So I looked at www.tirerack.com and there are just WAAAY too many choices! What tire worked well for you and what rim are do you have it on?What dimensions for tire/rim?

What I'm looking for is something I can utilize on both track and street. I want a good combination of both. A couple friends have R-comps but I don't need that much performance. I plan on getting them along with light-weight rims with over all good strenght, and I don't really care what they look like because I'll be keeping my stock rims/tires on most of the time, but switch when I need the extra grip.

Here are the tires tirerack suggested:

Bridgestone Potenza RE050A Size: 205/45ZR17
Dunlop SP Sport 9000 Size: 205/45ZR17
Dunlop SP Sport Maxx Size: 205/45ZR17
Pirelli PZero System Size: 205/45ZR17
BFGoodrich g-Force Sport Size: 205/45ZR17
BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KDW 2 Size: 205/45ZR17
Dunlop Direzza DZ101 Size: 205/45ZR17
Yokohama AVS ES100 Size: 205/45ZR17
Yokohama Parada Spec-2 Size: 205/45ZR17


Thanks for any input you may have?

 

I dont know if I'd want to run any of those listed for a track event.

For a street/track use, with a little more emphasis on track I would look at these:

Hankook Ventus Rs2 Z212

Falken Azenis Rt615

and for a really aggresive tire with DOT approval
Toyo Proxes Ra1

 

+1 on the Falken Azenis Rt615 or Falken Azenis 510

 

If you are going to pick up some wheels as well I'd drop down to 16's and get the Hankook Ventus Rs2 Z212 in a 225/40-16. They do fit and work well.

Great for Auto-X as well.

 

My faves for 'street' tires that serve dual purpose, in order of preference (and those you can readily get ahold of in the US):

1. Hankook z212 RS-2 - great performer on the track, cheap, warm up quickly and stay rock-solid reliable through a session. Way better in the wet than the RT-615's, too.
2. Falken Azenis RT-615 - great performer, cheap - tend to go off at the end of sessions when it's warmer than 70* out (they get greasy).
3. Kumho MX - good performer - don't like the sidewall squidgyness, personally, but they work well on the track - maybe better than the RT-615's.

To run the Hankooks, Azenis or MX's, you'd need to go with 215/40R17... None of the other tires on your list will offer the same kind of performance as these three, IMHO. My choice would still be the RS-2...

It's too bad we can't get Yoko AD-07's or Bridgestone RE-01R's in our sizes, although I hear that Bridgestone will be bringing in the RE-01R in more friendly sizes this Summer!!!

 

Or go for the 615 Falkens in 215/45 X 16, that way there will be minimal speedometer error. Then use a Rota Slipstream, fairly lightweight, in either a 16 x 6.5(suitable for G stock) or 16 x 7.

 

Thanks guys!

 

I currently have the Hankook Ventus Rs2 Z212 on my daily driver they work great. However my last set of tires were the Toyo RA1's and they were super sticky but they did not last all that long but they sure were fun!

 

I love the azenis for track duty. A couple of instructors have commented on how sticky they are.

mb

 

Yup, Azenis or Hakook RS2 are good for cheap track tires.

16" wheels work well for either of those tires.

The problem comes when you change your mind and decide you do want to use Toyo RA-1 tires. Because RA-1s come in good sizes for the MINI in 15" and 17", but not 16". So, if you get a second set of track wheels in 16", you may end up regretting it later.

 

I'll agree with txwerks, the Azenis really do go away when they get hot, I can really feel 'em, although slipping around can be kind of fun. I'm going to try the 'kooks next time.

 

I know this is an older thread, but how much wear and tear is done on the tires after a typical day at the track? What type of milage should I expect to get? I ran the RT-615s for about 15k miles with weekly driving on the Dragon Tail and a couple of autocrosses; definitely my favorite dry weather performance tire.

Anyway, it's about time for me to get a new set of tires. I plan to autocross basically every other weekend and go to a couple of track days up at Nelson Ledges with a few other Mini owners. I would appreciate some more input on the decision.

 

Tire wear varies as a function of your driving skill, road surface and conditions, your speeds, use of hard acceleration and braking, how much you lock up the wheels or spin out or drift.

Track use is very hard on tires and it's easy to damage tread when they are new tires (called chunking- loosing blocks of full tread due to irregular heating up of rubber and loss of portions of tread).

If you have stock alignment then tread wear will be uneven and heavy on the outer front edges.

Using the Azenis or Hankooks as mentioned earlier will be helpful. Most street tires are not suited for track use.

Learning how to drive smoothly will help to use the tires best and wear them least. Driving without skill will wear out tires in as little as a day.

 

A big endorsement for Hankook Ventus Rs2. Good stick, quiet, work well for autocross, track days, and your daily commuter. Tolerate wide pressure adjustment for suspension set-up and track condition. $79 at Edge Racing-they are a tremendous bargin. TWO THUMBS UP!
MOTORRR