Time for New TYRES.

[milesofsmiles]

My findings and couple of questions for your wise heads.

I was last looking for tyres just as legislation changed and I bought NS2R's for my Elise instead of the recently realeased AD08RS's which were an unknown quantity at the time of being relatively new. Thos tyres now need re[placed.

I struggled to find variety, because of the 16" front wheel. As most sticky tyres seem to miss the 16" size and new rubber such asthe AD09,  starts at 17". 

So what are my (our) options... on a modified S3 2zr Elise which spends most of its time on the road being driven spiritedly for fun, but has track ready tyres for grip and feel and the odd track day.

888rs are a go to - good track ok road, poor wet
ZZR’s are the same as above.  A popular tyre and apparently very good in the dry and on track
AD08 was the go to tyre for our cars after the AD07 was superseded by it. But the new AD08RS - is not as sticky as it would have been as European legislation made it a harder compound, so I read many conflicting results.  Either peeps are happy with it as a road tyre, but others with sticky road tyre experience dislike it. Say it doesn’t stick.  So it’s seems its not bad, just not the sticky successor it should be to the 08, now its the '08RS'.
ADO52’s are apparently great. But their softness means they wear out quickly. Their soft side wall is good on our light cars, but new they only have 7mm tread to begin with. So no good for 5k+ miles a year me.

The last non-CUP production cars had standard fit 701 Yokohamas which are a fast road tyre, so will give the best road ride but will be poorer on track. Possibly just behind the AD08RS.  So as a road tyre if the car is not pushed, it’s a great choice. But spirited driving and above, it’s a poor choice. From what I can ascertain.

AR01’s are a popular track tyre of choice for many.  It seems very well liked for performance and price.  But not a tyre for a damp road… which is where the NS2R comes in. Nanking's second tier offering. It has the stiff carcus of a track tyre but reports say it has the best wet weather of this type of 200 wear rate tyre.  It’s also the cheapest and has great reviews.  Stable and able to heat up quickly on track and is used as is the AR1 in many track disciplines.

So with our limited choice, as we have a 16” front wheel, the NS2R’s are what I went with last time.

There is a new Nanking model coming out in 2023 called the CR1, but not for a month or more. Although I haven’t found any info to help me compare to the AR1 and NS2r.  As some blurb on it places it in the middle of the two, where as some seems to talk about it improving on the AR1. Also Yokohama have a new AD09 coming out. But current legislation, because both tyres are sticky, are not sold in 16” sizes in Europe (which apparently still includes us).  So unless you have a 17" wheel, neither are an option.

So with a road/track balance thats my tyre choice exhausted. As far as I can find.

The 200 wear rate tyres sharpness is wanted.  Especially with my stiffened suspension.  But I realise the NS2R is heavy and less comfortable due to the stiffer construction.  So it’s always a a trade off.

I’ve run NS2R’s for over a year and when they are cold they are crashy and really not nice, but after a few minutes they do work better. Then when pushing on they work with the suspension to be predictable and precise beyond the limits of a pure road tyre. Certainly good enough for my level. I've used 205/45r26 and 225/45r17.

What have I missed?  Is there a gem I'm unaware of?  Why do you rate the tyre you use?  And lastly...  Where do you buy, buy/have fitted, your tyres? (Im in outer  London area).

Educated me if you have a pearls of wisdom...