Tire setup for beginners

[briancl]

Hey everyone,

I'm a beginner at the track, so only had about 2 track days. I purchased a set of wheels with adman ad08r and they are running low. Was wondering if tires are extremely important even for beginners and replacing with advan ad08r would be the right choice?

What other options are there in comparison?

Thanks!

[rcracin]

For a complete noob, I find a regular summer tire to be better because you get more feedback in a sense and you reach the limit of the tire much easier. If your tires aren't squealing, you don't yet need to start looking for a better tire.

It takes a good amount of skill to reach the limits of a good tire like the ad08. So if you have your stock wheels with good tires, try those out first. I always try to drive a car on track as stock as possible before finding any of my weaknesses or the car's limitations.

[radiantm3]

Originally Posted by briancl

Hey everyone,

I'm a beginner at the track, so only had about 2 track days. I purchased a set of wheels with adman ad08r and they are running low. Was wondering if tires are extremely important even for beginners and replacing with advan ad08r would be the right choice?

What other options are there in comparison?

Thanks!

AD08R's and RS3's are probably your best choice for a long while. I've run a bunch of different street tires and R Comps with about 33+ track days in the M3 and AD08R's are the best bang for the buck. I've already surpassed most of my r-comp lap times with my AD08R's because until you are able to get the max out of a street tire, you won't be able to hit the limits of an r-comp.

[kaede]

I have never yet tracked my new-to-me E90 M3, but i have tracked my other vehicles before.

Replacing your current tires with AD08R will be great. No need for R-comps yet. When you ask the question "Was wondering if tires are extremely important even for beginners" are you actually trying to ask to downgrade the tires to something more civilized? If so, then don't. AD08R and equivalent tires are great for learning the driving dynamics and how your car handles around the track. They offer exceptional driving performance and manageable comfort for the street. Also have better thread life than most EXTREME summer/track tires. If you downgrade.. well... you don't get as much as the car might become and handful on more precise control/knowledge about your vehicle dynamics will be warranted to keep your lap tidy.

Cheers and have fun!

[w0ady]

Michelin Pilot Super Sports are another great street/track tire.

[Z K]

Originally Posted by w0ady

Michelin Pilot Super Sports are another great street/track tire.

I would argue otherwise. They are a great street tire. On a track, they overheat very fast, has soft sidewalls that flex a lot and lack grip. PSS only has sticky tire compound on the outside of the tire. The inside tire compound is a less sticky wear resistant compound.

[w0ady]

Originally Posted by Z K

I would argue otherwise. They are a great street tire. On a track, they overheat very fast, has soft sidewalls that flex a lot and lack grip. PSS only has sticky tire compound on the outside of the tire. The inside tire compound is a less sticky wear resistant compound.

Not sure what you are doing with yours but I know numerous track cars that run PSS for a mixed tire, including the top One Lap of America GTRs that are competing just this week.

[Z K]

Originally Posted by w0ady

Not sure what you are doing with yours but I know numerous track cars that run PSS for a mixed tire, including the top One Lap of America GTRs that are competing just this week.

It's fine to drive on track, but the grip and endurance is no where near that of tires in the extreme performance category.

You can drive anything on track. I've driven T speed rated Roadhugger brand tires... and some tires called the "Grey Hawk". No one really cares. haha

[w0ady]

Originally Posted by Z K

It's fine to drive on track, but the grip and endurance is no where near that of tires in the extreme performance category.

You can drive anything on track. I've driven T speed rated Roadhugger brand tires... and some tires called the "Grey Hawk". No one really cares. haha

And I would never recommend starting with extreme performance tires for someone with only 2 days of track experience like the OP.

[radiantm3]

Originally Posted by w0ady

Not sure what you are doing with yours but I know numerous track cars that run PSS for a mixed tire, including the top One Lap of America GTRs that are competing just this week.

You mean sub 3000lbs track cars? The porky E9x M3 chews PSS' up at the track. Not only do the tires become greasy after only a couple laps, the tire starts to chunk. Seen it many times on many M3's.

[w0ady]

Originally Posted by radiantm3

You mean sub 3000lbs track cars? The porky E9x M3 chews PSS' up at the track. Not only do the tires become greasy after only a couple laps, the tire starts to chunk. Seen it many times on many M3's.

Weird as the cars I was referring to are 4000 lb GTRs...

Personally I was looking at the PSS but went with Continental DW for $400 less a set. My car will only see 4-5 track events a year so I wanted something more street friendly.

[jphughan]

Originally Posted by w0ady

Not sure what you are doing with yours but I know numerous track cars that run PSS for a mixed tire, including the top One Lap of America GTRs that are competing just this week.

I used PSS tires up through a decent chunk of Yellow group. They served me well enough, although I finally got annoyed that as I got faster I was cording/chunking the outsides of my front tires after 3 weekends tops, even after trying 255 fronts and camber plates. Finally switched to AD08Rs just to avoid that, which seems to have done the trick. The difference on track isn't night and day, but it's definitely there. I wrote a detailed comparison thread around here somewhere.

I'd say PSS is fine for a beginner, especially if driving in the rain is a possibility. AD08Rs wouldn't be unreasonable for a novice the way R comps would be, although it's certainly not necessary, and extra care would be warranted in the rain. I do agree novices will take a while to fully utilize an Extreme Summer tire, though -- but that's also true of a PSS, frankly. I'm glad I held off on upgrading rubber as long as I did. You can learn a lot by limiting your grip because lots of grip can mask mistakes and hinder the learning process, which is why many groups forbid R comps in lower run groups.