Street tires for some track use

[Tristor]

Howdy,


I'm rocking 225/40R18 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S right now, and while I'm enjoying these tires I feel like I'm leaving some tire performance on the table and I live in an environment where I can run more aggressive tires without much worry driving on the street with them due to weather.


I'm considering the following and I'm curious what the right choice is:

1. Bridgestone Potenza RE71-R - It's the AutoX classic because of it's 200 treadwear rating and generally are loved
2. Yokohama Advan Neova AD08R - Used to be 180 treadwear rating, now listed as 200
3. Toyo Proxes R888R - 100 treadwear rating, basically a street legal racing slick

My driving is about 20% DD, 40% twisties/canyon, and 40% track.

[wparsons]

R888R will be slower and heat cycle out faster than RE71R's, I wouldn't suggest them, especially if you drive in heavy rain at all. They also take more work to get up to temperature and need heat for grip.

RE71R is fast, but will overheat quickly on track (maybe 2 hot laps).

AD08R's aren't as fast as either, but will take 20 minute track sessions easily, and wear like iron. I'm on my third summer with my AD08R's, RS3's lasted me a single summer.

I'd suggest either the AD08R's or RS4's. RS4's are significantly cheaper up here, so that would be my choice.

[Shark_Bait88]

I probably wouldn't run any of those as a dd/canyon and occasional track tire. I've done it with RE-71Rs, and they just wear too fast and are pretty loud.

I also tracked and DD'd ZII Star Specs, which were a much better compromise.

[D-rek07]

Any votes for Pilot Super Sports? I daily it. I'm also at two track events and tires still have plenty of tread.

[EndlessAzure]

Federal 595 RS-RR are my go to economy track tire right now.



They last 4 to 6 heat cycles, have decent wear rate, and have decent grip. Price point is good too at approx $400 for a set



Only downsides are road noise and overheat characteristic. They are known to get a little greasy/slick when over heated

[Azzudien]

I have run the R888R's on the street because I am to lazy sometimes to switch them out on track days. I absolutely love the tire on the track.

However, even though they are legal for street use, they are very loud and the noise will make you crawl out of your seat after 15 minutes on the highway.

I run the OEM Michelans on the street, and just put on the R888R's when I arrive at the track now because the noise cured my laziness.

[Tristor]

Originally Posted by D-rek07

Any votes for Pilot Super Sports? I daily it. I'm also at two track events and tires still have plenty of tread.

PSS don't exist anymore, they got replaced by the PS4S, which is what I'm running right now. They do work pretty decently on the track at my driving level, but I do feel like there's definitely grip left on the table in corners even at stock power levels. On the street they're quite a bit louder than the stock tires, but are otherwise well behaved.


Thanks for all the information guys, it sounds like I may be trying the Yokos next.

[Lincoln Logs]

Hankook RS-4 is the real answer. They wear like iron, have excellent grip and ride reasonably well on the street. I've had a set on my 250WHP Miata and loved them.

[wparsons]

Originally Posted by Tristor

They do work pretty decently on the track at my driving level, but I do feel like there's definitely grip left on the table in corners even at stock power levels.

If you're not maxing out the performance, you're likely better off spending money on track time than a grippier tire. Keep what you have until they're totally worn out. The grippier the tire the more they'll cover mistakes.

Originally Posted by Tristor

On the street they're quite a bit louder than the stock tires, but are otherwise well behaved.

Any of the extreme performance summer tires are going to be loud, the larger the tread blocks the worse they'll be. AD08R's are definitely louder than the RS3's I had before, and the Dunlop ZII's before the RS3's were louder too.

[Icecreamtruk]

@wparsons exactly my experience with the R888R. After some heat cycles their magic grip (when brand new) seems gone. They are slower than NT01 (by a fair margin, over a second per minute). What a dissapointement of a tire, honestly. RS4 were better, grip, longevity, easier to heat up. Only the first day at the track did the R888R lived up to the hype.

[Tristor]

Originally Posted by wparsons

If you're not maxing out the performance, you're likely better off spending money on track time than a grippier tire. Keep what you have until they're totally worn out. The grippier the tire the more they'll cover mistakes.

I agree completely, I need more track time. I'm continuing to pursue on-track instruction. Given how I'm improving though, I think I may only have one or two more track days left in my current tires.

[mixxxx]

Consider the GT Radial SX2. Essentially the spec tire for 86Cup. Lasts a long time, some members can eke out 8 track days on them. Great feedback and very consistent.

Not the grippiest 260TW tire out there but fantastic learning tire.

[RJasonKlein]

@Tristor, what kind of track driving do you do, autocross or DE? Overall, how do you rate your level of experience?

[ztrevs]

Hankook RS4 is 100% your answer. I just picked up a set for daily/occasional track use and boy are they fantastic. Once you get some heat into them they will stick like nobody's business.

I came from MPSS before switching to RS4s and the road noise was not that much louder. And also note, the RS4 is cheaper than any of those other options you listed.