Fresh Rubber

[Jack14]

Im going to be moving up to a slick for my upcoming track days this summer and was wondering what tire people recommend. To my knowledge the hoosier R7 is the way to go but id rather not spend the extra cash on a tire that will last me 2 or 3 weekends. So my question is what do you guys recommend between the BF Goodrich R1, R1s, Proxes R888 (slightly different category) and Hoosier A6. The reason I threw the A6 in there is because I can get it for a lot cheaper than an R7. Any recommendations and input on any of these tires is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[admranger]

A6 is for autocross only. It'll overheat quickly on the track.

888 is not the same as an R7 or R1 at all. It's an R compound tire, but not in the same leagues as the R7 or R1.

Get NT01's or the Bridgestone RE71's for a HPDE event. R7 or R1 for race/time-trial events if you are at the pointy end of the pack.

[jphughan]

^ This. And if you insist on the tires you listed, is your suspension set up for that much extra lateral grip? What tire are you running now and what's your current track experience?

[Jack14]

Im upgrading spring rates to 500 700 so I should be ready for more grip. Ive done track days on the RE11 (comparable to the re71) and completely out drove the tire. Last event was on an Sport Cup 2 and I feel that with the new spring rates, added camber and bucket seats ill out drive that too. I was already coming close on the stock Ohlins spring rates. I figured the r888 was the lesser tire, but was wondering to what extent. The R1 seems like a good option, but I'm nervous as to how quickly it wears. I guess thats the next logical step if I don't want to go R7 yet. Considering the Nittos as well.

[Jack14]

Originally Posted by jphughan

^ This. And if you insist on the tires you listed, is your suspension set up for that much extra lateral grip? What tire are you running now and what's your current track experience?

Also very curious to hear your thoughts on the gt4! How does it compare to the e92 in terms of stability turn in rotation etc.?

[g2]

I like the NT01's. They grip better than toyo's but not as good as Hoo-Hoo's and last 2x - 3x longer

[Jack14]

Is the Ventus TD comparable to the Nt01 or the R888?

[jphughan]

Originally Posted by Jack14

Also very curious to hear your thoughts on the gt4! How does it compare to the e92 in terms of stability turn in rotation etc.?

Link to a long but organized comparison write-up in my signature.

[elim11]

Originally Posted by Jack14

Is the Ventus TD comparable to the Nt01 or the R888?

It's a step up.

[Jack14]

Originally Posted by elim11

It's a step up.

From which?

[silvergray545]

Originally Posted by Jack14

Is the Ventus TD comparable to the Nt01 or the R888?

People say the TDs are slightly faster. I like the NT01s because they last a long time.

[dapopa9]

A6/7 are fine for road racing as long as you aren't running 30+ minute sessions...and they will give you faster lap times then all the tires you listed above except maybe the Hankook TD which those are pretty similar in time compared to the A6/7

[Richbot]

A7 is also significantly longer lasting than A6

[ApexWheels]

Originally Posted by Jack14

Im upgrading spring rates to 500 700 so I should be ready for more grip. Ive done track days on the RE11 (comparable to the re71) and completely out drove the tire. Last event was on an Sport Cup 2 and I feel that with the new spring rates, added camber and bucket seats ill out drive that too. I was already coming close on the stock Ohlins spring rates. I figured the r888 was the lesser tire, but was wondering to what extent. The R1 seems like a good option, but I'm nervous as to how quickly it wears. I guess thats the next logical step if I don't want to go R7 yet. Considering the Nittos as well.

If you are coming from the RE-11, I would urge you to try a better extreme summer tire or r-compound. RE-11's are okay for the occasional track day, but far from a track oriented compound. Extreme summer tires like Hankook RS-3, Dunlop Star Spec ZII and Bridgestone RE-71R are superior. The RE-71R is a much grippier compound then the RE-11, far from comparable. If you would like to push it one step further, Nitto NT01's would be a great choice.

Slicks do not make sense if you are coming from RE-11's, unless of course you are competing or W2W.

admranger gave some great advice.

- Ryan

[dparm]

Originally Posted by ApexRaceParts

If you are coming from the RE-11, I would urge you to try a better extreme summer tire or r-compound. RE-11's are okay for the occasional track day, but far from a track oriented compound. Extreme summer tires like Hankook RS-3, Dunlop Star Spec ZII and Bridgestone RE-71R are superior. The RE-71R is a much grippier compound then the RE-11, far from comparable. If you would like to push it one step further, Nitto NT01's would be a great choice.

- Ryan

RE-71R is not really in the same class as the RS-3 & Star Spec ZII based on what I read. Tire Rack's tests also seem to show it is ahead of those, and that the 200 treadwear rating is probably a bit of a cheat (maybe closer to 140).

I would've bought the new Star Specs in a heartbeat but sadly they do not make them in the right 19" sizes for my ZCP wheels. I opted for AD08Rs and I'm quite pleased with them.

[jphughan]

Originally Posted by dparm

RE-71R is not really in the same class as the RS-3 & Star Spec ZII based on what I read. Tire Rack's tests also seem to show it is ahead of those, and that the 200 treadwear rating is probably a bit of a cheat (maybe closer to 140).

I would've bought the new Star Specs in a heartbeat but sadly they do not make them in the right 19" sizes for my ZCP wheels. I opted for AD08Rs and I'm quite pleased with them.

Well the RE-71R has the advantage of being much newer than the competing Extreme Summer tires at the moment. I'm sure Yoko, Dunlop, and Hankook are cooking up something similar. But yes I'm reading that the RE-71R is closer to MPSC2 than AD08R in both grip and lifespan on track with capable drivers -- although both of those have a 180 rating. Just another reminder that treadwear ratings are not comparable across brands.

[Jack14]

Originally Posted by ApexRaceParts

If you are coming from the RE-11, I would urge you to try a better extreme summer tire or r-compound. RE-11's are okay for the occasional track day, but far from a track oriented compound. Extreme summer tires like Hankook RS-3, Dunlop Star Spec ZII and Bridgestone RE-71R are superior. The RE-71R is a much grippier compound then the RE-11, far from comparable. If you would like to push it one step further, Nitto NT01's would be a great choice.

Slicks do not make sense if you are coming from RE-11's, unless of course you are competing or W2W.

admranger gave some great advice.

- Ryan

Coming from a sport Cup 2 which to my knowledge is very similar to a star spec. The sport cup was a major step up from the RE11. The next logical step would be the Nitto IMO.


Just playin . All good advice!

[Jack14]

I found a set of Nittos for cheap. Lightly used. May try those for a weekend and when they're shot move to a Ventus TD or BF R1.

[M3 Number 86]

How experienced are you? What do you mean by over driving those tires? Just drifting all day long? Are you running traction control off?

Nt01 are good. I'm on maxxis rc1 and I like them slightly better. Less slip more grip. After a few of these I'll likely go to TD.

[Jack14]

Originally Posted by M3 Number 86

How experienced are you? What do you mean by over driving those tires? Just drifting all day long? Are you running traction control off?

Nt01 are good. I'm on maxxis rc1 and I like them slightly better. Less slip more grip. After a few of these I'll likely go to TD.

Ready for more grip. Ive had them sideways a few times and feel i wold benefit from more grip.

[M3 Number 86]

Originally Posted by Jack14

Ready for more grip. Ive had them sideways a few times and feel i wold benefit from more grip.

Sideways as in full drift mode or because of not modulating throttle?

[dogbone]

Originally Posted by Jack14

Ready for more grip. Ive had them sideways a few times and feel i wold benefit from more grip.

You can take ANY tire sideways. It doesn't matter how much grip you have. So, can you learn the grip limit and stay within it? Because going sideways nets a slow lap time. And the big question is, do you know how to deal with the car once it's gone beyond it's grip limit? Because grippier tires just raise the stakes, meaning they will lose grip at higher speeds, which can get very dynamic. And often times, grippier r-comp tires do not communicate by squealing much at their limit like more street oriented tires, so you don't get that audible feedback to know you're approaching the grip limit.

If you haven't tried the Hankook R-S3 or Yoko AD08 or RE-71R, you might want to take that step before going straight up to TD's. TD's have more grip than the Hoosier R6. I ran both TD and R6 fresh at the same track on the same day. I was faster on the TD's. I haven't run R7 yet.

A Hankook TD feels like a miracle tire the first time you drive on it. I was AMAZED at how the car stuck to the ground and how the car could brake. They make the car feel like you always wish it felt.

I am a fan of BFGoodrich R1S as well. My opinion is that the R1S is even a bit faster than the TD, although I have not been able to put two fresh sets head to head on the same day at the same track. I'll have the opportunity to put 3 session old TD's up against brand new R1S soon at Laguna Seca.

As far as wear---the R1S seems to have more fast sessions in them, but the TD's seem to have more overall sessions in them before showing cords. But those late sessions on the TD's have MUCH less grip than when new. With TD's I can get 20-25 heat cycles before seeing cords or simply just being done with the them because all I'm doing is sliding around on them. The R1S seem to get me 14-18 before showing cords.

Other advice: With these kinds of tires, I have found it best to run square so that you can rotate the tires around the car. A softer r-comp tire can get abused very quickly if it sits on the same corner all the time. Our generation M3 seems to chew up outer edges regardless of how much camber you put. You want to share that burden amongst all the tires if possible. You get WAAAY more life out of them by doing that. At Buttonwillow, my front left tire is by far the most abused. I only leave a tire on that corner 2 sessions before rotating. If i don't, the wear rate will be exponentially higher than the other three corners, and the edge of the tire will be shot long before anything is wrong with the other tires.

Last piece of advice: When you try a new type of tire for the first time, don't buy used tires. Tires like TD's are fastest when they're new. Generally, all the cherry laps are gone if you buy a used tire, so how can you really judge the tire?