RE11 vs PSS

NvrFinished said:

A SoCal guy, fantastic! Thanks for the info as it answers a lot of my questions. I was just up at Buttonwillow this past weekend and I'm at the point I'm going to need some better tires. Trying to find reliable info on the subject is almost like opening a thread on oil - almost anyways :headbonk:

I'm still on the factory performance package tires and wheels with new wheels and tires coming soon. I'm just trying to decided on 1 set of multi use tires and wheels or have a separate dedicated track set if the budget allows.

Click to expand...

Separate set! If you can find a deal that is... Nice meeting you at the track last Saturday, and impressive times for a stock car

Hey man sounds like you run these and are getting a little defensive. My point was that a 200 Tw tire should not be so close to a 100tw tire. I see you're from Georgia. I'll be up in Savannah at Roebling Rd next month for Scca North Vs South shootout. Come out ride along and I'll make you a believer. :cheers:

wildcatgoal said:

"Pretty far behind..." and yet...

From the article:
"Last weekend, we brought the same BMW E46 M3 with the same set of RE-71R, and put it up against the popular R-compound, the Nitto NT01. To everyone’s surprise, both produced very similar lap times! Surprisingly, the RE-71R produced the fastest lap time by the slightest of margins, with a time of 1:39.340 and the NT01 at 1:39.351. Also of surprise to some, the RE-71R’s fastest lap time was achieved on the final lap of the session. It should be noted however, that the weather was cooler than normal for Laguna Seca."

NT01 seems like it's a great option, even after reading that entire article. Moving right along...

Click to expand...

Thanks Chris! It was nice meeting you as well. I saw your car out there when I was between sessions and had to go find who it belonged to since it looked like it was moving out pretty damn good. I would like say my car is all stock, but it does coilovers. Being my first time out at an HPDE I was happy with my times though. I have a lot to learn.

NvrFinished said:

I'm still on the factory performance package tires and wheels with new wheels and tires coming soon. I'm just trying to decided on 1 set of multi use tires and wheels or have a separate dedicated track set if the budget allows.

Click to expand...

Separate set. Leave any planned thoughts of multi-use to DD plus wet track days.

Assuming that you're going to stick with this track day habit, plan ahead now to better support your improvement as a driver and likely increases in the car's potential.


Norm

You know what, guys, if ya'll are a Novice, like me (still), just run what ya got on the car. You will not drive fast and hard enough to murder your street summer tires. And if you do, you're either driving like Cole Trickle before he was told to drive right, or you are naturally a m'fing bad ass and need to walk into an Formula team's office and demand a try out. ;)

Your goal is to learn how to drive, not learn how to beat the best track time. Even I will admit I have spent far too much money on parts. That is why I made myself buy Conti DW tires for my "track wheels" even though they were track only wheels and I knew I'd hate the tire. I do hate the tire, but learned from them. I am far too excited to put on my NT01s, to be honest. The mod bug is strong with me, haha.

But I agree with Norm 100%, if you are going to really spend the vast sums of money for track days, get dedicated wheels and tires (and brake pads... and I also use dedicated brake rotors). And, ya know, be prepared to pay for and change your brake fluid, trans fluid, diff fluid, engine oil, engine coolant A LOT MORE OFTEN. Not to mention... be prepared to drive home damn near in tears because you have to wait another month or two before you can do it again... because it's too damn expensive to do every weekend. :( Hmmph...

Interesting thoughts. Out here in Seattle where we get a fair amount of liquid sunshine I run Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires. Very sticky.

A couple thoughts... I've run NT01, NT05, star spec zii, Hankook r-s3, MPSS, continental contisportcontact 5P at the track - albeit on different cars.

Agree for a novice the MPSS, Conti, NT05 are more than enough. If you're chunking them, you're most likely over driving the car or the tire pressure / temp are wrong... You can do most of your driver improvement with these tires and still drive home with them...

The NT01 is my favorite fast tire. I haven't run the RE71R yet, have heard great things - essentially NT01 / R comp performance with more life and consistency. A bit hard to believe, I'm a bit skeptical... but may give them a try. Your true R comps will heat cycle out and lose grip - not as much of a concern for heavier cars like ours that will likely wear the tire before that point. The new R888R should be on this list as well.

Currently I'm running R-S3s in 305 square setup and I feel the sidewall is not stiff enough. Also pretty easy to over heat one of the front corners and the tire starts to push / "gets greasy".

If you're on a budget, Federal just released the 595RS-RR tire which is a great value for a 200TW (also considered a "cheater" 200TW, grips more like a 140). They run very large - i.e., the 275 is really a ~290 - people are reporting +15mm in some cases. Some local guys are testing them out and giving feedback to Federal.

Thank's for the Federal tip, I hadn't heard of these before, carry on.

viva_brasil said:

If you're on a budget, Federal just released the 595RS-RR tire which is a great value for a 200TW (also considered a "cheater" 200TW, grips more like a 140). They run very large - i.e., the 275 is really a ~290 - people are reporting +15mm in some cases. Some local guys are testing them out and giving feedback to Federal.

Click to expand...

The 595RS-RR is rated at 140TW. I've never used it so cannot comment on grip level. I have the older 595RS-R on my miata and like them so far (mostly daily driving, auto-x). I just wish Federal (and other asian brands like Zestino) would make some larger diameter tires.

The RS-RR is not an evolution of the RS-R but a different compound / spec altogether. Apparently the RS-RR label says 140TW but the sidewall is stamped 200TW. They're also very loud, louder than NT01.

viva_brasil said:

The RS-RR is not an evolution of the RS-R but a different compound / spec altogether. Apparently the RS-RR label says 140TW but the sidewall is stamped 200TW. They're also very loud, louder than NT01.

Click to expand...

That's interesting I did not know that... Where did you buy them and what size are you using?

I will be testing them on my Golf R, I may try the 275 30 19 size they have on my mustang - though would prefer not to down size from a 305 I'm running now. Their 275 is really between a 285 and a 295.

One of the groups I run with has a deal with Federal to test the tires - email them at [email protected] for pricing. Speed SF also has a Federal deal going on.