Was planning on using stock tires, but punctured one, so now what?
 

As the title states, I was planning on using my stock tires for a number of trackdays as I learn, but on lap 1 session 2 of day 1 at Chuckwalla I badly punctured one, ended the day, had to crawl back on the spare donut to a tire shop. The tire I bought I thought was all season but is actually a Kumho summer tire.

Anyways, so much for that plan, as after what happened I'm definitely bringing an extra set of track only wheels and tires, so the question is what type. I'm leaning towards R compound tires such as the Nitto NT01, and I know the argument that a beginner shouldn't use such grippy tires, but I also don't want to buy tires only for the track that aren't, uhh, only for the track. I don't expect to ever do a trackday in rain, I don't care about being competitive, and I don't like the idea of learning on mismatched low grip all season tires.

The one session I did was on my all seasons, Goodyear Eagle Sports in the stock size, and I don't know if my lack of confidence in them was just my own lack of experience or if there really is no lateral grip, because that's what it felt like. Again, that could just be me not being used to cornering at speeds, but I would definitely like to feel more mid turn grip.

Pretty much all the 200tw tire category would fit your need. Why pigeon hole yourself into such a polarized setup? Pick one or the other, you can't both learn on a forgiving tire and also decide you're going to be a gripmaster right out of the gate.

Hankook RS4, my last set lasted 20 trackdays and they aren't much slower than an NT01. They take the heat well and have great characteristics.

Thanks, what size would you say for a 17X8 wheel? They don't come in the ideal sizes.

245 would be optimum, but you can run anything form 225 to 255 without issues. They haven't shipped this year's run so there are only limited sizes and quantities available right now.

Are these a continuation of the RS3?

They are the replacement for RS3, they have much higher grip levels but give up some of the heat tolerance (still hard to overheat but the RS3 could take a blowtorch and keep going).

They out last other 200tw tires and only give up grip to the RE71r. They are similar to the Falken 615k+ but last nearly twice as long and have slightly more grip.

If the goal is to learn then buy the best tire for that. Dont get stuck on needing a "track tire" for track wheels. I have become a much better driver when I went to something less grippy than the RS3 I started on.

GT Radial SX2 would be awesome for you. Decent grip, takes abuse, great feedback, last a long time.

I second this and also add that they are very affordable compared to the other "track tires".

Flat tires are super rare so I wouldn't get another set of wheels just for that reason.

If you are just getting started in tracking your car then just get another stock tire, or go with a "normal" summer street tire. I can highly recommend Michelin's MP4S.

Definitely DO NOT get stickier track tires if just starting out; they will mask mistakes and will increase corner speeds which will make it harder to catch mistakes. I wouldn't even recommend 200TW tires for someone getting started since these can be as sticky as DOT R compound track tires.

Those cost the most out of all the suggestions here.

Cheaper than two sets of wheels/tires...

Nt01s and most track tires a very loud for street driving ...

One set, I already have the one set for daily driving. So comfort/loudness wouldn't matter either.

225/45-17 would be the best fit on 17x8. Or 235/45-17, but they're a bit taller than stock (25.1" vs. 24.7").

235/40-17 and 245/40 want to be on 8.5" or preferably 9" wheel. But would work on 8", just be slightly pooched.

FWIW I think any newb is going to be better off and learn more, faster at the track on track-appropriate tires vs. non track-oriented squirmy tires.
Agree 100% with the RS-4 suggestion, they behave very well at the track, fun to drive, consistent and no surprises.

Again to ilterate the above said. any 200tw would be fine.

ive even had guys track on Indy Firehawks and BFG Sport comp 2 tires


Personally Ive driven on
Dunlop DZ101
Dunlop Star spec ( gen 1 o.O)
Bridgestone Potenza RE11
Yokohama S. Drive
Kumho V720
Hankook Ventus V12
and Federal RS-RR


and all of them are okay. to varying degrees one migh tbe better than the other. in terms of raw grip and feel the go to pixie dust is the RE71R (im not sold on the advan A052)

I would pick up whatever is cheap and good, and run it into the ground and repeat.

the GX2 champs and falken FT series are also solid choices.

I would also run a 225 on an 8 inch wide. you could run wider but for me feel of the contact patch and turn in matter more than raw grip. levels we would likely not even exceed at a casual or normie track day level

I'd go SX2, as it's a great learning tire. Add to that, being in socal, you can participate in 86Cup, which has a tire contingency for the SX2... seems like a win win.

Oh - let's also throw in the fact that, on a stock sized wheel, you can run the 215s or 225s for less than $400 delivered...

R compounds and sticky tires are only going to hide mistakes, and as you go faster, those mistakes will compound. At a certain point when those mistakes result in losing control of the car, it will be at higher speeds and harder to recover - meaning end result has a much worse potential.

That being said, if you're looking for validation on going to sticky tires, NT01s seem to last a long time and don't mind slip angle. If you want stickier, can go Toyo RR. Keep in mind these are also going to be harder on the car too, so you're going to get increased wear and tear on other parts of the car from it.

Have fun and keep driving!

Why not just get a single stock wheel with the same tires as you already have?
Put it in the same spot as the donut which shouldnt take much room. You have a spare, you save money, and as a bonus, less grippy tires are great to learn on