Discussion
I've done around 15 track days so far, with a couple being in the rain...
I'm a Spa virgin off in just over a week in my 300bhp Mk1 Focus RS, and I need some new tyres on the front as recently discovered a nail in one..
I need some advice on tyres and load ratings..
I was looking at buying some AD08's all round, but given the possibility of rain at Spa ( It was torrential at F1 practice last year, followed by 2 days of blistering sunshine ) I think I'll be sticking with road tyres, rather than gambling on road legal semi slicks..
I'm sure AD08's would still be great on a RWD or 4WD at, but given FWD cars are front heavy and can be light on their rear feet under braking then i'm going to stick with road tyres.
I think I am going to give Goodyear Eagle F1 Assymetrics as are around £100, although I'm still considering Michelin Pilot Super Sports, which are around £145..
So, first question... Are the MPSS worth the premium? Whilst F1 Assymetrics are highly rated as a good road tyre, are they anygood on track?
Second question is about load ratings.. Is this mainly related to the strength of the sidewall? And will a stronger sidewall give better cornering grip on track as less likely to roll ?
Minimum rating for my car is 87.. So I can use 88 no problem.. but would 92 would be better suited ?
I'm a Spa virgin off in just over a week in my 300bhp Mk1 Focus RS, and I need some new tyres on the front as recently discovered a nail in one..
I need some advice on tyres and load ratings..
I was looking at buying some AD08's all round, but given the possibility of rain at Spa ( It was torrential at F1 practice last year, followed by 2 days of blistering sunshine ) I think I'll be sticking with road tyres, rather than gambling on road legal semi slicks..
I'm sure AD08's would still be great on a RWD or 4WD at, but given FWD cars are front heavy and can be light on their rear feet under braking then i'm going to stick with road tyres.
I think I am going to give Goodyear Eagle F1 Assymetrics as are around £100, although I'm still considering Michelin Pilot Super Sports, which are around £145..
So, first question... Are the MPSS worth the premium? Whilst F1 Assymetrics are highly rated as a good road tyre, are they anygood on track?
Second question is about load ratings.. Is this mainly related to the strength of the sidewall? And will a stronger sidewall give better cornering grip on track as less likely to roll ?
Minimum rating for my car is 87.. So I can use 88 no problem.. but would 92 would be better suited ?
I wouldn't really call the AD08 semi-slicks, they come with 8mm and are not that soft compared to a 888. They're kind of halfway between road and legal semis.
They're not ideal in the wet though compared to a quality road tyre like the F1 you mention.
The load rating is indeed related to the stiffness of the sidewall but the impact on roll/weight transfer is very small between 2 grades, even if you use all the lateral grip. If anything, a slightly softer sidewalll may give you better compliance (and therefore possibly better grip/traction) on the kerbs or on a typically bumpy braking zone. You should be OK to stick to the OE load rating if you can but no biggie if you deviate to a slightly higher rate in case this opens up a better choice/price of tyre.
I would just try and get a bit of wear before the event so that you don't have the full 8mm, as this creates quite a lto of tread movement and heat. 6mm would be ideal, but not always easy to time that !
Are you sure your tyre are not repairable or would you rather not chance it on track ?
They're not ideal in the wet though compared to a quality road tyre like the F1 you mention.
The load rating is indeed related to the stiffness of the sidewall but the impact on roll/weight transfer is very small between 2 grades, even if you use all the lateral grip. If anything, a slightly softer sidewalll may give you better compliance (and therefore possibly better grip/traction) on the kerbs or on a typically bumpy braking zone. You should be OK to stick to the OE load rating if you can but no biggie if you deviate to a slightly higher rate in case this opens up a better choice/price of tyre.
I would just try and get a bit of wear before the event so that you don't have the full 8mm, as this creates quite a lto of tread movement and heat. 6mm would be ideal, but not always easy to time that !
Are you sure your tyre are not repairable or would you rather not chance it on track ?
Cheers for the responses guys.
It's relatively close to the sidewall, around 25-35MM away. I'm told by my friend who is a mechanic, that the plug won't seal because being so close to the curved edge.
I'm wondering if I could get away with running it on the front as is, as there is around 4mm left which is ideal tread depth for track, but that's probably a bad idea..
It's relatively close to the sidewall, around 25-35MM away. I'm told by my friend who is a mechanic, that the plug won't seal because being so close to the curved edge.
I'm wondering if I could get away with running it on the front as is, as there is around 4mm left which is ideal tread depth for track, but that's probably a bad idea..
Sigmamark7 said:
However irritating or costly it is, Spa is not a place to be wondering whether the tyre which is between you and an "epic off" has got any pressure in it! If it is repairable, keep it and get it repaired, but put something new on for the track day.
Yeah I don't actually think I'd be stupid enough to try it at a place like Spa...What's annoying is that I'm probably not going to put enough mileage on a new set of tyres before Spa to scrub them in properly.
So I'll be ordering the Assymetrics and see how they go..
Really looking forward to it!
first thing is to mention just how abrasive spa is on tyres, it's like nothing else i've ever experienced.
second is the belief that 888's are similar are useless on a wet trackday, they're not. i've done a few wet days at spa in the past & on 888's on the r26.r we were just about quicker than everything else out there. only things i remember coming past were some proper race cars on full race wets.
there is a huge difference between being bad in wet weather & being bad in standing water (which 888s or similar are). i found 888s were absolutely fine in wet track conditions 7 the only part at spa that was truly bad was bizarely the start finish straight where water does pool up around the finish line.
on our fwd cars this easter we wore out the fronts (particularly the left) in way less than a day.
if you're buying new tyres to go with i'd strongly recommend swapping front to rears at lunch time or you'll easily go through some serious wear in a full day.
it's a fantastic place, not hard to learn but with the added bonus of being hard to master.
second is the belief that 888's are similar are useless on a wet trackday, they're not. i've done a few wet days at spa in the past & on 888's on the r26.r we were just about quicker than everything else out there. only things i remember coming past were some proper race cars on full race wets.
there is a huge difference between being bad in wet weather & being bad in standing water (which 888s or similar are). i found 888s were absolutely fine in wet track conditions 7 the only part at spa that was truly bad was bizarely the start finish straight where water does pool up around the finish line.
on our fwd cars this easter we wore out the fronts (particularly the left) in way less than a day.
if you're buying new tyres to go with i'd strongly recommend swapping front to rears at lunch time or you'll easily go through some serious wear in a full day.
it's a fantastic place, not hard to learn but with the added bonus of being hard to master.
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