Told my buddy his track tires were overkill, then ate my words at the skidpad.

I've been running Falken RT660s for two years and thought they were fine for my local track days at Laguna Seca. My friend Jake showed up with a set of Yokohama A052s last month and I laughed, told him he was wasting $200 a tire for a stock Miata. He convinced me to do a back-to-back comparison on the skidpad after our afternoon session. First run on my RT660s I pulled 0.98g. Swapped to his A052s and hit 1.12g on the same corner. That's a 14 percent improvement just from rubber. I ordered a set that night and now I'm wondering what other mods I wrote off that actually work. Anyone else been humbled by a tire swap?

3 comments

3 Comments

umar4926d ago

Laguna Seca's corkscrew is all about confidence too, not just peak g numbers. I've seen guys on cheap all-seasons outpace A052s because they can actually feel the limit without it snapping. Tires matter but only if your driving style can use that extra grip without overdriving the corner.

the_thomas26d ago

Take a step back though. Is it really that deep for the average guy on a track day? Most of us aren't driving anywhere near the limit of even a basic summer tire. I'd bet the guys on cheap all-seasons are just taking a smoother line, not some magical driving style. People get too wrapped up in lap times and tire compounds when they're just out there for fun on a weekend. It's probably more about not overthinking it and just driving the car you brought.

lily_torres3125d ago

Probably more about not overthinking it" is real. Some people just drive smooth and it works regardless of the tire. But that grip difference is no joke once you're actually pushing it.