powdrhound

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.

996love

What’s the grippiest class of tire you would recommend for a car with street alignment?

powdrhound

If you have a street alignment then a street tire of some sort would be appropriate, probably some 200 TW tire like a Michelin PS4, PSC2, etc. If you end up tracking the car you will need an alignment more aggressive than a street alignment no matter what tire you end up running. Looking at my old set up notes for NT01s (R comp 100TW) for example in a 275/35/18 and 335/30/18, I ran -3.5º camber front and -2.5º rear which worked great. When I switched to Pirelli DH 275/645-18 and 315/680-18 slick, I absolutely destroyed the tires in a few short sessions on that same alignment. Camber had to be brought up to -4.5º front and -3.75º rear. Michelins Cup slicks require even a bit more.

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.

GC996

For a 996 NB with GT3 alignment specs i ran R7s for years on the track. They were great for DE. But they don't last long. 8-10 hc at the most. But we are always limited by what tires are available by wheel size. Would I still use them, absolutely.

But if you are looking for a good tire that you can drive to and from the track, Get the RE71RS.

Zhao

There really is nothing unless you don't mind replacing tires prematurely from cording on the outside when the insides look almost new. If you drive on 20 year old heat cycled out touring tires they might be hockey pucked enough that they don't wear oddly with street camber but everything else you've bought recently is going to wear abnormally on the outside edge.

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.

GC996

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.

mipcar

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)

Mussl Kar

Why asking after running Rs for so long? There can be a lot of fun had running screaming streets on track. Going to slicks and you will easily burn through inside or outside depending on use and talent.

BruceAMG

Unlike the great Porsche, Corvette, BMW track day focused forums, my platform has not many that take this wonderful track built machine out there, so the experiences are minimal in the community, and the few “opinions” that float around out there are based on what they heard somewhere, no actual experience.

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!

NC TRACKRAT

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.

BruceAMG

No no no, that’s what the Sport Cup 2 is for, street. Never slicks on street for me.
Another car of mine, M2 Comp, I had Nankang AR1 on, got caught driving home in rain and was NO fun.