[TrackClub]

*********** IMPORTANT!!! **********
This thread was originally posted in the 1LE section with an intention to share information specific to that car. However, forum moderator has decided to move it.
While a lot of this info is generic (such as basic views on tires), other views and outcomes pertain to 1LE ONLY and do NOT pertain to OTHER Camaro models.

READER BEWARE: ALL COMMENTS BELOW PERTAIN ONLY TO 1LE MODEL

Updated 11/2/17

FYI: This info pertains to track tires vs all seasons.
Max F camber -2.4 to -2.6, with a R camber at about -1.6, is strongly recommended for all tires to prevent a premature wear of outside shoulders!

WHAT FITS STOCK RIMS:

1) Stock Goodyear S3
General feedback suggests they are very good performers and a great value, as a dual duty (track/DD) tire. They should last about 7-8 track days plus DD duties. One can rotate them left to right to increase longevity.

2) Bridgestone RE-71R
Probably the best alternative to stockers, perhaps a bit faster (but it all depends). They must be used in size 295/30/20 as a square set up, which does not change the handling characteristics, albeit lowers the gear ratio just a little bit (plus, or minus track dependent).
They may, or may not last a long as the stockers. They cannot be rotated left to right if rain performance is desired (as they are directional).

3) Michelin Cup2
Another possible alternative, either in 295/30/20 square set up, or stock sizes. May not last as long as stockers, albeit they can be rotated left to right. Doesn't seem to offer a significant performance gain over stockers, if at all. Quite expensive (double the price of stockers, based on my costs).

4) Pirelli Trofeo R
Likely the fastest dual purpose tire one can buy, but the most expensive one too. Don't expect it to last long as it is very soft. OEM tire of last gen Z/28. For those with a need to gain extra tenths and deep wallets.
Available as 295/30/20 square, or 305/30/20 for rears.

5) Dunlop Sport Maxx Race
no data

6) Toyo R888R in stock size fronts and 315/30/20 rears, which will offer a slightly taller gearing and maybe a wee bit of push, or maybe not as the rake will be a bit more pronounced. No specific 1LE data yet, but second hand feedback suggests this tire is better than its predecessor, perhaps due to revised carcass design.

NB Based on my personal usage, G3 did very well pace and longevity wise with 6 track days plus DD miles and likely had another 1-2 track days left in them. Cup2s did well, about the same pace, but outside front corded on day 5. RE71R did about the same pace, longevity about the same as the stockers, maybe less due to inside front shoulder wear. Experience of others may vary depending on venues, style of driving, etc.

This concludes what is available as a dual DD/track tire for stock rims.
There are no slicks available. Having said that, the new "street" tires come very close to older R comps in pace and some actually exceed them. But they won't last as long.

GOING TO 19 INCH RIM:

If you wish to run NT01s that's your rim size in 10.5F and 11R. You then have a choice of running 305/30/19 square, or 305/325 combo.

Beyond ability to run the Nittos, there is little to recommend going with 19 inch rims.
Check out GLAMCEM's excellent "build thread" for details how to fit such rims etc.

GOING TO 18 INCH RIM:

This is by far the best rim size for second set of track dedicated wheels, with the best availability of tires including R7 and take off slicks such as Pirelli DH which seem to last for 16-20 heat cycles and faster lap times (about 4 seconds at WGI with stock car). This size, ideally in 10.5 to allow rotation left to right AND front to back, may require some strut "grinding" and spacers to fit. This would permit a user to run 285 to 305 tires in square set up. 10 inch will also do the job if ones wishes to run 285s, especially in slicks.
Note this size decreases the OD of the tire significantly enough, to lower the gearing ratios by a large margin.

[FNxR3DNECK]

Until my skills improve enough to see a benefit from experimenting with other setups I am sticking with a full factory setup!

Stock wheels and tires, track alignment, 30lbs cold pressure. That's the way Chevy intended it and that exact setup is what PTM is optimized for so that's what I'm sticking with for now!

[TrackClub]

Indeed, absolutely nothing wrong with this approach
But once it is time to replace consumables, it is good to know the choices and others feedback wrt their performance to price ratios. This includes OEM parts as well, of course. All the best!

[seanblurr]

A discussion like this that is pretty subjective and will be hard to have. Lap times are so dependent on drivers, longetivity and set up (camber/pressures) will completely depend on the track.

I took the car out this weekend in show room condition (minus different brake fluid and alignment) just to see where it was at. This car is so incredible in factory form and the tires surpassed my expectations for a street tire. They will be good to go for 95% of owners.

Modding cars is awesome, don't get my wrong. But all too often drivers immediately want to mod a car to make it "better" or "faster" on the track when they have yet to even test the car in factory form to see what actually needs to be upgraded. We are lucky to own a car that is simply incredible in showroom form and quite honestly doesnt need anything.

Now, with that said, I will be looking into a set of dedicated 19" track wheels and tires in the near future so this thread may be useful. I think we just need to keep in mind that it will be completely subjective in nature.

Below is some data from this weekend at Thunderhill West, a relatively short 2 mile course in Northern California. Ambient temps were around 60-70*.

Alignment:
F: -2.4* Camber, 1/16th toe out
R: -1.6* camber, 1/16th toe in

TEMPS after 3rd session:

LF: 156/158/160 RF: 160/161/167
LR: 159/162/162 RR: 158/165/173

Pressures after 3rd session:
LF: 37 RF: 39
LR: 37 RR:38

So you can see that this track is much harder on the right side tires. Towards the end of the day the tires got a little greasy, mid corner and corner exit push increased a lot. You can see by the temps that the car could actually use a bit more camber (you want the middle of the tire to be the hottest), at least at this specific track. Tire pressures were also increasing throughout the day, despite starting at 28 cold. It appears that the tires work better in the 36 range, but don't quote me on that.

I haven't checked tire wear with a gauge, but I noticed the outside of the tire seemed worked, which would make sense looking at the tire temps. I may see if I can get a bit more camber, and also play with temps a bit. Overall really impressed with the car and tires, they will support most owners.

I would highly suggest everyone check their alignment, even if they plan on leaving the factory street specs. My car along with other owners on here have had a factory alignment that was a bit off. I had mix matched camber and toe.

[Tomiboy]

mostly left turns?

I see you went with more front camber than suggested by Chevy engineers....how was tire wear? (I have yet to get mine aligned)

[TrackClub]

Couldn't have said it better myself seanblurr.
Clearly the stock package is awesome as is (fluids, alignment excepted). Yet anyone that tracks their car more than just a few days per season, or strictly for a fun factor, consumables become an imprtant consideration and hence my suggestion to pool the tire info into a single thread. Thx for posting your findings incl camber info. I will update OP as the info comes in and will also dig out tire related info from other threads, as there is some already. Best, Bill
PS why 19 inch rims vs staying on stockers? Can u elaborate pls and thx!

[glamcem]

It's too early to tell the longevity and the lap times delta since the car is very new and I could only attend two events (the first one was not really a full event) but in my previous experience NT01s were the best performance/cost tires if that's what you're looking for. I would be surprised if it's any different but we'll see.

I have a scheduled event on April 29th and will try to test the OEM setup vs Apex 19"/Trofeo Rs and see how they compare to each other. My main reason for going with 19" wheels is very simple; weight reduction and cost savings as well as the shorter gear ratio due to overall size differences

Once I have more data, I will include them here

[Vintage]

I ran the goodyears hard this weekend and they were great. Tons of wear left after 6 sessions. So, the car has 3k+ miles on it with a great track day. I think they have a couple of more track days in them. As a result, I will likely go with another set of goodyears at $1,250 for 4 - they are a huge VALUE. MPSC2s are $2,200!!!

[TrackClub]

stock shoes seem like a great value indeed!
Regarding Trofeo Rs on 19 inch rim: what size rim/tires?
NT01s are a great tire, but available size wise not the greatest fit IMO and none for stock rims.

[Ryephile]

The stock Goodyear Supercar 3's seem to have more pace than their 220 treadwear would indicate. Is it just me or are they more like an R888 or RE-71R? Not quite as good as an NT01 but close.

I think my only complaint with them is their temp range is pretty narrow, as they get greasy. However they're very communicative at that greasiness point, and it's easy to dial it back a bit to keep the temps in check.


I'd love to be able to contribute more to this thread but it's going to take a while to run through a few different sets of tires.

[glamcem]

Originally Posted by TrackClub

stock shoes seem like a great value indeed!
Regarding Trofeo Rs on 19 inch rim: what size rim/tires?
NT01s are a great tire, but available size wise not the greatest fit IMO and none for stock rims.

stock tires are great value initially but I also would like to calculate the long term cost since overheating the street tires is not very uncommon and I have doubts the new Goodyear G3 tires are exception

I use 19x10.5" Front and 19x11" Rear Apex PS7 wheels with 305/30/19 Trofeo Rs all around. Feel free to see my build thread or my thread in Wheels tires section about them to see what's involved to fit the fronts. It was not a big deal for me but each his own.

I recently saw a few people running 305s on 10" wide wheels which may be another good option I think since Apex has 19x10" wheels as well. I am not complaining since in theory 10.5" wheels are a bit better for more mechanical grip and steering response but just giving you the options. They're also dirt cheap for the quality and the sale going on. I only paid $1000 for a set!!

I will go back to NT01s after the TrofeoRs just so you know

Originally Posted by Ryephile

The stock Goodyear Supercar 3's seem to have more pace than their 220 treadwear would indicate. Is it just me or are they more like an R888 or RE-71R? Not quite as good as an NT01 but close.

I think my only complaint with them is their temp range is pretty narrow, as they get greasy. However they're very communicative at that greasiness point, and it's easy to dial it back a bit to keep the temps in check.


I'd love to be able to contribute more to this thread but it's going to take a while to run through a few different sets of tires.

Agreed , provoste also mentioned that he didn't see a performance difference between RE71Rs. He used 295s vs stock 285/305 FWIW though.

My complaint is the same with RE71Rs they're amazing but the performance falls of pretty quickly, the stockers felt a lot like the RE71Rs (no R888 experience).

RE71Rs put similar lap times with NT01s but only with a different way of characteristics (slip angles..etc) but only when they're new. NT01s are a lot more consistent and last forever (consumables factor here again). It is very important for me when I do extended laps to get used to a certain setup and improve my lap times without worrying of another variable

[seanblurr]

So what tires are available on 295/30/19, R comp track tires. Hoosier R7, Too R888R... what else?

[glamcem]

not so many..Cup 2, Trofeo Rs and P zeros AFAIK.. They're all expensive for me though (and not my favorites), bumping to 305s makes the NT01s available.. and with the price gap between the more experience tires, I was able to get a second set of wheels

[TrackClub]

Where do u buy APEX wheels from pls?

BTW Pirelli also carries slicks in DH (dry/hard) compound in 19 inch size 295/680 which is about a 33 aspect ratio I think.