da1lydr1ver

Hello

I'm in the market for a new set of tires. The car is used only for weekend driving/HPDE.

I'm looking for a set of tires that are street legal, since I'm not towing the vehicle.

I heard the Dunlop Direzza ZII Star Specs were a good candidate for HPDEs, but that was the opinion a few years ago. Has anything better come out since?

I'm currently running Azenis RT615 tires that will be turning 9 years old this year, so yeah - they've got to go. Tire size will be 205/50/15 if that matters.


Thanks for your inputs.

dirty19

iTrader: (1)

Searching google turned up this screen shot.

TunerN00b

How much you're willing to spend plays a large part of the decision here.

Hoosier R7 tires are street legal, but not the best thing to actually drive to an HPDE with.

The Advan A048 is probably the only "Streetable track & competition" category tire that comes in that small of a size.

Then there's the typical "extreme performance summer tires", g-Force Rival S, Potenza RE-71R, Direzza ZII Star Spec, Ventus R-S3 (225/45-15), Ecsta V720, and Proxes R1R, and Advan Neova AD08 R, which are all perfectly fine to drive on public roads. All of these are reasonable choices.

However, there's always the tried and true "just swap wheels at the event". I did, even when I was using street tires during the HPDE. If you damage or wear out the tires during the event, you still need to get home. Doing this also opens up more choices, as you no longer need to remain street legal.

Matt_EH3

HPDEs are non-competitive, and I don't see a reason to run race tires, such as Hoosier R7s, unless you have crap loads of money and want to show off. The OP has been running RT-615s for 9 years, so I don't think r comps would be a reasonable choice for what he wats to do.

I have personally run RS-3s and liked them a lot for HPDEs. They have softer sidewall and take some time to "sit" at corner entry, but are a reasonable choice (225 tire however). That's the only advice I can give, as I have only run these and Kumho XS, which are no longer considered a good tire. If you want to stick to 205, I have heard nothing but good comments about the Rival S and the Direzza ZII Star Spec, but I have not tried them myself.

SkylineKin

lots of choices, I run the Dunlop star spec 2 for both street and track use and they are great, cheap in 205/50/15 too. If you want a more aggressive tire that can be driven to and from the track the Nitto NT01 seems to be the popular choice.

da1lydr1ver

Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

I actually used to drive my car to events using "street tires" and change out the wheels with the Azenis at the track. But then one day I broke a lug nut off and decided to just keep the "HPDE" wheels on my car at all times.

I looked at Tirerack.com and they Nitto NT01 seems to be pretty popular as well.

Dilbones

I vote zii*

Everyone I know says they're awesome in wet and dry. Plus they're street legal and super fun. Next step down would be RS3s.

I came from autocross where everyone was recommending RE71Rs, but apparently their heat tolerance is lower on the track.

Personally, I'll take overall longer, harder heats than faster, shorter heats where I have to slow down and cool off my tires from time to time.

i got NT05s cuz they were on sale.

KoRn_vIRuZ

Whatever you do don't buy Toyo R888. It's what I have and they're ridiculously loud.

Dilbones

Why is loud bad? It sounds like the OP is of lesser experience, given he is asking this question-- so loud can be good. This is true especially when you don't understand the limits of your car and the tires.

R888s work well for light cars if you're autocrossing. Not sure about the track.

However, my one friend has an Evo X that he autocrosses and he said the R888s have no sidewall to them.

I suppose that's an issue when you drive a boat

KoRn_vIRuZ

Loud is very annoying when you are driving from your house to the track to do your HPDE. It sounds like all 4 wheel bearings are shot, can't even hear the radio. Makes me insane.

The problem is not at the track, at the track the engine will drown out the tire noise.

N24

iTrader: (1)

All DOT R compounds are pretty loud on the street.


That said, for a car that's being used for HPDE only I would always go with a DOT R for everyone that isn't completely new to tracking a car.


DOT Rs are faster and have tons of grip compared to street tires. They are a bit more unforgiving, but in my opinion they are much more fun. Also, you can just go all out for whole sessions without worrying about abusing your tires - a set of DOT Rs lasts me a looooot longer on track than street tires. It's too easy to overheat street tires.
DOT Rs always ended up being cheaper in the long run for me.


Also driving to and from the track on DOT Rs isn't too bad as long as you are careful. If it rains, drive slow and you'll be fine. If its dry, no problem what so ever.


On track a DOT R can handle everything but heavy rain / standing water. A wet track itself isn't a problem, just make sure to get some heat in the tire. It's rare that you really miss a session because it's not drivable.




I like Toyo R888s on lightweight FWD cars. The Nitto NT01 is very similar in my opinion. Both of them can be driven down to the cords without major drop-off and they aren't expensive. Unlike Hossiers, on those tires you usually get your fastest laps in towards the end of their life (when most of the tread is gone and they basically turn into slicks).


Another option is the Maxxis Victra RC1. A similar tread pattern to the Toyo RR (which I haven't tried so far), just two lines around the tire. A relatively hard compound, so they last long. I like them so far. I'd say the RC1 is slightly faster than the NT01, has a stiffer tirewall and demands a cleaner racing line - it feels more like a race tire rather than a super-sticky street tire.

Matt_EH3

Yeah, the BMW guys around here hate the RS-3 because of its softer sidewall, but the Honda guys really like it. I guess it comes down to weight.

On my end, I am stirring the pot a bit this year and moving on to the NT-01 from the RS-3, mainly because we have these friendly local time attack events and my car is no longer eligible within our street class rules. Something about removing the sunroof and the centre console no longer making it a street car. I could argue and complain, but it is what it is.

I have driven track days in RA-1s a lot back in the day. I used to use them on my daily as my summer and track day tires. It will be nice to go back to r comps. On my end, I will never have the issue of my tire's noise overpowering my radio on the street, as someone may have removed the entire system to make the car lighter.

MyspaceTOM

I am running the RE-71r's. A lot of good reviews on this tire so I wanted to give it a try this year. Tire is fast! Both lap times and tread wear, not a true 200. They are loud so I wouldn't run them on my daily but they are fine for the civic. Stiff side wall and they have done well handling heat so far this year. I could see them falling off during 20 minute sessions in the summer here in GA. My next set will be down to ZII's or step up to NT01's. Some guys have mentioned the NT01's are faster than the RE71r's with about the same tread life.

Dilbones

That is quite possibly the sexiest picture I've seen all month ughhh.

The nt01 is probably legendary given its history as an affordable race tire that is also competitive. I remember reading motoiq articles about the tires and how great they were like four years ago.

George Knighton

If you're driving the typical street car, please don't get R compounds unless you've made modifications to the suspension.

:-)

There's nothing more alarming than seeing a BMW Coupe with a stock suspension, in a close-hauled heel and about to hit the curbing of a corner he's approached incorrectly.

In cases like that, and of course it depends on the curbing, you could end up in serious trouble.

High performance street tires like the Azenis you're already using will teach you more.

You learn more on tires that'll allow you to slide a little.

On the other hand, if you're an advanced driver and you've made suspension modifications, the next logical step is the Toyos. They're DOT and have enough grooves that you won't have to change tires in the rain, and they last longer than most R compounds.

MyspaceTOM

Thanks! I don't think I have ever heard a bad thing about NT01's? I'll have to give them a go.

tcrane

I run 205/50/15 starspecs now - they're OK but dont allow much slip before letting go.

I've driven on NT01's and would prefer those instead - there's some pretty good deals on ebay btw...

MyspaceTOM

You are right. Saw an email about Discount tire giving $100 off set of 4. Brought NT01's down to $455 shipped, I think.

tcrane

yeah some are like $435 shipped - good deal either way.

Greyout

I have NT05's on my S2000 and am quite pleased with them on the street and the track. They weren't too pricey.

I will say I have yet to drive in the rain on them.

90civichbsi

iTrader: (1)

I have been pretty happy with the ZIIs for a while. They have decent grip and last a while.

This article is a good read for 200tw tire choices: https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/articles/one-hot-lap/

I'd have to agree on the consistency of the zII's, but its easy to feel when they are getting hot and with a little bit of cool down you can be right back at it.

If I were to have a set of dedicated track wheels I would go with the Maxxis RC-1. It's not the grippiest R comp, but it's tread life makes for a great HPDE tire.

Eight09

iTrader: (5)

I like the kumho ecsta v720. For the price they cant be beat. My other choice would absolutely be the re71r

ITRbroham

I'm doing a track day in mid-May with my S2000 and these will be my designated choice. Thanks for the review.:thumbup

MyspaceTOM

Glad I could help!

Anyone see the new Maxxis VR-1's that just came out. They are selling them cheap right now and so far nothing but good things from the people that were testing them.

DaveSi677

What good did that do? Please explain... as looking at thread from 2005 will not help when tire technology has changed.