HPDE tires - 2019 edition

[J1Avs]

Originally Posted by showrun

I was thinking I'd wait a little before buying rear LCA and camber plates.

In the meanwhile, the only cheap option is front camber bolts. Do those make sense with the stock rear LCA? Or is camber front and rear something that needs to be adjusted all or nothing?

And is "RSRR" the Federal 595RS-RR?

I've heard Federal's stock of the RSRR's are pretty low to non-existent right now, as they are transitioning to a new tire/compound to replace it -- appears to be out overseas, not but released locally yet.

[TommyW]

Leave the stockers on until they need replacing. That is the best way to learn the car. You'll get bigger slip angles so when you put stickier tires on you'll be more comfortable. That's why some of the better racing schools teach with hard tires.

[NoHaveMSG]

Is this going to be your only set of tires or will you have a DD set? It rains too much around here to have 200TW tires on year round. If you are only rolling one set of wheels you may want to go with a PS4S or Extreme contact for a while. My RS3's were downright sketchy in the wet.

[HaXx]

Back to your original questions as to what tires are relevant, the staples in no particular order, and across the full spectrum of grip/wear: sport comp2, re 71r, r888r, pilot sport4s.

[showrun]

Originally Posted by TommyW

Leave the stockers on until they need replacing. That is the best way to learn the car. You'll get bigger slip angles so when you put stickier tires on you'll be more comfortable. That's why some of the better racing schools teach with hard tires.

Man, I don't know... I understand the logic of what you're saying... but I want more SPEED in corners!!!

Originally Posted by NoHaveMSG

Is this going to be your only set of tires or will you have a DD set? It rains too much around here to have 200TW tires on year round. If you are only rolling one set of wheels you may want to go with a PS4S or Extreme contact for a while. My RS3's were downright sketchy in the wet.

The car is a dedicated HPDE car. I only drive it at most a couple hours to/from the track. That being said, wet track happens, so good to know.

Originally Posted by HaXx

Back to your original questions as to what tires are relevant, the staples in no particular order, and across the full spectrum of grip/wear: sport comp2, re 71r, r888r, pilot sport4s.

I've read a lot about the RE 71R. My understanding is that it is very fast, but only for a very short amount of time before overheating. Great for ax, time attack and such, less so for 20-30 minute sessions. And they last 1-2 days. Has your experience been different?


The r888r: this thread talked me out of them: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=129352


I need to read up on the others.

[MX-5RACER]

The R8888r is a decent HPDE tire, I use a very similar tire on my track Miata (Nitto NT-01R). The thing with the R888r compared to the faster Hoosier R7 is the R888r SUCKS, but it sucks for a long time. The R888r is not the fastest tire, but has good wear and decent grip. For ultimate track time, there is not much that can hang with the Hoosier R7. For HDPE, you want something predicatable, with long lasting grip. The R888r or NT-01r are good choices in this respect. I prefer the stiffer case of the NT-01r as they seem to have a better feel than the R888r. They both still allow a large amount of slip angle before letting go completely.

[EAGLE5]

If you really want to stick in the corners, wide slicks and aero with stiff, lowered suspension - top hats+LCA to get the right camber.

[showrun]

Originally Posted by jsimon7777

If you really want to stick in the corners, wide slicks and aero with stiff, lowered suspension - top hats+LCA to get the right camber.

Totally. That's the end game.
For now, I'm looking for the 1st incremental step up from completely stock.
Camber bolts and 200TW tires seem like a first step?

[EAGLE5]

Sure. Cheap first step.

[rice_classic]

Originally Posted by showrun

Man, I don't know... I understand the logic of what you're saying... but I want more SPEED in corners!!!

Don't overthink it. Buy, mount, balance, track day!

Part of the fun of all this is learning. I remember one race season, I tried 4 different brake compounds and 4 different tire compounds. It was super fun because I learned a ton and really got to settle into what optimized the car (and the driver).

You're buying street tires - not uber expensive race rubber so who cares. Buy a set of RE71rs, R888rs or whatever and go run them and take notes. Then buy something different and rinse/repeat. Learning about the character traits of equipment is part of driver education. And besides - you're not competing so none of this really matters, the only thing that matters is fun...





(and safety)

[14stu]

Hankook RS4, I've got 13 trackdays on my current set and should get 2-3 more. They are slightly slower than RE71r's but faster than 615k+ (I've run all 3). The RE71r's can be ruined in a single trackday but you usually get about 6 days on them and the 615k+ last 8-10 days.

The RS4 works fine in the wet and is very progressive in the dry. They are great trackday tires.

[TommyW]

Originally Posted by showrun

Man, I don't know... I understand the logic of what you're saying... but I want more SPEED in corners!!!











.

Speed in corners comes with driver mod. You'll be miles ahead in the long run if you learn more car control with the stock tires. People are too quick to put sticky tires on. You're a low intermediate driver in a car you haven't tracked. Do yourself a favor and wait on new tires.

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by showrun

Hello folks,

Bought a bone-stock 2015 FR-S a couple weeks ago as dedicated HPDE car. I drive the car to/from racetracks, and that's it. I'm in the Pacific Northwest, so rain is always a possibility.

I have done JR radiator/oil cooler, Castrol SRF, Carbotech XP10.

I'm a low intermediate driver in terms of skills. I did a lot of HPDEs several years back in a C6 Corvette. I just did my 1st HPDE in the FR-S. The stock tires are limiting. Maybe I'm kidding myself, but I feel even my limited skills could use a better tire.

I've googgled. Watched videos on TireRack. Read GRM.
I've read a bunch of older threads. Things change every year.
I'd like to discuss tire options for 2019. I'm leaning towards keeping the stock wheels, but open to going to a wider 17" wheel if it won't hinder my learning. Cost is not really a factor.

So far I'm looking at:
DUNLOP DIREZZA ZII STAR SPEC (there is some old stock left)
DUNLOP DIREZZA ZIII
HANKOOK VENTUS R-S4
YOKOHAMA ADVAN NEOVA AD08 R
Azenis RT615k+ (added per Vesartis)

Thoughts?

Is your priority going fast, or getting long life, or maximizing learning?

Lower grip tires will force you to find other ways to find speed; the stock tires are fantastic for that.

Don't get stuck in the "corvette driver" mentality!

[Sleepless]

Next great step up from stock tires are Michelin MP4S. Great in the rain too.