Well I need some advise. I bought my clubman S during this past winter and immediately put winter tires on it (I only did a 10 minute test drive on smooth roads with the run flats.) So last weekend I had the winter tires taken off and the continental run flats put back on.

Now here is my dilemma, I have signed up for a HPDE next weekend, and it involves 2 days on a track. I originally figured that I'd do it with the runflats, abuse them, and then sometime this summer get proper summer tires (I'm thinking Hankook Ventus V12). Well the runflats suck. I can break them loose in second gear if the rpms get above 4k. They slip in the corners and ride like bricks.

So here is my question, If I replace my tires this weekend and get the Hankooks, or maybe something else, is one week of driving enough to properly break in tires before hitting the track the following weekend? I'd maybe be able to log 2 to 300 kilometers on them before the track session.
I don't care if the runflats are done after the HPDE, but I don't want to feel as if I've wasted my time and money on the school. The flip side is I don't want to spend 6 or 700 on tires, and ruin them after 1 weekend.

What do other more experienced members suggest, and would a certain budget summer performance tire hold up better/be quicker to break in then the hankooks?

 

wpmgx5,

How many track days do you have? If you are a novice, I would run the conti RFTs. I ran them last year at Monticello in the rain and can tell you, they are OK (not that good but adequate). I just did not have another set of tires that day.

On the track, you will learn to be smooth and learn how to drive any equipment you have. Go fast equipment is not that important, just go and have fun.

That said, do change your brake fluid and if you have track pads, use them. This is for safety reasons.

 

The school has two evenings in the classroom and two days on the track (Saturday and Sunday). I don't plan to do other track days this year, but might try auto crossing. I am taking the school to become a better driver, so its good to know that the continental runflats should do the trick. As for the brakes, the fluid and pads were changed in the fall by mini just before I bought the car. Should I still get news pads for the track, even if I probably won't do anymore track days, or should I just stick with the stock ones, and expect that I'll probably need to replace them sometime this year.

Any recommendations on good street pads that could be used for this school?

 

You are taking the right steps to become a better/safer driver. Do you know how to do brake maintenance yourself? If you do not, then I would almost say stick with the stock pads due to the cost/pain of putting them on and removing them later. If you are inclined to want to change the pads, try Hawks HP+ or carbontech XP8s. I like the Carbos better but they are expensive. Both are good but are dusty when used on the street, and I mean Dusty as well as noisy. The difference with stock pads is the brake modulatiion and the resistance to heat. You will not get the grabbiness of stockers and it allows you to better feel the brakes to control the brake force.

I would highly recommend changing the brake fluid. Not good to step on the brakes before a corner and nothing aka boiled brake fluid. HPDEs recommended to have new brake fluid that is no longer than 2-3 months old.

Go and have fun and tell us what you think.