Quote:
Originally Posted by Maynard
If you are fairly new intermediate, probably best to stay with street tires. They are a lot easier to learn on, worth the extra cost at least to me.
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I'm running the Hankook RS4, and went at this a bit differently. I am only running a 225 width on these (square). Not the more common 245 or wider that many people run. Before I bought them, I asked several advanced/instructor drivers for input. They advised that a narrower width would teach me better skills, and frankly I think they were right. With the weight and power of these cars, and a narrowish 225 width, I am definitely traction limited. Especially accelerating out of a corner.
The 225 is also CHEAPER (notice a theme?) than the 245, and the narrower rims were less too. And, smaller/narrower means LIGHTER, and that's always good. (Also why I run 17".)
If you don't go for a wide super-sticky version, I would also argue that an endurance/HPDE oriented tire like the RS4 is better to learn on than a street tire. First, they have a much stiffer sidewall. This makes them more predictable, and better steering than even a high performance tire like a PS4S on the track. And an endurance tire will be way more consistent than a street tire, with less 'greasiness' as they heat up.
Your point about auto-x or time trial oriented tires, like the (no longer available) Bridgestone RE71 is valid. They can have a lot variability as they heat up. But not all 'track' tires are like that.
Also a street tire will wear incredibly fast, to the point you could eat a set up in a weekend. Especially with newbie understeer/scrubbing. Keeping costs down means more money for track time, which will lead to more and faster learning. I figure my RS4 are lasting at least 4-5x what a street tire would, and that's easily the price of 2-3 track weekends.
Another reason I originally went narrow was to keep the car in the 'F Street' class for auto-x. Ended up not doing much auto-x, but all the other reasons made the 225 RS4 the best choice for me.