mikeidentity

I have a stock 2004 coupe 6spd with the mag wheels. I currently have the hankook ventus v12 which is good for everyday use but sidewalls are a bit too soft. I am planning on doing a trackday in the near future and would like a more aggressive tire.

I have been looking for tires for the stock sizes 245/45-17 and 275/40-18 and there arent enough top end tires for those sizes. The choices are bridgestone RE-11 & Kumho MX runflats.

there is also an alternative choice to mix and match brands but I am not sure how that would perform. dunlop star specs or kumho ecsta xs up front and nitto NT05 for the rear, this combo would save about $350 dollars but I am not sure about having different tires front and rear. Anyone have a mismatched setup?

the last option that I was curious about was downsizing the sidewall and going up 1 on width. 245/45-17 to 255/40-17 in front and 275/40-18 to 285/35-18 in the rear. These sizes would allow me to run the hankook ventus R-S3 all around. The overall diameter is about .7 -.8 inches smaller all around. So Im guessing the TCS/active handling won't have any issues, but are there other downsides to this setup?

So the choices I have are...

1. Bridgestone RE-11 stock sizes $1120

2. Stock sizes but Dunlop Star Specs + Nitto NT05 $800

3. downsize overall diameter but wider tires Hankook R-S3. $900

Any thoughts on these setups?

taken19

I have only done research on the C6, but a tire should be a tire...

The RE-11 should be a great compromise for street and track. I was going to buy the R-S3 before I found a deal on R6's. I still may buy them after my Hoosiers are all done as I have heard very good things about them. As a reference point, I couldn't keep up with a 350Z on R-S3's in the corners with my old PS2's (they may have been heat cycled out at that point though).

wtb-z

I would avoid mixing and matching - these tires are all a bit different in terms of how well they deal with water and how much heat they need, I would caution against something that will make for a very loose or pushy car at unexpected times.

The RE11 and Star Spec are more honest street tires and would be better "DD" material and will still be very good at the track. The RS3 trades in a bit of cool and wet performance for better heat capacity - probably not worth the trip for just a bit of HPDE.

I would not run the NT05 as a street tire personally, very limited stock tread depth.

71corv

Have a look at Bridgestone. The Potenza 720 Sport (?) may be what you need.

Gene

mikeidentity

Thanks for the good info guys. I am considering the re-11 due to stock size and "DD" qualities. But from what ive been reading the rs-3 with a wider width might be the best track option.

Yea the nt-05 looks like a bald tire new so maybe not a good idea.

The bridgestone 720 sport seems discontinued, i did see the 760 sport but it seems like the sidewall would be similar to the ventusv12 i have now.

Just curious but would going from a tire like the michelin ps2 to r-s3 be similar to r-s3 to hoosier racing tires?

l8_apexer

DEFINITELY DO NOT MIX BRANDS OF TIRES if you are thinking of going to a HPDE.

I've been amazed at how BFG KDW's work for both street and occasional fun at the track. Great grip, good wear, very predictable. I picked up a set of extra wheels for schools, they came with the BFG's-- figured I'd just hurry up and burn them off and then find a good track tire-- I've been amazed at how well these tires have performed. So impressed-- I bought another set.

Bill Dearborn

When I had my 97 I had good luck with the Firestone SZ50 Run Flats. Excellent daily driver, great wet traction (in deep water where it counts) and performed fairly good on the track.

Bill

ErnieN85

I have been using Bridgestone RE11 this year they work very well on track and seem to be holding up well. no blisters chunking or unusuall wear paterns.
street is OK (a little rough) I have used Kumo EX, Michelin Pilot sport cup, and Firestone wide ovals, so far sport cups were the best on track. Firestone best on street and Bridgestone the best combo.
I'm going to try some Michelin supersports next year along with some Hoosier R6. so next year I'll know

right now its Bridgestone RE11

Racingswh

I alway say "For me" in these types of posts. While I don't recommend it if the only way I can get the sizes I need is to mix brands then I will do it. I can say I had some concerns before I went out on them. Thursday at Summit Point main the 2010 GS ran on Nitto NT555R II 285/35/18's in front and a Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 345/30/19 in the rear. I wanted the extra front tire height in relation to the rear so that I wouldn't have any of the AH/TC issues I have heard about. I can honestly tell you there was absolutely no issue whatsoever. None. Hardly any interference from the nannies when my blue student was driving it (and that driver was driving it hard for a blue student, sideways once most of the way from 5 to 6 which is probably the slowest section of track and yes the nannies were activated then!!) and no issue for me when I drove it during my sessions with the nannies completely off. It was very stable and predictable at the limit. I was quite impressed with the grip levels they offered for treaded R comp street tires.

I then drove it home in the downpour after the event at 65 mph in the rain and then a bit quicker when the rain stopped but the roads were still wet and it was fine.

71corv

Posted the wrong number. Should have been the 760 Sport. My bad.

Gene

wtb-z

The gap between a PS2 and RS3 is likely a bit narrower than a RS3 to a Hoosier, but probably not massively so. The RS3 is a pretty race-y tire compared to a real street tire like a PS2 or RE050A or whatever.

The RS3 is probably a bit faster on the track than the RE11 but not a whole lot. Personally I don't like the RS3's driving qualities that much - pretty vague and quiet. And as it wears it loses a lot of void area. That said, the vette has enough camber control in roll to use the tire (it is soft), and it is quite fast.

The RE760 or KDW would be downgrades from what you have now, as you seem to already be aware.

tomiboy

Re-11

edwardo99

Don't forget the Yoko AD08. I run 255/295 on 8.5 & 9.5, auto-x & track. I like them better than RS-3, though more expensive.

mikeidentity

thanks for all the great info everyone.


Wow! sounds like a sticky setup. I did not know you can run 295 at the track on stock widths. That could open up a whole new door for me. What sizes for the sidewall f/r?

the ad08s looked pretty tempting, just a little pricey.

Glennm27

NT-05's are a nice Street and Track tire.

Do NOT mix tires on your car. I'm sure you can find NT-05's to fit your car front & rear.

edwardo99

255/40-17 295/30-18
rears are 1.4" wider than 285 RS-3s. Now, the improvement is not linear, but it is def an improvement in grip at the rear vs. the RS-3. I've done many autocrossses on this setup and just did a track day at Barber. Four 30-minute sessions. Really good traction. I asked my installer if he had any trouble putting them on. He said they went on easy.

Compared to stock, this setup drops the ride .3 in front and .35 in back. Essentially no change in rake. (Don't expect a decrease in gap between tire and fender however. Lower profile tires make the gap bigger, not smaller, even while dropping the overall CG.) The gearing change in the rear drops top in 2nd from about 76 mph stock to less than 72 in my 2000 FRC. This is a noticeable gearing change.

The 285/35-18 RS-3 actually raises the rear slightly, due to it's bigger diameter, while the 255/40-17 RS-3 drops the front .3" thus significantly increasing the rake. This gave me a big increase in oversteer until I made changes.

Rake changes are nothing to sneeze at. The at-the-limit handling can be significantly affected, at least when it comes to tenths on the auto-x course.