Best Tires/Wheels for Tracking Model 3

[brianman]

Because a lot of the other PS4S pictures I've seen here are completely destroyed and I've seen people destroy them at autocross in other cars too.

Yah, that looks like the first tires I killed at ORP when I was driving, say, "intentionally overly aggressive" to see how the 3 nannies compared to the S.

The three things I changed this trip were:
1. drive better (wasn't testing the car, working on my driving line instead)
2. drop the pressure from stock (42psi) to 37psi / 39psi (see previous post)
3. chant to myself "avoid the curbs, even though that's the better line"

I was pretty well behaved on #3 except for turn 2 going counter-clockwise where the curb is essentially flat.

 

[brianman]

Lots of people running RE71Rs. My recommendation would be Hankook R-S4 if you want a tire that has good grip and durability but I haven't seen anyone here running them.

The only "Extreme Performance Summer" that TireRack shows when you dial in "2018 Tesla Model 3 Performance Performance Brakes" (OEM) 20s is "Bridgestone Potenza S007A":
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Bridgestone&tireModel=Potenza+S007A&partnum=335YR0S007AXL&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&autoMake=Tesla&autoYear=2018&autoModel=Model 3 Performance&autoModClar=Performance Brakes

Maybe I'll scout for the 18" TST instead once the all seasons wear out.

 

[Daniel in SD]

The only "Extreme Performance Summer" that TireRack shows when you dial in "2018 Tesla Model 3 Performance Performance Brakes" (OEM) 20s is "Bridgestone Potenza S007A":
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Bridgestone&tireModel=Potenza+S007A&partnum=335YR0S007AXL&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&autoMake=Tesla&autoYear=2018&autoModel=Model 3 Performance&autoModClar=Performance Brakes

Maybe I'll scout for the 18" TST instead once the all seasons wear out.

Yep. The serious Model 3 track junkies are all using 18" and 19" rims. "Extreme performance" 200TW tires are pretty awful to drive on the street so it makes sense to get them as a second set.

 

[Zippy_EV]

Because a lot of the other PS4S pictures I've seen here are completely destroyed and I've seen people destroy them at autocross in other cars too.

This is exactly how my PS4S looked on track day #4. (I'd never driven a car with such little camber on track before so I was not paying enough attention.) I was careful to watch the rollover of the tires closely when I switched to the RE71-R.

Compare that to my crazy high 50psi (hot) RE71-R photos after two days of hard driving..

The outer edge is to the top of the photo.

@brianman notice that I am getting the same wear on the distal side of each groove though it's less pronounced than in your photos. We need more negative camber. And we need 19's. 19's allow one to run a wider wheel with more clearance than 18's due to the shape of the suspension. Also, when I was searching for tires I found more wide (265/275) tires of the correct aspect ratios in 19s. Have a look at let me know if you disagree.

 

[Daniel in SD]

This is exactly how my PS4S looked on track day #4. (I'd never driven a car with such little camber on track before so I was not paying enough attention.) I was careful to watch the rollover of the tires closely when I switched to the RE71-R.

Compare that to my crazy high 50psi (hot) RE71-R photos after two days of hard driving..
View attachment 416049
View attachment 416050
The outer edge is to the top of the photo.

@brianman notice that I am getting the same wear on the distal side of each groove though it's less pronounced than in your photos. We need more negative camber. And we need 19's. 19's allow one to run a wider wheel with more clearance than 18's due to the shape of the suspension. Also, when I was searching for tires I found more wide (265/275) tires of the correct aspect ratios in 19s. Have a look at let me know if you disagree.

I’ve got 18x9.5 +39 and they’ve got 4mm clearance from the wheel to the knuckle. I think it depends on the barrel size of the wheel. Nothing wrong with 19” wheels though. The biggest I’ve heard anyone running is 19x10 with 275/35 in the front.
Front camber arms are necessary for anyone who wants to track or autocross this car. Hopefully they’ll get released soon.
Keep in mind that you can have your tires dismounted and swapped left to right to get a little more life out of them.

 

[jyalpert]

View media item 119827

Note that I know of.

OK, i must have been looking at the picture backward then. In the attached picture, is the outside of the tire on the left or the right? I thought outside was on the right as it looks like the fender is visible in the pic on the left.

 

[jyalpert]

Compare that to my crazy high 50psi (hot) RE71-R photos after two days of hard driving..
View attachment 416049
View attachment 416050

Dude this actually looks pretty good! Wear right up to the triangle - I guess 50psi is spot on given the current camber situation.

 

[brianman]

In the attached picture... outside was on the right as it looks like the fender is visible in the pic on the left.

Your interpretation is correct.

Edit: Good catch. I just did a walk around and sure enough, 1 out of the 4 wheels (the one in the picture by chance) has "INSIDE" labelling showing. I'll take it up with Tesla when I go in for service next week. One more thing for the list.

 

[jyalpert]

Your interpretation is correct.

So then shouldn't the wider part of the tread (with the narrow cut in it) be facing the outside? Like in this pic:
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Michelin&tireModel=Pilot+Sport+4S

In your other pic where the fender is visible, the wider part is oriented toward the outside, too.

 

[Dangerous Fish]

I've heard the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 mentioned in threads but I can't find anyone who's tried them on a Model 3 on track.

Anyone tried them?

 

[Matt Carter]

Dude this actually looks pretty good! Wear right up to the triangle - I guess 50psi is spot on given the current camber situation.

Yeah its crazy but when I have autocrossed and tracked other heavy cars, I had to go to 50 psi without major camber changes. I ran 2.5 degrees of camber in my 2004 S4 to get the front tires to a happy place without crazy pressures. I also daily drove at that setting with no issue*

* I do drive spiritedly regularly and did a handful of events per year. the inner edge would be completely shot when the rest of the tire hit the wear bars and needed to be replaced anyway.

 

[MasterC17]

Has anyone fitted Hankook Ventus R-S4 in 275/40ZR18? https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...4WR8Z232&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes

It's .4" wider sectionally than the 275/40/18 Nexen's I currently have. Not sure if they would clear the hub arm or not. They are a bit shorter, so I think it would be OK.

 

[Davidss2]

Has anyone fitted Hankook Ventus R-S4 in 275/40ZR18? https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...4WR8Z232&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes

It's .4" wider sectionally than the 275/40/18 Nexen's I currently have. Not sure if they would clear the hub arm or not. They are a bit shorter, so I think it would be OK.

I would expect the hankook to be simliar in speed to the nexens. I am currently running the same nexens as you (the 275/40-18 which are a drifter compound). Next time I am getting the newly released federals:
Federal 595RS-PRO

 

[MasterC17]

I would expect the hankook to be simliar in speed to the nexens. I am currently running the same nexens as you (the 275/40-18 which are a drifter compound). Next time I am getting the newly released federals:
Federal 595RS-PRO

Have you found any reviews on these? I can't seem to find much information about them.

 

[mr.t0fu]

Accidentally posted this question elsewhere ... but is everyone running the PS4S and RE71Rs? I used to run the MPSS MO spec on my M4, in 265/35/19, and loved it. Looks like the PS4S has a wider contact patch, but it is also just a generic tire. Also the star spec 265/35/19 is meant to be a rear tire as well.

 

[kbecks13]

but is everyone running the PS4S and RE71Rs

Both of those tires are probably best in their class right now, so they are very common. Another one that is similar to the RE71R is the Cup 2 which is a great track tire but still street driveable. I think the RE71 is slightly more aggressive than Cup 2 even though treadwear numbers say the opposite.

In terms of MPSS vs MPS4S, i believe the PS4S is basically a newer and improved version of the Super Sport. Check out this video, this guy has some great content:

 

[destructure00]

Accidentally posted this question elsewhere ... but is everyone running the PS4S and RE71Rs? I used to run the MPSS MO spec on my M4, in 265/35/19, and loved it. Looks like the PS4S has a wider contact patch, but it is also just a generic tire. Also the star spec 265/35/19 is meant to be a rear tire as well.

I'm running Hankook RS4 on the track. Passed on the RE71R because while they may be one of the best performance wise, they don't last as long. Since I'm not skilled enough yet to out-drive my tires, I picked RS4 for durability/longevity.

 

[Dangerous Fish]

We can't get RE71s in the UK so I got Cup 2s (265/35 19), but didn't get my P3D in time to use them during the summer so I'm hoping for a couple of dry track days in the next few weeks when I can try them out properly.

 

[FlyNavy01]

I went with Trofeo R's, they seem to be a touch better than the Cup 2's from the track reviews I've seen, and Sasha mentioned that he thinks he can get another half a second off his lap time with them versus the RE-71's at his home track, which is a lot considering it's already a 1:18 lap.

The RE71's are apparently much better for autocross though since they get up to temp extremely fast. The downside of this is they can overheat after a few laps and can get greasy, particularly in a heavy car like the P3D. RE-71R's are relatively cheap as well.

 

[Dangerous Fish]

I went with Trofeo R's, they seem to be a touch better than the Cup 2's from the track reviews I've seen, and Sasha mentioned that he thinks he can get another half a second off his lap time with them versus the RE-71's at his home track, which is a lot considering it's already a 1:18 lap.

The RE71's are apparently much better for autocross though since they get up to temp extremely fast. The downside of this is they can overheat after a few laps and can get greasy, particularly in a heavy car like the P3D. RE-71R's are relatively cheap as well.

I'd try the Trofeo Rs if it wasn't for the fact they are about $85 more per tyre here than Cup2s and don't last anywhere near as long. For an all round track tyre you may have to use on the road and in the wet, the Cup2 is a good choice. If you don't mind spending more money and can avoid wet weather with them on, the Trofeos are that bit quicker by all accounts. If the Cup2R was available in more sizes, that would probably be the one to use on a Model 3 and I suspect would match the Trofeo R for pace.