Options other than Hoosier?

[Mark Fox]

At Pocono Terry (3 flat tire GT-3 Terry) mentioned several months ago a tire comparison was done with some new track tires and hoosier wasn't near the top of the results. What are some of the new options and has anyone run on them?

A similar performing tire to the hoosiers at a better price would be nice enough for DE. RA-1 are not an option.  I have heard the Hankook is suppose to be nice.

[bobt993]

BFG R1's,  MPSC's for DE's (much longer life than R6s),  BFG tire sizes are limited, but seem to have alot more heat cycles in them.  Tom won his GT3S race on them at NASA and set a lap record doing so.   IMHO for DE's unless you are specifically practicing for an upcoming clubrace, use the MPSC's, Toyos, or Nittos.

[Darren]

What car & sizes Mark?

[Sechsgang]

I have heard alot of good things about the bfg-r1s...may try em...alot cheaper than the hoosiers...

[Darren]

The problem is that they don't have good sizes for most of us in R1's

[Mark Fox]

225/50 16" and 245/45 16" I have tried the Toyo's and don't like them on the 951S, heavy and slow response.  The Hoosiers are great and I get decent longevity , but my scrub supplier hasn't had anything for a while and I'm looking at alternatives to droping $ 800.00 for a another new set.

[Darren]

Awesome, then you CAN use the R1's, since they have your sizes.  That would be my choice for sure, I've only heard (also seen) good things about them, and not 1 negative comment.

[steveh]

The track tire comparison was in a recent issue of Grassroots Motorsports, I think from June or July of this year (I have it around here somewhere).  There was also a follow-up comparison of many of the same tires for auto-x use in the September issue.

I'm running a set of Hankook Z211's, purchased at close-out (cheap ) because the model has been discontinued, in 225/50/16 all around, no 245/45's available.  The 211 is an R-comp similar to the Toyo RA-1 and the MPSC's, with a shallow tread pattern suitable for light rain use.  I'm happy with their performance so far -- good grip, progressive breakaway, consistent hot temps and pressures, good wear -- and assume the other Hankook R-comps, including a "slick" version that resembles the Hoosiers, would perform similarly and be priced a little better than the Hoosiers and MPSC's.

And no, I don't work for Hankook....

[Darren]

I agree with you, they are good tires, a little grippier than the Toyos, and they were a great buy at the close-out prices.  The new Hankooks are supposed to be a bit better, I'd like to try them out but haven't had the opportunity yet. 

To some degree the tires you like depend on your driving style, the Toyos really like to slide around in my experience, and to be fast on them you have to drive at fairly high slip angles.

If I were buying tires right now, I'd look at R1 first, and the new Hankook second.

That said I picked up a SET of Hoosier wets on Rennlist for $325

[Brian Minkin]

I ran the Hankook equivalent of the Hoosier R6 last year.  They last a bit longer as far as heat cycles but they do get slippery towards the end of their life.  However even when brand new they do not stick like Hoosier's. Probably a 2 or 3 second lap difference at the Glen or Summit.  Now for me its a whole new ball game with the new car as I am running 18's and went into price shock when I visited Tire Rack's web site last night. At least I have two sets of track wheels now so I can heat cycle tires. Now I just need to train a pit crew to change wheels for me.