GEJL

Has anyone used part-worn tyres or 'cheapo' brand tyres for track days? I've got a spare set of 16" wheels, and am looking for some cheap ways of burning rubber at track days. In other words, I don't want to spend £350+ on reasonable rubber just to trash it.

So if anyone can recommend cheap brands, or know how much I should expect to pay for part-worns, let me know...

I'm looking for standard 205/50 16s. Either V or Z rated. I'd be hoping for around £50 for cheapo brand new tyres, or £25 for reasonable brand part-worns. Am I being unrealistic?

alistair

The tread blocks themselves flex, so I would guess part worns would be better.

Given that lots of people must be like me - replace all 4 even when there's plenty of tread left on one pair - somewhere like Tyres Northampton must have loads of part worns.

GEJL

If anyone's interested, I've being doing a spot of surfing, and it looks like you can get new V rated tyres in this size for £50-£60 incl. VAT. Marshalls is one make I've seen; Fulda Extremo were advertised for around £65.

Anyone got any comments on the price to expect for part-worns, though?

Dark

iTrader: (1)

The OEM Bridgestone RE010's are excellent on track when worn down to approx 1-2mm. They are very progressive and the continued wear rate is quite low.

Well worth buying a spare set of wheels & tyres from somebody who has upgraded to 17".

Mark

Stef

I would always say that prt-worns are best for track use.
As someone has said, Tyres Northampton usually have several in stock.

Stef.

GEJL

The set of wheels I've got have RE010s with about 3-4mm of tread left anwyay - so they'll be fine for the first (maybe second?) track day of the year... I'm just planning ahead!

Dark

iTrader: (1)

Unless you drive like a complete animal or are called Stef they will last at least 3-4 track days.

Just pray it doesn't rain.

Mark

GEJL

Or pray it does?

SUNDAY DRIVER

This is not a joke guys but I run my hard driven MY96 WRX on 16" NANKANG SPORT NS-1 tyres.They are V-rated and Directional.To be honest I find them as fine in both wet and dry-as good as the last set which were Bridgestones as factory fitted on a UK MY98 car-I dont know the exact type.The Bridgestones had to be replaced after 8000miles.
The NANKANGS cost £35 a corner fitted and balanced.
Feel free to tell me if i'm talking sh1te,but I would probably fit them again.
SD.

TURBO7379

You would be better buying 2/h slicks . They will give you MILES more grip and are more predictable than any road tyre - just make sure you warm them up first . There are plenty out there as 16" is a popular size in rallying and not too expensive . I bought 4 16" michelin slicks not even half worn for £40 each - not bad when they are £160 each new .
The closest size to a 205/50/16 road tyre is a 20/61-16 slick .

druddle

Be careful using slicks on road cars. Because of the amount of grip they give, normal road car parts will struggle with them.

Due to the grip, you will be putting alot more stress on things like wheel bearings, suspension bushes, and brake discs/pads. You could end up having to sweep up your car into a dustpan at the end of a hard track session !!!

TURBO7379

Druddle ,
I have raced a pug 309GTI stock car for 5 hard seasons on slicks . The car is completely standard apart from the usual safety mods . I have never had to replace any suspension/brake components due to wear and the car gets a lot more more abuse than you would at any track day . Remember this is a pug , not the best wearing of cars , so a scooby should have no problems .
PS If you're driving hard enough to damage suspension components the slicks would have melted long before this happens - unless you're riding the kerbs touring car style .

Type R

I have used slicks on my Civic Type R road car for 4 track days, and recently had the car checked. No problems.

The one thing you will notice is your brakes, when using slicks you can throw more speed into to the corners, therefore brake a lot later and harder. Brake upgrade is essential on most cars.

I uprated to race pads and slightly higher spec disk which works really well. I spoke to a guy who races Integras and he said i should uprate the shocks/spings to get the full benefits.

On the plus side i paid £30 a corner and have done 4 track days and not mashed my road tyres. Good value for money!!!

jon hill

yep - i bought a set of part worn (read: shagged) slicks at 25 quid a corner. Done a couple of track days with no problems.

I found the biggest problem with standard tyres (even part worns) is the tread blocks "wrapping around" the tyre especially on the front off side - this is on a fwd integra type-r, so both drive and cornering are going through the same tyre. No tread blocks on the slicks, so less wear.

They are definatly grippier than road tyres, but the fact that they are a bit knackered means that they still slide around at realistic speeds (which is nice...

So - best bet for cost, wear and being kind to the car is a set of knackered slicks. And then it rains

TRIGGER

I just got a set of part worn slicks after agonising abt what tyres to destroy on track. I definitely made the right decision (thanks again Stuart), as the grip is fantastic. I didnt push the car as hard as some nutters on road tyres were, as I was nervous abt the potential damage, but the car has been checked and no problems found so I will push it harder next time. Trouble is it does show up the failings of other things like brakes and suspension !! If I could afford it I would now upgrade those bits.

dela

Flame me down if I'm wrong, but if it rains surely you will be OK using your road tyres?

You won't be wearing them down anywhere near as much as if you were using them on a dry track.

Any suggestions for places to find sh@gged slicks from..?

cheers,
dela

jon hill

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>Originally posted by dela:
<B>Flame me down if I'm wrong, but if it rains surely you will be OK using your road tyres?

Any suggestions for places to find sh@gged slicks from..?

[/quote]

yep - spot on. changing wheels is a pain though, so you dont want to be messing around too much.

I got my slicks from a bunch that race integras (which is what i've got) in group n saloons. So maybe the best bet is to try and find someone who races scoobies, or talk to one of the suspension shops ?

jon

SUNDAY DRIVER

Guys,
Try the back pages of MOTORING NEWS for 2nd hand slicks-theres loads of em
SD

Hoppy

Motoring News has changed to MotorSPORT News. Same thing.

Richard