Training wheels...err tires

[asian312]

Well through some diligent savings and much ramen, I just about come up with enough money for a dedciated set of tires and wheels for track days. My delima comes in on what tires. Not so much as which brand is better, but as to which type and what will be better to learn on. So...

Option 1: R-compounds. Every one raves about them, but are they good to learn on? Train of thought, "I know the tire has much more potential than I do, but eventually I'll be using them, why not learn on them and work my way?" Kinda like buying a set a sneakers to grow into.

Option 2: Start gradual, throw on some Azenis and max the potential out of those before considering the stickier tires.

 

[eclipsegsx1736]

I saw your thread about your first road racing event. You really seem to know what you're doing out there. A word about the Azenis: I assume you're talking about the RT-615. These are great street tires, as they work well when cold and grip very well. The problem is that they grease very quickly. Several people I talked to at my last event said they were greased within 3-4 laps. I think you'll be frustrated with the 615, having to constantly take a cool down lap before you can have more fun.

Honestly, I'd go with Toyo RA1's. They're not a full out race tire such as Hoosier, they share characteristics of both a street and a race tire. They need heat before they start really gripping, and can take a lot of heat, but at the same time they can be used on the street and last a while considering they're R compounds. If you're getting a dedicated set of wheels/tires just for the track, which is a great idea, then you need to get the RA1's shaved before you use them. In stock form they are tall enough to be used in the rain, which will cause them to generate a lot of heat on the track and eventually chunk up. Not too bad for autocrossing, but definitely bad for road racing. I know that's what I'm getting for my next event.

Just keep in mind they aren't as forgiving as a street tire, but not as bad as a Hoosier. Take it easy, learn how they feel. And until you learn how they warm up, you must take your first lap very gently, and the 2nd shouldn't be all-out either.

 

[asian312]

I like to think I know what I'm doing....just lucky I'm a better writer than driver

Yeah my frist track experiance were on a fresh set of Falken ZE-512s. I had to compromise for daily driver tires at the time, but quickly learn that tossing the heavy weight of the DSM around wasn't to their liking. There was a considerable difference between my first go and the smoother 2 and 3 runs. The tires seemed to stop rejecting my steering inputs with a more controlled pace and pointed where I wanted them to.

Thanx for the input!

 

[eclipse2via]

Until your skills match your equipment you should stick to max performance summer tires. RA1 and Victoracers are so much quicker than a novice can handle. You corner entry speeds go way up, too far for most novices. Kumho MX, Falken RT615, Hankook S2 Z212 are all good inexpensive summer tires with great grip.

 

[underradar92]

Keep in mind also, generally, as tire grip goes up, the edge between controlled sliding and uncontrolled sliding becomes much narrower. In some cases, (mine at least ) it may be a good idea to slide around the track for a while before looking for higher corner speeds.

 

[ACM]

My personal opinon on this is that novices should spend their time on "normal" performance street tyres - Kumho MX for example. Using a street tyre forces the driver to be smooth, the limits are very progressive and even if the driver is ham-fisted and has no feel, the tyres will shriek loud enough that nobody could ignore the warning signs. Race tyres don't slide well, street tyres do (typically).

Street tyres lower the performance limits of the vehicle until they are somewhat within an inexperienced drivers frame of reference, so that when things go wrong the driver has something of a chance of reacting effectively.

Street tyres react to foolish inputs by squealing and sliding a little - race tyres are nowhere near as understanding. The smoothness learned on street tyres translates into a significant skill set, bypassing this "tutorial" produces drivers who are invariably jerky and abrupt with their inputs, training oneself out of those bad habits is very difficult by the time they become apparent.

$0.02
Charles

 

[asian312]

Thank you for all the advice. I'll try a set of performance street tires for my first set of training wheels