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Input on next set of track tires

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110
133
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Nashville TN
Hi All,

I know there are tons of track tire threads around here and I'm asking this on M6G as well, but with all the different feedback, I'm looking for input on the last couple of options I'm down to. I'm wearing through the OEM SC2s (on the stock wheels) and with more upcoming track days need to find a new set of dedicated track tires. Looking for input on my final options here.

Vehicle: 2020 GT350, only meaningful non-stock items are to manage alignment (camber plates, camber bolts, camber arms, toe links).
Wheels: 19" x 11.5" square/rotatable
Driver: a couple of track days in this car under my belt, going to the track about once per month. For "how hard" I drive, I ran 1:45 at Barber in this car with a street alignment on SC2s, so still relatively inexperienced but pushing.
Tracks: Road Atlanta, Barber, NCM, Nashville, Memphis
Use: Will be used only for track days, including driving to/from the track (so no slicks)

Options:

315/30R19 (ideal size)
SC2s @ $419
RT660s @ $294

325/30R19
Eagle F1 Supercar 3R @ $433
Eagle F1 Supercar 3 @ $375

305/30R19
Eagle F1 Supercar 3R @ $382 (SC3 costs MORE in this size, so no point)

So, thoughts? How big a dropoff with the RT660? Should I be looking at 325 or 305 in the SC3s?

Thanks in advance for all input.
 

Apex Wheels

Race Proven, Street Approved
Supporting Vendor
670
1,061
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
5-10 Years
Bay Area, CA
My vote would be the 315/30-19 RT660s or 305/30-19 Supercar 3 for your skill level and intended use.
 
110
133
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Nashville TN
My vote would be the 315/30-19 RT660s or 305/30-19 Supercar 3 for your skill level and intended use.
I appreciate the input. I'm leaning towards Supercar 3s at the moment. It figures that the 305s are more expensive than the 325s, as well as being more expensive than the 3Rs in 305. What in the world? Any idea how wide the Goodyears run compared to SC2s? I'm assuming the 305 recommendation is because they're wide enough for 11.5" and a bit of stretch would be better than going too wide and getting sloppier handling.
 
The "supercar 3 S isn't rated for our cars weight- my local shop wouldn't mount 'em, even though I wanted to try them. Most say not as sticky as Nitto's. Nitto NT 01, 305 30 R19 is the best drive-up for our cars IMHO. Hands down..Toyo R888 is supposedly the same tire, but I haven't tried them- again, not "weight rated" for our cars, even though I am sure they would work...None of the Mich's are anywhere close to the grip, feel and relative durability of the NT01. I am about to try Nankang AR-1's : also a street legal almost slick with treadwear # of 100; available in Europe where I'm at, but not sure if in the U.S. yet. Slightly cheaper than Nitto's. maybe 3-400$ a set cheaper..Get Nitto's.
 
501
550
Exp. Type
W2W Racing
Exp. Level
20+ Years
Snowy North
Interesting that your shop wouldn't install the3's....they are OE fitment on Camaro SS 1LE (3) and ZL1 1LE (3R). Either of those Camaros is at least as lardy as our cars.

Comparatively? Grassroots has a track tire comparo online...search this forum for the link. I'm a huge fan of Michelin...but I bought the 305/30 3Rs and will confirm what GRM has reported :D.
 

Apex Wheels

Race Proven, Street Approved
Supporting Vendor
670
1,061
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
5-10 Years
Bay Area, CA
The Toyo R888R is not at all the same tire as the NT01. I'm sorry if this offends anyone but the R888R is a terrible tire for track use, it is so slow compared to anything comparable or even most 200TW tires. The NT01, while still slower than some in it's class, is at least consistent throughout its entire life and doesn't overheat. Both things you can't say about the R888R.

305/30-19 Supercar 3 has a load rating of 1874lbs, which is much more than needed for any S550. Most wheels tap out around 1550lb ratings. Our SM-10s are one of the highest I've seen for this spec at 1670lb rating. Sounds like the shop didn't want to mount those tires because the sidewalls are stiff.

AR-1 or CR-1 from Nankang are another great option. The CR-1 is 200TW but every bit as fast as the 100TW AR-1.
 
Yeah, Camaro is a smidge heavier, I don't know why my previous local shop balked. I would love to try Goodyear slicks, so far can't find them or Mich slicks in take-offs in Europe. I mentioned the Toyo's for completeness, but have never run them- Good to get positive report on Nankang tires fro "Apex" above, will try soon.
Shameless plug: I AM running the SM-10 wheels from Apex: Fantastic product all around. Hate to dishonor my wheels by putting crappy tires on 'em.
 
296
349
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
20+ Years
NC
I'm a fan of the Supercar 3's. they hold up to a 20-30 minute session. They wear surprisingly well. I'd be willing to go out on a limb and say they are probably faster than NTO1. As I've stated in many threads, if you have USAA insurance, you can get 25% off a set of 3's or 3R's.
 
501
550
Exp. Type
W2W Racing
Exp. Level
20+ Years
Snowy North
Nittos give about 2x heat cycles vs 3Rs when pushed hard. 3Rs have more grip vs Nittos til they cycle out (6 or 7 hard sessions). Pick your poison :cool:
 
1,246
1,243
In the V6L
Nittos give about 2x heat cycles vs 3Rs when pushed hard. 3Rs have more grip vs Nittos til they cycle out (6 or 7 hard sessions). Pick your poison :cool:
I like the GY3R's a lot - great traction and handling - comparable to the MPSC2. Mine cycled out at a track day Monday this week. Started getting a bit weird half-way through my second session and were undriveable in the third session - two laps with them convinced me to pack up and go home.

I got 4-1/2 track days and 19 heat cycles out of them. MPSC2's can run up to 6 track days and 30 heat cycles, so they're almost competitive cost-wise.
 
I'm a fan of the Supercar 3's. they hold up to a 20-30 minute session. They wear surprisingly well. I'd be willing to go out on a limb and say they are probably faster than NTO1. As I've stated in many threads, if you have USAA insurance, you can get 25% off a set of 3's or 3R's.
How do you get that discount?
 
1,161
2,116
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
5-10 Years
SoCal
You mentioned your ideal size would be 315/30-19. While not quite available yet in that size, the new Continental Extreme Contact Force will be available soon. 200tw designed as an endurance tire. Benchmarked off the Hankook RS-4, but available in bigger sizes and hopefully better availability year round.

Eagle F1 Supercar 3R @ $382 (SC3 costs MORE in this size, so no point)

The price of the tire can be deceiving - if you compared the $’s per heat cycle of the two, the SC3 will be definitely provide more value over the life of the tire. Which is why I recommend looking at the Conti ECF. Yes, they are $400/tire, but if you’re looking for seat time, getting 2-3 more track days per set is a huge deal on an annual tire budget.

As Cory (APEX) and JAJ mentioned above - consistency of a tire from sticker to cords should be a big consideration, especially for HPDE. The stickier R type tires (SC3R’s, A052) will be really good for a few heat cycles and then performance will drop drastically well before they’re worn to the cords. This is not great for driver development — as your lap times drop and the car becomes more difficult to drive, you start chasing setup, etc., not realizing it’s just the way those tires cycle out.

The BFG Rival S 1.5 has been my go-to HPDE tire. Very consistent over a 20 minute session, and great consistency down to the cords. IMO, this tire should be added to your consideration in the 305/30-19 size.

My first set of Conti ECF’s are mounted (on a beautiful new set of SM10’s - thanks Cory!) and ready for a maiden test at Buttonwillow next Sunday. If I can get 2-3 more track days with consistent performance start-finish, the $400/tire price quickly becomes irrelevant.
 
1,246
1,243
In the V6L
You mentioned your ideal size would be 315/30-19. While not quite available yet in that size, the new Continental Extreme Contact Force will be available soon. 200tw designed as an endurance tire. Benchmarked off the Hankook RS-4, but available in bigger sizes and hopefully better availability year round.



The price of the tire can be deceiving - if you compared the $’s per heat cycle of the two, the SC3 will be definitely provide more value over the life of the tire. Which is why I recommend looking at the Conti ECF. Yes, they are $400/tire, but if you’re looking for seat time, getting 2-3 more track days per set is a huge deal on an annual tire budget.

As Cory (APEX) and JAJ mentioned above - consistency of a tire from sticker to cords should be a big consideration, especially for HPDE. The stickier R type tires (SC3R’s, A052) will be really good for a few heat cycles and then performance will drop drastically well before they’re worn to the cords. This is not great for driver development — as your lap times drop and the car becomes more difficult to drive, you start chasing setup, etc., not realizing it’s just the way those tires cycle out.

The BFG Rival S 1.5 has been my go-to HPDE tire. Very consistent over a 20 minute session, and great consistency down to the cords. IMO, this tire should be added to your consideration in the 305/30-19 size.

My first set of Conti ECF’s are mounted (on a beautiful new set of SM10’s - thanks Cory!) and ready for a maiden test at Buttonwillow next Sunday. If I can get 2-3 more track days with consistent performance start-finish, the $400/tire price quickly becomes irrelevant.
It'll be very interesting to see how the Conti ECF's stand up to heat cycling. I had a set of ContiPro Contacts a couple of years ago and they were fantastic, but I got exactly the same life out of them as the GY3R's - 19 heat cycles and they were done.
 
110
133
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Nashville TN
You mentioned your ideal size would be 315/30-19. While not quite available yet in that size, the new Continental Extreme Contact Force will be available soon. 200tw designed as an endurance tire. Benchmarked off the Hankook RS-4, but available in bigger sizes and hopefully better availability year round.



The price of the tire can be deceiving - if you compared the $’s per heat cycle of the two, the SC3 will be definitely provide more value over the life of the tire. Which is why I recommend looking at the Conti ECF. Yes, they are $400/tire, but if you’re looking for seat time, getting 2-3 more track days per set is a huge deal on an annual tire budget.

As Cory (APEX) and JAJ mentioned above - consistency of a tire from sticker to cords should be a big consideration, especially for HPDE. The stickier R type tires (SC3R’s, A052) will be really good for a few heat cycles and then performance will drop drastically well before they’re worn to the cords. This is not great for driver development — as your lap times drop and the car becomes more difficult to drive, you start chasing setup, etc., not realizing it’s just the way those tires cycle out.

The BFG Rival S 1.5 has been my go-to HPDE tire. Very consistent over a 20 minute session, and great consistency down to the cords. IMO, this tire should be added to your consideration in the 305/30-19 size.

My first set of Conti ECF’s are mounted (on a beautiful new set of SM10’s - thanks Cory!) and ready for a maiden test at Buttonwillow next Sunday. If I can get 2-3 more track days with consistent performance start-finish, the $400/tire price quickly becomes irrelevant.
The ECFs sound interesting and look like they may be available early September, which is good. Curious how they'd compare to SC3s in grip and life.
 

Bill Pemberton

0ld Ford Automotive Racing Terror
8,425
8,352
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
20+ Years
Blair, Nebraska
Good info from 67GTA since the Conti/Hoosiers are actively going after the " Enduro " market. Since many are looking for a tire to do HPDEs, mainly, this should be a solid contender once the larger sizes are out. News from a Hoosier Tire Dealer buddy says it may be late this year or early next before some of them show up , though.
 
110
133
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Nashville TN
It looks like I get to kick the can down the road a little bit (possibly see about the ECF availability) as I'm picking up some used-but-not-really 305/30ZR19 SC2s for a good deal.
 
73
90
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Friendsville, TN
The Toyo R888R is not at all the same tire as the NT01. I'm sorry if this offends anyone but the R888R is a terrible tire for track use, it is so slow compared to anything comparable or even most 200TW tires. The NT01, while still slower than some in it's class, is at least consistent throughout its entire life and doesn't overheat. Both things you can't say about the R888R.

305/30-19 Supercar 3 has a load rating of 1874lbs, which is much more than needed for any S550. Most wheels tap out around 1550lb ratings. Our SM-10s are one of the highest I've seen for this spec at 1670lb rating. Sounds like the shop didn't want to mount those tires because the sidewalls are stiff.

AR-1 or CR-1 from Nankang are another great option. The CR-1 is 200TW but every bit as fast as the 100TW AR-1.
That's great except you cant find any NT01s. Back order and don't know when they will get any......that's all I have been hearing
 
334
352
I just got my first track day on the Goodyear SC3 on my 2011 GT and I really like them. I have 305/30/19 square but at least on my 19x11 rims they are closer to a 315 in reality. Old tires were RE71. Subjectively they feel very similar to the RE71 to me, which is a good thing. I seem to be a couple seconds quicker on the GY on our local track, went from consistent 1.53s to consistent 1.51s. But tons of variables of course including especially the driver so don't read too much into that. If they hold up okay, I think these are a great do everything HPDE type tire.
 

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