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Track days are tough on tires and brakes. I'd be tempted to go with the Hankooks so that if I really worked them over, I wouldn't feel too badly about it.
Off point here but anyone notice how the price of tires has ballooned lately, even for mid-size non performance cars, outrageous
As to the question I would check Tire Rack evaluation tests, they seem non brand conscious. All being equal then the least expensive
NSF
For any significant amount of track time, I would also choose the Hankooks. They stick well, and are reasonably priced. One good track day can eat up a set of tires pretty quickly. DAMHIK... But if you are only going to track the car once or twice a year, I would probably go with the Firestones if I had to choose from your list.
I have Michelins on my car, but track days are reduced now that I have a new track day toy.
Here are some comparisons by Tire Rack. I see that the "new" Firehawk Indy 500's are not rated yet. I have used the previous version of those tires for the last 2 tire changes and they have served me well.
Track days are tough on tires and brakes. I'd be tempted to go with the Hankooks so that if I really worked them over, I wouldn't feel too badly about it.
First, I'd stay away from the All Season tires for track duty. You didn't mention what kind of track days your contemplating, drag strip or road course?
Second, I'm skeptical of consumer ratings - unless all the consumers are race car drivers of course! Its impossible to know who is doing the ratings and what their skill level is. For instance, I run Michelin PSS's on my GS on road courses. They hold pretty well, reported to be one of the best for dual duty, but I have also had good performance out of my first set of GT Supercar EMT's which are different than the tires that come on the base models. I've been over 1g on the GoodYears.
I agree with you regarding noise. The GoodYears and Michelins are both noisy, I've run both on two different cars, a Z-51 optioned 2008, and my GS.
As far as Hankooks go, I've had them on different vehicles and didn't like them. I found them to be noisy and not grip very well.
The UTQG rating on the tire will give you an indication of how sticky the tires you are considering are. This is only valid when they are new. When tires age or are heat cycled, their compounds harden and the handling is reduced.
If you are going to do road courses, I would look at upgrading suspension components, upgrading to Z-51 components isn't costly and will improve the car a lot. I would stay away from the Z06 components though, your tires aren't large enough. There are also good sources on the forum to help your selection if you decide to go down this path.
I'll be road coursing the car. First time doing it, but hopefully doing it a few times a year. Leaning on the hanooks as can get them for a Lil under 700 right now and if they are going to get eaten up at the track then sounds like a good deal there.
I just put the BF Goodrich Sport Comp 2's on about 500 miles ago. Great ride, reduced road noise, and they stick really well. Tire Discounters installed them with an alignment for $950 OTD. I would certainly buy them again assuming they hold up fairly well.
It's easy to get hooked on hpde events. Great fun and great people.
Your tires traction ability is your biggest advantage or disadvantage depending on the quality of the tire. Certainly it's about going around turns, but it's also braking. Whether novice or advanced I would want to be on the track with the best tires I can afford. As a novice, an event will burn off about 1000 miles of rubber, more as your skill level increases. You'll also be going through brakes and rotors and brake fluid. You'll have to have absolute confidence in the car.
My advice- since we aren't looking at the possibility of the Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires (my favorite for summer/spirited driving), expect to get what you pay for.
The Hankook V12 tires are what I would go with.
BF Goodrich second (not the all season), and Firestone after that.
Hankook tires = Korean, and they perform well for the money. Short tread life and noisy ride as they wear is what to expect. Good traction and performance for what you spend.
BF Goodrich Comp-2s are great tires, but for the extra money versus the Hankooks, I don't see a strong enough reason to choose them.
Another tire question
