Mk1 MX5 - best tyres from list 1A for sprinting/trackdays

[sjtgeray]

Have signed up my boggo standard 1.8 (with TR lane bar)into the AEMC sprint championship for a bit of fun and hope to do 6-8 rounds as well as 3-4 track days this year. The car isn't really used on-road much though is driven to/from events.
List 1A limits it to standard road tyres (page 194-195 of http://msauk.org/uploadedfiles/msa_forms/bluebooks...

Any suggestions on what best to get...tyre size is 195/50/15 (which I am hoping were a production size for MX5 and not just 14 inchers)

Also does anyone know if I can use tyres that were on the 1A list in previous years, but not there now (as the tyres are no longer available). If so, I could wear the tread off what's currently on the car - Goodyear Eagle Ventura's for the first few outings

Thanks all

[carl_w]

Yokohama AD08 used to be the answer but they've been replaced by AD08-R which are in List 1b

We're running Bridgestone Adrenalin RE002 in that size (195/50/15) and they seemed OK round Rockingham but since it was the first sprint there we don't have anything to compare against.

[sjtgeray]

Cheers for that. I need something in mid May so be interesting to see how you continue to find them

[Trev450]

I'm not sure if they are available in the size you require, but Michelin Pilot Super Sports are about as good as you can get. A number of the Porsche GT3 guys are replacing their Cup tyres with these as they are only slightly less grippy but perform massively better in the wet.

[Dan Friel]

Trev450 said:

I'm not sure if they are available in the size you require, but Michelin Pilot Super Sports are about as good as you can get. A number of the Porsche GT3 guys are replacing their Cup tyres with these as they are only slightly less grippy but perform massively better in the wet.

No, these start at 17". The best Michelin would be a Pilot Sport 3. I used Vredestien Sportrac 3s last year (for road use and the odd hillclimb) and thought they were excellent. However, these are being phased out by the Sportrac 5, and this is not a MSA listed tyre for 2014. Obviously those still on Yoko AD08s will have a massive advantage.

[Furyblade_Lee]

A few of us had the same dilema in 195/50/15. I have gone for 1 set of Toyo T1R ( £149 for 4 on eBay ) on the MX5 and 1 set of Michelin PE3 ( £230 for 4 on eBay ) on the 205 Gti. There is no scientific answer yet !! We came 2nd & 3rd behind a seasoned sprinter in a Saxo VTS 1 second faster . Cannot remember what he was running but they were not AD08's , some weird name ones, will check this Sunday.

[pistol pete]

Metro cup cars are similar weight & power to an MX5 & most use yoko A539's as they are only allowed list 1A.

Whatever you get, you should get them buffed to 3 or 4mm of tread, new road tyres are horrible to drive on on track & believe it or not, they last longer as the tread doesn't overheat & fall off.

[sjtgeray]

Thanks all...will go shopping in early. May so keep the info coming if you happen to think about it and find anything more out over the next few weeks about what you got....realise it's a bit tricky as it's all pretty subjective !

[WhiteBaron]

i'm about 1-2 events from getting a pair of 195/50/15s for the rear of my MX5 - used for 'solos so will feedback.

FWIW i think once a tyre disappears from list 1A it is not available for use in 1A championships/SR events. This is why they asterix it at the start of the previous year to give drivers fair warning prior to removal.

steve

[sjtgeray]

Thanks Whitebaron. That gels with another view that only tyres specifically on the list are allowed, thus Uniroyal Rainsport 2 is OK but the 3 isn't as its not on the list
Have on good authority that the Kumho KH31 might be a good bet...anyone tried them ?

[WhiteBaron]

carl_w said:

Yokohama AD08 used to be the answer but they've been replaced by AD08-R which are in List 1b

We're running Bridgestone Adrenalin RE002 in that size (195/50/15) and they seemed OK round Rockingham but since it was the first sprint there we don't have anything to compare against.

looks like a nice tread pattern that won't dissolve in a 'solo - like most people i'm interested to see how these hold up/performance.

Steve

[carl_w]

WhiteBaron said:

looks like a nice tread pattern that won't dissolve in a 'solo - like most people i'm interested to see how these hold up/performance.

It does but the "troughs" are wider than I thought they would be from the pics (e.g. this one).

[andyps]

If you don't need them until May it is worth watching eBay for some AD08s - I got lucky last month and got a couple of new ones for my car.

In terms of the question about tyres which used to be on the list the answer is most likely that you can't use them because they are no longer approved, there is usually a one year period in which the list indicates those which will be removed. I think some standard tyres are removed partly because any left would be getting to old to be safe for competition use - Eagle F1 GSD3 I think being one which is no longer allowed for example.

[Trev450]

carl_w said:

Yokohama AD08 used to be the answer but they've been replaced by AD08-R which are in List 1b

I'm fairly certain that Steve Harkess Tyres still has some stock of AD08's but I don't know what sizes.

[binnerboy]

these are cheap at the mo

http://www.camskill.co.uk/m53b0s99p111610/Uniroyal...

maybe a bit on the soft side, but at £35 per corner might be worth a punt

[Dan Friel]

binnerboy said:

these are cheap at the mo

http://www.camskill.co.uk/m53b0s99p111610/Uniroyal...

maybe a bit on the soft side, but at £35 per corner might be worth a punt

They aren't a MSA listed tyre for 2014, so can't be used..

[binnerboy]

Dan Friel said:

They aren't a MSA listed tyre for 2014, so can't be used..

rain sport 2 are mentioned aren't they ?

maybe the rainsport 3 is new to be on the list , but it is a standard road tyre.

Can you not use list 1B for sprinting ?

mind you I have only done autosolo not sprints so don't take my word for it

clerk of the course can clarify

[carl_w]

binnerboy said:

rain sport 2 are mentioned aren't they ?

maybe the rainsport 3 is new to be on the list , but it is a standard road tyre.

Can you not use list 1B for sprinting ?

Not in standard production, no. And if a tyre's not on the list, it can't be used. Now there may be some organizers who would turn a blind eye to a normal road tyre that wasn't on the list, but if you start winning your class someone's going to get irked.

[andylaurence]

carl_w said:

ot in standard production, no. And if a tyre's not on the list, it can't be used. Now there may be some organizers who would turn a blind eye to a normal road tyre that wasn't on the list, but if you start winning your class someone's going to get irked.

Except that binnerboy is in the South-West, where you can run 1B tyres in roadgoing. It's one of those regional variations, like capacity splits.

[Richair]

As above, it really depends upon the club as the blue book now states that List 1B tyres may be used for roadgoing production class:

Regulations for Roadgoing Series
Production Cars and Roadgoing Specialist
Production Cars

Wheels and tyres
11.6.1. Deleted.
11.6.2. Except for Period Defined Vehicles (Non-Rally)
A-H inclusive tyres are to L List 1A and List 1B.

As I understand it, the club chooses its own local rules and regs as to whether List 1B tyres are permitted in Roadgoing Production...