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Track Day Tires '18 GTI

mattm3mr

New member
Thanks to everyone for your input, I’m not sure if it’s given me more questions or answers. Probably both. I definitely need to do more research on some of the tires I didn’t have on my initial list.

Not sure if better to add here or a new thread, does anyone have track specific pads they swap into?
 

R Golf

Go Kart Champion
Location
Lenox, MA
Thanks to everyone for your input, I’m not sure if it’s given me more questions or answers. Probably both. I definitely need to do more research on some of the tires I didn’t have on my initial list.

Not sure if better to add here or a new thread, does anyone have track specific pads they swap into?

Just as an aside, the Michelin comment about the need for "crazy high psi" is incorrect, but if you've been on track and seen the number of people running them you already knew that. Just don't want you misled with bad info.
 

steddy2112

Go Kart Newbie
Location
Belcamp MD
Car(s)
2016 GTI SE
One tire I haven't seen mentioned at all here is the Dunlop Direzza ZIII

Back in 09, 10 I used to use star specs all the time and was a huge fan of them. Did a day back in August with a set of Michelin PSS's because I drank the hype kool-aid everyone was passing around here when I got my ZE40s and Mich made the size I wanted to run

I killed the PSS's in one track day and probably 4,000 or so of street driving. They're an ok tire IMO if you're not going to push it on the track, the michelins that is.

Now I've done a couple days on the Dunlops and ran the Tail of the Dragon on them as well and they are pretty damn good. Extreme performance tires are way different than they were 10-ish years ago. They really don't like low temps and are flat spotted for about a mile if you end up driving them in temps around 50º.

From what I hear they're not as noisy as the RE-71R but their lap times are real close to one another.

As for brake pads, get the ducting that goes on the control arms for 50 or so bucks. The stock pads are only bad if they get hot. I also suggest coding the ability to fully defeat ESC and more importantly code out the brake overboost. It'll help out with consistency immensely.
 

SouthFL_Mk7.5

Autocross Champion
Location
South Florida
Car(s)
2019 GTI S
Thanks to everyone for your input, I’m not sure if it’s given me more questions or answers. Probably both. I definitely need to do more research on some of the tires I didn’t have on my initial list.

Not sure if better to add here or a new thread, does anyone have track specific pads they swap into?
Porterfield R4S make for a great Street/Track pad. They can hold up to a few laps of 90 to 95% braking at a time but I’m more comfortable pushing them at an 80-85% threshold to get a full track day out of them without fade.
If I were serious about max braking, I’d swap in a set of R4 track pads up front and maximize them.
The Carbon Kevlar R4S Street/Track pads have been around a long time. They dust little, run quiet and can be used in combination with the track specific R4.
 

jay745

What Would Glenn Danzig Do
Location
Slightly Outside Chicago
Car(s)
Mk6 racecar, Tacoma
I can't say enough great things about rs4's. Very grippy and last a long time. I found re71r to be pretty bad for track days, they're good for one hot lap before they overheat and get greasy, same with the bfg rival-s. I've had a few sets of rs3/rs4 and don't think I'm going to change until they discontinue them
 

Cliff

Drag Racing Champion
Location
San Francisco Bay Area
Car(s)
2015 Cayman GTS
One tire I haven't seen mentioned at all here is the Dunlop Direzza ZIII

The ZIII is the tire I use for HPDE as well ads daily driving. I get 10+ HPDE days out of a set and they are not as noisy as the RE71R on the street. They do not have as much grip as the RE71R, but they're close and good enough for non-competitive events. I'm on my 5th set on the R, and I ran them previously on my BMW. Hands down my favorite tire, but they are sold exclusively through the Tirerack.

I have a second set of wheels with RE71R tires mounted that I use for autocross events, which _are_ competitive events. I got 5 HPDE days out of the last set of RE71R tires that I ran on track, so I save them for autocross. A friend of mine just polished off a set of A052 tires on her E36 M3 and she indicated to me that they wear more quickly than the RE71R. I'm on a budget and that budget says that if I try the Yokos, they would be an autocross only tire for me. edit: I ran the Hankook RS3 on my BMW and they were ice cubes until they got heat into them, making them useless for autocross. They were OK on track but nothing special.

In terms of pads, Ferodo DS2500 is an excellent choice for a street/autocross/track day pad. I ran them on my R for several years, and they are on the rear brakes now. I ran Porterfield R4S pads on my car before the Ferodo pads became available in the US and I would not run them again. I experienced pad fade at Thunderhill with the Porterfield's and had a big problem with pad material transfer in the rear.
 
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GTIfan99

Autocross Champion
Location
FL
I have 2 sets of RE71R's that I have to burn up this year, bought because I got 2 sets of newish (12 autocross runs on each set on an STR ND) 245/40 17's for less than $1000. After that I'll be using RS4's or ZIII's. Michelins heat cycle out too easily and you'll eat them up fast if you're fast.

Just an fyi, I did the Macan Brembo upgrade for $1000 bucks including 345 x 32 rotors, spacers, and powder coating and sold my PP brakes for $450. Much easier to swap pads, lighter, and they look fanstastic. Pads are cheaper and tons of options for front now.
 
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blaqsheep

Autocross Champion
Location
Canada
Car(s)
IS38 GTI
One tire I haven't seen mentioned at all here is the Dunlop Direzza ZIII

I had a ride along with my HPDE instructor in his E30 with the ZII's and they were great, he spoke highly of them. The Z3's were in my consideration but price seemed to above RS4 pricing for similar sizing.
 

Crild

Drag Race Newbie
Location
Florida
I had a ride along with my HPDE instructor in his E30 with the ZII's and they were great, he spoke highly of them. The Z3's were in my consideration but price seemed to above RS4 pricing for similar sizing.
I wouldnt worry about the price to much. Its all about longevity.
 

yirayira

Go Kart Newbie
Location
Chicago, IL
Car(s)
2015 GTI SE
My RS4s have been wearing like iron and they don't get greasy when overdriven like Super Sports
 

NopeR

Autocross Champion
Car(s)
18 Golf R
Rs4 all day. If you're on a budget, indy500 will do very well too. Their wear and grip is excellent.
 

R Golf

Go Kart Champion
Location
Lenox, MA
The ZIII is the tire I use for HPDE as well ads daily driving. I get 10+ HPDE days out of a set and they are not as noisy as the RE71R on the street. They do not have as much grip as the RE71R, but they're close and good enough for non-competitive events. I'm on my 5th set on the R, and I ran them previously on my BMW. Hands down my favorite tire, but they are sold exclusively through the Tirerack.

I have a second set of wheels with RE71R tires mounted that I use for autocross events, which _are_ competitive events. I got 5 HPDE days out of the last set of RE71R tires that I ran on track, so I save them for autocross. A friend of mine just polished off a set of A052 tires on her E36 M3 and she indicated to me that they wear more quickly than the RE71R. I'm on a budget and that budget says that if I try the Yokos, they would be an autocross only tire for me. edit: I ran the Hankook RS3 on my BMW and they were ice cubes until they got heat into them, making them useless for autocross. They were OK on track but nothing special.

In terms of pads, Ferodo DS2500 is an excellent choice for a street/autocross/track day pad. I ran them on my R for several years, and they are on the rear brakes now. I ran Porterfield R4S pads on my car before the Ferodo pads became available in the US and I would not run them again. I experienced pad fade at Thunderhill with the Porterfield's and had a big problem with pad material transfer in the rear.

+1 on the Ferodo DS 2500's. Best track/DD pad I've found.

I've been looking at Zlll's, mostly due to your posts Cliff. I don't swap tires and now run PS4's that I'm very happy with for DD (14K miles per year) and ~ 10 track days per year. I get about 6-7 track days out of them driving pretty hard (the DD wear is meaningless during track season). I can't avoid driving long distances in heavy rain now and again and also they'll see temps, albeit rarely, in the 40's. How are the Zlll's in rain and cooler temps? I'd give up some longevity for better grip on track as long as they work well as DD.
 

Cliff

Drag Racing Champion
Location
San Francisco Bay Area
Car(s)
2015 Cayman GTS
+1 on the Ferodo DS 2500's. Best track/DD pad I've found.

I've been looking at Zlll's, mostly due to your posts Cliff. I don't swap tires and now run PS4's that I'm very happy with for DD (14K miles per year) and ~ 10 track days per year. I get about 6-7 track days out of them driving pretty hard (the DD wear is meaningless during track season). I can't avoid driving long distances in heavy rain now and again and also they'll see temps, albeit rarely, in the 40's. How are the Zlll's in rain and cooler temps? I'd give up some longevity for better grip on track as long as they work well as DD.

They've been fine for me in any condition that I encounter in coastal California, which is pretty much anything except snow and ice. When I went up to Oregon Raceway Park in late September I encountered very light snow and freezing temps on the drive home. I did not have any problems, but I would not want to make a habit of it. Smooth driving is safe driving on a slippery surface.
 

zetapsi827

New member
I’m on my 2nd set of RS4. Fantastic tire. The longevity of this tire is amazing. Only have done one wet track session on them, but I thought they performed well considering the giant puddles.
 
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