986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners - View Single Post - Time (almost) for new tires. What to get for street/track dual purpose?

steved0x · 02-21-2014, 12:38 PM

I'm in North FL right now so we don't get much cold, but we do get a lot of rain.

Right now I've got the Sumitomo HTR Z III in the stock front 205/50/17 (almost down to the wear bars, maybe 3/32) and rear 255/40/17 (a decent amount left; I don't have the number). I've been happy with them, but then again I probably just don't know enough to tell the difference, as they are all I have ever had on it, and it has been 25+ years since I had a "sports" car (A Fiat X1/9 and a Corolla Hatchback, I think it was an AE86 but who can remember. The guy I bought it from replaced it with a Porsche 944 variant with the eyeball popup headlights, I just remember that it was always in the shop)

My experiences with these tires is around 7,500 miles of driving, including 2 track days at Roebling and an autocross. I am pretty sure I never got to the limit (no squealing or under/oversteer) on the track days, and I did get some understeer at the autocross.

It will be time to get some new tires pretty soon, and I am evaluating my options.

I have heard/read that some tires give a lot of feedback when you do get near the limit, in terms of feel/noise, and if that is the case I would probably prefer that.

I am not at a point where I would be running a second set of wheels for track days, both for $$$ reasons and because my suspension is stock with a street alignment (2000S M030, not ROW)

I am considering going to 225/45/17 in the front, which opens up the door to a greater selection of tires, and I have heard helps with understeer. Although for a beginner is this a good thing? Does this mean I am more liable to hit the limit and oversteer?

Options:

New Sumitomo HTR Z III in 205/50/17 for the front for now and re-evaluate when the rears wear out
New Sumitomo HTR Z III in 225/45/17 for the front for now and re-evaluate when the rears wear out
4 new tires of??? Hankook RS3? Ventues V12 evo? Nitto NT05? S-Drive? S-04 Pole Position is priced competitively and is getting good reviews in the other thread

I don't want to spend the same money twice by buying the wrong tires and then needing to upgrade before they wear out. But I don't want to waste money using up expensive tires that I may not be able to tell the difference on. (And do you wear out tires faster if you are new to track days and driving wrong?) I plan on doing 6-8 track days a year (3-4 weekends) and a few autocrosses.

Anybody got any hot tips for me? Is it worth it to get a second set of wheels to drive the track even with a stock suspension and a street alignment? or is that for more advanced folks.

Thanks!

Steve

02-21-2014, 12:38 PM	#1
steved0x Registered User Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: FL Posts: 4,144	Time (almost) for new tires. What to get for street/track dual purpose? I'm in North FL right now so we don't get much cold, but we do get a lot of rain. Right now I've got the Sumitomo HTR Z III in the stock front 205/50/17 (almost down to the wear bars, maybe 3/32) and rear 255/40/17 (a decent amount left; I don't have the number). I've been happy with them, but then again I probably just don't know enough to tell the difference, as they are all I have ever had on it, and it has been 25+ years since I had a "sports" car (A Fiat X1/9 and a Corolla Hatchback, I think it was an AE86 but who can remember. The guy I bought it from replaced it with a Porsche 944 variant with the eyeball popup headlights, I just remember that it was always in the shop) My experiences with these tires is around 7,500 miles of driving, including 2 track days at Roebling and an autocross. I am pretty sure I never got to the limit (no squealing or under/oversteer) on the track days, and I did get some understeer at the autocross. It will be time to get some new tires pretty soon, and I am evaluating my options. I have heard/read that some tires give a lot of feedback when you do get near the limit, in terms of feel/noise, and if that is the case I would probably prefer that. I am not at a point where I would be running a second set of wheels for track days, both for $$$ reasons and because my suspension is stock with a street alignment (2000S M030, not ROW) I am considering going to 225/45/17 in the front, which opens up the door to a greater selection of tires, and I have heard helps with understeer. Although for a beginner is this a good thing? Does this mean I am more liable to hit the limit and oversteer? Options: New Sumitomo HTR Z III in 205/50/17 for the front for now and re-evaluate when the rears wear out New Sumitomo HTR Z III in 225/45/17 for the front for now and re-evaluate when the rears wear out 4 new tires of??? Hankook RS3? Ventues V12 evo? Nitto NT05? S-Drive? S-04 Pole Position is priced competitively and is getting good reviews in the other thread I don't want to spend the same money twice by buying the wrong tires and then needing to upgrade before they wear out. But I don't want to waste money using up expensive tires that I may not be able to tell the difference on. (And do you wear out tires faster if you are new to track days and driving wrong?) I plan on doing 6-8 track days a year (3-4 weekends) and a few autocrosses. Anybody got any hot tips for me? Is it worth it to get a second set of wheels to drive the track even with a stock suspension and a street alignment? or is that for more advanced folks. Thanks! Steve Last edited by steved0x; 02-21-2014 at 12:41 PM.