Just dropped a deposit on some M Power - Trackday Project Car
- Thread starter Gibbo
- Start date
KW Clubsports.
Last time I went out I was doing quite conservative 1:21's and the driving instructor I took out said my driving was too careful and too smooth but very good, but as such the car would be a further 2-3s quicker in his hands it was on Michelin cups then.
Since then it has a touch more power, a touch less weight, is now more rigid (cage) and the 3.91 motorsport differential. I would hope to be doing around 1:20-1:21 conservatively now on MPSS tyres, hence not much quicker as no longer running a semi slick as moved it to a car that can be enjoyed on the road in all weathers as well, I did NC500 in this car which is test amount to actually how much comfort is still retained.
But I'd suspect back on semi slicks in the hands of someone who can drive and is not fearing throwing it at scenery the car will do a lap of Donnington National in around 1:16 with a very good / pro driver. Its a very quick car as I can do comfortable 1:22's without sweating or pushing, essentially a Sunday cruise around there in the dry.
I've being around Donnington in Rays supercharged E46 and he can drive, he was doing around 1:14 at the time but he is fearless and is happy to drive down through craners at 120-130mph with the car sliding, back then it was still road legal car as well, my driving style remains within the realms of traction and not beyond. Rays car is now a full on race car with 650BHP, no idea if its finished but I know his aim was 1:10-1:12 Donnington lap times.
I found going to Cup tyres were yielding a good 2-3s per lap, the guys going on slicks were finding another 1-2s again.
Michelin cup/cup2, R888, Dunlop, Bridgestone RA11, Pzero Trofeo are the stickiest semi-R tyre if lap times are your goal but they are all super expensive.
Cheaper stuff like Nankang NS-R, AD08R, 595 RSR are faster in the dry than a road tyre at track but really lacking in the wet, particular on road.
MPSS for me offers me very good road manners and should be great on track too, hope to try them out at somepoint, oh and they last forever in comparison to other tyres.
I've always wanted to get the car to a point where I can just do 1:20 laps without really trying on a semi-R, then if I let someone I trust and know is good could get a further 3-4s improvement.
I'm on Federal RS-R's at the moment, they're cheap at £75 a corner but also only have 5mm of tread IIRC. The RS-R's feel a little wallowy so I'd ideally like something with a stiffer sidewall. Once I get my sump baffled, I was looking at Nankang A1-R, they're £100 per corner, something I can stomach if the performance is good. I'm not hugely into lap times as I think pushing for them can result in an off, but it's nice to go faster and know where your progress is compared to others.
Exactly why I switched to road tyres, simply have better manners and the MPSS are pretty handy on track, I'd rate them as good as the 595-RSR for dry track days and vastly better in the wet.
My M3 had 595 RS-R when I got it, was OK in the dry, but in the wet it was a death trap, but not fully the tyres fault as the initial handling setup was well crap, as I got the car it was doing 1:28 lap times, slower than a stock M3 as it had no balance.
Here is a lap, this car is similar specification to my own, gives you an idea of what the car is capable of when driven to the limit and beyond:
Kumho V700 in the K90 compound was tyres which are pretty hard and his best lap was 1:17.5, on cups or slicks he would be quicker, but not allowed.
What is first? Steel or silver grey? I love steel grey if I am honest!
TBH.
Steel grey and silver grey are nice, but Estoril Blue and Topaz Blue are the best.
PS2 is an old tyre, they really have had their use from them.
On my 911 I had Pzero, PS2, Pzero Corsa, Michelin cup, MPSS. Dry track time best was on Pzero Corsa, very stiff, made car ultra direct but car was no faster than it was on cups which rode nicer and were far better in the wet once warm which with Michelins is always easy to do as they just seem to take heat better than other tyre brands I have tried.
MPSS were miles ahead though as an all rounder, not quite the dry lap time but they survived 10 track days and 10,000 road miles, whereas the PS2 were looking only good for 4-5 track days and half the road miles and all the other tyres lasted even less.
On my EVO it for sure was truly at home on AD08's, the car loved those tyres, but it needed them because on any other tyre it felt numb.
MPSS are stiffer than PS2 and have more grip in all conditions and last twice as long but if your goal is simply lap times try Bridgestone RA11 I think it is called, super sticky and stiff tyre I believe, but if the car is driven on the road then surely you want it enjoyable on the road as well or is your aim simply lap times?
Fair enough, different cars like different tyres, on my EVO X putting AD08 on it transformed the enjoyment the car gave.
Whereas Porsche, BMW and Mustang, all RWD I note absolutely drive lovely on Michelins.
Yes I am immature, a big kid, killed several children on the way to work and probably upset the entire neighbourhood but oh well, life is about having fun.
Oh and guess which plonker left the SMG in AUTO to start with, yep me, hence why the fun was killed as it changed to 2nd.
Oh and guess which plonker left the SMG in AUTO to start with, yep me, hence why the fun was killed as it changed to 2nd.
Soldato
- Joined
- 27 Aug 2003
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- 9,817
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- West Midlands
Bah I need to find a car park to play in 