Track Tire/wheel Set Advice

[destructure00]

Starting to plan for my next track session in August or September. I tore my PS4S tires up the first time I took the car out, need to get a set of track tires and wheels to put on. I'll run the stock wheels and tires for daily driving and swap on track days only. Want something street legal so I can swap at home and drive to and from the track on the

I'm currently running in HPDE3. For my skill level, I found the performance of the stock PS4S to be adequate, but they just didn't hold up well. Brake upgrades are on the way as well.

Been looking at either 265/35-19 or 265/40-18 sizes. I was thinking RE71R, but open to other suggestions.

Thoughts on 18" vs 19" wheel? I've looked at a few options on Discount Tire and Tirerack websites, the lower cost wheels are cast and look like they come with hub rings. Is that workable, or do I need something that's an exact fit without rings?

Thoughts on RE71R vs other tires? Cost wise, the RE71R seem to be on the lower end.

 

[Zoomit]

Thoughts on 18" vs 19" wheel?

Use smallest wheels that fit around the biggest rotors/calipers you ever expect to use.

 

[jyalpert]

You'll find myriad opinions on this.

RE71 is a great tire. Word on the street is that it wears fairly quickly. Main benefits are great dry grip and legality for autocross. Some reports of this tire getting a bit slick by the end of a hot HPDE session, but I've heard conflicting opinions on this. Similar performance would be a BFG Rival S.

I run the Nitto NT01, which is a street-legal hard R-comp tire. This is the most popular tire in the advanced hpde groups around me (northern Cal). This tire is known for lasting a really long time. It probably has similar dry grip as the RE71. I've run it in maybe 15+ track days and grip has been very consistent. I drive them to and from the track, and regularly see 1.3g lateral g sustained on cornering. Similar tires would be the Maxxis RC1, and I guess maybe the Pilot Sport Cup 2, but nobody really uses that tire.

Lots of people will also recommend the Hankook RS3, which is a 200tw tire like the RE71, but lasts way longer like the NT01. It has a bit less dry grip than both, but is a good compromise. Of note is the Falken 615k+, which lots of crapcan drivers use because it has pretty good grip, lasts a long time (for endurance racing), and is cheap.

Main thing you'll want, though, is additional negative camber. On another similar thread, people were having to run their tires at 50psi or more to keep from rolling onto the sidewall. This means that with stock camber, you are not using the entire tread and thus losing grip. You're also wearing your tires unevenly.

 

[destructure00]

Looks like RE71R is not made in a 265/40-18. If I did 18's, I'd either have to move to a 265/45-18 (1" taller than stock) or go with a different tire like the Nitto NT01 or Yokohama Advan.

 

[destructure00]

run the Nitto NT01, which is a street-legal hard R-comp tire. This is the most popular tire in the advanced hpde groups around me (northern Cal). This tire is known for lasting a really long time. It probably has similar dry grip as the RE71. I've run it in maybe 15+ track days and grip has been very consistent. I drive them to and from the track, and regularly see 1.3g lateral g sustained on cornering. Similar tires would be the Maxxis RC1, and I guess maybe the Pilot Sport Cup 2, but nobody really uses that tire.

So if you were going to make a recommendation, would the NT01 be it?

 

[jyalpert]

So if you were going to make a recommendation, would the NT01 be it?

Yeah. I run it on a dedicated set of wheels and I like it. When mine wear out, I'll buy another set, especially since the price is usually similar to the RE71. I also see lots of others at the track using it, which confirms my prior.

But that's just my opinion. Others on here will say that they like the RE71 and that it's a better tire. I've never run it, so I can't comment on that.

 

[usofrob]

If I recall correctly, the 18" has more track tire options, and 19" has more autocross/street options. That's why I went with 19".

 

[destructure00]

I sent EVTuning a request to quote a 18" package with NT01s and a 19" package with RE71Rs for comparison. If they can find a set of 18s that will work with the performance brakes and isn't a ton more than the 19s I'll probably end up with the 18s.

 

[Lunares]

So I run 265-35-18 RE71Rs for autocross. The lower diameter doesn't really matter. If you want to run 265 width, I'm not sure any of the EVTuning.com wheels will work. Looks like most of those wheels are 8.5" wide and fitting a 265 tire on that narrow of a wheel is difficult. Would have to talk to the shop.

Since you have a P3D, it really depends how much you want to spend. 18" rims will be "better" in that they are lighter. Tires are also easier to get and cheaper (i disagree that 19" has more autocross availability). But 18" rims that fit over P3D brakes are hard to get. I ended up going with a custom pair from Signature for the weight drop (19 lbs per wheel) and width (9.5"). Some like Tsportline will run a lot cheaper and get the job done.

NT01s will disqualify you from most autocross classes (can always just race for time only of course). As others have said, NT01 is better for track over an RE71R.

Really the choice for 18" vs 19" depends completely on how much you want to spend, and the width and weight you want to get. 19" will be heaver, but cheaper. You can find a tire for both sizes fairly easily (RE71R or NT01 or RS3)

 

[destructure00]

I've been going by Discount's website for rim widths. They show both the NT01 in 265/40-18 and the RE71R in 265/35-19 needing 8.5"-10.5" rim width.

I just checked the MFG web pages...both say 9-10.5", so I guess Discount is wrong. Dang.

I'm not looking to spend a ton of money on these (hoping to stay under $2500)...again from a skill level perspective, the stock PS4S are enough for me for the time being. If they held up better to track use I wouldn't even be looking at a separate set of track tires, just don't want to have to buy new tires every time I do a track day

I doubt I'll ever do autocross, so that's not much of a worry...although it sounds like cost is going to put me into a 19" wheel due to width anyway. If that's the case, I'll end up with the RE71R since the NT01s don't have anything close in a 19.

 

[jyalpert]

I've been going by Discount's website for rim widths. They show both the NT01 in 265/40-18 and the RE71R in 265/35-19 needing 8.5"-10.5" rim width.

I just checked the MFG web pages...both say 9-10.5", so I guess Discount is wrong. Dang.

I'm not looking to spend a ton of money on these (hoping to stay under $2500)...again from a skill level perspective, the stock PS4S are enough for me for the time being. If they held up better to track use I wouldn't even be looking at a separate set of track tires, just don't want to have to buy new tires every time I do a track day

I doubt I'll ever do autocross, so that's not much of a worry...although it sounds like cost is going to put me into a 19" wheel due to width anyway. If that's the case, I'll end up with the RE71R since the NT01s don't have anything close in a 19.

FWIW, I run my 235 section NT01 on a 9" rim. A little bit of stretch is good for a track setup as it will reduce sidewall flex (although you can overdo it) - so if you're buying a new set of wheels anyway, a 265 is probably good on a 10" rim, so long as you get the offset correct to avoid rubbing.

 

[destructure00]

Well maybe that's another consideration, go back to the stock 235 width rather than the 265. If the PS4S is enough in a 235, stickier track tires should be plenty too. Hmm....


*Edit - wow, the RE71R in a 235/45-18 are significantly cheaper than in a 265/35-19. I might stick with the narrower section width, as this will make wheel selection cheaper too.

 

[jyalpert]

Well maybe that's another consideration, go back to the stock 235 width rather than the 265. If the PS4S is enough in a 235, stickier track tires should be plenty too. Hmm....


*Edit - wow, the RE71R in a 235/45-18 are significantly cheaper than in a 265/35-19. I might stick with the narrower section width, as this will make wheel selection cheaper too.

(Just to clarify, my 235 section NT01 are being used on a Miata. The tire is a 235-40R17 on 17x9 +35 wheels.)

 

[destructure00]

(Just to clarify, my 235 section NT01 are being used on a Miata. The tire is a 235-40R17 on 17x9 +35 wheels.)

Gotcha. I still might go with stock width anyway, not sure my skill level needs much more than that at this point.

 

[destructure00]

Alright...so 245/45-18 vs 255/40-18 on a 8.5" wide rim. Thoughts either way?

 

[Lunares]

Alright...so 245/45-18 vs 255/40-18 on a 8.5" wide rim. Thoughts either way?

You always want wider! 255 is fine.

Especially I'd you want to be price conscious it should be easy to get some decent 18s and then stick those tires on.

That's why I have my race tires, I did autocross on the stock P4Ss and destroyed them. That was $800 to get new ones after 2k miles Haha.

 

[destructure00]

Exact same thing happened to me, about the same mileage too

 

[Daniel in SD]

18x9.5 + Hankook R-S4 265/40R18. They last much longer than RE-71R.
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...idewall=Blackwall&partnum=64WR8Z232&tab=Sizes

 

[destructure00]

18x9.5 are out for me right now for cost reasons, but Hankook makes a RS4 in 245/40-18 that would work on the 8.5" wheels. 8/10" shorter than stock, but that's probably not a bad thing right?

 

[Daniel in SD]

18x9.5 are out for me right now for cost reasons, but Hankook makes a RS4 in 245/40-18 that would work on the 8.5" wheels. 8/10" shorter than stock, but that's probably not a bad thing right?

It would probably be a good thing for autocross and a bad thing for track driving. It would increase power at speeds below ~45mph but decrease it at speeds greater than ~60mph. Only a small amount though.
18x9.5 wheels don't really cost any more though. Got my TSW Bathurst 18x9.5 for $288 a piece. It looks like the 18x9.5 and 18x8.5 are exactly the same price. I've got an AWD.