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G'Day all,

Just after opinions on which is the most 'cost effective' track day tire in the 205/50/15. size.

Over in Perth and currently running Nitto NT01 which are decent but other options just seem to get more expensive. (Not sure if this is jus the Perth tax). Just trying to find the sweet spot for cost/performance.

If there is a thread on this already please push me in that direction.

Thanks

I have just started a thread on the AR-1's (Nankang)
http://mx5cartalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?style=3&f=29&t=74718

However so far the most cost effective track tyre I have used are the AD08R's.

Discussion with much better drivers than me in MX5's also say that 8" rims with 205/50 is the sweet spot.

If you're into serious track day times A08R's aren't r-specs, their still rated as a summer/ performance tyre. Most common r-spec I have seen is the yokohama A050R's or Hankook Ventus TD"s. I currently have Hankook RS3's and they are the equivalent of A08R's and pretty predictable and need 1 track lap to reach track grip levels. A mate has a porche gt3 and dropped 1 second of his best time switching from A050R's to TD's. R-specs are more expensive and not as wet road friendly so any decision is a compromise of track times/$/useability off the track.

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Since you are talking about trackday tyres, I'll assume you want R specs, and have another set of rims/tyres for road work.


NT01s (what you have now) are 99% of the speed of A050s at 50% of the cost. Just over 1 sec difference between them at sub 2min laps of Phillip Island.
The last set of NT01s I bought (in 2015) were $170 each for 205/50/15. The A050s I now use are $340 ea in 205/50/15


Cost effectiveness can be different things.
If you save $1000 on tyres by buying NT01s over A050s, but also spend $3000 on engine work to go 1 sec a lap quicker, then its more cost effective to buy the better tyres instead of doing the engine work.

It's up to you if the laptime advantage of A050s over NT01s is worth double the price. If you are not at the pointy end of the leaderboard nor fighting for race wins, then I'd suggest stick with your NT01s.

Really, only 1 sec between AO50 and NT01's? That is surprising and goes against what others tell me who have used both.

forcedfive wrote:Really, only 1 sec between AO50 and NT01's? That is surprising and goes against what others tell me who have used both.

I was rounding down..

For me, times for PI went from consistent mid 1:52s to consistent low 1:51s.
Sandown went from mid 1:28s to low 1:27s
Winton Long went from low 1:39s to low 1:37s, and Short went from high 1:08s to high 1:06s but both these improvements included a track resurface in that time.

tiw wrote:G'Day all,

Just after opinions on which is the most 'cost effective' track day tire in the 205/50/15. size.

You're on them. It's the NT01.

Not too expensive to buy, decent grip, long wearing, and consistent performance throughout the life of the tyre.

tiw wrote:Just after opinions on which is the most 'cost effective' track day tire in the 205/50/15. size.

AD08R's retail price $211 - since October 2016 (excluding in/out laps)
Eastern Creek GP - 54
QR Sprint - 53
QR Clubman - 20
QR National - 60
Sandown - 25
Lakeside - 46
Morgan Park - Layout B - 8
Morgan Park - Layout D - 6
Morgan Park - Layout E - 41
Morgan Park - Layout F - 15

So 328 laps (excluding in/out laps) and 50% worn so with little or no signs of slowing down... (211 x 50%)/328 = $0.32 per lap per tire

If you picked them up on a 4 for the price of 3 when the deal was on then it works out to $0.24 per lap per tire. Is this cost effective?

For NT01's (retail at $175 each) I have no idea on what the wear would be after doing similar track sessions. However, to be the same value as the AD08R's you would need to get at least between 550 and 725 laps from them...

Big factor is local stock. Tyres have a shelf life (even when stored under ideal conditions) as such the manufacturers who bring them in want to ensure they aren't sitting around as it costs money to store it, money for a person to stock check it every week/month. With exception to the popular AD08R I'd make a suggestion of checking with the smaller brands and seeing what their stock (local) is like.

A brand recently cleared out a "fair" amount of full racing slicks (no grooves) to a small group of retailers who were able to move them on. I was lucky enough to grab some but I'd have to track the tyre soon to get the most out of it. Sadly it was 195 (not 205) but given I'd paid ~100 (maybe a bit just over) I'm not too fussed.

CeramicND wrote:If you're into serious track day times A08R's aren't r-specs, their still rated as a summer/ performance tyre.

Agreed they are not R Specs but they can still manage a 1:39.274 on the Eastern Creek GP layout! For a road tire this is rather 'quick'. Mind you the right car with A050's can do a 1:22.192 on the same track...

Iy would appear 2 new non-r spec tyres are about to hit the Aistralian market. Apparently the Bridgestone RE71R is here, although there is no mention on their website and the Hankook RS4 has already replaced the RS3 in the USA. So for non-r spec users there will be a few more options.

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By all accounts the RE71r looks like a great tyre but It will be special order only with a 4 month wait through Bridgestone Australia.

Rang a bridgestone store and got a price on 215/45/17 RE71R's (sorry guys, forgot to ask about 205/50/15's) they were $259ea and yes, a 4 month wait! Might wait to see what happens with the RS4's. I probably have another 4-6 track days left in my current tyres.

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A050 215/45/17 $461 RRP

AD08R 215/45/17 $275 RRP