What track tire do you use?

[TBSVTOA]

Do you change you shoes(tires)when you go out on-track?
Do you use you street tires?

I can tell you that beside brakes the tires are the biggest thing should if you could upgrade when going to any on-track event.

There are allot of tires to pick and choose from. I was wondering what the masses use when the go on track. I have tried allot or tires. Goodyear, Falken, Kumho, Hoosier, Toyo, NITTO, BF Goodrich, Hankook and the like DOT Tires.

I have finally settled on the latest tire from NITTO.. The NT01 recently. The Kumho and Toyo RA1 before that.

I do not think the NITTO NT01 get enough credit out there as the NT01 is really a great tire with great wear with multi heat cycle usage and plenty of vertical grip. I have not had one chunk up, blister or split. Cool thing is for what we like to do there is no need to shave the tire and I can start of with lower PSi and let the pressure build and maintain consistent grip.

What's in your wallet (I mean garage) ;) ?

[SoCal94]

In the old days, I used the original R1 tires, with the 'Groove of Doom' problem.

I replaced those with Kuhmo Victoracer V700's.

My wallet is very sensitive to price, and so I stretch these things as long as I possibly can. A good set of either may seem 'hard' or 'used up' after a few outings, but in reality they're still MUCH stickier than a stock radial when pushed - they just have to get warmed up.

I also buy a smaller size than stock mainly for cost reasons. I don't care about actual top speed or speedometer accuracy - but I do want to keep the front tires out of my wheel well liners as much as possibe. So, instead of 245/45 or 255/45 (my stock size), or 275/40 (what I run on 17x9 Cobra R wheels), I run on the track with 255/40 on stock 17x8 wheels.

I ran on some Nitto's about 5 years ago, and they got VERY greasy when warmed up. Very hard to predict when they'd let loose too. But, that was before this current line of tires.

Best regards,
SoCal94

[bhartman]

I use Toyo RA1's. I like the Toyos because I can get the most out of them by rotating to all 4 corners and then flipping them on the wheels.

I was looking at the Nitto NT01s. They were highly rated in one of my Mustang mags, buy it was noted that they wore very fast. Given that, my wallet didn't want to chance it.

[PETSNKE]

My compromise tire is the Falken RT615.

I have to drive the car ran or shine to and from the track, so I don't drive over 7/10ths. I get about 15-20 track days out of a set. My only complaint is they will get greasy on me when driven hard or toward the last 10 minutes of a 1/2 hour session on a warm midwest summer day.

[TBSVTOA]

Ya..1 the Niito 555 RII's were greasy when you got into the 5 or 6th heat cycle - same for the Kuhmo - The kukmo would wear uneven as the Stang is heavy. So no matter what I did wit the camber they would shred or chunk or blister.

The NT01 has allowed of gripp - I get about the same amount of wear on them as I did with the RA 1 or Kuhmo. no complaint yet. The look as if they are spent but there really not. I find they perform the best when you get to the wear dots.

I'm happy if I can get 2 weekends out of any tires :) LOL

[Dellcobra]

I have used the Toyo RA 1s for the last couple of years. They are an assume tire for consistancy and wear. I can usually get a full summer of track time out of them. I have them shaved to 5/32 and go from there.

Now the Hoziers are a much better tire, but cost is high on those.

I now have a set of the Nitto NT01s to try and I will post what I think about them.

Dell

[valightning]

I run the Hoosier R-6. Wear is decent and the lateral grip is GREAT.

[rheacerdave]

Besides track days, I've spent past 30 years AMA and SCCA club racing. I used the Kumho 700 and Victoracers years ago and had great luck with them. (I think there is still a set in the garage from 2003). They last quite awhile and are reasonablely sticky. Plus great price. If you are having touble with tires getting greasy, usually means they had too much air or WAY too little starting out. Try lower pressure starting out. I try for 40-42 psi hot which can mean as little as 30-32 psi on grid.
Roadracing, I use the Hoosier R-6. Yes, they are big bucks, but the stickest thing we can get for A/Sedan since Goodyear got out of the sedan racing tire business.
A dedicated set of wheels and tires is a good idea for track days.
If I can plug a buddy, JohnBerget Tire sells used race tires for 1/2 or less of what they cost new. www.jbracingtires.net Hoosier, Goodyear (maybe not anymore),

[gcassidy]

A number of years ago, I started out using BFGoodrich KD's until I got some spare wheels. Now I have 2 sets of track wheels, one set with full tread Toyo RA1 for the rain, and to drive to the track. And I pull my trailer with shaved RA1's on another set of wheels. I've gotten 5 weekends out of them and they still have a bunch of life in them. I had used Avon's TechR last year (when TireRack had a fire sale on them), and think they stuck better, but were used up by year's end.

Anyone play with nitrogen in their tires? I've put it in, but I haven't gotten around to filling my air tank with it to up my pressure at the track if needed.

[TBSVTOA]

no nitro hear. Like to try though.

[TBSVTOA]

I run the Hoosier R-6. Wear is decent and the lateral grip is GREAT.
do you have any cording issues? I ran into that with that Tire. I know it part of it is with the camber I like to run .

[TBSVTOA]

Besides track days, I've spent past 30 years AMA and SCCA club racing. I used the Kumho 700 and Victoracers years ago and had great luck with them. (I think there is still a set in the garage from 2003). They last quite awhile and are reasonablely sticky. Plus great price. If you are having touble with tires getting greasy, usually means they had too much air or WAY too little starting out. Try lower pressure starting out. I try for 40-42 psi hot which can mean as little as 30-32 psi on grid.
Roadracing, I use the Hoosier R-6. Yes, they are big bucks, but the stickest thing we can get for A/Sedan since Goodyear got out of the sedan racing tire business.
A dedicated set of wheels and tires is a good idea for track days.
If I can plug a buddy, JohnBerget Tire sells used race tires for 1/2 or less of what they cost new. www.jbracingtires.net Hoosier, Goodyear (maybe not anymore),


Agree on the pressure thing. I start the NT01 with about 28 psi front, 29 psi rear when in summer temp (90-95degrees) and they do not greese up and hits the sweet spot of 41-42 psi. Will have to adjust of course due to track temp and how Im driving.

[hersheyman]

I've only ran on two tires my two years' of experience. Street Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3's which were good until really pushed and hot and Falken Azenis RT615's. I feel the Falkens begin to lose grip when hot too. I am probably going to sell them to a friend and buy another buddy's Koenig wheels with one year's used shaved RA1's. However I need to get another whole year out of them and am concerned with how much tread is left on them. I just bought my Falkens this past March and know I have another full year with them.

[Dellcobra]

As long as the RA1s are not corded you can use them for track purposes. The tread being gone does not mean anything.

Dell

[rheacerdave]

My tire guy swaps out my race tires for me all the time and as good as nitrogen sounds, for we mere mortals, not sure it is worth the bucks. Mike showed me some literature and the biggest selling point was being able to pay for the machine in just a couple of months.
DRY air is the real advantage. Figure the stuff we breathe is already 78% nitrogen. The moisture in the air is what swells (steam) and causes the pressure growth in our tires.
Racing, it's nice to go out on the pressures you will be racing at, whereas, we may give up optimal pressure for a couple of laps while tires come up to temperature (and pressure). note the 30-32psi starting out to achieve 40-41 hot. I've noticed, after a couple of laps, the tires don't change anymore, they have reached operating temperature -200-210 and therefore constant pressure 40-42. Sure you can abuse them and get them hotter, but you aren't going to go any faster, in fact they will get "greasy" and you go slower. :bna
All the mileage claims are because you don't have the flucuations. You set it once and it won't change with the weather- as atomospheric air cools down, you "loose" pressure, lower pressure, more rolling resistance, less mileage.

[rheacerdave]

The tread being gone does not mean anything.
Absolutely. Our R compounds don't have any tread pattern.
More rubber on the ground, more traction.
Tread patterns are to move water, grip snow or mud. The deeper the tread pattern, the more squirm and the more heat generated. That's why a full treaded Kumho Victoracer goes away some much quicker than the same tired shaved.
Worn tires have less squirm (blocks aren't as tall) but much of the oils that keep them soft has evaporated or been squeezed out (heat and pressure thing).

[Dellcobra]

That is why I get the Toyos shaved.

Dell

[RMitchell12]

DRY air is the real advantage. Figure the stuff we breathe is already 78% nitrogen. The moisture in the air is what swells (steam) and causes the pressure growth in our tires.

Actually the presence of moisture in the gas (air, nitrogen, whatever) isn't going to have any more or less effect than the gas itself as temperatures rise or fall. Any gas will expand as it's heated and contract as it's cooled, including gaseous water and all gasses expand or contract the same amount for a given temperature change. The air pressure in the tire is the sum of partial pressures generated by the oxygen, nitrogen, water vapor. Think of it like this, water vapor is evaporated liquid water. Oxygen and nitrogen are "evaporated" liquid oxygen and nitrogen.

Liquid water in the tire would cause what you are talking about because water expands a large amount going from liquid to gas. A few drops of water, though would not cause a pressure change that is measurable with even high end tire pressure gauges.

[rheacerdave]

LOL
Ok, Steam may be too strong a term. More like water vapor. I go through 3-4 sets of race tires a year, and they almost always have condensation come out the valves when I pull the stems.
from howstuffworks
Why don't they use normal air in race car tires?


Many race car teams use nitrogen instead of air in their tires because nitrogen has a much more consistent rate of expansion and contraction compared to the usual air. Often, a half pound of pressure will radically affect traction and handling. With track and tire temperatures varying over the duration of a race, the consistency of nitrogen is needed.
Nitrogen pressure is more consistent than normal air pressure, because air typically contains varying amounts of moisture due to changes in the relative humidity on race day. Water causes air to be inconsistent in its rate of expansion and contraction. So, a humid race in the southeast United States or a dry race in the desert western United States could make for unpredictable tire pressures if "dry" nitrogen were not used.
Not sure it takes a whole lot, but pretty sure there is more than a couple of drops in there.