Which tyres for the Ring?

[Luke335]

I've been to the Nurburgring before with my standard tyres, but was wondering what people think is the best tyre for the job. I'm toying with the idea of a second set of wheels anyway with r888's or khumo's, but I don't know how well they would heat up at the ring. Would anyone bother?

Another option would be a set of hankook rs2's as they are pretty cheap compared to PE2's and I wouldn't mind wearing them out on a trackday or on the road. I believe they are less likely to roll onto the sidewalls than the PE2's and could be used whatever the weather.

Any opinions welcome.

Thanks,
Luke.

 

[DMC]

Bear in mind at Der Ring it can be Sunny & dry at the start and pissing with rain round the back of the circuit.

So i would go with a good all rounder.... Give Steve at Simply Tyres a ring he's very knowledgeable about such things

 

[Luke335]

Thanks for the tip. Never used them before.

Last time I went to the ring I had worn michelins from Spa the day before and dying brakes. Not a great combination in the wet.

 

[DMC]

Apart from Monza i'd say the Ring is the hardest place on cars, each lap is like a 10 lap race at another circuit!!

Do they make Michelin Pilot Sport Cups for the Trophy ?
or what about the Pirelli Corsa System ?

I know they make Toyo T1-R , how about them ? should be cheap enough ?

 

[George K]

The best solution would be a hard track tyre - need advice on pressures from the suppliers.

The RS2 should be the best alternative - road compound and track construction - run 2-4 lbs softer than PE2.

T1R's are just too soggy.

 

[Ajr]

you need a track compound tyre or they will overheat. depends how quick you are around there, how hard on the car you are and what the weather's like i guess. someone on their first trip should have no probs with road tyres doing one or two laps at a time.

 

[Luke335]

Thanks guys. To be honest I don't think I'll be going crazy, but every time I put new PE2's on the car I wear the edges out straight away (already at -2 degrees camber). As I'm just about to fit 4 new ones I'm reluctant to ruin them in one weekend! Just trying to figure out the best alternative. If only I could predict the weather....

 

[Matt X2C]

888's are perfect!

If its dry they are great, if its wet at the Ring, don't go out...its a waste of money! And they don't get a chance to overheat in 1 lap!

Why is monza so hard on the brakes? Its one of the straightest circuits there are, lots of high speed braking zones obviously, but the brakes get massive time to cool in between each big braking zone. I would have thought the ring would be 10 times worse, lots of fast braking zones, lots of steep downhillbraking zones and rarely much gap between corners! (mainly on the 2nd section)

 

[Luke335]

Cheers, that's good to hear. I was concerned about getting them up to temperature, not overheating them.
I'll be going out whatever the weather though. It's too far to travel not to! Also it's quiet when it's wet and there are no bikes.

 

[OliS]

I've just fitted a set of Yokohama Parada Spec 2 for my trip to the 'Ring in September. IMO they are a much better track tyre than the PE2, more outright grip and less side wall flex. They are road tyres rather than specific track day tyres and can therefore be used all year round...however they are rather sketchy in the wet and the last set only lasted for 8,000 miles, swapping fronts to rear at about 5,000 miles.

 

[Luke335]

OliS,
When are you going? I'm going the weekend of the 13th September.

I guess the parada's are a similar theory to the Hankook's I mentioned, although I think they are supposed to be pretty decent in the wet.

 

[OliS]

I'm going out mid-week this trip, from 2nd until 4th September.

The Yoko's are also supposed to be pretty good in the wet...but experience tells me otherwise! It's not that they are dangerous, but compared to the PE2 they are a long way off in terms of wet weather performance.

 

[Luke335]

Ahh, I see.

Midweek definately sounds like a good plan. Enjoy your trip.

 

[OliS]

Likewise, hope you enjoy your time out there

Have you made a decision on which tyres to go for?

 

[Luke335]

Thanks.
I've not sorted anything yet. As I need 4 new tyres, I'm considering just putting some Hankook R-S2's on my original rims. That's the cheap option. Ideally I would buy 4 15" alloys and a set of R888's, but that's roughly the same price as 4 days on track in Spain on my bike (including flights and accomodation)!