Tire Wear: Toyo R888s/Track Use ONLY

[CarreraS]

OK, four days on new Toyo R888s...one day at T-bolt and three days at the Glen.

The fronts are almost completely shot and the wear is on the OUTSIDE of BOTH front tires.  The inside treads look like they have a lot of life left, the outside treads look like racing slicks.

I was running at 36 HOT all the way around for all 4 track days.  What did I do wrong?  Is my alignment probably off?

Car/Run Group:    2006 997S/White Run Group

Tires:                    235/40/ZR18s and 295/30/ZR18s

I'd like to think I could get more than 4 track days out of a set of tires.

[Larry Herman]

Your hot pressures are ok, maybe a little low.  Your Toyos should last  more than 3 times that long.  You definitely need a track alignment with at least -2 degrees camber on the fronts (-2.5 to -3 is preferred), and between -1.5 & -2 on the rear. 

[michael lang]

I also have R888s on my car which only have 3 days on them, I usually end up somewhere in the 38-40psi range in the front and about 44 psi in the rear. by the end of the session, the car feels very, very planted. my alignment specs are -1.9 camber in the front and -2.5 camber in the rear,  I can't remember what the caster and toe measurements are right now. my car's corner balance is 48%...left side 51%...right side. interestingly enough, the tires consistenly had within about 7-8 psi increase no matter which session (read that as time of day) I was driving in. one thing that I know that I must get is a pyrometer so I can get more accurate temperature measurements on how hard the tires are working. my tires after 3 days of absolute flogging look very good with even wear across the tread pattern. last season my car did have an alignment issue but more importantly it had a balance issue to the point where a perfectly good right front tire was destroyed in 2 track days. I don't know this for sure with your car but my guess would be that the issue with your car maybe in the balance of the car. I would suggest getting the car to a shop that has scales so a corner balance can be performed and then the ride height and alignment can be done at the same time.  you will be amazed at how wonderful a balanced and aligned car really is.


 

[Jack Ruse]

I run R888's on my GT3 and I get 9 to 11 Track days on the rear tires and 18 to 20 on the front tires running in white. A track alignment is needed but the following will also help.
At about half life for both the front and back tires I have the tires dismounted and reversed. The outside of the rear right tire becomes the inside of the now left rear tire. This gets me significant additional tread life.
Jack

[JimWirt]

Dave just slow down. The tires will last a lot longer!

[betegh9]

Dave, you drive just fine....... don't listen to Jim.  Larry is right.  As you progress into higher run groups driving faster, you load the car more and more in the turns, thus wearing the outside edges.  The ideal camber set up is when you have even wear accross the tire through its life.  When the car leans in a turn, you want the outside tires of the car square or perpendicular to the pavement.  Professional race teams change camber depending on the track they drive.