How well do HP road tyres cope on track?

[Matt Scarbro]

Apologies if it's a bit of a 'how long is a piece of string question' but I'm just trying to gauge how hard Clios are on tyres out on track.

My car is a 200 cup and is a 95% road car, I have a couple of track cars for regular track use but would like to do the ocassional day in the Clio to enjoy and learn its on limit handling.

The dilemma for me is whether I go for a dry-biased UHP tyre like an AD08r or RSR, Toyo R1Rs which I love in most conditions, or a good HP road tyre like a contisport 5.

Most likely venues for me will be Blyton and Cadwell, neither of which have particularly abrasive surfaces but would the contis and R1Rs take a battering on a dry day. I do drive fairly hard and R1Rs won't stand up to the abuse on the MX5s but I realise it might be different with a wider tyre on these...

Thanks in advance for any pointers or shared experience. :up:

 

[Knuckles]

If you've never gone on track in the Clio before, go with a completely standard car and see how you get on

You'll not kill a set of tyres on a track day. But if you're experienced and want a bit more performance, a second set of alloys with r1rs, RSRs, ns2rs or any other track tyre won't be a bad place to start. And decent pads on high carbon discs. I hated OEM brembos

Come to Cliosport festival (date tba) this year and book onto the track, it's blyton too so nice and local.

Blyton at CSF was my first experience on track in a standard 197, everyone was very courteous and well behaved and all the cars are pretty much the same power so you don't have mental race cars pushing you around

 

[JB21]

All depends on how you'd be driving on track, if you're balls deep into every corner and drive the car to its limits then road tyres wouldn't last to long in my experience and would melt on a warm dry day if out for extended runs. I personally would get something like the Yokohama A048s as they would be a good compromise on road and track and you could abuse them without worrying of deterioration.

 

[...]

bedford in the summer i had cooked the tyres in a lap and a half ............ but as you say depends on how much you push

 

[chris blue]

In same position. Going for Yoko ad08 r's after reading up on here

Got a spare set of rims so may put some PS3s on, but as theclio is a second car, just not use it in the cold n wet too much

 

[Advikaz]

bedford in the summer i had cooked the tyres in a lap and a half ............ but as you say depends on how much you push

Yep

Pressures are crucial but on a warm summers day, road tyres simply aren't up to the job and will get greasy.

 

[imprezaworks]

Ado8r's or rsrs. Yeah you can run road tyres of course but I guarantee after a few laps to will want to go quicker. And your road tyres will go off quicker and potentially ruin your day.

 

[Matt Scarbro]

Thanks gents, looks like it's AD08rs or RSRs then. :up:

 

[...]

Yep

Pressures are crucial but on a warm summers day, road tyres simply aren't up to the job and will get greasy.

Yep you end up with 2 issues , up pressure to stop the tyre rolling on the walls , however doing so ups temps and they will cook

For me the only tyre list something like an 048 Yoko , I don't overly like toyo 888's but Yoko 048 have a very stiff wall


Actually rereading your original post I would say the Clio will disappoint you anyway if you have decent track cars

It will be way too soft at pace

 

[chris blue]

Thanks gents, looks like it's AD08rs or RSRs then. :up:

Just had a flat, so getting the flat fitted on saturday with an ad08 for £77 via black circles, and will use it as a spare till summer, when will get the other 3 donespare fitted

Decided to stay with new tyres too

 

[Matt Scarbro]

I'm with you on a track car, my others are on 1c dry tyres and R1R wets. As the Clio will only see very ocassional track use it requires a compromise. :up:

 

[Advikaz]

Yep you end up with 2 issues , up pressure to stop the tyre rolling on the walls , however doing so ups temps and they will cook

For me the only tyre list something like an 048 Yoko , I don't overly like toyo 888's but Yoko 048 have a very stiff wall

I'm well off the boil with car tyres these days, I find it easier with bikes because you can just read the tear pattern I.E cold tear/hot tear/geo tear etc
Plus even the oe bike tyres are bloody good these days.

Honestly can't even remember the last time I drove anything in anger. Probably one of the race school m3 boats.

Could cook the brakes on them in three laps. Was like land yachting in those things.

 

[Matt Scarbro]

Just had a flat, so getting the flat fitted on saturday with an ad08 for £77 via black circles, and will use it as a spare till summer, when will get the other 3 donespare fitted

Decided to stay with new tyres too

Good price that, don't tempt me any further!! Should be trying to use up some of the tread on the current tyres first! 🙈

 

[imprezaworks]

Just had a flat, so getting the flat fitted on saturday with an ad08 for £77 via black circles, and will use it as a spare till summer, when will get the other 3 donespare fitted

Decided to stay with new tyres too

In what size mate

 

[...]

I'm well off the boil with car tyres these days, I find it easier with bikes because you can just read the tear pattern I.E cold tear/hot tear/geo tear etc
Plus even the oe bike tyres are bloody good these days.

Honestly can't even remember the last time I drove anything in anger. Probably one of the race school m3 boats.

Could cook the brakes on them in three laps. Was like land yachting in those things.

Bike tyres , whole different ball game !!

As you know the loads are different and variable compound isn't unusual.
And tyre walls are like rock !!

 

[JB21]

Anyone used Kumho V70a hard compound? Just got a set but are in desperate need of cellulose thinner to soften them as they're hard as a rock.

 

[JB21]

...

 

[...]

On what car ??

Yes driven a caterham on hard V70's

You need to find out the optimum hot temp pressures and then adjust from there

 

[JB21]

On what car ??

Yes driven a caterham on hard V70's

You need to find out the optimum hot temp pressures and then adjust from there

182 on 205/50/15. They should be similar to the 888s hot pressure wise. I always start at 24psi and take it from there.

How did you find them on the Caterham?

 

[...]

Fine but it was warmish , caterhams need pushing on to get heat into tyres so Clio should be fine

This time of year it's harder to gain temp due to cold track temps ,


What suspension setup you on , if fairly standard and soft it will generate heat

 

[Advikaz]

Fine but it was warmish , caterhams need pushing on to get heat into tyres so Clio should be fine

This time of year it's harder to gain temp due to cold track temps ,

Always found getting heat in to the front end on cake trays, rears naturally came up fairly well.

Drove a few in the wet previously, understeer of the year award goes toooooo

 

[...]

Always found getting heat in to the front end on cake trays, rears naturally came up fairly well

Yep rears tend to hold heat in due to lack of airflow as the arches are like a huge wind deflector

Caterhams run fairly soft even in race trim so tend to be more pointy at the front

Just need to lean on that outside front as you turn in and not get too loud and over rotate ...... Although [emoji12] [emoji3] [emoji12] [emoji3] [emoji12]

 

[JB21]

Fine but it was warmish , caterhams need pushing on to get heat into tyres so Clio should be fine

This time of year it's harder to gain temp due to cold track temps ,


What suspension setup you on , if fairly standard and soft it will generate heat

Standard dampers on lowering springs, so lots of weight transfer to heat them nicely.

 

[...]

You won't have an issue

 

[chris blue]

In what size mate

195 50 15

 

[imprezaworks]

There's a chap on Facebook selling sets of four for 160 new

 

[Matt Scarbro]

Anyone know of any good deals on 215/45/17?

Think £360 is the cheapest I've found them.

 

[STEVE.M]

Anyone know of any good deals on 215/45/17?

Think £360 is the cheapest I've found them.

AD08R`s? for £360.
Where?

 

[imprezaworks]

If it is ado8r's that's a good price. I paid that for 16's