Have 2006 Mini S with stock suspension and brakes. Need suggestions for R compound tires specific to brand and size to be used only for driving schools (BWM, Chin, etc.). I will use Hawk blue or Mintex racing pads. This combination will be used only on the track and not on the street. Need tires for maximum track performance.

 

Honestly, depending on your skill level, if you are a novice, use street tires, like a Toyo T1-R/S until you get to the point you are driving better than the tires can handle, as R-compounds are very unforgiving, and very expensive to keep replacing. And don't forget that most "racing" pads are very corrosive to paint and tend to etch wheels.

 

IMHO, if you're a complete track novice OR it's your first time out in the MINI on the track, I would highly suggest running the stock runflats... It's amazing what they are capable of, IMHO - more than most people are capable of...

If you're experienced on the track and want more stick, I'd suggest another set of wheels and sticky street tires - Falken Azenis, Kumho MX's or Hankook z212's. Cheaper than r-comps and better performance than the runflats...

If you just gotta have R-comps, the Toyo RA-1s are great tires for DE's and schools... Best bang-for-the-buck when it comes to r-comps, with long life and pretty great performance (for a 2nd tier r-comp). But, I would highly recommend NOT slapping r-comps on and heading out to the track if you've never done it before. Especially not if it were my first time out in an unfamiliar car (even if I had a lot of track experience)... That's just my $.02.

Of course, there are stickier alternatives when it comes to r-comps... Hoosiers, V710's, etc. All depends on what you want...

 

I agree with the other comments on the thread. Both "race" tires and brakes are great but come with their issues. Both of them perform at a high level, but when both of them go over their threshold, they go away very quickly.

I would highly suggest using a race pad as the stock MINI pads cannot handle track temps, but use the tires you have or a street compound. With a race tire you will be get away with things and will cover up your mistakes. This will not help you learn.

 

Two thoughts... ditto what everyone esle said on r compounds... until you are "over driving" the car, stay on street tires.

Brake pads - I am a big fan of track only race pads, but make sure they are bedded in and while Hawk Blues are my favorite pad for stopping, they will ruin your wheels and paint if it is raining. Haek HT-10 is another good pad. I plan to run HT-10s for DEs and I run Hawk HPS on the street

Once final thought... most people don't realize r compounds are subject to heat cycles. After a few runs, they loose grip and in some cases are not much more sticky than a street tire. The Hoosier is the best tire when new and they suck after the first weekend. I am a BMW andd SCCA Club Racer and we see fall off of 1-2 seconds after the first few sessions. The Toyo RA-1 is about the longest wearing r compound and seems to be able to handle mult heat cycles (then again they start off a second slower the the Hoos).

Vince

 

I did two days with the Phil Wicks school at Autobahn near Chicago on 17" Goodyear runflats. Although I hate the tires, I think they were a good choice for me, since I'd not been on the track with any car before. They lost traction without a great deal of fuss; it was easy to tell when you were starting to drift, and they made it a complete non-event. I think it helped me get a feel for what the car does when not completely stuck to the pavement, and, frankly, when you get going faster, that happens no matter what kind of tire you're on. I had a *ton* of fun controlling the car's direction with throttle input instead of the steering wheel. You'll get more Gs out of stickier tires (once they're warm, of course) but you'll likely be closer to *your* limit when they do start to break loose.