Need track day tires

[cbrsurfr]

Looking for some recommendations for new track tires. I've become more serious in doing lots of HPDE and open track days. Last year I did 4 days, this year I've done 10 and I'd like to do a couple more.

Car is a 2008 VW GTI running a modified suspension setup - Bilstein PSS10 coilovers and a big RSB. With this setup I've got a little bit of negative camber which has caused "chunking" of the inside shoulders on all 4 tires after 5 track days.

I've currently got a set of lightweight Enkei RPF1 18" x 7.5" wide wheels that I use for track days. Yeah I probably should have gone with an 8 or 8.5 inch width but I've already got these now. Currently have 225 40 R18 Kumho Ecsta SPT's on them that are pretty well worn to the point where I can't use them on track anymore. I also feel like they aren't nearly sticky enough for me. They were great for starting out and cheap too at $105/tire.

There seems to be a plethora of choices out there and I haven't decided if I should go with an extreme summer tire or a medium compound track tire. Currently I drive to events on my "track" setup, but I don't have to as I have a stock setup with good all seasons and can swap at the track.

Currently I'm considering the following (kind of a hodgepodge):

Nitto NT05
Dunlop Direzza Z1 Star Specs
Bridgestone Potenza RE-11
Hankook Ventus R-S3
Kumho Ecsta XS
Yokohama ADVAN Neova AD08
Yokohama ADVAN A048

Any others I should consider? Thoughts on the ones I'm looking at? My budget is pretty open as this is now my main hobby, but if I'm going to go through 2 sets a season I'd rather it be 2 x $6-800 sets than 2 x $1200 sets.

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Update: I've had the RS-3s since October. About half of that time they sat in my shed since I live in the Chicagoland area. I've done 3 track events on them: a 2 day at Grattan, a 3 day at Autobahn CC (rainy), and a 2 day at Blackhawk. Even with rotating them during track events all 4 are down to the wear bars. I expected they wouldn't last long with a 140 wear rating.

~5500 miles of regular driving
~500 miles on track

In the dry they are incredible. They heat up well and stick great. Turn in is precise and they are very predictable. I was able to cut about 4 sec off my lap times at Blackhawk (although some of that was instruction not just tires).

In the rain on track they suck donkey balls. I had no grip and had to constantly correct the car to keep from swapping ends. I even played with pressure and suspension to see if I could correct the instability. I had to dial it back more than I would have to when I ran Kumhos last year.

 

[punjabiplaya]

that's a pretty good list, I can't think of anything other than full competition slicks to add

 

[thedarkwolf]

Just bought a set of the Hankooks for my autox miata. Haven't gotten to use them yet but they seem to be the tire to have for my class and being one of the cheapest in my size didn't hurt either.

 

[overst33r]

I like the Ecsta XS on my S2000. You can't go wrong with any of them. I'd prolly stick to the cheaper tires RS3/Star Spec.

 

[jlee]

Do you race in the rain at all? I have Star Specs and JCH13 has RS3's. Best we can tell/research, RS3's are a little better on dry and Star Specs are a little better on wet (they'll hold 1st/2nd gear in the MR2 on a damp road with 245/40/17's). They're both really grippy tires, though.

 

[JCH13]

All good tires AFAIK, you've basically got the who's who list of extreme performance summer tires.

Like JLee said, I've got the RS3s and I'd recommend them in a heartbeat for dry track use (I haven't played in the rain yet). They don't seem to get greasy as they heat up and they're very controllable at the limit. Several instructors commented on the great grip at the last auto-x school I went to.

Edit: chunking on the inside? Maybe higher grip tires would help with that... you'll roll over more and get the tire closer to square with the road.

 

[cbrsurfr]

I've only had one session in the rain (light). It was nice to literally pass every car on the track.

Don't think I'm quite ready for full comps, maybe a medium like the Yoko ADVAN A048 on my list.

Leaing toward the R-S3's right now. Reviews look good and the price is attractive.

 

[Excelsior]

I did a lot of research for my S2000 months ago, and if I was buying an inexpensive quality set for it right now I'd definitely get the Hankook RS3. I ended up with star specs because I couldnt get the RS3 in the 205/55 size at the time but if I could have I would've.

 

[helpme]

I've used multiple sets of RE-01s on my SRT-4, they were pretty good both in durability (1 season) and grip. They were OK in the rain. I suspect the RE-11s will be just as good. I would have bought these for my Z06, but they don't come in the right sizes.

Right now I am using NT-05s on my Z06, but they have wear issues with the center rib which I have not been able to sort out (does not seem to be high tire pressure related). The grip is good, but the RE-01s were better in the rain. Also keep in mind that the NT-05s come molded to only 6/32". I think they will last me 6 track days (at least 8 sessions each) and 6 autocrosses (10 runs each).

I did not drive either on the street much, I swapped to random street tires when I wasn't heading to the track.

 

[Kirby]

Hoosier?

 

[thomsbrain]

RS-3 are great for track days. They handle heat really well. Star Specs are also a solid choice but are more expensive than they used to be.

 

[Apex]

IMHO, if you're willing to swap at the track, a DOT-R will be a better choice than a high performance summer tire. Start with something reasonably inexpensive, like the Kumho Ecsta V710.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...EV710OLD&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes

 

[JCH13]

I did a lot of research for my S2000 months ago, and if I was buying an inexpensive quality set for it right now I'd definitely get the Hankook RS3. I ended up with star specs because I couldnt get the RS3 in the 205/55 size at the time but if I could have I would've.

225/45s won't fit on your S2K? :hmm:

cbrsurfr: are your track days competitive or are they just for fun? If they're competitive and you want to do well, DOT-Rs are the way to go. If you just want to have more fun, then get an extreme summer tire.

 

[Excelsior]

225/45s won't fit on your S2K? :hmm:

cbrsurfr: are your track days competitive or are they just for fun? If they're competitive and you want to do well, DOT-Rs are the way to go. If you just want to have more fun, then get an extreme summer tire.

On the rear, the 225s will.

 

[Black2na]

we use star specs on our Chump/Lemons cars and after one 24 hour race they still had about halflife left and they had fantastic grip and did very well in both the dry and wet. i would honestly go with star specs. but the RS3 are also a Great tire

 

[cbrsurfr]

cbrsurfr: are your track days competitive or are they just for fun? If they're competitive and you want to do well, DOT-Rs are the way to go. If you just want to have more fun, then get an extreme summer tire.

Fun only, but part of the fun is being faster than drivers with much more expensive cars.


MK4_2593 by JJR329, on Flickr

 

[JCH13]

Fun only, but part of the fun is being faster than drivers with much more expensive cars.

Very nice. But if you're not going to be competitive, StarSpecs will get you 9/10ths with good wear. I assume you won't be driving at 9/10ths for non-competitive track days.

 

[coxmaster]

Fun only, but part of the fun is being faster than drivers with much more expensive cars.


MK4_2593 by JJR329, on Flickr

Very nice!! One of my friends drive a MKV GTI that is caged, stripped, and tuned. He used to be pretty competitive with track days but now its just his DD.

 

[cbrsurfr]

Ended up ordering the Hankook R-S3. Should come in Tues or Wednesday. Next track day is October 10th so I'll get to see how well they perform.

 

[JCH13]

:thumbsup:

Ended up ordering the Hankook R-S3. Should come in Tues or Wednesday. Next track day is October 10th so I'll get to see how well they perform.

 

[JackSpadesSI]

Take my advice with a grain of salt, as I've only done a couple of HPDE's, but I really love my Michelin Pilot Super Sports. My requirement for getting them, though, was a trackable tire that I could drive on every day. They're pretty solid in the rain, too.

 

[nanaki333]

loved my nittos 555 when i had them on my mustang. not the grippiest, but they certainly lasted a pretty long time for a drag radial.

 

[cbrsurfr]

Update: I've had the RS-3s since October. About half of that time they sat in my shed since I live in the Chicagoland area. I've done 3 track events on them: a 2 day at Grattan, a 3 day at Autobahn CC (rainy), and a 2 day at Blackhawk. Even with rotating them during track events all 4 are down to the wear bars. I expected they wouldn't last long with a 140 wear rating.

~5500 miles of regular driving
~500 miles on track

In the dry they are incredible. They heat up well and stick great. Turn in is precise and they are very predictable. I was able to cut about 4 sec off my lap times at Blackhawk (although some of that was instruction not just tires).

In the rain on track they suck donkey balls. I had no grip and had to constantly correct the car to keep from swapping ends. I even played with pressure and suspension to see if I could correct the instability. I had to dial it back more than I would have to when I ran Kumhos last year.

 

[jlee]

If you race in the rain, I'd highly recommend Dunlop Star Specs. Maybe not quite as good dry as RS3's (while still a great dry tire), but incredible wet.

 

[luckysnafu]

If you race in the rain, I'd highly recommend Dunlop Star Specs. Maybe not quite as good dry as RS3's (while still a great dry tire), but incredible wet.

I agree with this. The star specs are excellent in the wet and very very good in the dry. During an autox last summer it rained in the afternoon and my times didn't go down nearly as much as others on different tires.