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Stock Pirelli P7s on Track

19birel

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Pittsburgh
Car(s)
MK7.5 - MK4 - B8.5
Hello all,

Has anyone run the P7s on track? They're pretty bad on the street so I was wondering if anyone who has experienced them on track can shed some light on whether or not I'm going to pissed off I didn't get better tyres haha. I'm not trying to set any records, but I have lots of track driving experience (over a decade of kart racing) so I know i'll reach the limit of the P7s (not that that's saying much) but kinda want to confirm that limit is as low as I perceive it to be.

Essentially I can't tell if it's my rational side telling me to put better tyres on as I'm driving 7hrs each way and taking time off work for this event or me being a dumb 25 y/o trying to justify another set of wheels and tyres lol

Any and all input appreciated!
 

SouthFL_Mk7.5

Autocross Champion
Location
South Florida
Car(s)
2019 GTI S
Hello all,

Has anyone run the P7s on track? They're pretty bad on the street so I was wondering if anyone who has experienced them on track can shed some light on whether or not I'm going to pissed off I didn't get better tyres haha. I'm not trying to set any records, but I have lots of track driving experience (over a decade of kart racing) so I know i'll reach the limit of the P7s (not that that's saying much) but kinda want to confirm that limit is as low as I perceive it to be.

Essentially I can't tell if it's my rational side telling me to put better tyres on as I'm driving 7hrs each way and taking time off work for this event or me being a dumb 25 y/o trying to justify another set of wheels and tyres lol

Any and all input appreciated!
I wouldn’t. 500tw grand touring tire. Will possibly chunk.
 

19birel

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Pittsburgh
Car(s)
MK7.5 - MK4 - B8.5
I wouldn’t. 500tw grand touring tire. Will possibly chunk.

You'll be very mad if you don't get different tires. Not to mention you may not even be able to drive the 7 hours back home because those will be destroyed.

Welp, it sounds like I'm getting wheels and tyres. I think my wallet just wheezed, but if those Pirellis start chunking that will make for a sketchy ride home if they even make it through both days. Thanks for the guidance guys!
 

3rdOne

Go Kart Champion
Location
NC
My instructor for my first HPDE weekend asked me to leave my street tires (the same Pirelli's) on because the limits are low as was (and still is) my skill level. That was beneficial to me but I think for you and your skill level you will want appropriate tires.
 

19birel

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Pittsburgh
Car(s)
MK7.5 - MK4 - B8.5
My instructor for my first HPDE weekend asked me to leave my street tires (the same Pirelli's) on because the limits are low as was (and still is) my skill level. That was beneficial to me but I think for you and your skill level you will want appropriate tires.
Yeah I think I will get up to grips with the car & track enough that I'll definitely reach the limit of the tyres before I get to my limit. It'll just be a matter of whether or not that limit is too low for me to enjoy myself.
I did my first two track days on the stock pirellis. No issues, but a good learning experience (sliding).
Glad to hear the tyres held together, that's a relief to hear should I decide to stick with them.
That’s good to note.

Years ago I did my first HPDE (maybe 2005?) on a set of 500tw All Seasons. They cupped and got torn up pretty good.
That could have maybe been a function of the tyre technology in '05 not being at the point where it is now?

My current situation is that if I get new track suitable 200tw tyres I have to keep the stock wheels for the time being, only issue with that is that there's snow on the ground so my street use of the car would be limited until spring sets in (not the end of the world as I have another car, but still a bummer).

Second hand wheels are floating around locally, but they all seem to be wrapped in performance all-seasons. Not ideal but better than what I have, and lets me keep the stock wheels for winter use.

Or just pound around on the Pirellis which will need replaced anyways when I'm done...
 

SouthFL_Mk7.5

Autocross Champion
Location
South Florida
Car(s)
2019 GTI S
I was surprised to see how well a Mustang I drove at the track performed on

BFGoodrich g-Force COMP-2 A/S+​

Was shocked to see them on the wheels when I stepped out of the car. 400tw
 

19birel

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Pittsburgh
Car(s)
MK7.5 - MK4 - B8.5
I was surprised to see how well a Mustang I drove at the track performed on

BFGoodrich g-Force COMP-2 A/S+​

Was shocked to see them on the wheels when I stepped out of the car. 400tw
I'll definitely look into those, thanks for the recommendation!
 

MonkeyMD

Autocross Champion
Fk510 was pretty good on track. I would start with something similar (gmax RS, pilot sport etc), not too grippy, but won't get destroyed
 

DerHase

Autocross Champion
Location
Hampton Roads, VA
Car(s)
2019 GTI Rabbit
The BFGs mentioned above or Conti ECS are very decent cold or wet weather track tires, plus good DD qualities.

What size wheels @19birel ? I have some 245/40R17 RT660s I'll be pulling off this weekend. I need to look at them closely but I'll let them go for cheap. If you need to get wheels to fit you can ship them to my place and I'll mount them up and bring to VIR with me. I'll be getting there mid day Friday.
 

19birel

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Pittsburgh
Car(s)
MK7.5 - MK4 - B8.5
The BFGs mentioned above or Conti ECS are very decent cold or wet weather track tires, plus good DD qualities.

What size wheels @19birel ? I have some 245/40R17 RT660s I'll be pulling off this weekend. I need to look at them closely but I'll let them go for cheap. If you need to get wheels to fit you can ship them to my place and I'll mount them up and bring to VIR with me. I'll be getting there mid day Friday.
My stock wheels are 18" Pretorias, set 2 is still TBD but likely 18 or 19. If I end up with 17s I'll let you know, I really appreciate the offer!

The BFGs are out of stock everywhere unfortunately, would've been great because they're an all season so I could put them on the stock wheels. Pricing out fresh rubber AND a set of wheels and the costs are going above what I feel like spending rn, so I'm looking for a more budget friendly solution.

Browsing marketplace, I found 18" Fifteen52s wrapped in newish Hankook Ventus V2 Concept 2 perf A/S (I have zero experience with hankooks)
19" staggered RS3 wheels wrapped in newish Pirelli Pzeros (Pzeros should do the job but would have to take a roadtrip to pick them up)

If not one of those options then one of the aforementioned tyres (Conti ECS, Michelin PS4, or Falken FK510) on the stock wheels will be my move. Then I'll just worry about a second set of wheels next winter lol
 

reverend_sean

Go Kart Champion
Location
Pittsburgh
Since my gut tells me you are going to catch the track bug, just keep in mind a few things about wheels choice.
1) You will want the lightest, strongest, most track-focused wheel you can afford.
2) If you get hooked and start doing more than 2 or 3 PDE's a season, you will want bigger brakes. So caliper clearance is pretty important.
3) Tire size matters. 17s are generally cheaper than 18s, and 18s tend to be cheaper than 19s (GENERALLY). Some tires only last 3-4 track days, and some can last a lot longer.

Those Fifteen52s are a damn good-looking retro-style wheel (IMO), but they weigh 31# each. That's pretty portly for a track-focused wheel. Really lightweight 18s are ~17-18#, 19" Pretoria is ~22# I believe. Adding all that unsprung weight will make a difference in how the car feels on track.

Throwing better tires on your stock wheels is probably a good move if nothing is accessible right now, but remember that you can't drive a set of 200 treadwear tires in the Pittsburgh winters (JIC that is your VIR plan). Well, you can I guess
 
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