Best tyre combination?

littleg78

Paid Member
Looking to buy two sets of tyres that will cover dry, damp and wet trackdays.

Just starting out so not chasing lap times or anything… just looking for something on the cheaper end of the spectrum that will hold up better than road tyres on track.

Both sets might be used to drive to/from track depending on weather, and the bit that’s most confusing is what to use on a damp circuit?!?

Cheap options I’ve found for dry are NS-2R, AD08RS, Zestino Gredge

Rainsport 3’s or 5’s seem great value for wet.

Appreciate thoughts if anyone’s got suggestions or experience?

Thanks!
 
My neighbour who swears by rainsports and has always used them, went for PS4s recently as he couldn’t get the rainsports in time.

According to him they are much better in the wet. I’ve found them great as well, particularly on an uphill road where the fronts would always spin before. Not a single sign of slip once I had PS4s put on. Price wise I’ve found ATS to be great as with their offers, you can get them for ~£65 fitted.
 
  • Like
Reactions: littleg78 and suj
Use some decent quality road tyres on the track when it is wet/damp. Rainsports or PS4s.

Save your semi-slicks for track days. Your suggestions seem to be good for the price/value they offer.
 
  • Like
Reactions: littleg78
Rainsport 3/5 and NS2R are about as cheap are you're going to get really.
PS4 are on offer at Black circles for less than 300 quid delivered.... but they are 225/45 as opposed to the standard 215/45.

NS2R are a really good tyre for the money, though they do get hot very quickly, and slide around alot.
 
  • Like
Reactions: littleg78
PS4 for damp/wet/road driving. They handle standing water on track no problem

I can’t comment on the dry tyres you mentioned but I got a set of AR1 for £480 recently off eBay and they’re very good. Just have to wait for an offer or Black Friday
 
  • Like
Reactions: littleg78
Same as @Big Ben I am currently running PS4 daily/damp/wet on the track and AR1 for dry which I am finding works well. PS4 are very good even on a dry track but get hot quick and performance dives. Rainsports are good when things are wet but literally disintegrate if the track becomes dry.
 
Thanks for the comments - I think I’ll go with the PS4’s for wet/damp as not too expensive.

That just leaves the dry tyres - at the back of my mind I’m thinking cheaper might be a false economy because they’ll wear out quicker? Guess I’ll just take a punt on something - it’s not like I’ll be pushing their limits anyway… I’ll likely wear it before the tyres do!
 
Thanks for the comments - I think I’ll go with the PS4’s for wet/damp as not too expensive.

That just leaves the dry tyres - at the back of my mind I’m thinking cheaper might be a false economy because they’ll wear out quicker? Guess I’ll just take a punt on something - it’s not like I’ll be pushing their limits anyway… I’ll likely wear it before the tyres do!

It's mainly they overheat quickly, so means they can fall off grip wise, of course you can still use them fine and people do, just means you cannot stay out lapping as long, might have to do shorter stints.
 
I paid £420 for some part worn Direzzas. If I get 3 or 4 track days out of them I will be pleased. My attitude is they are track tyres and are there to get worn out.
 
Thanks for the comments - I think I’ll go with the PS4’s for wet/damp as not too expensive.

That just leaves the dry tyres - at the back of my mind I’m thinking cheaper might be a false economy because they’ll wear out quicker? Guess I’ll just take a punt on something - it’s not like I’ll be pushing their limits anyway… I’ll likely wear it before the tyres do!
Just my opinion this not a criticism.
Don’t skimp on dry track tyres. You could buy a set for £3-400 and be happy enough but you will be at the limit of them tyres.
For the sake of an extra couple of hundred quid you’ll be into proper semi slick territory that will keep on the track better, won’t wear as badly and are basically fit for purpose.
I know you’ve invested heavily in the car and it’s expensive but all them other mods and maintenance are only as good as the rubber touching the tarmac if that makes sense?
 
Just my opinion this not a criticism.
Don’t skimp on dry track tyres. You could buy a set for £3-400 and be happy enough but you will be at the limit of them tyres.
For the sake of an extra couple of hundred quid you’ll be into proper semi slick territory that will keep on the track better, won’t wear as badly and are basically fit for purpose.
I know you’ve invested heavily in the car and it’s expensive but all them other mods and maintenance are only as good as the rubber touching the tarmac if that makes sense?

I take your point about skimping on tyres - if there was an award for the most money spent with the least amount of benefit I’m pretty sure I’d win it… another £200 is a drop in the ocean!

Picked up a nice set of speedlines from Joe Hodges this morning and have ordered some MRF ZTR’s using the discount code in the other thread.

I just need to replace my Conti’s with PS4’s then I’m done! Not sure if I can get some more wear out of these… they got a bit melty.

60F9AA32-D18E-4A77-9D1D-916937AA2951.jpeg
 
I had the 240tw Zestinos for last year - did around 7k+ kms on them, and at least 5 track days. They had plenty of tread left to go but were starting to crack so they are toast.

Grip was pretty good, very consistent tire. Got up to heat quickly, and dropped off after maybe 3-4 hard laps. 1 cooldown and they were back in the groove. I was able to set lap times that were around 1-1.5 seconds slower than on the Nankang AR1s I tried out later, so not bad for the budget! Only complaint is the sidewalls were very soft, so she would roll a bit more than I would have liked (ran 225/45/17s).
 
for track use.
Have a look at Extreme tyres.
they do 3 or 4 track compounds.

vr2 is a semi slick tyre.

r5a compound will overheat on trackdays after 2 laps. ( very soft )
Ideal for sprinting ..

I use r7a compound on my Audi TT and they will last half day no problem. ( I also use them as my road tyres )
Good in the damp too

R9a will last all day ( they take a bit longer to heat up.

They are very reasonably priced.

They are the best tyres I have ever used on the track.

they make ALL other tyres look shit !!!
 

Similar Thread Suggestions