Track tyres for 17" rims

[Ben Savill]

Hi guys,

Just been trying to source a set of 17" road legal stickies to replace the very worn MPSC's I had. Apparently Michelin have stopped making the MPSCs in 17" now which is a real shame. Had to go with Toyo 888's as a short term solution - they perform okay but not as progressive as the MPSC's, road noise is awful - but would like advice from others as to what they are running.

I could go down the 18" route but that means buying set of rims etc. Just wondered if anyone had any experience with Dunlop's or alike.

Thanks,

Ben.

 

[Jamie Summers]

Hi Ben,
It seems that few of the premium brands still do a track tyre in 17". You have Yoko and Dunlop who do still, but they are crazy money, which I struggle to justify, though they are meant to perform well. R888 has been the default choice for most people for the last few years. I was hoping with the advent of the R888R, that the price of the R888 would come down, though there's no evidence of this yet. I've used R888 on my 968 CS, 964 RS and my Clio race-car. In all cases the grip is good, but they can go off really badly if really pushed - less of a problem on a trackday, but not ideal for racing. Unsurprisingly they are better on a lighter car.
This leaves a number of the smaller brands who provide a 17" track tyre option. Avon, Hankook, Federal, Kumho and Nankang, for instance. I am currently using Nankang NS2-Rs on my 968 CS, but have not yet had them on a good warm, dry, day, so they have not yet been pushed really hard. I haven't tried them on the 964 RS so can't comment on how they work on a 911 I'm afraid. These are definitely a cheap option, but one I thought was worth the experiment. The most promising of these cheaper options looks like the Federal FZ201, which has a tread pattern quite like the Dunlop DZ03, so much more like a cut slick than a modified road tread pattern (as some of the other cheapies). I plan to try these next, but given the infrequency of my track outings in recent times, that could be a long way away !

Jamie

 

[mcgc0]

The most promising of these cheaper options looks like the Federal FZ201...

Interesting read. Has got me thinking now...
http://www.pistonheads.com/Gassing/topic.asp?h=0&t=1037368&mid=0&nmt=Federal+FZ-201+Tyres+Road+legal+or+not%3F++for+the+Ring.+

The Nankang's when checking cost I could only see as 235 max width for the 17" not 255.

 

[Jamie Summers]

Must try harder !

http://www.tyreleader.co.uk/car-tyres/nankang/ns-2r/255-40-zr17-98w-262134

FZ201s are MSA list 1b tyres, so road legal AFAIK.

Jamie

 

[mcgc0]

Ta da.. thanks Jamie. Of course TyreLeader... at that price I can see why the boss of Blackcircles sold out for £40m

 

[Ben Savill]

Quick update.

Put 1,000 miles on my new 888's last week - 700 road miles there and back, and just over 300 on circuit over the 2 days. Jamie what you were saying about the tyres giving up the ghost when pushed was absolutely right - they were squealing for mercy and going all buttery. Was running 30 all round hot, which seemed to work quite well in the 25 deg, sunny conditions over the two days. I'd forgotten how good these tyres were but still rate the MPSC as a better tyre when comparing fresh to fresh.

All in all not worth the expense of buying a set of 18" rims just to get a set of MPSC's. Any further updates / thoughts greatly appreciated as the track day season continues.

Thanks,

Ben.

 

[Steve Brookes]

I've stuck with the 888 ever since I first used them. I probably don't push them as hard as you or Jamie, hence it's me that goes all soft before the tyres! [] I'm currently trying to preserve my current set so that I don't have to buy new ones before the 888-R arrives. As I'm keen to try those. My experience with the old MPSCs when you could still get them in 17s, is that they were slightly better in the dry but much worse in the wet.

 

[Jamie Summers]

ORIGINAL: Ben Savill

Quick update.

Put 1,000 miles on my new 888's last week - 700 road miles there and back, and just over 300 on circuit over the 2 days. Jamie what you were saying about the tyres giving up the ghost when pushed was absolutely right - they were squealing for mercy and going all buttery. Was running 30 all round hot, which seemed to work quite well in the 25 deg, sunny conditions over the two days. I'd forgotten how good these tyres were but still rate the MPSC as a better tyre when comparing fresh to fresh.

All in all not worth the expense of buying a set of 18" rims just to get a set of MPSC's. Any further updates / thoughts greatly appreciated as the track day season continues.

Thanks,

Ben.

A bit too late in this case, but Oponeo seem to have a very good price on 17" R888s right now - £570 delivered, which is as cheap as I have ever known them. I always tended to run mine 29 front 31 rear to acknowledge the rear weight bias, though there's clearly not much in it versus 30 all round ! As you will have discovered, after they've gone to mush, if you give them a rest, they seem to recover pretty well. The tactic is shorter stints, but more of them !
It was interesting doing a 45 minute race on the R888s, after the initial "mush" stage they didn't tend to deteriorate much further, so a full race was possible, but that was in an 850kg car !

Jamie

 

[Ben Savill]

ORIGINAL: Steve Brookes

I've stuck with the 888 ever since I first used them. I probably don't push them as hard as you or Jamie, hence it's me that goes all soft before the tyres! []

Got to get my miles in when I can Steve. Plus the conditions just couldn't have been bettered. Using the new tyres made me realise just how worn /old the MPSC's were.

I'm currently trying to preserve my current set so that I don't have to buy new ones before the 888-R arrives. As I'm keen to try those. My experience with the old MPSCs when you could still get them in 17s, is that they were slightly better in the dry but much worse in the wet.

Jacking the pressures up on the MPSC's in the wet helps. Actually didn't find them too bad in the wet. Perhaps that's a mental thing as you are treading very carefully teetering on the brink of grip all the time while the 888's inspire a bit more confidence and then break. Who knows.

All I do know is I had a lot of fun and some good pace out of Radillon, Pouhon and Blanchimont 2 last week.

 

[Ben Savill]

ORIGINAL: Jamie Summers

A bit too late in this case, but Oponeo seem to have a very good price on 17" R888s right now - £570 delivered, which is as cheap as I have ever known them. I always tended to run mine 29 front 31 rear to acknowledge the rear weight bias, though there's clearly not much in it versus 30 all round ! As you will have discovered, after they've gone to mush, if you give them a rest, they seem to recover pretty well. The tactic is shorter stints, but more of them !
It was interesting doing a 45 minute race on the R888s, after the initial "mush" stage they didn't tend to deteriorate much further, so a full race was possible, but that was in an 850kg car !

Jamie

Almost worth buying another set for when the time comes!

When you say "mush", under heavy breaking felt like they had turned to a jelly baby like texture. Car was moving around under braking and could literally feel the rubber being squished out the sides of the rim. I actually gave up trying to manage them in the end as they didn't really seem to get any worse like you say.

 

[oldtimer]

Hi Ben , re MPSCs , Phil Hindley at Tech9 bought up Michelin's remaining stock , suggest you contact him if you want some 17 inchers . Cheers