Road Racing - Dual purpose, street/track tires?

My car is a weekend toy that I'm building for track days/HPDEs. I've been looking for "dual purpose" tires I can use on both the street and the track. Most of my research has focused on the Nitto NT-05 and NT-01 tires, as well as similar tires from other manufacturers (Toyo RA1s, etc.)

The general consensus seems to be that the NT-05s aren't suitable for track use - they get greasy after a couple of laps. The NT-01s have good reviews, but I'm a bit concerned about tire wear since my car spends a decent amount of time on the street. I realize there's usually a tradeoff between grip/traction and tread wear, but are there any tires out there that perform well on the track but aren't completely shot after several events?

I know quite a few C6Z guys that track there cars on NT-05's and really like them (they've also ran DOT-R Hoosier tires before too). I have no experience on them. NT-01's are great. I think I got close to 15k miles on them with a lot of canyons and a couple track days, I think most people say they get 10-12 though.

Also look at Falken Azenis RT-615s...more expensive then NT-05s last I checked and get more greasy on track than Nitto's.

While I agree with Chris on a lot of things and I know he has a lot of experience, I kind of have to disagree with him on tire selection here.

The NT-05's heat cycle out quite quickly and then are dead on the track. Period. The Falken Azenis RT-615 are the same way.. They heat cycle out on the track quickly and they don't ever seem to come back to life.

My choice for dual purpose street/track tire selection is either NT-01's or Toyo RA-1. Both last quite a while on both the track and street. They deal with heat quite well and they dont heat cycle out like the 05's or the 615's will. They will also last right down to the cord's without giving up grip.

I personally run NT-01's right now and will be switching over to RA-1's when they finally give up the ghost. Right now I think I have something like 7k street miles on them and somewhere around 350 track miles and there is still plenty of life left in them.

I personally run NT-01's right now and will be switching over to RA-1's when they finally give up the ghost. Right now I think I have something like 7k street miles on them and somewhere around 350 track miles and there is still plenty of life left in them.

Any reason for the switch? I know the RA1s have more tread than the NT-01s, but I've heard that they're less "grippy" than the NT-01s.

They are actually the same tread compound from what I understand. Nitto and Toyo are owned by the same company.. They use the same rubber, but overall construction of the tires are different.

Im switching mainly just to try something different. When you run the tread depth down a bit, they actually are just as quick as the NT-01's, but they last a little bit longer. Its a give and take.

I've never driven on the NT-05's, just know people who have.

I endorse the NT-01s ;)

I've never driven on the NT-05's, just know people who have.

I endorse the NT-01s ;)
And I can agree with that!

I rode with an Instructor at Streets of Willow in his 04 Cobra.. He was on NT-05's.. They still had loads of tread, but it was like driving on ice. They had just been heat cycled to the point where they literally had no grip left in them. It was a fun ride though.. Nothing like drifting through the bowl and the esses at crazy speeds.

I was at Willow Springs this past Sunday. Im running Kumho Ecsta's and they grip really well. Also great for daily use. This is my daily driver so I do drive a lot. Seem to be holding up great.

I have tried three different types of Semi slicks. Starting off first with Nitto 555RII, I ran this tire for 3 years straight going through 28 tires in all. It was a definitive improvement over the AVS intermediates I was running.

Next I went to the TOYO RA1 tires because the 555RII were severely on backorder. The grip was slighty less then the 555RII tires but the RA1 tires lasted longer and got better with more miles put on as the grooves wore down. I went through about 20 tires before the tire were not readily available for awhile.

From there I went to the Falken Azenis RT-615s, I expected a little less grip,but what these tires gave up was rediculous. I thought I was on factory Goodyears. I ended up braking earlier so I wouldn't invoke the ABS , driving slower into and through turns so the car wouldn't push.

I will end up going back to the RA1's.

I am running Maxxis 275/40's. Treadwear is 300, and they grip pretty darn good for $100 a pop.

I am running Maxxis 275/40's. Treadwear is 300, and they grip pretty darn good for $100 a pop.

Fatboy,
You will be mildly surprised once you try a set of semi slicks for your driving events.

As long as it's not too cold, Kumho V70A (K90 hard compound) are also a good choice combining grip, a good price and (surprisingly) durability (despite a tread wear rating of only 50). I'm running these since last summer, they have seen several dozen Nurburgring laps and are still looking good.

Fatboy,
You will be mildly surprised once you try a set of semi slicks for your driving events.

I was told by friends with a lot of track experience to stay on street tires a good long while as they will give you warning before they cut loose.

I run Kumho XS on all 4 corners. Work pretty damn good, not an R compound but I only HPDE 1-2 times a year and they work for me.

I've run Kumo mx, falken 615, grand am cup tires, and my favorite true street tire is dunlop direzza star spec

265/40/17 is pretty much identical in width to a 275. Stick like glue, and has good water (not great) shedding properties.

they are a tire rack only tire, around 160 each. I believe they are strting to ship to locals, but limited sizes and quantities.

I've run Kumo mx, falken 615, grand am cup tires, and my favorite true street tire is dunlop direzza star spec

265/40/17 is pretty much identical in width to a 275. Stick like glue, and has good water (not great) shedding properties.

they are a tire rack only tire, around 160 each. I believe they are strting to ship to locals, but limited sizes and quantities.

i've heard good things about the Dunlop Star Specs, but i'm pretty sure the largest size they come in is 17". I'm moving down from the 19's I have now to a set of lightweight 18's.

I use NT05s, haven't had a problem. Then again, I haven't been abusing them quite like you guys do, lap after lap, after lap, after lap, after lap.

I was told by friends with a lot of track experience to stay on street tires a good long while as they will give you warning before they cut loose.
The problem is, if you want to be competitive, then your street tires will ALWAYS be "warning" you to the point of being unwanted. Try some true R-compound tires some time.

I was at Willow Springs this past Sunday. Im running Kumho Ecsta's and they grip really well. Also great for daily use. This is my daily driver so I do drive a lot. Seem to be holding up great.
I've heard the sidewalls are pretty soft, but that they are otherwise pretty good tires (just below NT-05 in pre-warmed grip). True/false?

Have you looked into the Bridgestone RE-11? Different car, but a friend just installed them on his 911 as a street/track day tire and can't stop raving about how good they are.

http://www.bridgestonetire.com/productdetails/QuickSearch/Potenza_RE-11

Feff

Back when Johnny Hunkins was writing for GM High Tech Performance magazine, he had Nitto NT555RIIs on his yellow Formula and used them full-time in rain, even the occasional snow, and for track use.

He was at Pocono for a track day w/ them and they were impressive in the corners. I was on BFG R1A DOT slicks and he was on my bumper even in the hairpin. I'd say these are good stuff.