Spyder Tire Experience
06-24-2011, 10:59 AM
#1
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Spyder Tire Experience
A few of you asked, so here is my tire experience for my particular applications and driving style. I live on an 11mile very curvy road, and I do as many track days as I can at Infineon/Sears and Laguna Seca). Streets of Willow (I won't do it again), and Thunder Hill (I've missed the events so far, but I'll make the next one).
I've had the stock worthless tires (I can't even remember what they were I threw them away after two weeks), Michelin PS2's, and R888's on the Spyder. I'm a motorcycle guy as well, so good tires are very important to me, and I'm extremely picky. My other car is a (no one freak out, I don't like Suby guys either) Subaru WRX built by LIC Motorsports in Novato California (337hp/349ftlb). I've run all kinds of tires on it, including the R888's, which worked fine with the 4WD.
The reason I went with the R888's, is Michelin hadn't made the Cups in the rear tire size for the Spyder when I needed new tires. They now have them, confirmed by TireRack.
SCarGo Motorsports out of Marin like the R888 for a 911 they run, but they run pressures around 40psi cold. It works for them with the heavier car. In talking with AIM Tire at Infineon (who sources their tires), they said that for my light weight car I should go 28/30psi front/rear (stock is 30/31). I tried all different pressures for the front and found the lower pressure is better for the R888 and the Spyder, but it's still doesn't solve the problems.
To be more specific, they are horrible for the fronts, the rears are fine. Everyone that races that tire shaves it to kill tread-squirm. Since I'm not racing and wanted longer tire life, I didn't have them shaved, but this resulted in massive squirm in the S's at Infineon (turns 8/9). The R888's did not give me anywhere near the feel for what the front end was doing (or even the rear) as much as the basic PS2's. I'd say it was a reduction of 50% feel, which is atrocious and unsettling.
In general, the front end pushes and doesn't hold a line, even when smearing the rear. They also don't have good bite on turn-in. They are bad on the track and the twisty back roads. To give you an idea of how much thicker the tread is: I have a speed bump in my neighborhood, and with Michelin PS2's I would scrape the little feelers at the front. With the R888's, I cleared it easily.
The R888's were roughly 3-4 seconds slower than 1/2 smoked PS2's at Laguna Seca. I was running around 1.42's on PS2's, and my fastest lap on the R888's was a 1.45. I'd take the PS2's over the R888's any day, but they simply aren't aggressive enough for where I live and how I drive.
Next track day I'll have the Michelin Cups!
I've had the stock worthless tires (I can't even remember what they were I threw them away after two weeks), Michelin PS2's, and R888's on the Spyder. I'm a motorcycle guy as well, so good tires are very important to me, and I'm extremely picky. My other car is a (no one freak out, I don't like Suby guys either) Subaru WRX built by LIC Motorsports in Novato California (337hp/349ftlb). I've run all kinds of tires on it, including the R888's, which worked fine with the 4WD.
The reason I went with the R888's, is Michelin hadn't made the Cups in the rear tire size for the Spyder when I needed new tires. They now have them, confirmed by TireRack.
SCarGo Motorsports out of Marin like the R888 for a 911 they run, but they run pressures around 40psi cold. It works for them with the heavier car. In talking with AIM Tire at Infineon (who sources their tires), they said that for my light weight car I should go 28/30psi front/rear (stock is 30/31). I tried all different pressures for the front and found the lower pressure is better for the R888 and the Spyder, but it's still doesn't solve the problems.
To be more specific, they are horrible for the fronts, the rears are fine. Everyone that races that tire shaves it to kill tread-squirm. Since I'm not racing and wanted longer tire life, I didn't have them shaved, but this resulted in massive squirm in the S's at Infineon (turns 8/9). The R888's did not give me anywhere near the feel for what the front end was doing (or even the rear) as much as the basic PS2's. I'd say it was a reduction of 50% feel, which is atrocious and unsettling.
In general, the front end pushes and doesn't hold a line, even when smearing the rear. They also don't have good bite on turn-in. They are bad on the track and the twisty back roads. To give you an idea of how much thicker the tread is: I have a speed bump in my neighborhood, and with Michelin PS2's I would scrape the little feelers at the front. With the R888's, I cleared it easily.
The R888's were roughly 3-4 seconds slower than 1/2 smoked PS2's at Laguna Seca. I was running around 1.42's on PS2's, and my fastest lap on the R888's was a 1.45. I'd take the PS2's over the R888's any day, but they simply aren't aggressive enough for where I live and how I drive.
Next track day I'll have the Michelin Cups!
06-24-2011, 01:35 PM
#2
Addict
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
It's good to see real world feedback on various tires since we all will eventually need a new set and prices are about the same regardless of which brand you go with.
I'm curious, have you considered the Pirelli or Bridgestones also and if not why? I ask because the weights of these tires are less than the Michelins (not sure on the R888's).
For reference I have Bridgestones and have only used them on the street. They have excellent feel and feedback, I can feel some slight squirm when you push hard in mid corner, straight line, braking and acceleration are excellent. Unfortunately I haven't tried other tires so I can't compare them to anything else available for the Spyder.
I'm curious, have you considered the Pirelli or Bridgestones also and if not why? I ask because the weights of these tires are less than the Michelins (not sure on the R888's).
For reference I have Bridgestones and have only used them on the street. They have excellent feel and feedback, I can feel some slight squirm when you push hard in mid corner, straight line, braking and acceleration are excellent. Unfortunately I haven't tried other tires so I can't compare them to anything else available for the Spyder.
06-24-2011, 02:54 PM
#3
Rennlist Member
I like my PS2's for all around everyday up to & including Streets of Willow, but can't wait for them to wear out so I can try the new Pilot Super Sports. OP what didn't you like about Streets of Willow? How does it compare to other tracks you have run on?
06-25-2011, 06:53 PM
#4
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
@Marine Blue - In the research I've done, and on the cars I've had and driven in, I'm not a big fan of the Pirelli's or Bridgestones. Michelin seems to have the Porsche thing down pretty well, judging now the PS2's worked on the Spyder. I've loved the Cups on other Porsches at the Ring in the past, so I'm betting on them for the Spyder.
@Byprodriver - I didn't like Streets for the following reasons, which are pretty picky: It's dirty and dusty since it's in the open, and gets a lot of wind. There is the track, and dirt/sand next to it, with no real protection from the surrounding elements. You also get the Suby and Evo guys there (and I can say this because I have a Suby from LIC Motorsports), and they think it's a rally and hook on their tires, and drive through the dirt spraying rocks all over the track and cars behind them, and won't wave you by because you're in a Porsche. The track owners also don't clean the track. There is so much crap on the track, my car looked like it drove through a war zone afterward. It took me 3 hours to clean off the rubber smudges, but Sears and Laguna clean their tracks so it only takes me 1/2 an hour to clean my car after track days.
@Byprodriver - I didn't like Streets for the following reasons, which are pretty picky: It's dirty and dusty since it's in the open, and gets a lot of wind. There is the track, and dirt/sand next to it, with no real protection from the surrounding elements. You also get the Suby and Evo guys there (and I can say this because I have a Suby from LIC Motorsports), and they think it's a rally and hook on their tires, and drive through the dirt spraying rocks all over the track and cars behind them, and won't wave you by because you're in a Porsche. The track owners also don't clean the track. There is so much crap on the track, my car looked like it drove through a war zone afterward. It took me 3 hours to clean off the rubber smudges, but Sears and Laguna clean their tracks so it only takes me 1/2 an hour to clean my car after track days.
06-26-2011, 02:58 AM
#5
Nordschleife Master
Kane,
Thanks for write up. It looks like you and I have similar tastes in cars. My other track car is an evo X. Lol on the suby/evo crowd. There's a reason the insurance on my evo is double what I pay for the spyder.....
Hope to meet you at the track sometime
Thanks for write up. It looks like you and I have similar tastes in cars. My other track car is an evo X. Lol on the suby/evo crowd. There's a reason the insurance on my evo is double what I pay for the spyder.....
Hope to meet you at the track sometime
Trending Topics
06-30-2011, 12:09 PM
#10
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
A brief update:
I've just heat cycled the new Cups, and even while not pushing it, the bite on turn-in is light years better than the R888's. They are like the PS2's on crack.
Track day tomorrow at Sears Point (Infineon), and I'll post the differences in lap times from the R888's to the Cups.
I've just heat cycled the new Cups, and even while not pushing it, the bite on turn-in is light years better than the R888's. They are like the PS2's on crack.
Track day tomorrow at Sears Point (Infineon), and I'll post the differences in lap times from the R888's to the Cups.