Best Track Tire for Sport Rays
 

I will be attending the track day at AMP for Z Nationals and looking for a set of tires for the Sport Rays. I am currently looking at ordering the RE-11's on Tire Rack in 255-35 front and 285-35 rear.

Any suggestions on a better setup using the Sport Rays?

265/35/19 - 305/30/19 RE-11's :stirthepot:

feels lovely on my oem rays :tiphat:

More meatier tires would definitely be beneficial in the grip department. But those sizes seem big for the Rays. I need to bite the bullet and get 18's but that won't happen before Z Nationals or with my funds right now.

It looks like the RE-11's are going to be the best tire I can get. Looking at the Hankook RS-3's and they do not come in the right sizes for 19's.

the sizes i have fit perfectly and look like thats what should be on the car honestly.

grip is tremendous. i threw the Z around the dragon with no problems.....well on the times it was dry. the wet was good grip but had limitations on speed for obvious reasons lol zdayz it rained off and on so dry runs were limited.

I ran this size for 2 years of autocross and track days. It is a good size for beginners because it will increase understeer.but if you want to go for handling you probably want to run as close to square as possible.

also, there are better Street/track tires on the market than the Bridgestone. I would suggest Dunlap dirrezas or BF Goodrich rivals, or toyo r1r's.

again, this is assuming that you want a tire that you can drive on the street to and from the track.if you are not interested in mileage the nitto nt01 will blow any of those tires away.

of course you could always get a set of Hoosier slicks...

let me finish by saying that there is no one perfect or best tire it is always going to be a series of compromises depending on your situation.

I am aware there are much better tires availabe. However I am somewhat limited at the moment using the OEM Rays for the track.

I am looking at possibly getting a set of 18x10 +34 Forgestar F14's so I could run 275 on all 4 corners but then I would want to sell my 19 inch F14's. Not sure I would be able to get the 18's in time though.

I know someone selling 305/30-19s that will fit the sport Rays with a bit of bulge... LOL

Don't think I want to run 305's on the stock Rays, thanks though.

Well the F14's are out with the short notice.

So now its Enkei NT03+M in 18x10.5 +30 or Enkei RPF1's 18x10 +38 if I want to run a square setup.

Yea I looked at those only problem is I can't get a 275 RS-3 version 1 for the front as they are sold out on clearance. I suppose I could run a 275 RS-3 version 2 and pick up the 305 version 1 for the rear to cut some of the cost. That is if I stick with running the stock Rays for this track event and figure out what do to on 18's for next year.

I sell for less

No worries, and I believe Enkei RPF1's come in 18x10.5+38.

Good to know when shopping around for tires :tiphat:

Ship to PR?

If you need them NOW, PM me your address and I'll get a quote for you.


They will be sold out tomorrow to me.

Hoosiers are going to be different but I have run 295 A6s front and back on the OEM Rays, and 295/305s with the wheels reversed front to back. So a 305 Hoosier won't fall off the 9" front wheels under extreme track conditions.

It's not an ideal wear pattern, but you can cram a ton of tire on and make it work

Go with 275/35/19 rs3 square

GTFO Martin... I wanna sell my 305/30-19s!!! Lol

rub and tug for rubber?

we could make a deal and i can just go slide those hankooks around since they arent sticky :stirthepot:

I talked to you about the Enkei NT03+M's. I was able to get them ordered last week.

18x10.5 +30 square with 285/35-18's RS3. Should have them by Friday. Can't wait to try them out at AMP. :driving:

With the difference in cost of the tires in 18 and 19 inch; I am only out roughly $1000 for the wheels.

Sorry DE hopefully you will find a buyer for those 305's.

I don't know much about track days, but I've spent some time and money on both "stock" and "street" class wheel/tire setups for autox. Last year, I had 285/35/19 square RE-11s on my S-tunes, which are essentially identical to the Sport Rays. To me, the 285's looked very happy on the 9" fronts, and the set up overall was decent. The RE-11s give plenty of feedback when they're pushed.

This year, I dropped to 18" Forgestars and ran both 295 Rivals square and 285 R-S3s square. I have attached a pic of all three stacked together. What's impressive is the 285 R-S3 vs. the 285 RE-11...the RS-3s are nearly the same damn size as the 295 Rivals. The 295 Rivals on the 9" fronts were a bit pinched, but they were pretty awesome for autox. The RS-3s, so far, however, have been even better....basically the closest thing I've found to r-comps in a 200 tread wear street tire.

Are you going to run spacers for the rear? I have been looking at those same wheels and the RS-3's too. Wont be at AMP since I am driving from OK but I will be rocking at the Kart track!

Yes I will be running 20mm spacers in the rear.

Wish I would have time to do both the track day and the kart track.