HPDE tires - 2019 edition

[mistople]

+1 for SX2.

Cheap, relatively sticky, and communicative. I can't keep up with guys on the standard 200TW fare (skill is a factor there too, of course), but I'm within a second or two.

People around here tell me that the SX2 is good in wet conditions. That hasn't been my experience. I always feel like I'm driving on ice and can't trust the car at all. Curious to know what others think?

[Pat]

Originally Posted by showrun

Ok, I'm ordering some SX2. What's the best size for a completely stock FRS (with good brake pads)?
225/45 on 17x8 wheel?
Or something wider? On a 17x9?

225/45

[showrun]

Originally Posted by Horrid_Funk

My 2 cents: I've been running SX2s track and street in California for over a year now.

225/45?
If so, on what wheel (make/model/size/offset)?

Originally Posted by mistople

+1 for SX2.

Same questions :-)

Originally Posted by Pat

225/45

On what wheel (make/model/size/offset)?

[Pat]

Kosei K4R 17x8 et 36

[Horrid_Funk]

Originally Posted by showrun

225/45?
If so, on what wheel (make/model/size/offset)?



Same questions :-)



On what wheel (make/model/size/offset)?

225/45R17 on the stock performance package 17x7.5 wheel. +48 offset.

[Horrid_Funk]

Originally Posted by mistople

+1 for SX2.

Cheap, relatively sticky, and communicative. I can't keep up with guys on the standard 200TW fare (skill is a factor there too, of course), but I'm within a second or two.

People around here tell me that the SX2 is good in wet conditions. That hasn't been my experience. I always feel like I'm driving on ice and can't trust the car at all. Curious to know what others think?

They're definitely not great in wet, but I wouldn't call it driving on ice. The only other tire I've run on the car are the stock Primacy's. The SX2 is a little more slippery but not a lot. I'd definitely prefer to use something better in the rain but I don't drive in the rain a lot so it's fine for me.

[mistople]

Originally Posted by Horrid_Funk

They're definitely not great in wet, but I wouldn't call it driving on ice. The only other tire I've run on the car are the stock Primacy's. The SX2 is a little more slippery but not a lot. I'd definitely prefer to use something better in the rain but I don't drive in the rain a lot so it's fine for me.

Right. My 215 Primacys were more predictable than my 245 SX2s. Curious to see what other high performance tires are like in the wet.

Someday I'd love to try a Hoosier H20.

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by mistople

Right. My 215 Primacys were more predictable than my 245 SX2s. Curious to see what other high performance tires are like in the wet.

Someday I'd love to try a Hoosier H20.

It depends on how wet, and if you can get heat into the compound, and if you're fighting heat vs hydroplaning.

For the most part, most "EHP" type tires all feel like the SX2 in the wet; if you're trying to corner, it's gonna be a battle.

MPSS/MPS4S do significantly better when the surface is fully saturated and you are not getting heat in the tires at all.

[showrun]

Closing the loop, after massive hours of obsessive reading, I decided on the following:

225/45Z GT Radial Champiro SX2. Save the RS-4 as an incremental upgrade for next time.
6UL 17x8 +40mm
SPC Performance 81305 Camber Bolt in lower hole, stock lower bolt in upper hole.
-2 camber all around, 0 toe.

Today was my 1st day on track at Portland. One dry session, and different levels of wet the rest of the day.

On the dry, the car was fantastic. Night and day compared to the stock Primacy. Yes I know I am stating the obvious, but it was really awesome. In one session, I just wasn't able to find the limit of the tires, whereas with the Primacy, after 4 track days, I felt the tires were holding me back.

On the wet, I made the mistake of not letting enough air out. At 37psi, the rear has zero grip. I spun twice including going almost straight. Down to 32psi and it wasn't too bad. I still spun one more time, but that was while trying to find the limit.

Thanks everyone.

[bmxr]

Originally Posted by 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.

That's the consensus I have read and why I went with RS4s. Great tire. Good, grip, feel, and wear for not a lot of money.

[showrun]

I'm happy I went with the SX2. Enough grip to have fun with some amount of confidence, but not enough to hide my lack of skills. Fantastic tire for someone looking to improve.
The RS4s are in my future, but I'm not in a hurry.

[CrowsFeast]

Originally Posted by rice_classic

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)

I agree with nearly everything in this post (especially the safety comment which I initially missed), except I wouldn't go to RE-71R's right away. I would suggest one of the tires with better life to start out (but don't get too fussy, as stated this is HPDE, not competition).

Also, for those with some confusion about what bolt goes where, etc:
complete with part numbers!

[Goingnowherefast]

Not sure if this has been posted before, but here's the new 2019 Tirerack 200TW test results:

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests...y.jsp?ttid=242

TLDR:

It definitely looks like the new A052's are the quickest tire out there in the dry by a measurable margin.

[Icecreamtruk]

The cat is out of the bag!