Track-only Race Compound Tires recommendations & Q's. On stock wheels.
 

Can you recommend me some nice race compound track-only tires that would work the best on the stock wheels?

I assume the stock 7" wheel would work best with something like a 225, correct?

Also, a good question: Would a "Race/track-only" tire in 225 on a 7", out perform a "Street" tire in 245 on a 9" wheel (ie: like a DD setup of RPF1 9" wheels with PSS/D2/RS3/RE11 Street tires)?? Asking, because if the 225 Race tire is only just a tad better than a 245 Street tire, or if the 245 Street tire is almost as good or better than a 225 Race tire, then I would most likely not even bother having nor using an extra set of track-only tires on stock wheels (and will just slang them stock wheels). But, if them 225 race tires are much better and worth it for the track, then of course I will use them :)

Obviously, I will most likely just run them on nice sunny days at the track (for fun/hobby). Button Willow and Willow Springs.

That said, recommendations for track/only race tires/slicks/etc. that will fit and work nicely on the stock wheels very welcome
:burnrubber:

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38865

These guys know what's up. Look at the more popular tracks to see the well-tuned setups.

If you've thoroughly pushed the limits of a normal sized "street" tire like an RS3 or ZII, then the upgrade to 225 Hoosiers will be appreciated in dry conditions. Wider tires do give you more final grip, but there's a cost. To me, they feel a bit scrubby, numb, noisy, and under-utilized. Just my 2 cents.

I don't plan on being the fastest guy out there, but there's plenty of fun to be had with a light and simple setup like mine (215/45-17 Dunlop ZII's and 17x7 Enkei RPF1's). Whatever configuration lets you enjoy the experience.

Depends on how much money you want to spend and what kind of longevity you want.

Hoosier A6 is probably the easiest option, and 225 is a good size. It will easily be faster than a 245 street tire. True slicks it's kind of hard to say.

I guess people have been using 245 A6's on stock 7" wheels with great success and is the preferred tire width (since I read the A6's have stiff sidewalls and are really designed and okay to be used with slim/skinny/thin wheels)
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showp...3&postcount=27


245 A6 tires + W7/XP12/999 pads sounds like a great weekend track setup, a bit more "serious" than street/dd tires&pads and at the same time not super expensive/impossible to get.

I just put on NT01's (215/45R17) on my stock wheels, and there is a TON of grip in that size and compound with stock power levels. I love the setup.

Your original post seemed to indicate you're only interested in track days, so if you're sticking with 17x7" wheels, I really think you'll be better off with 225/45 A6s (or another tire in that size). I've used 245 Hoosier A6s on stock sized 17x7" wheels for AutoX and they perform great for AutoX, but I really don't think it will be ideal for you on a road course.

Another thing you should consider is that a set of A6s barely last for 80-100, 60 second AutoX runs. If you run a couple full-day track sessions on A6s, those things will be done in a hurry. I think R6s would be a better choice for track days and will last longer. They will tolerate longer sessions without getting "greasy" and once they're up-to-temp, the grip will still be close to an A6.

Serious race compound? 195 or 205 width Hoosier A6, or Hankook C91

Don't try to street drive on them.

Btw: what's the shelf-life of these A6 and R6 tires? 1, 2, 3 years? And, how should they be stored when not in use? ie: in the garage (never outside) and also covered in towels or trashbags. Just asking because I read once upon a quick research, that they tend to dry, dry rot and crack if they are more than 2-3 years old in storage and should be thrown away. Idk if that's true though. If they really do have a super short shelf life, I may just opt out and just stick with street tires...as I don't really want to spend +1k on race tires just to find out they turned into dust after a year or two, after maybe taking an unforeseen/unexpected short break from racing and not using them for a little bit (I move around a lot).

Are those NT01s decent and considerably better than the usual PSS/Z2/RE11/RS3/AD08 street tires? Those look kind of street'y too and have a high wear rating of 100 just like street tires as well.

What's your experience like? I would try either some really nice street tires (RS3 for instance) or an R compound (NT-01) before going straight to slicks if you've never driven on them before.

And yes, the NT-01 is a huge step up from a street tire.

n00b/nil road coarse track experience.

I didn't realize you didn't have any road course experience. In that case, I'd stay away from any r-compound or "race slicks". It just won't be worth the money. A nice "extreme" performance tire in 215 or 225 will be great and will provide all the performance you can handle for many track sessions. Plus you can drive them to and from the track, where you wouldn't want to do that on race slicks or r-compounds.

Reading smbstyle's build track car thread...nice.

I plan on getting 17x9 rpf1's (or maybe a diff wheel) with 245 street tires for my DD (most likely Z2, or PSS, RE11, AD08, etc....which are "extreme" street tires already I know). But, I just wanted to save the stock wheels specifically for track days and lace them up with something better than my DD setup.

So..just sayin, it'd be pointless to wrap my stock wheels with a similar extreme street tire to those on my 17x9s DD setup (and at the same time, they would be an even skinnier 7" stock wheel and skinnier 215-225 street tires than my DD setup...basically, it'd be worse than my DD setup), might as well just use my DD setup for the track.

I'll prolly look into the NT01's more..since they seem a bit more n00b friendly, have a longer life, and not as hardcore as the A6 slicks.

Oh okay, I hear you on that. Funny thing is, my setup is the exact opposite. I have 215/45 Michelin PSS mounted on the stock wheels for daily driving and then I have separate 17x9 wheels with 245/40 ZIIs for AutoX and track. I know the stock wheels aren't "sexy" around town, but from a practicality standpoint it works for me.

Anyway, good luck with your decision. R-compounds are certainly a lot of fun!