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200TW HPDE tire selections (with one condition)

Will_

Autocross Champion
Location
SF Bay Area
Car(s)
2017 GTI S DSG
Once my 245/40/17 RS4s are toast I’m thinking of either 245 RT660s or maybe 245 AR1s. They are all around the 10” section width range. While I could go wider, I think having a slight stretch to the tire is really beneficial for track/Autocross in terms of minimizing tire deflection. I felt a noticeable difference in initial turn in when going from 255s on a 9” wheel to 245s on a 9” wheel.
 

bfury5

Autocross Champion
Location
CT
You know, the one really nice thing about the yoko is how quiet and comfy they were compared to the other super 200s. I know I talk crap about their life, but that's just the major con. There really aren't any other drawbacks to it.
Other than tire wear, price is the only other con. Yoks are definitely in the "pay to play" category. All tires are, but there's not much of a point trying to make them last, just always plan for an additional set.
Apparently, A052 are better than Jesus on water.
Yoks in anything but significant standing water are basically a cheat code, it doesn't make sense how good they are. And compared to the RT660, they grip hardest when ice cold. But see previous note about downsides, pay to play
 

victorofhavoc

Autocross Champion
Location
Kansas City
Apparently, A052 are better than Jesus on water.
My second PB was on a damp track with them doing a 1.54.2 at Heartland Park. I left literally everyone behind. Then the next day it dried out and I ran a 1.52 which was my PB in the Gti. Best I could do on dz3 was 1.54.7 in the dry. Re71r were high 1.53 range.

For reference my TT3 car with aero on a damp day will run 1.50s and on a dry day I can touch 1.47s with heat cycled slicks. Haven't tried new slicks yet, but should be 1.45s. The GTI is more "clubsport prepped" so the fact it can get within 4 seconds in the wet is nuts!
 

victorofhavoc

Autocross Champion
Location
Kansas City
On a 8 inch wheel?
Yeah depends on use case. Autox guys run 265 on 8" wheels. Yes it's pinched, but that's part of why recent 200tw tires have crazy stiff sidewalls. I ran a 245 on an 8" wheel and that was actually the perfect fit for track use. The sidewall was perpendicular to the ground and it took normal pressure to keep from edge wear. I ran a 245/40/17, so a 245/35/18 should be pretty solid and provide a slight gearing advantage.
 

GTIfan99

Autocross Champion
Location
FL
My second PB was on a damp track with them doing a 1.54.2 at Heartland Park. I left literally everyone behind. Then the next day it dried out and I ran a 1.52 which was my PB in the Gti. Best I could do on dz3 was 1.54.7 in the dry. Re71r were high 1.53 range.

For reference my TT3 car with aero on a damp day will run 1.50s and on a dry day I can touch 1.47s with heat cycled slicks. Haven't tried new slicks yet, but should be 1.45s. The GTI is more "clubsport prepped" so the fact it can get within 4 seconds in the wet is nuts!

CS ish performance has always been my goal for the GTI and they really are a great package.
 

geokilla

Go Kart Champion
Location
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Car(s)
2018 VW GTI DSG
Yeah depends on use case. Autox guys run 265 on 8" wheels. Yes it's pinched, but that's part of why recent 200tw tires have crazy stiff sidewalls. I ran a 245 on an 8" wheel and that was actually the perfect fit for track use. The sidewall was perpendicular to the ground and it took normal pressure to keep from edge wear. I ran a 245/40/17, so a 245/35/18 should be pretty solid and provide a slight gearing advantage.
I was thinking of 235/45R17 on my Falken RT660 for track duty, but nice to know I can go up to as high as 265 even though I wouldn't. I'd assume 245/40R17 is good enough and won't rub?
 

ChrisAttebery

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Gilroy, CA
Car(s)
2011 GTI
I ran the Nankang AR-1s on my last track day. I had been running RS-4s before. I bought the AR-1s from Phil's Tire Service in NY. They recommend a specific heat cycle including an overnight cool down. I paid $100 to have them heat cycled to avoid the overnight wait. They still needed a few laps to heat up and cool down in the first session. After that they drove pretty similar to the RS-4s. They have a bit more grip but a slightly narrower allowable slip angle. I broke my personal record by a little over a second in the second session (1:48.13) and had a bunch of laps that were within a second of that personal best. That's with ~210whp. I was running 38/38psi by the end of the day and I think I can go lower.
 

GTIfan99

Autocross Champion
Location
FL
245 should be an easy fit and a 245/40 is about 3% shorter gearing so a bit more acceleration.

Yeah, I used to run 245/40 17 and it's surprising how much you feel that 3%. It was noticeable.
 

victorofhavoc

Autocross Champion
Location
Kansas City
Yeah, I used to run 245/40 17 and it's surprising how much you feel that 3%. It was noticeable.
That and the weight difference... A 245/40 direzza z3 for example weighs 24lbs while a 255/40 weighs 27 lbs. 3lbs is a lot of rotating mass on the farther edges of distribution. On my wheel combo that's 41 vs 44 lbs. 7% heavier to rotate... Hmmm.
 
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