Tyres suitable for road and track
Discussion
I'm looking for some new tyres for my Saxo VTS track car.
I'm not currently in the position to have track only wheels and I also need to use the car on the road for the time being. So really I'm asking for a tyre that will perform acceptably on track (I'm a relatively novice track driver at the moment) in both wet and dry conditions whilst also being sufficient for road use.
Usually I would go for Toyo Proxes, but I've recently heard people complain that the sidewall's give in to easily on track, so what would people recommend as a good alternative?
I'm not currently in the position to have track only wheels and I also need to use the car on the road for the time being. So really I'm asking for a tyre that will perform acceptably on track (I'm a relatively novice track driver at the moment) in both wet and dry conditions whilst also being sufficient for road use.
Usually I would go for Toyo Proxes, but I've recently heard people complain that the sidewall's give in to easily on track, so what would people recommend as a good alternative?
Yoko A539, is a road tyre but used by many hatch type race series as a control tyre, v long lasting on track if you manage your pressures, I did 1200 miles odd on 'ring in my track golf- similar weight to a saxo & a fair but more power, on 'em last yr & they are barely worn cope v well with track use, fine on road, not the best in the wet its true & not mega grippy but great to sort your car control but fine in dry & cheap.
I use my old mk1 VTS for track days. There is quite a huge price difference between the nice track day tyres and road ones- however are r888 and yoko A048 road legal anyway?
Toyo Proxes T1Rs roll onto the sidewalls something crazy but its not a bad driving experience.
Despite track use, my Yokohama S-Drive's did really well, they havent had the 'edge' wear that the T1RS did and are pretty good on track. I think they have a bit more rubber on the road than the A359 and the other similar square treaded ones mentioned above (i have those on a kit car which is a bit too light for them) but both S drives and A359 are good road/track tyres.
My Saxo stood in for an ailing kit car I have a few trackdays ago (as standard) and since then various upgrades have been made- the best of which has been GTI 6 calipers on the front (made the world of difference) and tyres.
I wasted time by getting cheap lowering springs and fitting them just before a track day- they lowered the car but I should have uprated the shocks- since then its been done 'properly' on some Apex shocks and Koni springs.
My Cat failed on the last MOT, so got a new one but knocked the stuffing out of the old one to make a cheap decat pipe. Having been told this would be terrible for back pressure I got a 'proper' decat pipe. In theory this should be better but I cant tell the difference (between my crappy decat and the proper one). Those are my experiences so far as a budget track dayer in a VTS!
Toyo Proxes T1Rs roll onto the sidewalls something crazy but its not a bad driving experience.
Despite track use, my Yokohama S-Drive's did really well, they havent had the 'edge' wear that the T1RS did and are pretty good on track. I think they have a bit more rubber on the road than the A359 and the other similar square treaded ones mentioned above (i have those on a kit car which is a bit too light for them) but both S drives and A359 are good road/track tyres.
My Saxo stood in for an ailing kit car I have a few trackdays ago (as standard) and since then various upgrades have been made- the best of which has been GTI 6 calipers on the front (made the world of difference) and tyres.
I wasted time by getting cheap lowering springs and fitting them just before a track day- they lowered the car but I should have uprated the shocks- since then its been done 'properly' on some Apex shocks and Koni springs.
My Cat failed on the last MOT, so got a new one but knocked the stuffing out of the old one to make a cheap decat pipe. Having been told this would be terrible for back pressure I got a 'proper' decat pipe. In theory this should be better but I cant tell the difference (between my crappy decat and the proper one). Those are my experiences so far as a budget track dayer in a VTS!
I might look at prices for some Yokohama's then. I have heard good things about them in the past from others too.
I do like Michelin's a lot and have been fortunate enough to have pilot exalto 2's already fitted to some cars I've owned in the past, I wonder whether they might be a bit pricey in comparison though.
I do like Michelin's a lot and have been fortunate enough to have pilot exalto 2's already fitted to some cars I've owned in the past, I wonder whether they might be a bit pricey in comparison though.
braddo said:
Have a look at Hankook RS2s too, which are getting good feedback as road/track tyres from some Elise owners.
+1not so good on the road in the wet/damp in my experience but good in the dry and very very good once up to temp on track.
i tend to think of it as between a good road tyre and a good track tyre.
OK so far I've got a price of £200 for 4 Yoko S-Drive's fitted, so I'm tempted to give them a go. I'm looking at doing another track day in a few weeks, so effectively on new road tyres.
I'm a little concerned that the tread might be too tall for track work so they may get damaged prematurely. I've seen that some places offer a tyre cutting service to trim the new tread down a bit specifically for track use. Apart from seeming counter intuitive to spend £££ on rubber and then spend more £ on having said rubber cut off and binned, has anyone done this? Is it a good idea and how much life would I expect to have chopped off the tyre?
I'm a little concerned that the tread might be too tall for track work so they may get damaged prematurely. I've seen that some places offer a tyre cutting service to trim the new tread down a bit specifically for track use. Apart from seeming counter intuitive to spend £££ on rubber and then spend more £ on having said rubber cut off and binned, has anyone done this? Is it a good idea and how much life would I expect to have chopped off the tyre?
... Actually looking on Camskill I can get 4 Hankook RS2's delivered for £208, so I could get them fitted and balanced for £250. Probably a better option and cheaper than messing around cutting up road tyres. My only concern with the RS2's is their performance in the wet, are they OK or would it spoil my track day?
jonamacg83 said:
R888's all the way
Same problem as the Hankook RS2's though I assume - no good in the wet?I should be getting another car soon, so the VTS will then be track only, but even then, with only one set of wheels I'm not sure I'd want to risk running semi slicks when driving to and from the track and on the track when it rains.
If I can find some semi slick style tyres that can perform to an acceptable standard on a wet track, I would probably fit them, but I suspect they don't exist...
PetrolHeadSeb said:
jonamacg83 said:
R888's all the way
Same problem as the Hankook RS2's though I assume - no good in the wet?I should be getting another car soon, so the VTS will then be track only, but even then, with only one set of wheels I'm not sure I'd want to risk running semi slicks when driving to and from the track and on the track when it rains.
If I can find some semi slick style tyres that can perform to an acceptable standard on a wet track, I would probably fit them, but I suspect they don't exist...
I've done loads and loads of wet and dry trackdays and driven TENS OF THOUSANDS of miles of roads miles on R888's in the wet in probably six different cars. No problems at all.
They are FINE in the wet on track in my opinion. In the damp they work VERY well.. just don't drive like a dick with LOTS of standing water on the road and you will be fine.
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