Track/autocross tire question

[SpaceAce]

Just bought some apex wheels 18x10 front and 18x11 rear. I’m going to track the car 2 times this year and do 4-5 autocross events. I have more autocross experience than track with other cars but still very little on both. Tracked the M3 twice on stock tires never with the traction control fully off. Didn’t push the car to hard as I was trying to get a feel for the car. Just looking for recommendations on what tires I should get. I was looking at 275 front and 305 rear and was looking at Nitto Nt01 or toyo r888r. I’m on Eibach springs. Thanks in advance.

[trackymbf82]

Originally Posted by SpaceAce

Just bought some apex wheels 18x10 front and 18x11 rear. I’m going to track the car 2 times this year and do 4-5 autocross events. I have more autocross experience than track with other cars but still very little on both. Tracked the M3 twice on stock tires never with the traction control fully off. Didn’t push the car to hard as I was trying to get a feel for the car. Just looking for recommendations on what tires I should get. I was looking at 275 front and 305 rear and was looking at Nitto Nt01 or toyo r888r. I’m on Eibach springs. Thanks in advance.

Nitto nt01 are the most popular for the f8x on the track. I like the new Pilot Sport 4s too if you want something for the wet or colder temps.

[SpaceAce]

Originally Posted by trackymbf82

Nitto nt01 are the most popular for the f8x on the track. I like the new Pilot Sport 4s too if you want something for the wet or colder temps.

Thanks.

[CanAutM3]

NT01 is probably the best HPDE/lapping tire for the F8X, particularly in the sizes you mention.

I would personnaly not install PS4S on a set of dedicated track wheels. While they are excellent wet track tires, they struggle with sustained dry track use. When using a dedicated track wheel/tire setup, it's much better to have it optimized for the dry and use your DD setup for the wet. That's what I've been doing for over two decades and has worked very well for me.

[SYT_Shadow]

Forget about the R888R, it is pretty worthless as a track tire and incredibly loud

NT01 is a good choice. I prefer the RE71R in 275/285. Don't be fooled by the 285 size, it is quite wide and will fit happily on an 11"

[Lappy]

I would go for the re71r or rival S 1.5. If you don't mind being a little off the pace, RS4 is a good option as well as the Nexans.

[nicknaz]

Hi, I used to use re11 because they were cheap and wore slower than re71r (but were slower as a result). Commuted and tracked on the re11.

Sorry for the unsolicited $0.02 but I’d personally think hard about going to R tire like NT01 if you don’t feel good about dsc off yet. My worry is you’ll have brake heat issues or will get bitten hard when the R tires start to slide on a high speed corner entry

[trackymbf82]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

Hi, I used to use re11 because they were cheap and wore slower than re71r (but were slower as a result). Commuted and tracked on the re11.

Sorry for the unsolicited $0.02 but I’d personally think hard about going to R tire like NT01 if you don’t feel good about dsc off yet. My worry is you’ll have brake heat issues or will get bitten hard when the R tires start to slide on a high speed corner entry

Agree with this completely. With dsc on you will destroy these tires (and brakes) substantially faster.

[TimsM4]

Goodyear F1 Supercar 3. New sizes coming out soon. Also Yokohama will be reintroducing the Advan A052. Both have a 200 wear rating.

[mindspin311]

RE71R if you don't care about tire life. RS4 if you do. NT01 and above if you're sure about your skills.

[SYT_Shadow]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

Sorry for the unsolicited $0.02 but I’d personally think hard about going to R tire like NT01 if you don’t feel good about dsc off yet. My worry is you’ll have brake heat issues or will get bitten hard when the R tires start to slide on a high speed corner entry

this is good feedback

[gatorfast]

Why would dsc destroy brakes and tires when running r comps?

[trackymbf82]

Originally Posted by gatorfast

Why would dsc destroy brakes and tires when running r comps?

It will apply brakes in almost every corner to keep car settled exactly the way it wants. So that's brake and tire wear. I get at least 25% more sessions after completely disabling it.

[Harpinc]

No DSC or MDM on race track rain or shine..

[gatorfast]

Originally Posted by trackymbf82

It will apply brakes in almost every corner to keep car settled exactly the way it wants. So that's brake and tire wear. I get at least 25% more sessions after completely disabling it.

Right but why would using an r comp tire make that worse?

[trackymbf82]

Originally Posted by gatorfast

Right but why would using an r comp tire make that worse?

Not specific to r comps, all tires would lose substantial life with dsc on (including mdm)

[JeffO]

Originally Posted by SYT_Shadow

Forget about the R888R, it is pretty worthless as a track tire and incredibly loud

NT01 is a good choice. I prefer the RE71R in 275/285. Don't be fooled by the 285 size, it is quite wide and will fit happily on an 11"

There is no RE71r in 285 size for 18" wheels. 275 is best run square for RE71r. Bridgestone rep told me larger 18" sizes will not be available until they decide to make a new tire compound.

[CanAutM3]

Originally Posted by gatorfast

Right but why would using an r comp tire make that worse?

I am not sure about DSC/MDM reducing tire life, but it definitely puts more strain on the brakes. When running R-comps, you carry more speed throughout the track and hence need to shed more energy when braking. Further, since the R-comps have more grip during braking, the brakes can need more power (amount of energy dissipation per unit time). All these put much more heat in the brake system. If one runs DSC/MDM on top of that, the brake system never gets a break to be able to shed the heat.

[SYT_Shadow]

Originally Posted by JeffO

There is no RE71r in 285 size for 18" wheels. 275 is best run square for RE71r. Bridgestone rep told me larger 18" sizes will not be available until they decide to make a new tire compound.

Yes there is

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...E71R&tab=Sizes

[CanAutM3]

Originally Posted by SYT_Shadow

Yes there is

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...E71R&tab=Sizes

285/30R18 is pretty short for the F8X. 285/40R18 would be closer to stock size for the rear.

[SYT_Shadow]

Originally Posted by CanAutM3

285/30R18 is pretty short for the F8X. 285/40R18 would be closer to stock size for the rear.

These cars love low in the rear. As long as you're running with everything off it should be happy