I have read every post on the subject I can find, but nothing seems to answer this question....

I am planning on getting a set of 18 inch wheels...under $1500 types...and don't want/ need an R compund tire at this point in my learning curve.

Neither expensive wheels or tires will help me as much as track time.

My goal: Not buy a $1400 set of 19 inch PS2s for every 8 or so DEs.

Help.

How much can I get a set of decent track tires for? I am looking at trying to keep my cost per track day down. An aswer that give a minimum tire you would consider running would be nice. Thanks, guys.

18" Toyo RA1 or Nitto NT01 are going to be your most cost-effective choices. They are R-Compounds; they will last longer than street tires. They cost the same or less than street tires in the same size that are worth using for track use.

If you are not ultra-aggressive, a fairly decent but cheap tire is the Yokohama AVS ES100s.

I'm assuming you already have a proper alignment for track driving; that will help the tires last longer.

I agree with your approach: get some cheap wheels and street tires to learn on. I would look for some forged wheels that are going cheap because of curb rash or something like that. There are lots of threads on that here (ie, get forged wheels!).

For tires, find some 18" speed-rated tires that are not good for the street any more. You'd be doing someone a favor to take them off their hands. Post in the classifieds section or in your local section (if that's allowed) and see if someone wants to let you take theirs. Like sleepless said, they won't last long on the track, but they should be very cheap and just the ticket for learning at the track.

You can find Porsche imitation wheels of good quality for under $1000. If you are interested try Wheel Dynamics. They are made in Italy, but I think they might be slightly heavier than the OEM.

Regarding tires, check out the attached link from Car and Driver, they tested a bunch of high performance road tires on the track. Sounds like the Hankooks offer good performance for the cost.

http://www.caranddriver.com/article....&page_number=1

I'm in the same position as you, will probably start looking for an extra set of wheels/tires in the near future. The idea to get used tires may be a good one. I noticed there are a number of used tires on ebay. Seems like alot of the Goodyear F1's come up used in good condition. I think this is the OEM tire for Corvettes.

You guys rock!

Thanks for the great tips.

FYI...you can usually find a set of take-off factory CS 18" wheels for $1500 with tires (PS2's). I missed out on two e-bay auctions that closed at about $1500 shipped.

I ended up buying a second set of CS wheels for about $1300 shipped.

Brian

Are you guys comfortable with non-forged wheels on the track? I'm not an expert on the subject, but from reading around, I didn't want to do anything but forged.

Check out these wheels

They're the 996\986 Sport Classic II's made by BBS going for $300 at the moment, no bids. You will need spacers for them though, 25mm should do it.

Forged isn't necessary for the track, people track with the cast BBS OE Porsche wheels all the time, but I wouldn't do replicas; wouldn't risk it. You can in fact get 18'' Boxster or Cayman take off's for under $1,500.

- Suneet

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- Suneet

Falken RT-615s are a great street tire for track/autox and you can get a set for under $800.

I still haven't seen a better bang for your buck than 18" base wheels as take-offs. They're the lightest of all the factory 18" Cayman/Boxster wheels and as has been pointed out can be had for under $1500 if you look hard enough (often with near new PS2's!). To get aftermarket wheels any lighter will cost you $3k+ for something new last time I checked.

I wish I hadn't sold my extra set of base wheels I bought that way. Thought I was selling the car and had a change of heart...


--Donnie

Wow. They are local, too.

Those wheels will work? What are spacers? Any downside to spacers?