Track Day Tyre

[Gus 5]

i am not looking to buy (yet) but am interested in researching the topic of track day tyres. i would be putting em on my spare set of 15's, so one of the easiest options would be something like a Formula R in 205/55R15. reasonable cost/fairly grippy etc. some questions i have are:

1) does anyone have experience with any other tyres, like the e30 series toyos

2) i have seen hoosier's on 14" bottle caps..what imperial (i presume) sizings would fit on a 15x7 rim, where to get from, and how much compared to comparable dunlops

3) i know i can, but would i be able to find/afford a wider (say 215/225) formula R or similar tyre?

would basically have them for track use only (with my 4.10 diff) ie if i was going to taupo drive down on road tyres and only put them on once there.

any ideas/suggestions much appreciated...i feel like i have reached the limits (whether i have or not is a different story) of my car on street tyres and would like to take it a little further when i can.

also, i wouldnt mind a slightly smaller profile than 205/55 to lower the diff ratio

[Silver Fox 43]

Hi Gus, E30 cars are running toyo R888's 205/50/15's, cheapest you can get apparently, none in the country at the moment, apart from the ones on my car. Hope to have my car at Puke on the 25th, will let you know what they're like then. Still have some carpet locks if you need.

[kerrynzl 3]

Toyo RA1's are great, most musclecar guys ran them when slicks weren't allowed, They were good for 44sec laps on the old taup track with a 1350kg car,also they were great rain tyres.

I wouldn't reccomend anything wider than a 205 on 7" rims. If you're gonna use freeby's that someone else has thrown out of their Toybox, I can get a great tyre softener for you

[Gus 5]

wouldn't reccomend anything wider than a 205

why is that? becomes less throwable around? or a tyre - rim width ratio?

and where/how much would i get the RA1's?

Edited August 14, 2006 by Gus

[E30-323ti 66]

A 225/50 RA1 would be a good size, you can get them from Racetyre Distributors 0800 722 389.

Also Palmside in Chch do Silverstones the FTZ-RR only comes in 195/50 but in 2 compounds and $225ea is pretty cheap.

Blairs in Chch do Kumho's blairs@blairs.co.nz something like a 225/50 V700 victoracer.

OTR are the Hankook dealers, 09-5791622 (ask for Dick), last I spoke to them they were getting the new R-S2 Z212's, not quite a R-comp but a good tyre from what I've read.

Cardwells are the hoohoo dealers, from memory they were $$$ and only stocked limited sizes for the circuit tyres.

Then there's yoko's Falken's too.

[cainchapman 0]

http://www.yokohamatire.com/advan/default.asp

Yokohama A048R are outstanding. They are street legal too. Otherwise, if you are trailering it to the track. Yokohama A005's.

[kerrynzl 3]

why is that? becomes less throwable around? or a tyre - rim width ratio?

and where/how much would i get the RA1's?

205= 8" on a seven inch rim as you stated , you need the sidewall to be as straight as possible for lateral forces ,Also when a wide tyre is put on a narrow rim the tyre bulges in the centre,similar to over-inflation so you have to run less air pressure which doesn't help lateral forces.Hoosier make a special cantilever 9-1/2" tyre for a 8" rim

Another little race secret is too run 'Directional Tyres' backwards on the front of a RWD car [if you don't know why, try slamming the brakes on a Farm Tractor going downhill] this works,you can drive your car deep into the 'sh*t-me' zone under braking.

Ring Greg Kirkham at 0800 RACETYRE for Toyo's [tell him they are for a race car]