Best bang for the buck street tires for track use?
 

Hey all! After doing just 2 track days in my V6 1LE (which has the same tires as the non-1LE SS) my tires are apparently too worn. Discount tire wouldn't even rotate them left/right for me due to the outer block having worn through its groove.

How many track days are you all getting out of a set of tires on average? My car has only 10,000 miles on it (many of which were on a separate set of winter wheels/tires). I have just under 400 track miles (both track days were 8 20-minute sessions). I got the track alignment done before the second track day.

Here are a couple pictures of the front left tire (it got the most abuse). I drove hard but never pushed so far that I slid or made the tires squeal.

My question is: if I'm only going to get 2-3 track days out of a set of tires, is it even worth it to get high quality ones like the OEM Eagle F1s or some PS4S? Or would something like the General G-Max RS last almost as long (at half the price)? Or would I only get 1-2 track days out of something like that? Has any one tried the Falken Azenis FK510? Or the Firehawk Indy 500?

Or would I spend relatively less by getting a smaller set of rims that can fit cheaper tire sizes? I feel like this would have diminishing returns.

I know there are other threads on the topic but I haven't seen any that discuss pros/cons of some of these more affordable tire options.

The OE tire on the SS 1LE is the best bang for the buck. With the track alignment they will surprisingly last a long time.

I've heard those are good too, but unfortunately they don't come in my sizes.

I found a similar thread with maybe some other good info for my own reference https://www.camaro6.com/forums/showthread.php?t=530385

The most economical option in the long run would probably be to get a second set of wheels (18") and buy scrub slicks. I think 680 mm diameter is similar to stock heights. You can find 305/680 Pirelli take offs.

I'd lean that way rather than cheap tires which will be slow and I'm not sure they'd give you much more life out of them.

Thanks for the advice guys! I looked over the tires again last night and it seems that the rears still have a decent amount of life left. Is it crazy to think maybe I could just replace the fronts (with the OEM tires for matching grip levels) so that then they will all 4 end up dead at about the same time?

After that, I will likely give the Firehawk Indy 500s a shot as they seem to be a good compromise between price/performance for how few track days I do (2 a year for now).

I would have suggested running the Goodyear SC3 in sizes 255/40/20 and 285/35/20, but even those are not cheap anymore. You honestly might be better off buying someone's takeoff stock SS 1LE wheels and tires, and then buying more people's takeoff tires (which always seem to be for sale). Other than that, your best bet is probably to find some 18" or 19" wheels and start perusing the tire offerings in those sizes. They are more plentiful.

Looking at the pic you are not down to the wear indicators yet and have tread life left. I bought a set of F1 SC3s this year and have 4 days on them which is about 350/400 miles of track time and driving all summer. I just took them off and swapped over to my winter set up and I have over 75% left on the tread. I don't push as hard as the SS1LE and real serious track guys out there but I do push it hard enough to register 1.2g in the corners so I am not babying it and it was well worth upgrading to the F1s. Now I need to upgrade my brakes. I believe the guys that are only getting 2 or 3 days of track time are running the F1 SC3R compound.

+1, I'd look for a set for sale here and on fb, they work very well.

If buying new, the ZL1 1LE 19" sizes with SC3 (non-R) tires would be a good choice too imo.

I had Indy 500's on my IS350 and they were amazing
Much cheaper than the Michelin Super Sports they replaced
Equal to or better in grip

But that was a 260 whp 3500 lb car

Let us know what you choose

If you're on a track for pleasure, you're not running for times and racing other cars, per se, you can set your sights on the Indy 500, I think that that's a really good tire in that price point. Anything else and you're just sacrificing your track performance for a lower price point. That Indy 500 is at that price point because of the Firestone/Firehawk name, it had been the Re003A(?) from Bridgestone that had a great amount of success outside the US. It got renamed/rebranded for the US market. I ran a set on a 15 Mustang GT/PP and I thought well of them for being used (very) hard on the street like I drive but I never tracked nor "raced" other cars.

That's good to know! Yeah the middle of my tread seems to have some life left, but I was concerned about that outer block failing first. For the SC3s did you get a different set of wheels? I don't believe they come in sizes that fit my rims.

Glad to hear it! My car isn't too far off of those specs I suppose (335 crank hp ~3450 lb car).

Thanks all for your responses and advice! I'll definitely report back once I make a choice. I am definitely giving some thought to the idea of having a set of wheels just for track tires in 18 or 19". I would still want to shop for longevity over raw grip though, as I know once you go too far it starts putting stress on other parts of the car that maybe weren't meant to handle it (but maybe it's fine - do all Camaros have the same linkages/bushings/etc?).

After another track day (7 20-minute sessions) where I took it just a bit more easy, I found much less tire wear than from last time! I guess the heat plus really pushing it did more damage than I would have guessed. I also think the track alignment is helping!

Here's a picture of the front left now. I think my plan will be to get the Firehawk Indy 500s and give them a chance. After that, we'll see! I still like the idea of 18s or 19s with track tires, but it seems all of them require spacers and longer wheel studs, which is more customization than I'm looking to do at the moment.

Thanks again everyone for your help and advice! Now that this set of tires is mostly shot, I think it's time for me to disable traction control... :nod: