davefzr

Hey guys... I went to the California Speedway here in So cali for my first track outing just this past week and the car was great.

I have a question about the tires though... As I was driving the car I could feel the tires start to roll over on themselves so I had to back it off.. Mind you these are the original tires and have 18,000 miles on them. I know the car could go so much faster with good tires...

As the day wore on, the rolling over seemed to subside but I could still feel the tires breaking away really bad and not sticking to my intended line... So.. I had to scrub off speed.. let the tires regain traction and then I could proceed.

So... will a great street tire.. T1S.. S03.. Pilot Sport.. ever be good enouigh for the track??

Or am I living in a fantasy world and need to come to the realization that I need two sets of tires.

Thankx a lot!

Kagero

It sounds like your at the end of your Brig-Potn. The OEM tire is not a bad tire except in the snow! With 18k on them they are most likely at the softest part of this dual compound tire. You probably should have put a few more pounds in them. There are tires that you could replace them with that would be better and cheaper then them(they are in the $250 range). I dont think what ever it might be, you would probably make the biggest difference if you go up one size to the 245/40/18 (cheapest mod).

Fanman

The Bridgestone S03 Pole Position is the next step up from the RE 040 in terms traction (max performance summer tire vs. Ultra High Performance). The Michelin Pilot Sport is Also quite good. If you do not mind tread life you can go for an R compound tire (different material used to make the tire) such as Michelin Pilot Sports Cup or Nitto 555 R. Probably the best tire out there right now is the Michelin Pilot Sport 2's but they are pricey.

davefzr

Yeah.. I am probably going to go with the T1S from Toyo... It seems to be the lightest tire out there and not a bad deal at 160 from WheelWarehouse... I am picking up the SSR Comps and tires this week and will post pics in the multimedia section after they are installed...

Thankx for your comments and everyone should try a track day.. You get to actually see and feel the limits of your car....

Very fun!

Sputnik

Don't forget, Toyo Proxes T1-S were used as the spec tire in the World Challenge Touring and GT series for a few years (Toyo now has them running the RA-1, their R-compound tire). I was doing inspection on the first race they ran on these street tires, and they held up, and performed very consistently. They aren't going to have the grip of an R-compound tire, mind you, but they will hold up to track stresses.

There are other street tires that can handle it. Dunlop SP8000/9000s (although 9000s are a very hard compound for extended mileage, and don't grip well), Pirelli's top tires work well, for example.

---jps

murix

My final choice for tires came down to the T1-S or Kuhmo Ecsta MX. I am going with the MX. They both have the same tire weight but the Kuhmo seems a little stiffer to me. Both are in a 245/40. I have read comment about the T1-s having a softer turn in but that should not be a problem on a road track.

If you had 18k you are definitely at the end of the stock tires. I am at 17k and already replacing mine. They held up great to my previous track days except the loss of traction over the course of the day as they heat up. Very progressive and easy to control when they do lose grip though.

Mr986

We just put a set on our Boxster 225/4517 &255/40/17. Not as still as the Michelin Mxxx OEM tires, but lots of grip. Great tire for the price $559/delivered.

davefzr

The guy from Wheel Warehouse is saying that the T1S is a decade old tire and is crap in his mind...

Is that bull? he is trying to sell me the Proxes 4 which is an all season.. come on.. sounds dumb to me...

Fanman

Walk away. There is no way an All Season tire will have the grip of a Max performance summer tire. If you want to stay the oEM size get the Bridgestone S03 Pole Positions (or Michelin Pilot Sports, though they do have the new PS2 out just not for 225/45/18's) or if you go to 245/40/18's seriously look at the BF Goodrich Comp TA KD's. This was listed by Car & Driver & Tire Rack as the grippiest Max performance tires. Why on earth would you need an all season tire here in So. Cal. ?

Sputnik

Right, he is either lying, or doesn't know what he is talking about.

IIRC, the BFG Comp TAs are R-compound, just like the Nitto 555 R, Toyo RAs, and some other tires with street tread. This is a very soft compound that offers terrific grip and track handling compound, but they wear out very quickly.

From some of my compatriots, the Kumho Ecstas, while not technically R compound (IIRC), they do trade a lot of tread life for grip.

But that doesn't make them bad tires, mind you. It's just that that is the trade off you have to make. For a daily driver, it makes little sense to go with an R-compound tire, unless you have cash to burn. But for a weekend fun car that makes regular track events, it's not a bad choice for a street/track tire.

---jps

Fanman

Actually the BF Goodrich Camp TA KD tires are not R-compound tires. They are just the stickiest Max performance summer tire out there. They have a UTQG treadwear rating of 200 (which is more than our OEM RE 040's !!! and R-compound tires usually have a rating of 50 to 80) and 9/32" tread depth (r-compounds sometimes have as little as 4/32"). If you get replacement tires either go 225/45/18 (OEM) or 245/40/18's all the way around. The car has 50/50 weight balance, to get staggered size (225 upfront/245's in back) might increase understeer.

Sputnik

Okay, then I did confuse them with another of their "comp" series (or and older one). My mistake.

---jps

RotorManiac

guys, what about the goodyear eagles F1?
i think they are the best tires out there (especially for track) with only the latest pilot sports coming close...

...toyos are good tires too.

terbeaux

Toyo RA1s if you want to stick like glue, dont drive in rain and don't mind buying new tires every 5000 to 8000 miles.
Toyo T1S or Dunlop SP 9000 are a good street/track tire IMO. I have lotsa track time with all three.

Sputnik

As far as Eagle F1, my experience with Goodyears is pretty poor, so I'd have to hear from someone I know as far as how well they actually work on track. But the name Goodyear alone certainly doesn't carry any weight with me.

I had Dunlop SP9000s, and I HATED them. The tire was made well, but the 9ks are a hard compound, that offers alot of tread life for track, but poor grip in the dry, and because of the harder compound, horrible grip in the rain. For me, that tire traded off waaay too much performance for tread life.

---jps

shelleys_man_06

Try the Toyo RA-1, but they might be really noisy.