Anyone running stock rims with good tires for open track?
 

Been talking to @CSG Mike about rims and tires. He has been amazingly helpful! I was set on aftermarket, but I have ZERO track experience and I'm wondering just how far people are going with stock wheels. I'm thinking a sticky (Hankook RS3 or possibly start with a PSS) wheel on stock wheels with new brake fluid to get started (already have the rest of the fluids changed out). Then upgrade as needed.

Any advice or thoughts? I was looking at TC105N's with PSS's, but I would be running a 225 tire (not much wider than stock) and they are going to cost me an extra $1600 that could be used for track time. Just thinking and weighing my options.

Edit: I do not plan on going FI. Just going to do bolt on's and tune

Run the stock tires... and then warranty them for a set of PSS?

Replying since you sent me a PM. If you have zero track expreience, go on Primacy's. You will learn more on Primacy's than any other tire since they squeal loudly at the limit of adhesion and are easy to recover.

They are not as slow as people make them out to be. Probably 5-7 seconds behind a new RS3 and 3-5 seconds behind a new PSS. Unless you have a lot of experience racing something else, they'll be all you can handle for your first couple of days. Then go with something like an AD08R or RE11. R-S3 probably not a great choice for you since yes they are faster but they heat cycle out quicker and they don't give as good feedback.

I'm not impressed with PSS. They're good DD tires but they heat cycle out by half tread like R-S3's. And, they're peaky in the wet (read- good traction until they break away and then tougher to recover than say, an AD08R or older PS2).

BFG Rivals are good and will make you feel like a hero since they offer grip and perform over a wide range of slip angles, but they won't teach you that much since their traction is available over a wide grip range. Mike and I don't really like these tires that much :)

Once you smoke your Primacy's, it's worth spending the money on the Advans IMO, they last longer than the R-S3's and have much better wet performance- actually a streetable tire. Very sharp response and good breakaway characteristics. RE-11A's would be a good choice as well.

HAHAHAHA!!! I like how you think :laughabove:

THANK YOU! Been searching through your threads! Sad you got rid of the car, but there is a TON of information in them! :cheers:

No prob. It was interesting, I drove a lady's track BRZ on half worn PSS and Ohlins suspension and could go no faster than I did in my own BRZ on Primacy's and stock suspension- same conditions. I attribute it to the tires being heat cycled out (it was like their 10th track day but they still had plenty of tread). No doubt they would have been much faster new. I have a set on my M3 and they are much stickier (but then again, they've never been tracked). PSS are amazing street tires but break down quickly with some heat cycles in them.

CSG_Mike and I have a friend in common who ran on 14th day RE-11A's and set his personal best at Buttonwillow, something like a 2:02 or 2:03, I forget. (MMisencik on S2Ki)

AWESOME! What Advan are we talking about? Just looked them up, seeing a couple options

Yokohama Advan Neova AD08R. It's what Evasive used before they switched to Maxxis r-compounds.

Not quite as fast as R-S3 but certainly within a second when new, and better longevity/response. $$ but IMO worth it, a nice step up from the older AD08 which I also liked but thought lacked dry grip- these AD08R's bring up the grip level a bit and retain the great breakaway characteristics that the older tire had but at a faster pace.

THANK YOU!!!! :cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers:

this is probably what is going to get me out there in the brz rather than my miata. while not a huge fan of the pss, i think that it would be a rad upgrade for a street car.

I'm pretty much in the same situation as the OP. I'm planning to get out on the stock primacy's but will eventually upgrade. I was looking at a 215/45/17 Federal 595rsr for the stock rims. Anybody have any experience with those? Their price is very attractive.

I have a set of 215/45 PSS on stock rims, been through 3 track days already and the edges where the sidewall meets the actual tread area looks like they have "folded in" for lack of better terms, like the tread area wore out way faster than the sidewall or something.

I have to say, they've got good grip when new but at my 3rd track day in Buttonwillow, I was losing grip after around 3-4 hot laps.

For street use, it is excellent, though. The 5-star reviews in TireRack are true.

from what i gather, its not as cost effective as it sounds since the tire doesnt last as long as some of the more expensive options of comparable grip. so the initial cost is cheaper but over the long run there are cheaper options to run.

Don't waste your money..

I run Toyo R888s on stock wheels.