GT350 Track Tire Options

[RichJ]

If you guys don’t mind my posting a for sale ad from another forum, the RS4s are great track tires and being 200TW long wearing! Favorites around here with the time attack crowd. I’ve run them before, very consistent tires.

These are not mine.

Pennsylvania - Brand new 4 x 305/30R19 Hankook RS4 tires

2019 date codes. Never been installed. Still have mold release. Been stored in trash bags in climate controlled basement since new. $1000 picked up Located north of Pittsburgh PA

www.mustang6g.com

Is a 305 too wide for a 10.5” rim, particularly in front, on a track setup? I know it’s well within the manufacturer‘s spec, but would it give mushy steering response and bad wear from the tire folding on itself in the center? I’ve had that issue on other cars before running too wide in front and then had to run pressures that were too high to really use the whole tire.

 

[RES_22]

S550 GT PP2 were delivered like that. Also...RS4 is pretty stiff/chatty.

Very little risk with this combo.

 

[trackdao]

S550 GT PP2 were delivered like that. Also...RS4 is pretty stiff/chatty.

Very little risk with this combo.

Yes 305s are OEM on my PP2 10.5” wide front, great set up, almost eliminates understeer.



Track setup square 11" Apex EC-7s on 305s, no clearance issues

 

[Steve68Cougar]

I'm trying to choose a tire that will wear well on track on stock GT350 wheels and run consistently in the heat. My usual favorites aren't available in sizes that work on this car. Does anyone have experience with Falken RT660s and how they wear? I'm thinking about getting a square 295/35 set up and rotating on the rims between events. Just not sure whether I'd be better off with something harder and less grippy like the Continental ExtremeContact Sports (not Force) to maintain longevity. Prefer to spend under $400/tire. Suggestions welcome.

I'm at 2 track days and 3 autocrosses on my 305/30-19 RT660s and have a lot of wear left. I'm not ready to rotate from side-to-side yet. I'm probably not a real good barometer of how well tires wear, though. Others will definitely be harder on them. My car came with Continental Sports on it from the factory and they aren't even close to the RT660s (only partially due to the increase from 275 to 305). Honestly, I'm not sure I lost a whole lot on my autocrossing when I went from the Sports to BFG AS2 Plus. My guess is the BFGs will start chunking with extended high speed usage, but they actually stuck fairly well considering they're an all season. I've got Michelin PS4S on my other car and have been really impressed with them.

 

[mikeD4V]

Def going with GY Supercar 3R for next set, wonder if true 100TW, I do want them to last 5-6 track days, squared setup.

YMMV, I'm on my 4th set and each has gone a little longer than 6 days rotating often and flipping them on the wheel half way through.

 

[SlowstangGT]

While I know sizes are still limited, I ran the Conti ExtremeContact Force for the second part of this season. 5 trackways, a little daily driving, and driving back and forth to the track. I get these aren't as fast as some Hoosiers, but for a 200TW with extended wear these were great and I'd definitely recommend adding them to your list of options. The tires heat up fairly quickly and I had no issues of loss of grip. I only got to run one session in rain and again I was able to confidently push the car in the wet w/o issue.

Any sign of these heat cycling out? I just got myself a set of 295/30r19's and they were phenomenal! I'm wondering how many heat cycles we should be expecting out of these

 

[Bill Pemberton]

Keep in mind the Conti Force tires were designed for " Endurance Racing " and HPDEs, so it should take awhile to heat cycle out. Talking to a buddy of mine ( Hoosier Dealer ) he is pretty pumped to be able to sell these as it opens a whole new client base for him. The rumor going around since last year is there will soon be a 200 TWR Solo ( autocross ) tire to go along with the Force -----hmmm, maybe a Force S?

 

[biggsy]

Seems like nobody has tried the NS2R by Nankang in the 200TW. Seems like Phils Tire service is the only one that carries them. It is supposedly an endurance tire.

I am looking forward to trying out the new Conti ECF. With the price increase of the GY SC3 (+$80/tire from last year), availability and cost of RS4, the ECFs seem to be the best option.

 

[Bill Pemberton]

The write ups for the Contihoosiers seem pretty solid and they are expanding their sizes, and being made in the US of A , hopefully there will not be shipping shortages that have hit the Industry. I have been somewhat surprised that some tires from overseas have not been terribly hard to get, considering, though some have seen big increases in price.

 

[67GTA]

The write ups for the Contihoosiers seem pretty solid and they are expanding their sizes, and being made in the US of A , hopefully there will not be shipping shortages that have hit the Industry. I have been somewhat surprised that some tires from overseas have not been terribly hard to get, considering, though some have seen big increases in price.

I believe these are being manufactured in Germany under the Continental side of the house, which has caused part of the delay in getting the expanded sizes in stock.

 

[Bill Pemberton]

Vell, dat ist nicht vat I vas told , butt it machen lotzz ov zents!

Actually makes more sense that what I was told by a friend who has been running them since they first came out and appreciate the comment.

 

[SlowstangGT]

Some updates on my second track day with the Continental ExtremeContact Force. I took them to Sonoma, and I think my opinions on them have changed. Compared to my PB, I was roughly 2 seconds off pace (best that day was 1:56 vs PB of 1:54 with NT01's). The tire has noticeably less grip than the NT01's, which I initially forgave since the steering feel was leagues better than the Nitto's and the ECF seemed to handle heat well at Thunderhill 5 mile the weekend before. While I was there, the only real complaint I had with them was that the tires did not like to be as "overdriven" as the NT01's; the breakaway characteristics, while still very manageable, weren't quite as friendly as the Nitto's.

However, Sonoma, being a more technical track, was not quite as forgiving to the ECF's. Keeping my hot tire PSI's around 33-34 with peak temps that day around 67-70F, I noticed that after 3-4 hard laps, the tires began to fall off quite a lot faster than the NT01's would have as they started to heat soak. Interestingly enough, while they still had decent lateral grip, their longitudinal grip fell off noticeably more in comparison, something I found out with a near brown pants moment at T11 when ABS kicked in. Dialing it back in the next sessions and driving around 8.5/10 pace, the tires were much happier, but my lap times fell down to 1:58-1:59 pace. After that incident, I also had much less confidence in the braking zones and started braking much earlier, worried that I would start to overdrive the tires yet again.

I'm not sure I'd recommend these as a dedicated track tire anymore, given this. However, if I was in a situation where I was forced to have 1 set of tires to do double duty for BOTH street & track, these would probably still remain at the top of my list. Their street manners are absolutely amazing for a 200TW in regards to comfort, "fun to drive-ness", and quietness.

@67GTA I think I remember you tested these out at Buttonwillow. Do you have any comments on how they were that differ from my experience? Perhaps I might be overdriving them, as that was not their intended design. Or perhaps I may be underpressured. I'm also undercambered at -2.6, I'll be dialing them up to -3.2 later next week.

 

[trackdao]

Some updates on my second track day with the Continental ExtremeContact Force. I took them to Sonoma, and I think my opinions on them have changed. Compared to my PB, I was roughly 2 seconds off pace (best that day was 1:56 vs PB of 1:54 with NT01's). The tire has noticeably less grip than the NT01's, which I initially forgave since the steering feel was leagues better than the Nitto's and the ECF seemed to handle heat well at Thunderhill 5 mile the weekend before. While I was there, the only real complaint I had with them was that the tires did not like to be as "overdriven" as the NT01's; the breakaway characteristics, while still very manageable, weren't quite as friendly as the Nitto's.

However, Sonoma, being a more technical track, was not quite as forgiving to the ECF's. Keeping my hot tire PSI's around 33-34 with peak temps that day around 67-70F, I noticed that after 3-4 hard laps, the tires began to fall off quite a lot faster than the NT01's would have as they started to heat soak. Interestingly enough, while they still had decent lateral grip, their longitudinal grip fell off noticeably more in comparison, something I found out with a near brown pants moment at T11 when ABS kicked in. Dialing it back in the next sessions and driving around 8.5/10 pace, the tires were much happier, but my lap times fell down to 1:58-1:59 pace. After that incident, I also had much less confidence in the braking zones and started braking much earlier, worried that I would start to overdrive the tires yet again.

I'm not sure I'd recommend these as a dedicated track tire anymore, given this. However, if I was in a situation where I was forced to have 1 set of tires to do double duty for BOTH street & track, these would probably still remain at the top of my list. Their street manners are absolutely amazing for a 200TW in regards to comfort, "fun to drive-ness", and quietness.

@67GTA I think I remember you tested these out at Buttonwillow. Do you have any comments on how they were that differ from my experience? Perhaps I might be overdriving them, as that was not their intended design. Or perhaps I may be underpressured. I'm also undercambered at -2.6, I'll be dialing them up to -3.2 later next week.

Good analysis, I'm interested in the Buttonwillow feedbacks of this tire vs others in the 100-200TW range. I'm at -3.0 front camber, -2.4 rear, running PSC2 305 square for now on my PP2.

 

[67GTA]

Some updates on my second track day with the Continental ExtremeContact Force. I took them to Sonoma, and I think my opinions on them have changed. Compared to my PB, I was roughly 2 seconds off pace (best that day was 1:56 vs PB of 1:54 with NT01's). The tire has noticeably less grip than the NT01's, which I initially forgave since the steering feel was leagues better than the Nitto's and the ECF seemed to handle heat well at Thunderhill 5 mile the weekend before. While I was there, the only real complaint I had with them was that the tires did not like to be as "overdriven" as the NT01's; the breakaway characteristics, while still very manageable, weren't quite as friendly as the Nitto's.

However, Sonoma, being a more technical track, was not quite as forgiving to the ECF's. Keeping my hot tire PSI's around 33-34 with peak temps that day around 67-70F, I noticed that after 3-4 hard laps, the tires began to fall off quite a lot faster than the NT01's would have as they started to heat soak. Interestingly enough, while they still had decent lateral grip, their longitudinal grip fell off noticeably more in comparison, something I found out with a near brown pants moment at T11 when ABS kicked in. Dialing it back in the next sessions and driving around 8.5/10 pace, the tires were much happier, but my lap times fell down to 1:58-1:59 pace. After that incident, I also had much less confidence in the braking zones and started braking much earlier, worried that I would start to overdrive the tires yet again.

I'm not sure I'd recommend these as a dedicated track tire anymore, given this. However, if I was in a situation where I was forced to have 1 set of tires to do double duty for BOTH street & track, these would probably still remain at the top of my list. Their street manners are absolutely amazing for a 200TW in regards to comfort, "fun to drive-ness", and quietness.

@67GTA I think I remember you tested these out at Buttonwillow. Do you have any comments on how they were that differ from my experience? Perhaps I might be overdriving them, as that was not their intended design. Or perhaps I may be underpressured. I'm also undercambered at -2.6, I'll be dialing them up to -3.2 later next week.

I’ve run them at Buttonwillow in the extreme heat, and again at AutoClub Speedway I’m wary October. Both tracks were about 2 seconds off pace with the BFG Rival S 1.5. I didn’t experience the same fall off on lateral grip - running at 36 hot, which could perhaps make a difference. Now that they’ve been out for a bit, I wonder if the Track Day Tire guys have some guidance on pressures. There wasn’t much available when I tried these out last year.

 

[biggsy]

I’ve run them at Buttonwillow in the extreme heat, and again at AutoClub Speedway I’m wary October. Both tracks were about 2 seconds off pace with the BFG Rival S 1.5. I didn’t experience the same fall off on lateral grip - running at 36 hot, which could perhaps make a difference. Now that they’ve been out for a bit, I wonder if the Track Day Tire guys have some guidance on pressures. There wasn’t much available when I tried these out last year.

Don't mean to go off topic but what do you think about the BFGs? As far as a lapping tire goes and not chasing trophies

 

[67GTA]

Don't mean to go off topic but what do you think about the BFGs? As far as a lapping tire goes and not chasing trophies

Great tire. Stays consistent for longer sessions, and pace is really good. A052’s are faster but won’t last as long during a session and not nearly as many heat cycles.

 

[SlowstangGT]

I’ve run them at Buttonwillow in the extreme heat, and again at AutoClub Speedway I’m wary October. Both tracks were about 2 seconds off pace with the BFG Rival S 1.5. I didn’t experience the same fall off on lateral grip - running at 36 hot, which could perhaps make a difference. Now that they’ve been out for a bit, I wonder if the Track Day Tire guys have some guidance on pressures. There wasn’t much available when I tried these out last year.

Lateral grip was mostly fine; it was more longitudinal grip under braking. I'm wondering if the pressures have a lot to do with it, or if I'm simply expecting too much from a 200tw endurance tire comparing it to an NT01

As for PSI, they said 28-32 lbs depending on weight. I assumed 33-34 as we're a little heavier than those BMWs referenced in the videos running 28. Perhaps we need a bit more pressure.

FWIW, i'm running 295/30r19, and I think you're running 315/30r18. Not sure if that makes a significant enough difference

Source for PSI:

 

[SlowstangGT]

Great tire. Stays consistent for longer sessions, and pace is really good. A052’s are faster but won’t last as long during a session and not nearly as many heat cycles.

Funny you bring up A052, I had a buddy go off track with those that weekend. They get real sketchy after the 2nd or 3rd hot lap or so

 

[SlowstangGT]

Good analysis, I'm interested in the Buttonwillow feedbacks of this tire vs others in the 100-200TW range. I'm at -3.0 front camber, -2.4 rear, running PSC2 305 square for now on my PP2.

How's the wear with -3.0?

 

[Bill Pemberton]

I would say that going from 295 to 315 would make some difference. Theoretically with rubber down on the ground, there is less work for each tire to do, hence heat buildup should be more even. Forget theory, one item that is very self evident when you have 40-60 Mustangs running at the same track on the same day, the guys with the fastest times per Class also seem to all be running the widest tires. Observation over the last 11 years at the Mustang Roundup in Hastings, Nebraska.

www.racemph.com to check it out for this coming September. Timed runs, parties, Ford Engineer Tech talks, trophies and more, but honestly, to me, the best thing about the event is you can see for yourself what is working right now, because almost every year there is some small change that helps folks go faster.