The Importance Of Tires!

[Sleeper_08]

Thought you might find these comments interesting from Car And Driver regarding the tires on the Mustang

http://www.caranddriver.com/feature...l1_3a_2010_ford_mustang_gt_3e_3_3a13.3_page_7

 

[TonyN]

I read that the other day in C&D. Good to see the stang best it's class with it's "SLA rear end".

But yeah, those track pack tires appear to be the shit.

 

[ArizonaGT]

Those are $345 each for street tires, LOL

 

[Vapour Trails]

This just illustrates how magazine comparisons should always be taken with a grain of salt, because no two cars are ever on the same tires. Lateral g numbers have more to do with tires than anything else, yet authors don't seem to acknowledge that.

Tires > everything else

 

[Sleeper_08]

I whole heartedly agree!

That is why I'm hopefully going to be on Nitto NT01's next season

 

[Sam Strano]

Having now seen them, they are much more Michelin Pilot Sport Cup compound than Pirelli P Zero compound. They are a very soft streetable tire, but make no mistake they are about speed, not being a great "street" tire unless you are a canyon carver.

 

[Sleeper_08]

Having now seen them, they are much more Michelin Pilot Sport Cup compound than Pirelli P Zero compound. They are a very soft streetable tire, but make no mistake they are about speed, not being a great "street" tire unless you are a canyon carver.

Sam - assuming you are talking about the NT01's then if I get them they will be on Steeda Ultra Lite 18 x 9.5 rims and right now my plan is to only run them at the track - assuming it is dry

I've been told that getting 4 275/40/18 wheels and tires in the car along with the rest of the tools and stuff is possible so that is what I'm going to try, at least for one season.

I'm getting tired of losing ground in the corners to the R comps!

 

[jmauld]

Speaking of tires do you guys have a recommendation for a tire that would do okay at a hpde and at a drag strip. I know I won't get the best of both worlds but is there one that is a good compromise?

 

[Sam Strano]

Sam - assuming you are talking about the NT01's then if I get them they will be on Steeda Ultra Lite 18 x 9.5 rims and right now my plan is to only run them at the track - assuming it is dry

I've been told that getting 4 275/40/18 wheels and tires in the car along with the rest of the tools and stuff is possible so that is what I'm going to try, at least for one season.

I'm getting tired of losing ground in the corners to the R comps!

NT-01's aren't nearly as fast as Hoosier's or Kumho's. So if you are tired of losing ground to r-comps you better look around and think about what tires those others are on. Are NT-01's better than street tires? Well, overall... yes. But show me what sort of competition the NT-01's are used for that would cause them to be really fast? They are track day tires, in between a Hoosier R6 and a Ultra-high performance street tire.

 

[Sleeper_08]

NT-01's aren't nearly as fast as Hoosier's or Kumho's. So if you are tired of losing ground to r-comps you better look around and think about what tires those others are on. Are NT-01's better than street tires? Well, overall... yes. But show me what sort of competition the NT-01's are used for that would cause them to be really fast? They are track day tires, in between a Hoosier R6 and a Ultra-high performance street tire.

Sam thanks for the response. My track time is for fun only and "non competitive" so cost is a serious consideration. In terms of "bang for buck", i.e. grip, initial cost and expected tread life, the Nitto NT01s seem to be what I can afford. If I won the lottery then it would be a whole different matter!

 

[marksti]

I ran nt01's for 12 tracks days/10k street miles and found them to be quite a nice "track day" tire.

Even cold they seemed to hook decent...not a R6 or v710, but still if your runnin other "street" cars in a open track or HPDE 3/4 level they will do well.

Don't forget the R888s tho

 

[Sleeper_08]

I ran nt01's for 12 tracks days/10k street miles and found them to be quite a nice "track day" tire.

Even cold they seemed to hook decent...not a R6 or v710, but still if your runnin other "street" cars in a open track or HPDE 3/4 level they will do well.

Don't forget the R888s tho

The price difference for 275/40/18 size in Canada between the NT01s @ $319 CAD each and R888s @ $440 CAD each is significant so right now I'll stick with the NT01s.

 

[Vapour Trails]

The price difference for 275/40/18 size in Canada between the NT01s @ $319 CAD each and R888s @ $440 CAD each is significant so right now I'll stick with the NT01s.

Ever browsed the for sale section of the SCCA forums? You could pick up a set of lightly used R comps at a greatly reduced price.

 

[Sleeper_08]

Ever browsed the for sale section of the SCCA forums? You could pick up a set of lightly used R comps at a greatly reduced price.

I hadn't thought about that but as you know getting stuff from the States into Canada can sometimes be a hassle.

I would also have the concern that they might have somehow been "abused" and therefore a possibility for a failure, not something I want to experience at over 130 MPH at Mosport.

 

[Gray Ghost GT]

Another option is to purchase used R-compound "Scrubs" for a great price. Check the SCCA, NASA and other club/racing forums. Scrubs were new tires that only had a few heat cycles on them and still have plenty of tread for HPDE type use - several weekends.