Bridgestone potenza S-04 for trackdays

[Cardude99]

Hankook had the lowest wear in the last Tire Rack 200TW test. But I don't know how that compares to a 300TW tire.

Do you want to go fast, or do you want your tires to last a long time? Best thing for long tire life is a good setup, and avoiding over stressing them (ham fisted aggressive track driving is likely to kill any street tire pretty fast).

The value choice seems to be the Firestone Indy's but they are 2 or so seconds slower than MPSS. The RS4 will be faster, but probably won't last as long. And will be louder and not very good in the rain.

Ultimately I want a dedicated set but its not in the cards at this time. So just doing my homework before I get new tires later this year. I think I'm a pretty aggressive driver on the track but still a novice. I tend to stick with auto x for now and do about 6 to 8 events per year. I put about 9k miles on my car a year and live in Phoenix so rain isn't much of a concern.

I figured that if I could stretch an rs4 or ziii for 2 years I could justify the purchase, but it seems that a max summer tire will be better suited for my needs for now.

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[NightmareMoon]

Ultimately I want a dedicated set but its not in the cards at this time. So just doing my homework before I get new tires later this year. I think I'm a pretty aggressive driver on the track but still a novice. I tend to stick with auto x for now and do about 6 to 8 events per year. I put about 9k miles on my car a year and live in Phoenix so rain isn't much of a concern.

I figured that if I could stretch an rs4 or ziii for 2 years I could justify the purchase, but it seems that a max summer tire will be better suited for my needs for now.

IDK, RS4 are like 25% more expensive than cheaper street wheel, but I think they still get the nod here. I cant think of a better tire for those three purposes if you cant afford dedicated wheels. Many street tires just can’t take the abuse our porky fat and heavy cars dish out to tires in an autox or track day. You can roast a street tire pretty quickly if it isnt built to take the heat. RS4 seems to be the most durable to that kind of abuse while still lasting a good while.

 

[Thub]

Thanks, everyone for the replies and better suggestions. I'm not gonna buy the S04s.

It's clear the pilot supersports are a better tire than the s04s by a decent margin. Tire rack has some pretty good data that shows that. (The PSS is on a little worse car and still outperforms the S04) the PSS is $50 more expensive, though, so the better performance should be expected.
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Thanks, Grintch for mentioning the firestone indy 500. Tirerack has a test with that tire on the same car they tested the S04, and it turns out that tire outperforms the S04 quite handily in the dry as well, (I care a lot less about wet performance.) with a higher tread wear, and for $54 less per tire.

Objectively, the indy 500s don't look a ton better than the stock Pzero Nero A/S the car came with, but they are better in the dry.
I'm toward the fast end of beginners at the track, but I dont think I'm good enough to get the most out of a set of PSS's. I think a set of indy 500s might be in my future, with the $400 I'll save thrown toward an extra track day this year.
Thoughts?

 

[BmacIL]

Thanks, everyone for the replies and better suggestions. I'm not gonna buy the S04s.

It's clear the pilot supersports are a better tire than the s04s by a decent margin. Tire rack has some pretty good data that shows that. (The PSS is on a little worse car and still outperforms the S04) the PSS is $50 more expensive, though, so the better performance should be expected.
.
Thanks, Grintch for mentioning the firestone indy 500. Tirerack has a test with that tire on the same car they tested the S04, and it turns out that tire outperforms the S04 quite handily in the dry as well, (I care a lot less about wet performance.) with a higher tread wear, and for $54 less per tire.

Objectively, the indy 500s don't look a ton better than the stock Pzero Nero A/S the car came with, but they are better in the dry.
I'm toward the fast end of beginners at the track, but I dont think I'm good enough to get the most out of a set of PSS's. I think a set of indy 500s might be in my future, with the $400 I'll save thrown toward an extra track day this year.
Thoughts?

They'll be quite a lot better than the Pirellis in every condition except wet and below 40 deg F. What size are you going to be getting? I would not spend the coin on PSS or similar unless it's on an appropriately sized wheel for this car.

 

[Thub]

I've got 255s on from the factory (black accent package brings bigger wheels and tires) on 8.5" wheels, so I'm thinking I'll go to a 275/35/19.
I've got a set of Michelin X-ice for cold weather.
If I had the space, I'd have a set of track-only tires too, but until I sell my old focus snow tires, that's a no-go

Is 275 too wide for an 8.5" wheel? I was thinking they were 9.5" until I goggled it.

 

[BmacIL]

I've got 255s on from the factory (black accent package brings bigger wheels and tires) on 8.5" wheels, so I'm thinking I'll go to a 275/35/19.
I've got a set of Michelin X-ice for cold weather.
If I had the space, I'd have a set of track-only tires too, but until I sell my old focus snow tires, that's a no-go

Is 275 too wide for an 8.5" wheel? I was thinking they were 9.5" until I goggled it.

Yes, definitely too wide. 255 is the max you should go on that wheel.

 

[strengthrehab]

Indy 500's heat up and get greasy early and quickly. Overall not a bad tire, but they get hot and fall off quickly.

 

[Ewheels]

Looking for some advice...
I just purchased a set of track wheels and I am getting a set of Bridgestone Potenza S007A (240tw) tires for said track wheels. I am just getting started in track events; I'm a beginner so I don't feel the need for 100/200tw tires at this point.

My question is, does anyone have experience with these tires? I have read good reviews on them. Additionally, going forward, I am thinking RE71R's or NT05s when I get more experience and seat time under my belt. Any knowledge or preference on these two?

Thanks in advance

 

[Grintch]

The pointy end of the tire market has a pretty rapid evolution, and the Potenza S04 and S07's are both old designs that are far from competitive with current performance tires.

The RE71R is the current king of 200TW performance tires, but the RS4 is not far off and apparently has a longer life. For pure track use, the NT01 might be cheaper, faster, and last longer.

The MPSS is a good all rounder and better for all weather use, but is a step back in terms of raw performance.

The Firestone Indy seems to be the best value option summer tire, but is a step below the MPSS in terms of performance.

The NT05 is newer than the S04 & S07, but is fairly old and was bottom of the pack for 200TW tire performance even when new. Basicly I wouldn't buy any of them unless they had a great sale on them.

 

[strengthrehab]

Looking for some advice...
I just purchased a set of track wheels and I am getting a set of Bridgestone Potenza S007A (240tw) tires for said track wheels. I am just getting started in track events; I'm a beginner so I don't feel the need for 100/200tw tires at this point.

My question is, does anyone have experience with these tires? I have read good reviews on them. Additionally, going forward, I am thinking RE71R's or NT05s when I get more experience and seat time under my belt. Any knowledge or preference on these two?

Thanks in advance

IF you are just starting, get a set of Firestone Indy 500's...good tires at lower levels of this "hobby". They get hot if driving them close to the edge, but they are very talkative and forgiving as they get close to the limit.

On another note, I loved my BF Goodrich Comp 2's for learning. They are a decent tire and allow you to learn a lot. Give either a shot. Both are priced very well for someone just getting into the hobby who doesn't need ultimate performance, yet.

 

[Thub]

Indy 500's heat up and get greasy early and quickly. Overall not a bad tire, but they get hot and fall off quickly.

This, specifically is what I'm worried about. I don't want a tire I need to be fast my first lap out if I want to post a good time.
@Grintch I'm not looking for a 200tw tire(at this time), but what would you buy?

 

[strengthrehab]

This, specifically is what I'm worried about. I don't want a tire I need to be fast my first lap out if I want to post a good time.
@Grintch I'm not looking for a 200tw tire(at this time), but what would you buy?

Try the BFG Comp2...seriously.

 

[bullitt2]

They'll be quite a lot better than the Pirellis in every condition except wet and below 40 deg F. What size are you going to be getting? I would not spend the coin on PSS or similar unless it's on an appropriately sized wheel for this car.

I went from learning on the All Seasons this past year to running in the intermediate groups with the Indy 500 tires this year. IMO, they are totally different than the All Seasons (except for in the wet) and were worth the price. I've done one autocross and one track day on them so far. You'll need to warm up any tire on your first couple of laps anyways

 

[Grintch]

This, specifically is what I'm worried about. I don't want a tire I need to be fast my first lap out if I want to post a good time.
@Grintch I'm not looking for a 200tw tire(at this time), but what would you buy?

Any street tires is going to get hot and go off under hard track use. Heck most race tires will to, but somewhat latter unless they are A (autocross) series Hoosiers.

The MPSS is the faster ~300TW, all around summer tire. It will get hot and go off too. The Indy is a lot cheaper, slower, but seems to have decent life on the track. The problem with many street tires is not that they get hot and go off. It is that they "fall apart" and blister and/or wear very fast when driven hard at the track.

My first set of tires were MPSS, which I managed to blister the RF in a single event with not enough camber, an abrasive track, and no rotation (I forgot the security key for the lug nuts) . But with the right setup they should last 3+ events when driven hard. I just ran them a couple months ago with more camber, and the tire life was much improved. I have Indy's on my street/OE wheels. But I have confidence that if I took them to the track they wouldn't fall apart. I now have a set of NT01s on square wheels for my track setup. I expect they will last longer on the track, and will be faster than any TW200+ tire (but I would expect the latest batch of Tw200 tires [RE71, RS4, etc.] to be close, but with less track use life) but I have to carry them there and do at least two more wheel & tire changes per event.

The right answer depends on your priorities. Cost, track performance, street suitability (harness, noise, rain performance, etc.).

 

[DickR]

One potential problem with anything but the better TW200 tires on a heavy camber challenged car like a Mustang is destroying the outside edge of the tire long before the tread goes away. Especially since "newbies" tend to drive their hardest in the longer understeer prone corners. My understanding is that even the best TW300 tires like the Michelin PS4S and similar Conti have this problem. HOWEVER if you really do start off "slowly" and pay particular attention to taking care of the outside edges by avoiding "grinding understeer" then by the time you get faster the tread may be worn down enough that the outside edges aren't so sensitive to abuse.

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