GT350 Track Tire Options

[C7 B8]

Thank you. BMO is far more informative for track guys vs other forum. And far less bickering too

I have been in contact with N4S regarding the R Spec wheels. Running square set-up does sound appealing...so you'd recommend running 19x11s all around?

Welcome to BMO. I think you should run the stock tires or the R tires. If not go with NT01's in a 305 square setup. If you haven't seen it already check out the thread below where we have a vendor making R spec wheels for track use.

https://trackmustangsonline.com/index.php?topic=10423.msg150628#new

 

[VoodooBoss]

Thank you. BMO is far more informative for track guys vs other forum. And far less bickering too

Thanks, that's by design. You'll even find members here from some of the Grand AM and World Challenge teams including the SCCA T1 and T2 champions.

https://trackmustangsonline.com/index.php?topic=10251.0

I was a bit hasty with my response. My recommendation is to run either the stock tires on the stock wheels or the stock tires or PSC2 tires on the R spec wheels N4S is offering to make. A lot of the info in this thread was before we had the R spec wheels available. I'll be running the PSC2 tires on the R spec wheels. You could run a square setup on a set of 19x11 N4S wheels, the ones for the rear of the S550, or similar wheel offering from HRE available at CorteX Racing but you'll most likely need to modify the sway bars to keep the car balanced. You'll also need to run spacers up front with those wheels. I don't see anyone offering 19x11's that work for both front and rear fitment without spacers. I've been in contact with APR and they will have the 14mm studs available early next year or you can use the ARP studs that CorteX offers. Either will allow you to use spacers up front.

Many of us have used the PSS tires on our Bosses/S197s on track with good results, including me, and the ones specifically formulated for the GT350 should work even better.

 

[C7 B8]

Thanks, that's by design. You'll even find members here from some of the Grand AM and World Challenge teams including the SCCA T1 and T2 champions.

https://trackmustangsonline.com/index.php?topic=10251.0

I was a bit hasty with my response. My recommendation is to run either the stock tires on the stock wheels or the stock tires or PSC2 tires on the R spec wheels N4S is offering to make. A lot of the info in this thread was before we had the R spec wheels available. I'll be running the PSC2 tires on the R spec wheels. You could run a square setup on a set of 19x11 N4S wheels, the ones for the rear of the S550, or similar wheel offering from HRE available at CorteX Racing but you'll most likely need to modify the sway bars to keep the car balanced. You'll also need to run spacers up front with those wheels. I don't see anyone offering 19x11's that work for both front and rear fitment without spacers. I've been in contact with APR and they will have the 14mm studs available early next year or you can use the ARP studs that CorteX offers. Either will allow you to use spacers up front.

Many of us have used the PSS tires on our Bosses/S197s on track with good results, including me, and the ones specifically formulated for the GT350 should work even better.

Really appreciate your detailed response. Thank you! I am from the Bay Area as well...just recently moved to the NW. Cant wait to see a few more Ford products (GT350s) running with all the GT3s in NorCal. T-Hill is still my favorite track. Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[blacksheep-1]

FWIW I would recomend track tires and street tires, even at most autocross races a lot of guys bring a set to run on. The 19 inch wheels and tires are very expensive and you can destroy a set of tires in one day. For that reason I would find a set of 18 inch wheels and run the PWC take offs on them. I know Hoosiers R7s also work great, you may also find a set of R6s at a reasonable price since the R7 compound has kind of superseded them. I would definitely recommend 18s on the track, I'm pretty sure that any cost incurred purchasing new wheels will be more than made up for after a few track events.
I just see the 19s as being a dead end unless you're a millionaire, same with the carbon fiber wheels, keep them safe so you can sell them with the car as original equipment.

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

FWIW I would recomend track tires and street tires, even at most autocross races a lot of guys bring a set to run on. The 19 inch wheels and tires are very expensive and you can destroy a set of tires in one day. For that reason I would find a set of 18 inch wheels and run the PWC take offs on them. I know Hoosiers R7s also work great, you may also find a set of R6s at a reasonable price since the R7 compound has kind of superseded them. I would definitely recommend 18s on the track, I'm pretty sure that any cost incurred purchasing new wheels will be more than made up for after a few track events.
I just see the 19s as being a dead end unless you're a millionaire, same with the carbon fiber wheels, keep them safe so you can sell them with the car as original equipment.

I think that is the preference of most people, but it's a bit of a quandary since it's unlikely any 18" wheel will clear the 15.5" front brake package on the 350s

 

[Black Boss]

I think that is the preference of most people, but it's a bit of a quandary since it's unlikely any 18" wheel will clear the 15.5" front brake package on the 350s

Trust me 18's will not fit

The good news is that the braking performance is spectacular We're going to be out braking most cars at the track.......

 

[blacksheep-1]

Then you are essentially down to Hoosier R6 as a track tire.

 

[VoodooBoss]

I'm planning on running the R spec PSC2 tires. Also NT01's and Trefeo R's have fitment.

 

[blacksheep-1]

The R6s have been a great tire for us, especially when you want a tire that will perform well over it's entire lifespan. It's pretty hard to beat.

 

[Black Boss]

No 305's in 19". Let's hope 315 square works, otherwise it's 295/315......

 

[blacksheep-1]

We've bounced from 295 to 305 to 315 with the old body style with relative impunity when we couldn't source the specific size. Don't forget you can "stretch" a smaller tire over a wider wheel, it will give you an artificially stiffer sidewalk.
You may also want to check the actual tread face of the tire to determine contact patch, many brands of tires, of the same size, will have different tread width depending on the manufacturing, so while specific tire sizes are important for fitment, the stated size is not the end-all of tire choice.

 

[blacksheep-1]

Here's some info on the Pirellis



PIRELLI TARGET
This is the ideal operational tire pressure. This value will be measured immediately after having used the tire on the circuit and must never, in any case be lower than that recommended.

PIRELLI MINIMUM
Is the minimum value of the pressure that the tire should run. NEVER use the tire below the minimum pressure, otherwise you will compromise the integrity of the tire. The pressure should be checked before the start of each run, INFLATE the tire if the pressure is below the recommended minimum value.
PRESSURE BELOW THE RECOMMENDED VALUE WILL CAUSE EXCESSIVE SIDEWALL DEFLECTION, RISK OF AIR LOSS BETWEEN BEAD AND RIM, AND OR RISK OF ALL THESE FACTORS COMPROMISE THE INTEGRITY OF THE TIRE AND CAN CAUSE TIRE BREAKING.

PIRELLI COLD
Is the pressure measured before mounting the tire on the 996 GT3 Cup / 997 GT3 Cup / 911 GT3 Cup or before the use of tire warmers or any other kind of preliminary tire warming, before the start of any track session.
This value needs to be determined with respect to the P.MINIMUM value so you can achieve the PIRELLI TARGET during the use of the tire on the track.
This value needs to be checked and adjusted to the calculated value at the same time every day until the end of the event.

PIRELLI RAINS
The pressure of the rain tire changes according to the depth of standing water on the circuit. The cold pressure should not be less than 28 PSI when the track is damp.

CAMBER (NEGATIVE)/MAX:
Is the maximum negative camber permitted. Negative camber greater than this limit should never be used otherwise the integrity of the tire will be compromised. The value of the angle is calculated from the vertical load and takes into account the integrity, should be optimized accordingly to the tire wear and car behavior. It could be different between left and right side of the car respecting the maximum value suggested.

ROVAL ALIGNMENT
For combination road course ovals with sections of high banking or ” ROVALS” the camber settings must be significantly reduced because the track’s banking dramatically increases the load on the tires. The negative camber should be reduced by 1 to 1.5 degrees and the angle of inside wheels can be up to 0.5 degrees less than ( more positive ) the outsides.

TREAD PATTERN TEMPERATURE
SLICK tire – ideal temperature of the tread pattern in operation is between 160 F and 220 F.
The tread pattern temperature should never be higher than 250 F.
The optimal temperature difference between the inside and outside shoulder of the tire should not be higher than 60 F.

PIRELLI STRONGLY RECOMMENDS THE USE OF METAL VALVES

 

[VoodooBoss]

Bumping this thread as owners start thinking about track tires for their GT350 or Boss 302 for that matter.

 

[CSL]

Another option is R888s in either 295/30-305/30 setup or 305/30-325/30.

The 305-325 option is very intriguing. Fingers crossed for rear fitment.

 

[VoodooBoss]

Another option is R888s in either 295/30-305/30 setup or 305/30-325/30.

The 305-325 option is very intriguing. Fingers crossed for rear fitment.

Welcome to TMO. Many of the Boss owners didn't have the best luck with the 888 and the concensus was the Nitto NT01 is a better track tire. I know the C6 Vette owners like that tire a lot but those cars weigh several hundred pounds less.

 

[CSL]

Welcome to TMO. Many of the Boss owners didn't have the best luck with the 888 and the concensus was the Nitto NT01 is a better track tire. I know the C6 Vette owners like that tire a lot but those cars weigh several hundred pounds less.

I have a full Griggs TT GT500 and have pretty much run everything on that car. I prefer the R888s over the NT01s, but for me it's pretty much splitting hairs.

 

[VoodooBoss]

I have a full Griggs TT GT500 and have pretty much run everything on that car. I prefer the R888s over the NT01s, but for me it's pretty much splitting hairs.

No doubt. The R888R is now available in Europe and will hopefully be released in the US in 2016. Tire tech has improved since either the R888 or NT01 was released so it should be better.

Post up photos and introduce yourself.

https://trackmustangsonline.com/index.php?topic=3503.0

 

[joe7e7]

Does anyone have any opinions on the Dunlop Sport Maxx Race tires? I'm considering using a 305/30/19 and 325/30/19. Any advice would be greatly appreciated as I have much less experiences than most of you on this forum. Thank you.

 

[VoodooBoss]

Does anyone have any opinions on the Dunlop Sport Maxx Race tires? I'm considering using a 305/30/19 and 325/30/19. Any advice would be greatly appreciated as I have much less experiences than most of you on this forum. Thank you.

Those look interesting but I haven't seen many guys run them. Most of us ran 18" on our S197 cars so these were never part of the discussion.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Dunlop&tireModel=Sport+Maxx+Race&sidewall=Blackwall&partnum=03YR9SMRXL&tab=Specs

 

[CSL]

I don't have any experience with the Dunlops, but at that price point, I would probably just go with the Cup2s for a bit more money. The Cup2s are a bit lighter and their high level of performance on the 350 is well documented.