Looking for tire suggestions OEM rims but would like to start doing track days

[Lemur]

So, as my Pirelli Pzero corsa start to wear down in the rear I'm thinking about what to use next. I'd like to get the car out for some track days and i don't want to tear up $1800 sets of Pirelli's. I never drive in the rain, so I'm not really worried about having a tire that has any kind of wet traction. I'm really just wanting something cheap (but effective) that I can not feel guilty about tearing up on the track.

So far, the Nitto Invo and NT05R seem to meet those needs, but I'm curious about what else is out there that I don't know about. The Nitto sizes don't seem exact, but they appear to be close enough (correct me if I'm wrong please). I also see the Kumho East V720 ACR seems affordable. I saw a few other options around $450 per rear tire, but that's back to Pirelli pricing...

Thanks

[fuggles]

Toyo R888 are the only other tire I know of. But they are again around $450 for a rear.

[Lemur]

Toyo R888 are the only other tire I know of. But they are again around $450 for a rear.

Yeah I did see those, good looking tire, but pricey. It sounds like I will go with the Invo's unless I hear about a better alternative. To be honest, I'm just glad there are alternatives at all...

[speedtactics]

Not much out there to fit the bill. Toyo, Michelin, Pirelli and Hoosier. But cheap and Viper tires don't really go well together. If you want something that works well go with the 888.

[Lemur]

Not much out there to fit the bill. Toyo, Michelin, Pirelli and Hoosier. But cheap and Viper tires don't really go well together. If you want something that works well go with the 888.

I've heard the 888's are great, I just don't need the best. Maybe one day.. right now just something that is at least as grippy as the OEM tires and isn't as expensive to replace.

[parabs]

Yeah I did see those, good looking tire, but pricey. It sounds like I will go with the Invo's unless I hear about a better alternative. To be honest, I'm just glad there are alternatives at all...

I have Zero experience with the Invo's and generally think that Nitto/Toyo make great tires.

JonB seemingly calls the Invo's the "Shitto's" each time i have read his tire takes.

I'd go r888's...

[38D]

Sticky track tires/slicks are rarely cheap.

Personally I hate the R888s. They were the spec tire in Spec Boxster for a few years until replace by the RA1. They have a ton of tred squirm at full depth, and fall of quickly after the first heat cycle. And they absolutely blow in the rain. I'd much rather run R7s or even MPSCs.

[Simms]

Invos suck on the track. Good straight line grip though.

[Lemur]

So a tire like the Hoosier R7, is there any downside to using that on the street? (assuming no rain driving)

[sharmut]

Hoosier R7 from tirerack are:
Front: P295/30ZR18 = $373.29
Rear: P345/30ZR19 = $481.05

Still comes out to $1,708.68, really isn't much of a savings.

My corsa last a while. Got 9.4k miles and 3 track days out of my originals. The rears weren't in bad shape, only significant wear was the front, the -2.5 camber wore the insides.
Bought another set when JonB ran a special, for backup.

[Lemur]

Has anyone used the Kuhmo's?

[parabs]

Gotta run 19's up front, so for "stock" wheels you will need to grab a set of acr wheels.

I have ran the khumos on the street for a few hundred miles on a set of forgestar 19/19's. They are sticky. Guys that have tracked them say they are sticky but the fronts wear down to chord quickly...however they apparently grip down to that point quite well as well.

(I just happen to want to sell my forgestars with the khumo tires, if you're interested....and my sale price would be only a bit more than the quoted tire prices listed in this thread, PM if interested).

[Lemur]

Gotta run 19's up front, so for "stock" wheels you will need to grab a set of acr wheels.

I have ran the khumos on the street for a few hundred miles on a set of forgestar 19/19's. They are sticky. Guys that have tracked them say they are sticky but the fronts wear down to chord quickly...however they apparently grip down to that point quite well as well.

(I just happen to want to sell my forgestars with the khumo tires, if you're interested....and my sale price would be only a bit more than the quoted tire prices listed in this thread, PM if interested).

Damn, good catch, every time i think i have this tire thing figured out there is a catch lol

[nrs1]

NT05Rs are drag radials, good for the strip, but absolutely horrible for lateral grip. Not sure what sizes you're considering, but Michelin Pilot Super Sports are a good compromise for street/track and longevity.

Hoosiers are sticky, soft as hell, R compound tires that won't last long but will generate great lap times, not for the street though. Toyo R888s are also R compound tires, but are more towards the hard/street side. They will work on the street and track, but are not anywhere as sticky.

It's a matter of how much you're willing to compromise. Fast on the track = low mileage on the street. Also an R Compound tire only has so many "heat cycles" before they get hard and don't stick anymore. Most people running R compound tires, trailer their cars the track, or change tires at the track, to save heat cycles.

[Lemur]

Well I have the stock sidewinder II 18/19" wheels, and I want to stay with them for now since I have another viper project that's giving my credit card a workout.

I need a streetable tire that I can use for a few track days a year. I just want to get instruction and have some seat time on the track.

[nrs1]

You should be able to get Michelin Pilot Super Sports in sizes that will fit those wheels. They will be a good tire for both street and track. I believe they use that tire at the Ron Fellows school for their Vettes.

[TA Two Oh]

Well I have the stock sidewinder II 18/19" wheels, and I want to stay with them for now since I have another viper project that's giving my credit card a workout.

I need a streetable tire that I can use for a few track days a year. I just want to get instruction and have some seat time on the track.

Add my vote to the Super Sports pile. I don't think you can get an exact size match but hopefully something close enough. They're grippy, but long wearing. I don't use them on my Viper but I've had a set on another car for about 10,000 miles now, including a few track days, and they've held up really well. For a high performance tire, they really do wear like iron. They're standard equipment on some high performance cars that generate more than 1 G on the skidpad, so they grip really well. If you don't have a lot of track experience -I assumed that from your "want to get instruction" comment-, in my view, these are a better choice than an R compound tire or slick. The reason is that R Comps and Slicks are designed to work at lower slip angles than high performance or maximum performance street tires. That's important because when you're probing limits, and learning how to dance on the edge, an R Comp or slick will give away more suddenly; it's much easier to get caught off guard and possibly spin or crash. Better to develop the necessary feel and car control skills while rolling on street tires, as opposed to R Comps or slicks. And trust me, you'll still be able to go very, very fast in your car! The Super Sports aren't cheap, but their cost per mile and cost per smile are both high.

[Lemur]

So, the Michelins are just a hair cheaper than the OEM P Zero Corsa's. For that price it seems like it would be best just to stick with the Corsa's, no?

From looking at all these sets, I think I'll either stick with OEM Corsas or use the Invo's...

[fuggles]

I've struggled with this issue on my street/track car. At this point I do not want to go to slicks. So I have concluded that the Corsa's are the best price performance tire available. Ted May (local viper dude) is trying to convince me that I should try the R888. But I have heard mixed reviews. I may try one set just to see for myself.

I have JonB on speed dial for Corsa fronts when required.

If Michelin will ever reproduce the Pilot Sport Cups for the rear I will upgrade to those.

[TA Two Oh]

So, the Michelins are just a hair cheaper than the OEM P Zero Corsa's. For that price it seems like it would be best just to stick with the Corsa's, no?

From looking at all these sets, I think I'll either stick with OEM Corsas or use the Invo's...

The Corsas are great. I'm sticking with them on my Viper. I thought that you were looking for a cheaper option. If so, Super Sports -and likely the Invos although I have no experience with them- would be a good choice because they will last a lot longer, so you won't be replacing them as frequently. Especially the front tires, which for Corsas, are a softer compound than the rears and as a result, they wear about twice as fast. Enjoy!

[Rocket]

I'm no track rat - but there seemed to be a sweet temperature range for the Super Sports. I was at a track day in Nebraska and there were times when I was crazy fast, and other times where I ended up spun around and in the soy beans. I just had to replace the fronts after 27k miles - so there is some longevity to them - wore them way past where I should have on the inner thread to the point you could see the steel belts. Rears are next up and I'm trying to find a parking lot where I can do a proper send off to them.

[Lemur]

The super sports look like nice tires, but the cost difference between those and the Corsa's is negligible. I suppose if they last longer it might be worth the switch.

[speedtactics]

Are you looking for long lasting tires? or Track tires? because those are two opposite requests. Long lasting tires generally mean higher tread wear rating and harder runner. Grippy tires are lower tread wear and softer rubber, wear out faster. You have to decide what is important to you. Going fast and staying on the road/track or having a long lasting tire that has you slip sliding away.

The super sports look like nice tires, but the cost difference between those and the Corsa's is negligible. I suppose if they last longer it might be worth the switch.

[Lemur]

Are you looking for long lasting tires? or Track tires? because those are two opposite requests. Long lasting tires generally mean higher tread wear rating and harder runner. Grippy tires are lower tread wear and softer rubber, wear out faster. You have to decide what is important to you. Going fast and staying on the road/track or having a long lasting tire that has you slip sliding away.

I'm not looking for either end of the spectrum. I want the best bang value/bang for the buck tire that I can use on the street and once in awhile use on the track. I don't need to be a track super star.

I've pretty much made up my mind that i will use the Nitto Invo's and that they are the best price for a good compromise.

[darbgnik]

I've never heard good things about the Invo's for the track. Strip maybe, as they have good straight line grip.

I've run the Corsa's on my 15 since day one. They grip well, for the first 15 minutes of a session, then prepare to watch your lap times drop off a tick or two a lap. Also, I can kill off the fronts in one track day if I choose. From the research I've done, the R888 seems about the best bang for the buck street/track tire. Maybe better than the Corsa, maybe not. I was going to try a set this year to finish off the track season, but none of either size in Canada...... So I said screw it: No more half measures. Picked up another set of SW2's and going with the Hoosier R7's this year.

BTW, it seems to me, Jon B has decent pricing on sets of the R888.

Also, the best street wear on a TA alignment, which I run, set the front toe to zero.