Bardman

I have been thinking about options for improving traction and it occurred to me the other day that I have not seen much discussion on here about use of semi slicks for the road.

Does anybody on here run them? Any feedback positive or negative?

I have the 19inch 507 wheels which I want to keep, so am keen to see if there are road legal semi slick options that people have had a good experience with.

Bardman

Was also contemplating the Michelin Pilot Super Sports, but the closest size I could find was 265/30/19 when the standard size is 255/30/19. Would the extra width cause problems? Would they give performance any where near a semi slick?

F1BHP

I have the michelin pss and they are great and really are the best all round tire on sale at the moment. Having said that they do not compare to R compound tires or semi-slicks as you referred to them as. The R compound tires will give considerably more grip however will probably last 1/3 of the time of the PSS. If you plan to track the car then the R compounds would be an option however they are not really safe in wet weather conditions.
The best option but not the most economical is to have two sets one for track one for road. The best R compounds are the Pirelli Trofeo R followed by the ones i use which have a bit better wear rate, the michelin pilot sport cup2.
If you stay within 20mm on the widths you will normally be fine so the 265mm will be no problem.

Bazman

I just ran over 800km of closed roads plus 1600km of touring stages and 2 track days over 2 weeks on Nitto NT01s Front are 245/35 and rear are 275/30. All are on 18" rims as I wanted more sidewall and more traction than thinner 19"s - which I still have also.

I used TSW 18 x 9 on the back. No scrubbing or anything, despite 160kph hitting bumps and dips.

Awesome tyres - good in wet (great traction in straights, pretty good turn in); awesome in dry road racing.

They are worn out now but still good for track days as they'll run like a slick when worn.

I kept pace with some pretty exotic stuff on these including the new 991 GT3 RS, 2014 Vantage S, Gallardo, a Turbo S (not sure what year), Ferrari 430 and 612, GTR's.

Not sure if NT01's are available in 19. They are noisey as hell - def not a daily driver as they sing to you all the time - but will blow street tyres into the weeds and are legal at least here in NZ (just). BTW GTR's are even noisier on course chip surfaces - drove one.

For street use I'm looking to go to Nitto Invo's - not as good in dry as NT01 but better in wet, will last a lot longer, and QUIETER

ab0bab0i

Had NT01's on my FD before.
NT01's are not good in the rain on the street, awesome on dry pavement though.

You can also check out Toyo R888's. They are made in the same factory as Nitto and are also R compounds.

Bazman

I wouldn't want to run hard in pouring rain with standing water in NT01's, but with 460rwhp I was putting a fair chunk of that down in the damp and more than I thought I could on wet roads... as long as throttle application is smooth. They're not a wet tyre but way better than they look.

raz3091

I heard ADVAN Neova AD08 R was pretty good if you are running 19s.

Bardman

For the NT01's how noisey is noisey as hell?

One of the thoughts I had was to go semi slicks on the rears, and leave the fronts as regular road tyres. Dont know if this will cause problems? Ultimately I'm looking to (somewhat) overcome traction issues for road use, so the fronts are not an issue, and keeping the fronts as road tyres means braking performance in the wet shouldnt be too problematic.

I was trying to get sizing details for the Invo's but could not see anything. Have you got any info on what configurations they come in?

Bardman

I drive this car like a grandma when its raining anyway, so dont really need superb wet weather performance.

Bardman

Found these online:

http://www.yokohama.com.au/Tyres/ADVAN-Neova-AD08.aspx

It seems they have 255 or 265 or 275/30/19 combinations. Does anyone have feedback on whether the 265/275 tyres with 30 profile will have any fitment / rubbing / other issues on stock 507 19s?

Bardman

These come in a 265/30/19 - again anyone have feedback on fitment on stock 507 19's?

MJ50

r compounds aka semi slicks have 100 treadwear...
tires won't last long for daily drive and sidewalls are stiff...

RS-3, AD08 adn alike are better options for daily drive...

Wobble64

Agree on the Yokohama, drive them myself. However, what is an RS-3? Not familiar with that one.

MJ50

Hankook Ventus RS3... best for the money...
AD08 does give more feedback tho and slightly more $$...

AMG6.3

You should try NT05s you will love them. Car will hook from a dead stop and fairly good in rain as well.

Karl901

Hoosiers R6 s 265 all four corners. Or 255/285 Dunlop race max, these are on C63 Black.

Bardman

These look like track only tyres, no?

Bardman

Thanks for the feedback everyone, I'm leaving towards the ADVAN Neova AD08R's as a good compromise between traction and day to day driveability.

Does anyone have feedack on fitting semi-slicks to the rears only? Good idea or bad idea and why?

Also, still keen to go 265 or even 275 (on stock 19inch wheels), but not sure if this will produce fitment issues or not. Any feedback?

Karl901

Hoosier R6s are street legal track tire. If you want both buy Dunlop's race max, but your wallet will hurt. Fitment for stock wheels you need to check . Mine are on ADVs.

Spdrcrj

Nitto says 275/30/19 ideal rim width is 9.5" Kind of a narrow rim for this size isn't it? If anyone has used these on their car with success on a 9.5" rim, then I found my next set of tires.

ToXicXxX

Try nitto invo's!

They have impeccable traction, though wear is... A bit rough.

These are mine after 6000km (275/35/18)

Bardman

Is 9.5" what the standard 507 wheel is?

Spdrcrj

I think so, 8.5" front 9.5" rear. That's what Tirerack says anyway.

I had Invo's on a C5 Z06. Hated them.....too much sidewall flex. Now NT-01's.....awesome, just don't come in proper 19" size, hence, looking to NT05's. Live in Vegas so not much rain to speak of.

ToXicXxX

Different strokes for different folks. I used only PSS before, I like the invo a lot more, especially when I'm buying a new set of rears every year for way less then PSS.

Spdrcrj

Fair enough. I had PSS's on a previous car and liked them a lot. They did very well at the track and ok on the street.