Track Tires - TYOOL 2016 Edition

[autox320]

Out of that list easy NT01. That's what I use and drive to the track with them on. Great compound that takes the heat wearing like iron fists. Most say exact same tire as the Toyo RA1 and I concur. My next pick might be the Federals. Seen lots of guys swear by them recently and they also wear like iron. Ran into a few V8 swap cars using them for plenty of events.

[hwy84]

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.

I'll third the Star Spec - I love them on track, super predictable, good stick, highly resistant to greasing up when you overdrive, and they last like I can't believe. I run these on a heavy e28 race car in LeMons, and we get 2 events out of a set - that's 32 hours of track driving! (of which a fair amount is yellow), so maybe 20-25 hours of hard lapping. Not too shabby!!

I have also raced on Azenis on an e30. Grip is on par with the Star Specs, but the Azenis sucked in the wet, and could be overdriven and get greasy. Easy enough to get back - just back off for a lap or so - but that requires thinking and planning, as opposed to the Star Specs which just work.

RA-1s are awesome though, if you have a spare set of wheels. Or if you want to scare the hell out of yourself on your favorite mountain road. :devil:

...aaaaaand just realized the OP asked this question months ago. I'm a n00b. Oh well.

[BraveUlysses]

it's okay, we need updates for everyone's preferences for tires in 2016

i ended up buying star specs but havent gotten to drive them hard yet

[Beej '86 325es]

I hate to make this an all Star Spec thread, but I'll be buying my second set next month. I will have gotten 11 track days out of them.


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[rwh11385]

Kumhos are on back-order it turns out, so we're ordering a set of Star Specs as well now...

I also forgot to mention about the Bridgestone RE-71s that some have complained that they wear fast (compared to others run in the category), so might not be as good of an all-around tire as Dunlops, RS3s, or V720s.

[agent]

I'll be driving an E30 with Rivals on it next month at the VIR 24h. All three of the race/track E30s I've driven have been shod with Azenis, so I'm looking forward to being able to make a first hand comparison.

[brian52555]

FYI tirerack has the re-71s and a few others on rebate again - $70 gift card.

Set of 4 205/50/15 cost me 461.80-70= 391.80 (shipping is another 60~).

[lcoleman]

I notice the Maxxis RC1s are absent from this discussion, and I think they're worth a look. Roughly equivalent to an NT01, but much cheaper. Of the tires listed, I'd do the NT01 for sure.

The thing about the current crop of ST autocross tires is that they get hot too quickly on track. RE71Rs, Rival S, and to a lesser extent the old Rival and RS3s. My RE71Rs took maybe 3 laps at CMP before they fell off (granted, they were FAST before that). I also had a set of old Toyo R1Rs, which are supposed to get greasy quickly, and they fared a lot better. They could handle maybe 6 or 7 laps before overheating.

I don't trust Federals. I ran a set and the tread splices got HUGE by the end. I wouldn't want to be coming into corner at trackday speeds on those. Autocross is less risk.