jetskied

I have been running extreme performance tires, and was wondering should I move up to DOT R like the NT01. I usually do 6-8 DE days per year and while I may not be really fast I am able to stay with some of the faster guys in the run group (one level down from red group in PCA). My question is that I am afraid that DOT tire may mask some of my driver errors and that I won't learn to drive faster. I also wonder if the break away point to too abrupt with a tire like they NT01. Any advice would be appreciated.

jdistefa

I'm sure you'll get plenty of advice here but like many similar discussion before it boils down to... What's your goal?

faster - sure
better - hmm
safer - hmm

(do you have the safety equipment to back up the increase in grip and speed?)

TXE36

Can you slide around with abandon on the current tires? You will also have increased wear and tear on the suspension from sticky tires and they are more expensive.

Remember the nut behind the wheel is the biggest factor. Go out with an instructor or coach you really respect and ask them to evaluate you.

-Mike

hf1

In my neck of the woods it would be impossible to do the bolded part without NT01's at the minimum. If you're running in that run group I think you must have enough track days under your belt and are more than ready for NT01's. Of course, this is assuming you already have a track seat, harnesses, and HANS.

Are you sliding the car all over the place at 10/10 of available grip and do you wish you had more grip? If yes, then you're ready for NT01's. Also, keep in mind that with higher grip you may have to increase your negative camber so that the tires wear out evenly from inside to the outside. Does your current setup allow for more neg camber?

Matt Lane

In terms of available options, I would be curious to hear how an entry level Rcomp tire like the NT-01 compares to something like the newer Michelin SS?

Reason I ask, is that with the Michelin, you get a top quality tire that's light and will do a LOT of things very well, including getting you around the track and home in the rain.

Just wondering what the gap is - some of the street tires have gotten really good.

PS - I am wearing out one more spare set of Dunlop Direzza rears before deciding on the next step. With a street suspension, I am inclined to stay with street tires - I am maxed out around -2 degrees and get nice even wear on a combintaion of street and track with my current level of grip, ability and wussiness.

Cheers

Matt

Upstate101

I think I'm in the same run group as you (OP), and I started using the NT01s this January on our e36 M3 and the 944 S2. Both are dedicated track cars with cage, seats, harnesses, suspension, weight reduction, etc. My son and I always drive with NecksGen as well. I've done 14 track days so far this year on the Nittos. I find them to be predictable in terms of grip/no grip and they do allow for some sliding through turns. They also seem to wear better than the ToyoR888s that I had previously used and last longer, too. The NT01s don't come in the ideal size for the M3 (245/40/17) but I find the 235/40/17s work just fine.
In summary, I love the NT01s and I plan to keep using them. Probably wouldn't be a bad idea to have something else if you plan to drive in the rain, though. I agree with pretty much agree with everything the other posters have written.

DOUGLAP1

I ran NT-01's recently for the first time, and was very disappointed that I was no faster than on Dunlop StarSpec ZI's. I did learn from this that the NT-01 likes less air pressure and less camber than a ZI or a Hoosier, so I think I can optimize them better in the future. Still, I don't think the NT-01 is really much faster if any than the latest BFG Rival or ZII.

85Gold

^ This is something I also think. I have a set of NT01 and AD08 on 2sets of rims and next time I am at Sebring I am going to do some back to back testing.

Peter

TXE36

Heck, I've noticed the NT-05s don't like as much air pressure as the Star Specs. 235/40-17 on the car in my avatar. Star Specs "wanted" 40PSI hot, while the NT-05s only "want" 34-35 PSI. Sidewalls are much stiffer on the Nittos. One track morning I discovered I caught a nail on the drive to the track and the right front only had 10 pounds in it - it didn't look low at all. I like the NT-05s much more than the Star Specs.

I would imagine that NT-01s may even like less pressure.

Somewhat off topic, but on topic wrt to economy of street vs track tires:

As a track tire I'm really liking the NT-05's. Dirt cheap, don't get greasy, and they go on like the Energizer Bunny. Bought a new set for the March TWS PCA Texas Two Step, and then ran them for the April TWS DE. I thought they were nearly done before the PCA COTA event in May as the shoulder's wear quick, so I brought a spare set with me, which I didn't need. Then I ran them at TWS in June. Then I ran them for over 3 hours at MSRH. Finally ran them for another couple of hours at TWS last Saturday, and they still haven't corded, although they are now practically slicks. 7-8 DE weekends for $135 each ain't bad economy considering I drive to/from the track and a bit around town on them.

-Mike

Drew_K

I agree with this 100%. The street tires these days are so good that personally I don't bother with race tires for track days unless I bring the race car. But if you're an advanced driver, nothing wrong with running race rubber. They're a lot of fun.

Krokodil

Run the NT-01. IMO they are more predictable and wear more evenly on track than a street tire. They do not have an abrubt break away and provide plenty of feedback at the limit.

Faster? That depends on whether you are getting either tire to the limit of traction. In my experience they are 1.5 to 2.0 seconds faster on a 1:30 lap, and something like the R6 will drop another 1.5 to 2.0. If you are not at the limit of your current tires then the new tires will not be much faster.

The NT-01 does not like to get above 36 psi hot and will drop off quickly as the pressure rises. The tire is at it best on the second lap of the session so if you are runnng for time you need to get after it.

The NT-01 is a great (best?) DE tire, but sucks as a race tire because it falls off too much during the session. The R6 is more stable and a true slick even better.

onefastviking

What tire size are you using in the Cayman Kroc ?

Krokodil

We currently run the Yokohama slick on 280/680-18 rear and 250/650-18 front on 10R and 9F wheels.

When the the car was on R6s we ran 295/30 and 255/35 on 10/9 wheels and 275/35 and 245/35 on the stock 9/8 wheels.

With the NT-01 we ran 275/40 and 245/40 on the stock 9/8 wheels.

Cheers,