Slicks - where/brand etc?

[Hyperhatch]

Hi

I’m now running the 15’ wheel successfully (Fitting Brembos under 15’ wheels are hard work!) and have a second set of alloys coming. Slicks must be like normal road tyres? There’re good ones and not so good ones?! What’s best to look for? I don’t want them so hard they last for 10 years and then go off in a couple of years but I do want them to last a bit.

These will be for general track days atm so not limited to specific brands etc.

Just want to go fast and have fun.

Apart from eBay are there any good suppliers out there?

Cheers

 

[JB21]

Loads of suppliers but they a feckin expensive. I got 4 new Toyo RS1's from eBay for £300 delivered from a guy with user name paultwin82. He normally has a good selection of 15" slicks and is very reputable. For a Clio you want a medium compound, or medium on the front, soft on the rear. Hard compounds are very hard to get heat into them, especially in the colder months.

Example of sizes that will fit and equivalent to 195/50/15 & 205/50/15 are:

19/57/15
195/570/15
20/58/15
205/580/15

 

[JamesBryan]

Mini Challenge use 185/580/15 Dunlops.

Or Ginetta which are Michelin.

Roughly equivalent to a 205 section road tyre.

 

[Hyperhatch]

Cheers for the answers @JB21 & @JamesBryan

Is it worth the extra £££ to go new? I guess this depends on how worn out a second hand set is?

What the best between the second hand tyre? Dunlops or Michelins ?

Cheers

 

[JamesBryan]

Cheers for the answers @JB21 & @JamesBryan

Is it worth the extra £££ to go new? I guess this depends on how worn out a second hand set is?

What the best between the second hand tyre? Dunlops or Michelins ?

Cheers

Plenty of life left in used ones for trackdays mate.

I'd say Dunlops, more UK support and they're designed for our climate where as Michelin will be more European focused i'd imagine. Still perfectly fine to use though.

Brand new is silly money, probably looking at £800-1000 for a set of 4.

 

[JB21]

It can be a lottery buying used slicks as they don't have a DOT code (manufacturing date), but as James mentioned if you can get used slicks from this years race series you'll be only a winner. The guy I mentioned gets his from these series I think.

In fact he's still got the RS1's which are a GG (medium). They are brand new and 2017 dated and a very progressive slick tyre. I got 4 tyres for £300 which is an absolute bargain as you'd struggle to get 4 new middle of the road semi slicks for that price.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-x-205-...h=item3fadfa8485:g:cj4AAOSwqXZZ1l~a:rk:3:pf:0

https://www.fastcar.co.uk/products/toyo-proxes-rs1-full-slick-competition-race-tyre/

 

[JamesBryan]

I'd try those Toyo's tbh for the money.

 

[Hyperhatch]

Thanks for the responses. I’m conscious of second hand tyres as per the reasons above. Friend had a set at the last track day and they had a bad vibration. The power steering pump fail that day which was probably related.

Need to research if the Toyo is as good as the Dunlop/Michelin as a new set of Toyos isn’t to much more than second hand Dunlop/Michelins

Cheers

 

[JamesBryan]

Thanks for the responses. I’m conscious of second hand tyres as per the reasons above. Friend had a set at the last track day and they had a bad vibration. The power steering pump fail that day which was probably related.

Need to research if the Toyo is as good as the Dunlop/Michelin as a new set of Toyos isn’t to much more than second hand Dunlop/Michelins

Cheers

The new Toyo's will 100% be better than the used Dunlop/Michelin for the first trackday.

Slicks are at their prime at first use.

 

[JB21]

Have you used slicks before?

 

[JamesBryan]

Have you used slicks before?

Me?

 

[JB21]

Me?

Noooooo the OP.

 

[JamesBryan]

Noooooo the OP.

Oh haha, gonna say. I've used them when John had the Megane.

Mind boggling how quick you can corner with them.

 

[Hyperhatch]

Not on the clio but have much experience with various slicks/conditions on my old rotax snr kart. I know what’s involved etc

Just to clear up i’m not after one session punch, just a set to use on track days when the conditions are right.

 

[JB21]

@pule333 bought my wheels with new RS1's fitted and he was very impressed.

 

[JB21]

Also remember when buying new they need a decent heat cycle which I found impossible on the road being illegal and I wasn't booking a track day just to heat cycle them. Luckily we have an industrial oven in work so I managed to get them up to temp nicely.

 

[Coops Mk1]

I've used the pre loved Michelin and Dunlop variants from the eBay ex race series suppliers for years, and even completely ruined they offer up so much more grip than anything else. For the price too it's a no brainer.

Currently I'm on r888r's but they're s**t tbh compared but only running them as worked a deal to get them for free essentially so can't grumble too much

Soon as I have to actually spend money on track tyres I'll be back on the slicks

 

[JamesBryan]

The only downside to slicks is that they don't let you know where the limit is, no tyre noise, no understeer as such. They'll just snap and let go on you.

 

[green]

Just make sure you warm them up well before peddle to the metal as when they let go there’s no warning!

 

[Hyperhatch]

Yea

Just make sure you warm them up well before peddle to the metal as when they let go there’s no warning!

Yeah did that in the kart, spun off on the second lap and broke my ribs ?

 

[Coops Mk1]

Never had that issue, always found them less snappy than the semi slick crap tbh

 

[JamesBryan]

Never had that issue, always found them less snappy than the semi slick crap tbh

You've not found the limit then ?

 

[Coops Mk1]

Been sideways past the limit of grip plenty of times old bean, never felt the fabled 'snap' seems a bit like the bullshit 5k cam kick, not forthcoming ;-)

 

[Coops Mk1]

Only tyre that's actively tried to kill me on the limit is the pilot sport offerings from Michelin, never again, evil evil semi slick crap that

 

[Nathan Evans]

Loads of suppliers but they a feckin expensive. I got 4 new Toyo RS1's from eBay for £300 delivered from a guy with user name paultwin82. He normally has a good selection of 15" slicks and is very reputable. For a Clio you want a medium compound, or medium on the front, soft on the rear. Hard compounds are very hard to get heat into them, especially in the colder months.

Example of sizes that will fit and equivalent to 195/50/15 & 205/50/15 are:

19/57/15
195/570/15
20/58/15
205/580/15

That’s JD tyres. Only place I get my rally tyres. Great service and does some really good deals

 

[JKING3008]

Best person I’ve used for getting slicks is a chap called Malc Buck on Facebook.

 

[Hyperhatch]

That’s JD tyres. Only place I get my rally tyres. Great service and does some really good deals

Found his website as well as eBay shop. HE has loads of 15’ Michelin’s. Will try them I think. Cheers

 

[Hyperhatch]

Best person I’ve used for getting slicks is a chap called Malc Buck on Facebook.

I’ve tried searching for him but can’t find him. Do you have a link? Cheers

 

[JB21]

Found his website as well as eBay shop. HE has loads of 15’ Michelin’s. Will try them I think. Cheers

They're all hard compound being S9. Good luck with a used hard compound slick on the rear of a Clio. It'll be like driving on a plastic tyre until you can generate some heat into them which will be a challenge in this country without tyre warmers. The Hankook on his site are medium being C** and would be a better option.

 

[JKING3008]

I’ve tried searching for him but can’t find him. Do you have a link? Cheers

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100015553626963

 

[Sam Linssner]

I got some from Malc Buck. He supplies loads of used slicks/pads etc from the BTCC tour. Pretty sure mine are from the Ginetta series. At £180 a set your laughing (I pay £144 a tyre for the Dunlop’s I race on).

 

[JKING3008]

I got some from Malc Buck. He supplies loads of used slicks/pads etc from the BTCC tour. Pretty sure mine are from the Ginetta series. At £180 a set your laughing (I pay £144 a tyre for the Dunlop’s I race on).

He’s the man?

 

[Hyperhatch]

To bring this up to date.....

I did a trackday at Bedford yesterday. With the weather looking perfect I suddenly realised this would be perfect for slicks! And by chance a set of Avon’s came up for £100 the day before. Quickly went to pick them up and had them put on a brand new set of TD1.2s

Que yesterday, first couple of sessions on 888r’s and the car was already impressive (first time i’ve used the car in the dry on them). Then the swap to the slicks. Couple of laps latter and we were flying! What an experience.

The Clio was obviously faster in the bends but under braking OMG! I run Brembo 4 pots with DS1.11 pads with the ABS still on the car. First time ever the brakes were the limiting factor before the ABS kicks in.

If you can buy some and you’ll never go back

£100 and there’s loads of life left! One of the best £ for £ mods i’ve ever done

 

[Hyperhatch]

Slight correction..... they’re not Avon’s they’re Dunlop SP sport. I was surprised how easy it was to warm them up

 

[JamesBryan]

Slight correction..... they’re not Avon’s they’re Dunlop SP sport. I was surprised how easy it was to warm them up

Saw your off on Insta ?

 

[Hyperhatch]

Saw your off on Insta ?

Yes it was fun ? But that was on the 888r’s after about 10 mins running

I haven’t timed anything but this is a back to back comparison of 888r vs slicks

First video is 888r with the spin..



Second video is on the slicks (don’t know why I let the Z4 past ?)