Track Tires - TYOOL 2016 Edition

[BraveUlysses]

Lets talk track tires for

I'm trying to save a buck or two and Discount Tire Direct has a promotion this week for 130 or 160 off a set of 4 tires, with free shipping.

A few options on DTD right now in 205/50/15:

NT05
NT01
Azenis RT615k
Advan AD08R

AD08 NT01 NT05 RT615k
Price 149 145 101 110
Subtotal 596 580 404 440
Rebate 160 135 135 135
Final Price $436 $445 $269 $305

Looks like a decent price all things considered, but I'd like some recommendations if anyone has driven on these tires.

I'm interested in wet performance most of all, which previous versions of Azenis were not particularly great. Are NT05's worth a damn?

[nrubenstein]

NT05s are mediocre all around, but especially in the wet.

honestly, none of those are all that great in the wet. Are RA-1s covered by the promotion? they'll be better with tread than the NT-01s, I believe.

[BraveUlysses]

Unfortunately, not offered by DTD. Tire rack seems to be the main retailer for most of the better tires these days.

I'm not sure I'd want to go with r-comps either, i'm just doing track days and the occasional drift practice day

[Balleristic31]

Where are you finding this rebate? Having a hard time finding it online. Thanks for the heads up!

[agent]

I like the Azenis for track day tires since I am also driving the car between the hotel and the track (and not changing to my street wheels & tires just for that). If/when I start towing the car and leaving it at the track overnight, I'll try something with an 80 or a 100 tread wear rating.

[BraveUlysses]

Where are you finding this rebate? Having a hard time finding it online. Thanks for the heads up!

discounttiredirect.com

you have to use their store credit card to get the extra 60 dollar rebate.

[iPee]

Looking for new tires for track(lapping days) season this year. Last year I didn't budget enough so I ended up getting race pads and ran with Falken ziex 912 haha. Obviously they didn't last too long and were greasing up halfway through the session. I still had a ton of fun though and it was a great learning experience.

This year I plan to get tires and debating between the below. Will likely be going for 205/50/15 on a 15x8 rim.

Federal 595 RSR
Nitto NT05
Dunlop Z2 Starspec
Bridgestone RE71

I'm looking for something that will help me stay consistent throughout the session and will good reasonable for daily driving as well.


Thanks

[e30_302]

I'd take the Z2* out of that group. The RE71 would be a little faster but wear quicker. The star spec is a great all around tire.

[Beej '86 325es]

I've run the NT05s and Z2*, and I can say that the Z2* is a far superior tire.

[djjerme]

I'll second the Star Spec. Have a ton of time on them, and they are a great all around tire for a street/track car. Predictable, and decent in wet..

But for something a little grippier - it's hard to beat the RA1 for wear and predictability. There's a reason each time Toyo has tried to kill it off, it gets brought back (i.e. R888) - it's a very reliable tire.

[BraveUlysses]

RE71's (and re-11s) on tire rack right now come with a 70 off rebate (giftcard)

almost wish i had waited till today to buy tires instead of getting start specs literally yesterday.

[iPee]

It's too bad I live in Canada though, I think those rebates only applies to US Citizens.

Appreciate the input guys, look forward to this season.

[rwh11385]

RE-71s in 205/50-15: $475.84/set
ZII Star Specs in 205/50-15: $461/set
Kumho V720s in 205/50-15: $397/set

We like V720s for their wear and handling, plus easier on the pocket book (without rebates). You can find a bunch of people who argue for those first two, or RT615ks or RS3s, but I think finding a consistent agreement on superiority would be challenging since people have different opinions and experiences.

This year I plan to get tires and debating between the below.

There's a lot of good answers and likely not worth the debate to find the best answer, just get a set and go with them. You can always change it up next time when you wear them out, which will be shortly with these sticky tires. I ran 195 first gen Azenis on a 325is and got greasy but still had fun and learned. We destroyed a set of Rival Ss during a weekend and cut our session short slightly, but then found the Kumhos. We could venture out and try RS3s, RE-71s, or Star Specs but we're happy with what we got and I prefer asymmetrical tread patterns so rotating them is easier.

And the last track day I did was a 2 ton car on Michelin Pilot Super Sports and they did great, so it isn't always about best but instead about sufficient.

[agent]

We destroyed a set of Rival Ss during a weekend and cut our session short slightly

I've read several such posts across multiple forums. The Rival-S is built for autocross/solo, so it is not a good track tire.

[rwh11385]

I've read several such posts across multiple forums. The Rival-S is built for autocross/solo, so it is not a good track tire.

Yep, we found that out after ordering them. Still worked for 8 hours but not 9. And also ran a leftover pair for another stint since only fronts were corded. These and tiny RT215s are examples of bad answers that still were livable.

With good answers (V720s, RE-71s, Star Specs, RS3s), they should all be significantly better than others but only marginally different amongst themselves.