[JayG]

I would suggest getting a set of 17's for track use. If for no other reason than tires cost less in 17" vs 18"

As far as what tires....

The "Go To" tire is Bridgestone RE-71R. It is marked as a 200 TW tire, but in reality is lower. They are what most people run for a "street" tire on the track and for AX. The downside is they wear relatively quickly and will start falling off in performance when they get really hot in extended sessions or if you run back to back sessions. If you don't cord them first, they will heat cycle out

The Hankook R-S4 is a great tire that wears like iron and performs just a little below the RE-71R. They take the heat really well and most likely will heat cycle out well before you cord them. From my experience with them they last at least double the RE-71R. I use them for my practice tires and switch to Re-71r for timed runs. I currently have on a set, 18 track days- approx 90 sessions - approx 450 laps and they have at least 1/3 tread left. They do feel like they are heat cycling out however.

That compared to Re-71's..... I have approx 20 sessions or 100 laps and they are almost done.

In speaking with some of my track rat buddies, I am trying Nitto Nt-01's this weekend. From what they say and what I have read, I expect similar performance to the Re-71's and about 2/3-3/4 the life of the R-S4's

YMMV

With 17's definitely go with 225/45-17 front and 255/40 -17 rear. They will fit on stock Boxster 17" wheels with no problem

For a pure street tire you can't go wrong with Michelin Pilot Super Sports. They are not cheap, but a great tire. For a really good lower cost street tire Sumitomo HTR ZIII is a faboo choice.

Also if you are going to track the car, get a proper "racing" alignment for a good shop, not a tire shop. The best would be a string alignment. They will cost your approx $300, but will make a world of difference

For brake pads until you get to a higher performance level, the factory pads should be fine. You definitely should flush the system every year and bleed before each track event. Lots of brake fluid choices. ATE-200 should be fine to start. Many track rats use Motul 600 or 660 as they are higher tem fluids. Look at DRY temps if you are flushing and bleeding regularly as it is unlikely you will get a lot of water in the system with that schedule

Welcome to a very slippery slope