Bahnzii

I don't have the option of trailering my Z06 ('09), so I wanted to see what sort of 18" wheel and tire options others are running for driving to and from the track.

Thinking of doing 18x10 or 18x11 in front and 18x12 or 18x13 in the rear.

I'm currently considering CCW and possibly Forgeline for wheels.
Are there any other somewhat in-expensive forged wheel I should look at??

What R-compound tires are others running in those measurements, especially the rear widths and driving to and from the track??

Toyo (R888 or RA-1)
Hoosier R6 (not so sure driving a 200 miles round trip on them is a smart idea...)
Kumho Ecsta V700, 70A
Nitto NT-555

Any other tires??

FredSM

Can't say enough about the R888s for just that purpose. I had 'em in 275x18 and 295x19 and loved 'em on my coupe on the wet street and on the track. Got a tire trailer and run R6s dry now, but I still plan to mount some R888s on my track wheels for the rainy season. Definitely don't recommend the R6s on the street if there's any threat of rain. I use Invos to get me to the track.

FM

dcvee

Well, opinions are like ___holes, so here's mine; Ditch the fancy rims. Get a set of cheapish track rims and invest in a small trailer/hitch setup. That way you can haul your tires/brakes/tools/jack/gas cans etc and be MUCH happier. Then get yourself a set of NT01's/888's/RA1's, mount em' on the extra rims and have a blast.

Don

Dreamin

Yes! Michelin Pilot Sport Cups... but you'd need to get 19" rear wheels.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-z...e-awesome.html

UstaB-GS549

I can't answer your C6 questions, but I always drive to events on rear tires and haul 2 fronts on the passenger seat.

V710, GY GSCS, A6, and all are scrubs. You trust your life to these tires at way over 100 MPH depending on the track. Why would you not trust them at 70 on the highway? Typically 150 miles each way to Road America, GingerMan and even longer to Grattan.

Rain is a different story. That is why I usually drive on front street tires and rear race tires. If I get caught in a down pour, the fronts clear the pavement for the tread-less rears at reasonable speeds. Do not try to pass a semi if there is puddling water on the pavement, as the semi will push water under your rear tires.

I'm not convinced that they really heat cycle when driving to and from events.

I have a friend that does the same thing with his C5 Z06.

This is not for everybody, but just another opinion.

longdaddy

out of everything we tried for track/street driving on 3 different cars michelin PS cups are the best hands down.

FredSM

FM

C5Lion

I drive to and from the track on Hoosier R6s. It is no big deal. I live in so cal so I don't have to worry about rain very much, but I actually got caught in a really bad downpour earlier in the year. I drove relatively slow and kept room between me and the car in front. It was actually uneventful. When it is dry there is nothing to worry about.

Dreamin

NewFoundPower

Good thread, I had this same question!


How much faster do R-comp tires wear out if they're driven to and from the track?

BrianCunningham

I used to do that as well.

Better to trailer or use a tire trailer, but you can do it in a pinch

Just plan out a surface street course in case it rains.

Keep in mind your taking heat cycles away.

JRL

I've been driving on Kumho 710's and Hoosiers A6's to and from events for 7 years. No issues. Drove 2 times in the rain, kept it under 55 mph, no problem.

JRL

VetteDrmr

I guess my main problem with driving on A6/R6/V710s is two fold:

1. All the street trash they throw up on the car
2. Running the risk of having said street trash cutting into the rubber and starting a tear.

V700s and RA-1/R-888s are harder enough that both of those things are mitigated to a fair extent. Of course, they're not as good on the track, either.

I trailer my soft tires, but drive on my intermediates (RA-1s).

HTH, and have a good one,
Mike

longdaddy

if you only use them to drive to/from the track, additional wear is insignificant compared to track wear. also, I would not call street driving a "heat cycle" - the stress on the tire from driving on the street is a tiny fraction of what they go through on the track

mcar00

CCW 11's and 13's work fine with Hoosier R6's. Like mentioned above, if you get caught in the rain go REAL slow! I drive about 300 miles round trip on them to the track. Any flat tires I've got have been at the track.

flink

GTO owners don't have much to gloat about, so we have to take our opportunities
when they present themselves:

longdaddy

you suck. I could put 3 wheels in a vette before the roll bar went in, 4 if the pass seat was out.

ccj

I drive to and from the track (40min each way) typically on NT-01's, had 12 events including (2) trips to Portland (3 hr drive 1 way). Tires were still had plenty of grip at my last event in Portland.

JimbeauZ06

Nitto 555R II.

I have a trailer but nice to know I can drive on them and due to a tow vehicle malfunction that became a recent necessity allowing me to save a track weekend. They have some tread if it happens to rain while enroute or while at the track. They stick and wear well, don't need to be shaved like the R888, and Discount Tire recently had them on sale. I don't think they stick as well as Hoosiers but they seem to last longer, so there's always a trade-off. I would not drive 200miles on Hoosiers unless your driving throuhg the Mojave.

Also, they're significanly cheaper than Hossier or Toyo R888s at less than $900 a set (and they're the same compound as the Toyo).

I think they're being phased out in favor of the NT01 which I also hear good things about.