Slicks for HPDE days, advice & experiences welcome
#16
I've run various tires over the years including R comps like NT01s, Hoosier R7s. For the last 5 years I've been running slicks, namely, Pirelli DH, Yoko A005, and Michelin Cup slicks. A lot will depend on the driver and the level of driving ability and aggression. With that said, Hoosier R7s were literally the worst tires I've literally ever used. Typically one warm up lap, pretty good 2 hot laps, and then they overheat and fall off a cliff. 5 HCs and they were totally useless. Slicks are a totally different animal and designed to perform well and consistently over extended periods as in endurance racing for example. I have found required camber in almost all instance for slicks to be in excess of -4.5º in front and approaching -4º in rear. If you try to run them on a street type alignment, you will destroy them in short order especially if driven with intent. If you require a tire that you can run on a street alignment, slicks are not an option.
Last edited by powdrhound; 07-20-2024 at 11:36 PM.
#17
#18
With that said, even though I didn't street drive my car much on the NT01s (don't even consider it on slicks), when I did, the -3.5/-2.5 alignment didn't cause any issues. To put it this way, a track alignment is not great but doable on the street while a street alignment absolutely sux at the track. That's really the bottom line.
Last edited by powdrhound; 07-21-2024 at 04:09 AM.
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996love (07-21-2024)
#19
Rennlist Member
But if you are looking for a good tire that you can drive to and from the track, Get the RE71RS.
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996love (07-21-2024)
#20
Drifting
As you go faster you're going to start overheating non track tires too as they generate too much heat from crushing the outside sidewall potentially causing them to blister or delaminate. You'll also not be utilizing the inside 1/3rd of the tire with street camber. On a very cold day extremely wet day once I took my DD to the track with re980as+ on it, a 500tw performance all-season. I took that out on the track, constant downpour,standing water everywhere, probably close to 10c for temp, and ruined the tires. Blistered the outside edges even in those conditions as the grip they had in a massive downpour was too much still and even the standing cold water everywhere couldn't keep them cool enough to not cause damage.
The only real answer IMO, especially if you are looking at slicks, is to run proper track camber on the track, and live with it on the street. I do not know what is ideal for your car for track but a -3, -2.5 split which is a good starting point for most cars is absolutely not hte end of the world on the street. Few cars can run that much with stock suspension so imo just max your front camber as much as you can and run .5 less in the rear and see how your tires wear. If you're not driving hard realistically you probably shouldn't be on slicks anyway as that is a waste of money, so just look at 200tw tires.
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996love (07-21-2024)
#21
Rennlist Member
Yeah, replacing the R7 after 2 track days running 2-2.5 camber is the cost of running them. But you will shave off quite a bit of lap time versus 100/200 tires. If that's a goal then most definately do it. But make sure you don't drive then on the street to the track and home.
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996love (07-27-2024)
#22
Rennlist Member
Have run the Hoosier R7's on the GT3 RS at RA the past few years. 19" on the RS all the way around. Fantastic tire wear and performance. Maintain target tire pressures and rotate side to side at the end of each day. Also good time to inspect break pad wear.
Track day tire is fantastic to work with. Fast delivery and tires show up boxed (unlike the Hankooks I just purchased for the CS)
Track day tire is fantastic to work with. Fast delivery and tires show up boxed (unlike the Hankooks I just purchased for the CS)
#23
Rennlist Member
#24
So….a good portion of the enjoyment for me is getting good hands on experiences with different things for the platform, so I can assist others and heck maybe even encourage others to get out there and do it!
I always keep 3 sets of wheels at least around for it, one with Cup 2 or Cup 2R for street, another with Cup 2R or CRS for track, and this will be the slick set, of which I am working closely with a good track wheel company on designing the perfect size/width/offset wheels for the platform purpose built for a slick. Should be here in a few weeks.
Shortly after I started this thread, I had a chance to talk at length with an engineer for one of the slick companies mentioned somewhere in this thread, he was in an airport heading t another country for the sake of some R&D…….we got way into the weeds, he’s plenty happy with the camber that the car can get in its factory “track camber” settings for their slick, and gave some other great in-sites, was really neat and educational. Between that and all the knowledge that came out in this thread, I think this has been wonderful.
Now having said all that, I need to get back at it and figure out what I’m doing and get something ordered HA!
Last edited by BruceAMG; 07-29-2024 at 10:45 PM.
#25
Rennlist Member
Running slicks on the street for 2,500 miles per year? Ever been caught on the highway in the rain with even well-worn R-Comps? A very good friend of mine who shall remain nameless (because many of you in the SE know him) is a very talented race driver, DE Instructor and former CI. He was taking it easy on the highway after instructing at his local track because he was just a few miles from home when, all of a sudden, it started raining and his 2004 GT3 snapped on him. He collected some ARMCO and a pretty significant repair bill.
Last edited by NC TRACKRAT; 07-30-2024 at 06:37 PM.
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996love (07-31-2024)
#26
Running slicks on the street for 2,500 miles per year? Ever been caught on the highway in the rain with even well-worn R-Comps? A very good friend of mine who shall remain nameless (because many of you in the SE know him) is a very talented race driver, DE Instructor and former CI. He was taking it easy on the highway after instructing at his local track because he was just a few miles from home when, all of a sudden, it started raining and his 2004 GT3 snapped on him. He collected some ARMCO and a pretty significant repair bill.
Another car of mine, M2 Comp, I had Nankang AR1 on, got caught driving home in rain and was NO fun.