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I had my first track day yesterday. In the morning much of the track was wet and I spun out on the third lap. In the afternoon the track had mostly dried out and I seriously abused my expensive street tires which were less than desirable in high speed cornering compared to the tires the other drivers were using. I have an extra set of Forged wheels and would like to mount some sticky track tires that may see some moist track conditions from time to time. Any track tire recommendations would be greatly appreciated. I apologize if there are threads covering this, my searches were unsuccessful.
How serious are you taking it, and do you want to drive to the track? I've been running Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2's, and find them well suited to driving two and from the track but holding up to track abuse. They handle the wet ok, and excel in the dry, but don't go off as quickly as standard street tyres.
I second the recommendation on the Bridgestone Potenzas. Great tire that you can drive on the road if you want but provide great feel/stickiness on the track. I trailer my car to the track so when I get through my Potenzas, I may evaluate the new R888Rs as my sole track setup. I hear the newer versions of these are pretty good.
Just my 2 cents...if you opt for the Michelin Sport Cup 2's...make sure you get a Porsche spec SC2....my understanding is they come as Porsche spec and then everything else.
I had my first track day yesterday. In the morning much of the track was wet and I spun out on the third lap. In the afternoon the track had mostly dried out and I seriously abused my expensive street tires which were less than desirable in high speed cornering compared to the tires the other drivers were using. I have an extra set of Forged wheels and would like to mount some sticky track tires that may see some moist track conditions from time to time. Any track tire recommendations would be greatly appreciated. I apologize if there are threads covering this, my searches were unsuccessful.
As Kenny Roberts said about racing in the rain...It's still a race, it's just raining. Nice job Dude, not sure I'd have the fortitude to run my first track event in a new vehicle in the wet.
Nitto NT-01s are hard to beat for a reliable, grippy, long-lasting track tire. You can flip them on the wheels midway through to extend life as well. I’ve had a couple sets on my 996TT. Rear tire loads on a 911
turbo are severe, so read up on R888 failures before going with those. Whatever tires you choose, it's smart and cheaper in the long run to not ruin your nice street tires and wheels at the track.
Another vote for Nitto NT 01. I've gone through a couple sets and they grip very well in dry. I've also tried Toyo R888R but switched to Nitto after reading about on track failures. The R888R gripped just as good as the NT 01. Neither of these tires will do well in the rain or wet. I would not run street tires on a dry track even when starting out as a novice. More experienced drivers might tell you it's better to start on street tires to better learn the limitations of your vehicle. I disagree.
What's the failure issue with the R888Rs? Also any input on the Bridgestone Potenza RE-71r. I know not a pure track tire but pretty great handling dynamics for street and track use.
Another vote for Nitto NT 01. I've gone through a couple sets and they grip very well in dry. I've also tried Toyo R888R but switched to Nitto after reading about on track failures. The R888R gripped just as good as the NT 01. Neither of these tires will do well in the rain or wet. I would not run street tires on a dry track even when starting out as a novice. More experienced drivers might tell you it's better to start on street tires to better learn the limitations of your vehicle. I disagree.
I was leaning towards the R888R's, my understanding is the failures were on the previous R888's? Haven't heard any bad press on the new rubber compound and tread design of the R888R's. Nitto's have served me well off road, I'll look into the NT01. Thanks!
What's the failure issue with the R888Rs? Also any input on the Bridgestone Potenza RE-71r. I know not a pure track tire but pretty great handling dynamics for street and track use.
I did 6 track days on RE-71Rs this season. They're great, but I wouldn't recommend them. I run them because a 200 treadwear tire is required for autocross classing and I don't (yet) want to deal with a second set of wheels. On the track they grip like crazy, but wear extremely fast, despite the nominal 200 treadwear. (I went through almost two sets in a season of autocross and 6 track days in an S2000.) If not for the classing issue, I'd be looking at something like Proxes R1R, Trofeo R, or R888R for a tire that will give great dry grip, and can be driven on the street and in the wet.
I did 6 track days on RE-71Rs this season. They're great, but I wouldn't recommend them. I run them because a 200 treadwear tire is required for autocross classing and I don't (yet) want to deal with a second set of wheels. On the track they grip like crazy, but wear extremely fast, despite the nominal 200 treadwear. (I went through almost two sets in a season of autocross and 6 track days in an S2000.) If not for the classing issue, I'd be looking at something like Proxes R1R, Trofeo R, or R888R for a tire that will give great dry grip, and can be driven on the street and in the wet.
Good feedback. I don't do autocross, just track days. They do offer great initial grip and feel but after one really long session where the gave us 20 minutes extra time, so about 40 to 45 minutes on the track in one run, I burned through them pretty easily where they became real greasy. Never really recovered in the afternoon runs. I've still got a few more track runs in them but will need to exchange them out for something different. Right now I'm upgrading suspension components to keep up with the GT3s in the corner, going KW V3 coilovers and widening the front track for better turn in grip and camber.
The best compromise track tire (meaning can still be driven on the street) available today is the Pirelli Trofeo R. Standard issue on the McLaren P1, 675LT and other track focused super cars. I've run them on my 987 race car and they are very, very good. There is no better dual purpose tire available, but be ready to spend big $ in 997TT sizes.
If you can accommodate a means of transporting your 2nd set of wheels to the track and back, then you can look at the Hoosier R7, Hankook Z214, BFG R1 and other similar tires. These are DOT-legal 'semi slicks', which basically means very sticky R compound rubber with a slick-like tread pattern (or lack thereof). These are dedicated dry track tires, not for use on roads (although still technically legal) nor in the wet.
Before I purchased the track-dedicated 987, I was running the Bridgestone RE-71R's in OEM 997TT sizes on my 997TT. They were good tires for my purposes as a 'newbie'. As someone without much track experience, the RE-71R is a great entry into sticky tires. You're not likely to be pushing these tires to their limit in a 997TT for the first few track days at least - I sure wasn't. They're cheap and should last you a decent amount of sessions / heat cycles provided you're not hammering them.
Here's my track setup, allowing me to run semi-slick R compounds without a truck & trailer combo. I have Michelin PS4 tires on the oem Cayman rims to get me to and from the track, which double as rain duty tires when applicable.
10-21-2018, 09:20 PM
Track tires
