Summer Setup, opinions plz
01-24-2011, 02:43 PM
#1
Summer Setup, opinions plz
Alright so I've got a nice set of RPF1's 18x9.5 +45 that I will be using for track days this year. I have been having trouble figuring out the right tire for track days and occasional street driving.
I was looking at the following
Dunlop Direzza Star Specs
Hankook Ventus R-S3
Bridgestone Potenza RE-11
Yokohama ADVAN Neova AD08
I plan on doing 4 HPDE's this summer. I did not want 275/35R18 tires, i want 245/40R18. The roads up here are shitty and I don't want to damage my rims from PennDOT not maintaining the roads properly.
I was looking at the following
Dunlop Direzza Star Specs
Hankook Ventus R-S3
Bridgestone Potenza RE-11
Yokohama ADVAN Neova AD08
I plan on doing 4 HPDE's this summer. I did not want 275/35R18 tires, i want 245/40R18. The roads up here are shitty and I don't want to damage my rims from PennDOT not maintaining the roads properly.
01-24-2011, 04:03 PM
#5
Registered
iTrader: (5)
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: los angeles, ca
Posts: 1,394
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
ventus RS-3, my friend has it and is pretty happy with it, he had NT05 before that and direzza starspecs before that. I drove it once and it feels pretty good also, grip level is comparable to my re01r when new, and road noise is not that bad
01-24-2011, 10:55 PM
#6
What is your location? How hot do summers get?
For track tires, you need something that likes heat. That's not the RE11s, but the Yoks are better in that regard. RS-3s are awesome, and while they need heat to perform at their best, I've heard they do fall off rathery quickly if they get too hot.
If I were buying track tires I'd get Nittos or Toyos. Toyo RA-1s rock on the track, and NT01 or NT05 would be a good choice as well. NT01 will last longer on the street but hold up to heat well. They generally are not favored by autocrossers becuase they NEED heat, but track guys tend to like them.
You might try posting over in the Competition forum to get some good track-guy input. I'm an autocross-guy so take what I say with a grain of salt.
[edit] When I say Toyo I mean ONLY the RA-1. The R1-R is a great autocross tire, but they overheat quickly and would not be a good choice for track days unless it's cool and/or raining.
For track tires, you need something that likes heat. That's not the RE11s, but the Yoks are better in that regard. RS-3s are awesome, and while they need heat to perform at their best, I've heard they do fall off rathery quickly if they get too hot.
If I were buying track tires I'd get Nittos or Toyos. Toyo RA-1s rock on the track, and NT01 or NT05 would be a good choice as well. NT01 will last longer on the street but hold up to heat well. They generally are not favored by autocrossers becuase they NEED heat, but track guys tend to like them.
You might try posting over in the Competition forum to get some good track-guy input. I'm an autocross-guy so take what I say with a grain of salt.
[edit] When I say Toyo I mean ONLY the RA-1. The R1-R is a great autocross tire, but they overheat quickly and would not be a good choice for track days unless it's cool and/or raining.
Last edited by GeorgeH; 01-24-2011 at 11:06 PM.
01-25-2011, 01:19 AM
#11
My 2 cents. I have street tires and track tires, I never use one for the other.
When it comes to performance, tires are the most important part of a race/track car, so why use street tires?
I use 275/35/18 hoosier grand am take offs. A good used set can be had for $400-500 shipped and will last 12-15 hours of hard track time.
When it comes to performance, tires are the most important part of a race/track car, so why use street tires?
I use 275/35/18 hoosier grand am take offs. A good used set can be had for $400-500 shipped and will last 12-15 hours of hard track time.
01-25-2011, 02:54 AM
#12
Registered
iTrader: (5)
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: los angeles, ca
Posts: 1,394
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
not everyone has room to stash extra sets of tires at thier place, i live in a 800sqft condo and only have 1 parking space (really need to buy a house with a garage haha), also i feel while R comps are all good and grippy, the car needs to be setup properly to fully take advantage of the extra level of grip, so your tires wont over power your brake/suspension, and the extra load wont also result in accelerated wear.
01-25-2011, 06:53 AM
#14
I know several car guys that live in small places who rent a storage space to keep their tires, tools and parts.Even on cool days they are warm enough after 1 lap.
Last edited by Highway8; 01-25-2011 at 07:07 AM.
01-25-2011, 08:54 AM
#17
Lets consider the hankook's. I like that they are inexpensive but grip well. I will be doing HPDE's this year until i have enough under my belt to qualify for a TT license.
This is pretty much a test of my current setup for TT. In TT i'll be doing several heats of ~15 laps. On my S.Drive's they were really sticky by the 3rd lap...but by the final lap (15th-16th)...i couldnt push them as hard.
I don't think i have to skill or the demand to warrant a legit race tire or any r-compound. This is to get me through a summer of HPDE's. And if they run well...I plan on stocking up on them for TT's.
This is pretty much a test of my current setup for TT. In TT i'll be doing several heats of ~15 laps. On my S.Drive's they were really sticky by the 3rd lap...but by the final lap (15th-16th)...i couldnt push them as hard.
I don't think i have to skill or the demand to warrant a legit race tire or any r-compound. This is to get me through a summer of HPDE's. And if they run well...I plan on stocking up on them for TT's.
01-25-2011, 02:12 PM
#20
My 2 cents. I have street tires and track tires, I never use one for the other.
When it comes to performance, tires are the most important part of a race/track car, so why use street tires?
I use 275/35/18 hoosier grand am take offs. A good used set can be had for $400-500 shipped and will last 12-15 hours of hard track time.
When it comes to performance, tires are the most important part of a race/track car, so why use street tires?
I use 275/35/18 hoosier grand am take offs. A good used set can be had for $400-500 shipped and will last 12-15 hours of hard track time.
I had the yokohama's and they were great but got trashed after a week in the smokey mountains, so i'm not going there again (yoko advans).
Last edited by Chad D.; 01-25-2011 at 02:15 PM.
01-25-2011, 04:45 PM
#25