wmk32

So i've been searching for a set of track wheels and tires for a while now but haven't run across any great deals and am wondering how much tire do i really need at this point? I have the base tires on my C6 and was hoping to upgrade to at least the supercar run flat version - but am i really going to notice any difference in these tires at a novice level?

The more i think about it that money is probably better spent on additional training, brake pads, etc.

Any advice here? Can I just run these base level tires for a year or two ( 10 events per year ) without needing anything more until driver skill advances?

Bill Dearborn

When you say 10 events per year are you talking track days or events? A lot of events run two days so the difference in tire wear can be huge. In the beginning I would stick with stock tires and brake pads. Flush the brake fluid before the first event and then bleed before subsequent events. Some people bleed after events but in 16 years of running my car at Watkins Glen and Pocono I have never found it necessary. The stock pads are more than enough for a beginner. I have had several novice students with non-Z51 C6s and their brakes held up well over a 2 day event. The advantages you get from this are driving the car to and from the event, overall lower cost, less wear on your wheel bearings and other suspension components, you learn to drive with slippery tires that help you develop car control and you spend less time monkeying around checking tires and brakes for wear in the paddock/garage instead of talking with instructors or other people about how to improve your driving. Without a more aggressive alignment most track tires are going to wear out on the outside edges and you will not get the best performance from them without the alignment. Once you move into an intermediate level student grouping then you can think about improving the tires and brakes. Somewhere along the line you will need to invest in a tow vehicle and trailer or a tire trailer and hitch for your Vette as it makes it a lot easier to get a car with competition tires and brakes to and from the track.

Bill

wmk32

Thanks for the advice. I was thinking about 10 events per year ( some 1 day, some 2 ), give or take. I'm sure like most novice types i've been over thinking this and could easily spend a lot of money in useless places.

Sounds like the best bang for the buck is experience and education to know the limits of the car in stock form before spending upgrade money. Advice is greatly appreciated.

robvuk

I completely concur with Bill above. Save time and money by running on street tires and you can afford to do more events instead. You will learn all the same things at slightly lower speeds. There's a lot to be said for the convenience of being able to drive to and from the events. When you feel you're not advancing at any given track, consider mastering another track. Once you've been around all the circuits a few times, then you can consider tires.

I know that there are many people here who will not agree with this. I've seen a lot of them making high performance mods to the engine, chassis and tires very early on. It's my opinion that although they are going faster, they're only concealing their lower skill level with much higher risk and expense. Get all the track time you can. You'll know when you are ready to step up the car.

VetteDrmr

The only thing I would add to the conversation is to think about is that, IF your street tires are run-flats, I would consider a 2nd set of wheels with non-runflat tires for your events, just from a cost standpoint. What size wheels and what kind of tires I'll leave to the C6 folks.

HTH, and have a good one,
Mike

robvuk

Good point. I think any quality STREET tire is good. They don't have to be runflats.

wmk32

They certainly aren't cheap, but they are generally found in the parts for sale section for pretty reasonable prices. I guess the real question is how quickly will i burn them up which of course might move me to a different tire altogether.

naschmitz

I would spend the time and/or money with an instructor before you spend money on tires. Seeing someone do it correctly is the fastest way to learn. Then have an instructor critique your technique. Then read the books. Then get a lot of seat time and it will all make sense.

But you are on the right path in your search for tires. The cheapest way to go is to buy some take-offs from another C6 owner. Forum member "Vet" put me onto this and I was able to find a set of C6 polished aluminum wheels, sensors, and tires with less than 500 miles in the "C6 Parts for Sale/Wanted" section. Cost me the same as a set of new GY runflats from TireRack. So essentially I got sensors and wheels for free.

I finished the year on my factory runflats. Now I have the new set I bought for the street and my original wheels/sensors to mount track tires for my second year.