Just recently got myself back in the mustang game and everyone was high on running 18s. Seems that the tire market has left us out on this one now and there does not appear to be the selection there once was. im running 18x10 wheels so would like something that would fit proper on these wheels. Do not require the fastest tire as i am mainly just trying to "grind out" laps this coming 2018 season. thanks again!
You are right - a lot of the good 18" sizes in heights that fit an S197 and widths that work on 18x10" wheels have dried up. We are selling more 19" wheels now (esp 19x11) for this car and usually folks go with a 305/30/19, of which there are LOTS of options.
This is an S197 on coilovers/camber plates with 19x11" wheels and a 305/30/19 Hankook RS-4. These tires are fast and wear well, and the cost is great. They also make the rare S197-friendly 285/35/18 in this model. That's an ideal size for an 18x10" wheel...
Bridgestone RE-71R are awesome tires that are basically R-comps with treads. They're great for autoX (that's what I use them for), but they might wear out too fast for HPDE. For your wheel, you'd run the 275/35R18. (That 275 is very wide for its size.)
The BFG Rival S are another excellent choice. I think they're available in a 285.
There aren't useful "S197 sizes" in those two models (RE-71R and Rival-S) - the 285/30/18 is way too short.
A 275/35/18 is still... pretty dang short, too. Which sucks because these are two really good tire models/compounds! BFG used to make a Rival in 295/35/18 and we built a lot of cars around that tire, but they stopped making it. I've begged the top folks at Michelin in the USA, sat with hours with them in our lobby talking tires, but we got nowhere.
I am not quitting... that's a great tire size.
I've had multiple people tell me that the RE-71r is an awesome tire but will not last, and even that it gets a bit greasy when very hot. But I do not speak from experience.
That is accurate. An RE-71R Bridgestone is a delicate race tire with a nominal "200" rating that is laughable. It is easily overheated on track, and once they get hot they lose grip fast. They also wear very quickly. Don't daily drive on these or you are burning your money - treat them right and they can make for fast lap times tho.
That's a brand new, full tread 275/35/18 RE-71R on an 18x9.5" wheel on a Focs RS after
two track sessions. A total of 12 hot laps did that. This car had -4deg of camber and good coilovers, too. "Delicate"
I'm quite partial to the Bridgestone RE-11 myself. I do speak from experience when I say that the RE-11 does last and, better, seems to be at its best when very hot, based on my experience at Sonoma Raceway in 95 degree weather. Thus far I have never managed to get them "greasy" even at Thunderhill in August. For HPDE, I think you'll find the RE-11 to be an excellent tire.
Agreed, it is a longer lasting tire but it being on close-out means it is being phased out. Bridgestone gave us a set of these back in 2011 to test...
We ran the
275/40/18 RE-11 on an 18x10" wheel on our S197, in both autocross and track events - they worked well enough, and lasted a long time. Great daily driver tire, too. But they are not anywhere near as fast as an RE-71R, and they are going away.
An interesting choice: sacrificing a bit of absolute grip for longevity. ... Might be a good choice for a mix street/race tire, also.
Yep, that is one of the few "dual purpose" tires that really can do both fairly well. Look also at the Hankook RS-4, Michelin PSS or P4S, Direzza ZII Star Spec, the old Falken RT-615K, and the other "second tier" 200 TW tires from 3-4 years ago for more of the same.
None of these are
perfect track tires and all can still suffer from suspension problems, abuse, and over heating like any other tire. They just put up with abuse a little better than the softer/faster variants. This little 235mm MPSS took a beating on a heavy Focus RS and died a valiant death after about 10K street miles and 8 track days. It was too small for the car's weight, which hurt its lifespan. #GoWide when giant chunks started flying off we pulled them...
For HPDE, feel free to throw any need to run OE-diameter tires out the window. The only caveat is to avoid going so short that you find yourself running out of revs and needing to make upshifts at inconvenient times/places.
Norm
Agreed. Don't over-shorten the tire, but don't get hung up on matching the OEM tire height. If you do you won't have almost any good tires to choose from! And don't forget - changing final drive ratio in an S197's 8.8" axle is painfully easy and inexpensive, compared to other car models.
Cheers,