the track - the sidewalls are pretty soft but the tires provide great road feel and they always tell me if I went into a corner too hot and when the car will slide. I purchased the 305 section width tire solely because the 295's were out of stock and they are super grippy with the rear staying planted all the time (some would argue the 295's let you have more fun with the rear). I've never had the rear step out because of power oversteer, the rear may step out due to momentum.
Naturally my tires are getting pretty chewed up driving on the track during the Summer time and I want to consider getting some "better" tires. Seeking some advice on whether I should try running 245/305 section width to improve grip and turn-in, and what kind of rubber I should try for track/curvy road use. I live in California where we're usually in a drought so it would be extremely rare to drive in the rain. I'm considering paying the premium to try the Michelin Sport Cup 2's but I'm told they take much longer to heat up than the PS4S? I think I would prefer tires that got up to working temp quicker over higher performing tires that require several laps to warm up.
Looking forward to the discussions on tires for track use!
For what it sounds like your using the car for, R-compounds are the way to go.
Toyo R888R are a nice DOT approved tire for some street and track driving. They get a little noisey but have a bunch of grip in dry/wet and decent tire wear. There 100 tread so ~10,000 miles street.
I currently have 305/235 but will be going 245 when these wear out.
The NT01's maybe better? but have heard alot of issues depending on the tire pressures you like.
I'd recommend the hankook RS4s. I haven't run them on the 911 yet but I've had great experiences with them on my bmw which was double duty. They wear well on track and don't overheat as quick. Any r-comp 200tw tire will take some laps to warm up though so just keep that in mind. They're durable because they're more tolerant of the the heat abuse on track.
NT01s were great as well but they got greasy quicker than the RS4s (but had a higher level of grip when in temp range). They wore quicker than my RS4s but were also a great tire.
I'll go against the internet fav r888r. They were not a great tire for me on my BMW. They're getting a bit long in the tooth now as well iirc. They grease quickly and didn't work well with the 3800ish lbs wagon I was tracking. They might do a lot better on lighter cars though. YMMV there but I'd be unlikely to try them again personally.
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I'll go against the internet fav r888r. They were not a great tire for me on my BMW. They're getting a bit long in the tooth now as well iirc. They grease quickly and didn't work well with the 3800ish lbs wagon I was tracking. They might do a lot better on lighter cars though. YMMV there but I'd be unlikely to try them again personally.
I second that. Also they are not "a little noisy", they are loud as hell, if you drive your car to the track they will drive you nuts.
"I'd recommend the hankook RS4s. I haven't run them on the 911 yet but I've had great experiences with them on my bmw which was double duty. They wear well on track and don't overheat as quick. Any r-comp 200tw tire will take some laps to warm up though so just keep that in mind. They're durable because they're more tolerant of the the heat abuse on track."
Congrats on getting more track time! I've been doing 6-8 DEs a year for a long time in a variety of cars and have had my 997.2 MT for two years now, coming out of a nicely modded '17 BRZ. The RS4s on the BRZ were excellent and wear "forever" for a track capable tire, so naturally I bought a set for the Carrera last year after wearing out some MPSS that came on a set of Carrera Classic wheels I bought used after purchasing the car. The difference was night and day, but in a really bad way. RS4s gave zero feedback compared to the Super Sports. I thought they just needed a break-in period, but if never got better. I defaulted to the new PS4S I had on my other wheels for street driving and the front end feel was back. So much more enjoyable on track.
I'm in the same spot as you, looking for my next set of track tires. R compounds are preferable for sure, but I haven't come to a conclusion yet. I considered buying new PSS, but tirerack is out of them until July. And Michelin Cup 2s are pricey and short lived. A friend has liked his B'stone RE71Rs and recommended Falken Azenis TR660s, but I think that's because he wants ME to try them!
I run the RS4's on my GT3 for and like them. A little loud and firm on the street but compromises must be made somewhere.
On the Track they are very smooth and predictable.
If you're concerned about track days, the RS4 is the tire to get if you want seat time. Managing pressures is extremely important on the tire as is getting a lap or two for warm up. They'll handle abuse like no other 200tw tire and there's a reason they're the choice tire for the Lucky Dog racing league. I've heard the Sport cup 2s are great, but I've heard that an r888r will lay down better times. Re71s and A052s are only good for time attack and will grease up and wear out too fast.
The Super Sports/4S are awesome tires (I race on my super sports and they're awesome until hot), but you need at least a 200tw tire with your suspension and alignment set up and going to track days.
Thanks for the insight everyone. When I was out driving today I noticed the rear right tire had a lot of chunking and there was a small section where it was showing the cords:
I thought about swapping the rear tires (side-to-side, the Michelin PS4S are not unidirectional) and running them one last time at Laguna Seca next week, but decided to get them swapped out for some Hankook RS-4's in 245/35/19 and 305/30/19.
They're getting installed right before I head out to LS on Thursday. Any concerns or risks driving fresh tires on the track? How many miles should I put on these tires to break them in - 200 miles sufficient?
Yeah I destroyed my PS4S after one weekend. If you run at any real pace, PS4S is not a good tire. Street, absolutely. Track, other than novice pace, no.
Usually one good heat cycle is all you need to set the compound. Heat up the tires and let them sit for 24 hours. You should be fine putting a few miles on them and then thrashing on them.
I had no luck with TOYO and tried EAGLE F1 SUPERCAR 3R with positive results. 1st session was amazing and got personal best. They held up for 4 weekends.
I would not do daily street driving on the same tires if doing 10 DE's per season - that is a lot of track time, and if you are in anything other than a novice group, you are going to hammer those tires. 10 DE's is getting pretty serious, which means time for a dedicated set of tires/wheels. also swapping to race pads and hi-temp brake fluid before every event.
Usually one good heat cycle is all you need to set the compound. Heat up the tires and let them sit for 24 hours. You should be fine putting a few miles on them and then thrashing on them.
What's the best way to do that with tires that are already on rims?
I wouldn't know how to heat up the tires enough on local roads w/o getting arrested
What's the best way to do that with tires that are already on rims?
I wouldn't know how to heat up the tires enough on local roads w/o getting arrested
Yeah I don't know that you can. Tirerack will heat cycle for you tho, if you purchase from them.
06-21-2021, 11:58 AM
Recommendations on a track/street tire for 10 DE's a year?
