HPDE car - tires?

[nando]

nando - I know you run 235s...does the car ever tell you you need more tire? 245-275 size ?

not with my current suspension/driving skill level

[FredK]

Also, R-S3s are finally back in stock at the Tire Rack, after being backordered for four months!

[Emre]

Out of all the very, very many tires I've tried on the street and track I think the best one I have ever come across for mixed street/HPDE use has been the new Hankook R-S3.

Really good grip wet or dry. Progressive at the limit. Excellent feedback. No chunking or uneven wear on the track. Stiff enough sidewalls for crisp turn-in, without beating you up on the street. Don't need for any warm-up period, yet they will last a full 30-min track session without getting greasy. Not particularly fussy about camber. Available in 225/45-R15, which is perfect for an E30 on 15x7" wheels with an offset of ET25. Not too expensive, either.

There are tires that are better on the street; others are better on a dry track. But it would be very difficult to do any better for an all-weather street/track car.

[gearheadE30]

I ran G009s for a few track days, and they blistered pretty bad. Don't overdrive them, or at least give them a cooldown every few laps or they get scary greasy. I have a set of Yoko s.drives 205/55/15s and they have 18k on them along with multiple autocrosses and 6 HPDEs, and they still have tread and pretty good grip. Definitely have gotten my money out of them.

[nrubenstein]

nah


-2 summers of DD'ing R888s, I just hit the wear bars. :p

All things are relative, and R888s are pretty pleasant on the street. However, that doesn't change the fact that they do in fact heat cycle out very quickly. RA-1 speed is generally limited by tread squirm - them get faster as they get worn down. 888s slow down with time.

[Jean]

nando - I know you run 235s...does the car ever tell you you need more tire? 245-275 size ?

[nando]

They heat cycle out fast and turn into rocks. ;)

nah


-2 summers of DD'ing R888s, I just hit the wear bars. :p

[Wh33lhop]

Yeah, sounds about right. :p

Fuck it, I'd do it. I <3 epic R-comp sidewalls.

[nrubenstein]

Define "iron."

They heat cycle out fast and turn into rocks. ;)

[Wh33lhop]

hard to beat Toyo R888..wear like iron,and no too bad on price!

Define "iron."

[carnurd]

Go cheap and basic falken azenis 615K's quite predictable on breakaway and are super cheap for the grip.

[nrubenstein]

Thanks all for the input - I'll probably stick w/ what's on the car for the September event, and focus on upgrading after that. I don't commute w/ the car (maybe 2-3x/month) so I just need something that can perform on the track but also have good durability.

I'll still need need to settle the r-comp vs. dunlop debate at some point...dunlops sound good (and pretty cheap) if people like them on the track. I have read some iffy reviews though (i.e. they reach their limit and break away w/out much warning). Anyone have this experience?

10 years ago, the Dunlops would have been called r-tires. As a rule, the higher performance the tire, the faster the breakaway. To me, the Dunlops feel extremely forgiving, but if you don't have much feel for the car, it'll be fast for you.

Basically, the people that are complaining about rapid breakaway with the Dunlops have a point. But they have less rapid breakaway than R-tires. The only reason they are complaining about that is because, frankly, they are clueless and shouldn't be driving on such sticky tires in the first place.

Edit: And yes, when starting out, stick with the junk tires. There's no reason to upgrade until at least you start melting them.

[Rascal2pt0]

R-Comps are great but they will hide your mistakes. If you want to be fast learn on street tires. There also a whole lot CHEAPER! Once your making consistent lap times and can't seem to squeeze anymore speed out (which should take at least a year). Then get some used R-Comps for cheap, a lot of people do one track day and never wear them out.

A good set of R-comps will run around 150->200 a tire, and you'll burn thru them in a track day or 2 depending on how rough you are.

Take the money you save not buying R-comps and put it into driving schools and instruction, that will make you a far better driver than good tires ever will.

[jstam]

Thanks all for the input - I'll probably stick w/ what's on the car for the September event, and focus on upgrading after that. I don't commute w/ the car (maybe 2-3x/month) so I just need something that can perform on the track but also have good durability.

I'll still need need to settle the r-comp vs. dunlop debate at some point...dunlops sound good (and pretty cheap) if people like them on the track. I have read some iffy reviews though (i.e. they reach their limit and break away w/out much warning). Anyone have this experience?

[E30Gus]

dunlop direzza z1 starspec

Just got a set on the car and LOVE them!