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[Tylenol Jones]

So I'm gearing up for the warmer months and I'm trying to find a decent tire choice for light track duty and some dry weather road/street use.

I've got ZCP wheels on PS4s running 255/35 and 275/35. My off-duty/track wheels are a set of 18" TE37SLs that have been sitting in my garage since last August when Vivid Racing hooked me up but they're still in the boxes with no rubber on them.

I'm torn between something like Hankook RS4s or paying about 30% more for some Michelin PS Cup2s.

Pros of the Hankooks include the fact that they are ~$500 cheaper to put on the car and that they are available in my ideal size of 265/35 and 285/35.

Michelin doesn't make a 285 or 295 with a 35 sidewall and I'm not entirely sure how wide they run. I can run 265/35s in the front but I'm not sure if I can or should run a 30 sidewall in the back for track use.

Have ZCP wheels and EDC suspension, so already going from 19s to 18s is creating a bit of a gap in the wheel well. Fitment/aesthetics are a tertiary concern but since I don't plan on lowering it will end up looking a bit odd.

Anyone running either of these setups or something comparable? As I understand it, the Michelins are the superior tire in more or less every category except price.

Just not sure if, as a complete track novice, I'm going to feel confident with the shorter sidewall or if it's going to be a non-issue for me until I get faster.

[kyippee]

Hankook RS4 - very durable. My friend who does spec races says they are good for 11-14 hours of hard race use, and still good for practice after. BFG and RE71 are good for 5-6 hours and then dead after.

I read the cup 2 are very tricky with heat. If you're a novice, there's no need to even think about the cup2. You could just go with PSS/PS4s tires like I have been for a while Downside is that the tire shoulders are soft and get chewed up pretty easily, causing a pull when alignment is fine and steering straight.

I don't think 18" TE37 gave me a wheel gap. If anything, it may have reduced the gap a little, since the overall diameter is slightly smaller than when I had stock 19" wheels.

I have 18" TE37 SL and 18" Titan 7 T-S5 wheels, both with staggered 265/35/18 and 285/35/18. OEM ZCP suspension w/EDC. No massive gap here!

[Tylenol Jones]

This is exactly the kind of response I'd been hoping for. Thanks dude, really gave me great perspective. Great picture, btw. Wheel gap definitely looks like a non-issue. Really appreciate the input, man.

[pbonsalb]

This is sort of silly that you are a novice on the track and bought some fancy track wheels that have been sitting in a box for a year and want to buy fancy track oriented rubber for the fancy track wheels and are worried about how the fender gap will look.

If you run proper sized tires on 18s, there is no difference in diameter compared to your 19s. Consider studying the tire specifications charts at tire rack.

[Tylenol Jones]

I don't really see it that way. I want to begin occasionally tracking my car. I bought an alternate set of wheels and now I want to put tires on them. My wheels arrived in August and I stored them for the winter. Do you genuinely consider this to be noteworthy?

I'm interested in tracking my car, and don't want to chew up my other tires. I'd like to buy the best tire I can afford. My main concern with the 30 sidewall is that I am unsure if it would be "meaty" enough to maintain its integrity when I expect to be sliding around more than I ought to.

Yes, I would still like to like the way my car looks with a different wheel set up. Plenty of people shell out money, much more than I've spent, purely to enhance the looks of their car and I don't see you fault them for it. Am I not allowed on the track if I care what my car looks like when it's off-track?

You're using the word fancy a lot in an effort to be condescending, which is a little out of place considering we are talking about a set of Volks and some decent tires. I've spent a couple grand. It's not like I went out and bought some track-built car from a dealer showroom and had it vinyl-wrapped with a map of the Nurburgring. Am I only allowed to dip my feet into something without spending a dime or only buying the cheapest things I can?

TLDR; The fuck's your issue? No need for the condescension or the vitriol. Seriously though, great contribution to the thread thanks for the advice.

EDIT: As an aside, I'm well aware how tire sizing works. I am under the impression a slightly smaller tire diameter is best for track use. Seriously toxic post, man.