200 Tread Wear Tire - Hankook R-S4 vs Dunlop Direzza ZIII vs NT01 vs others

[Hyperboost]

Figure I post here since the Track/Auto X doesn't get much view yet. Mod can move this later on.

I am looking to buy a set of 275/35/18 tires for track days. I don't want to run slicks.

I had past experience with the R-S4 tires before and I am very happy with them. Never tried the Direzza ZIII or NT01 on track before. The RE-71R is out because performance drop off etc...

After a lot of research and reading reviews, I am a bit torn. What are your thoughts and recommendations?

Background - I have ground control suspension, GC sways, solid bushings, BW solid mounts, SDW RTAB, BW solid FCAB.

[Hyperboost]

I forgot NT01 is not a 200 tread wear. not a fair comparison but this tire get brought up quite a bit

[Inizes]

Only tires I’ve used are Re71r. But I agree the can grease up with some heat. Great for a flying lap but maybe not a long session.

[BMWahba]

check out the Nankang AR-1.. I plan to run those on my square setup

[lcrain]

As stated, the nt01 is really in a different category. One of my favorite track day tires, though I never got more than 25 heat cycles out of them. They are a lot of fun and behave a lot like a street tire in their break away characteristics and let you know when they are letting go. Many find the bridgestones to be as fast as the nitto but they tend to overheat more quickly in my experience. The nittos can handle a ton of abuse and keep giving. Neither will last long. If this is a dedicated track day tire and you don’t drive in rain I have really liked the maxxis rc1. They have given me slightly better lap times than the nittos and last forever, at least twice as long as the nittos. They don’t like to be horsed around as much (less slip angle) than the nittos. I found them to under steer a bit more on corner entry, especially if I enter a bit too hot. But they are quite a bit grippier on corner exit and once I got used to them I actually was able to turn faster laps than the nittos. Another well reviewed tire in this category is the Nanking ar-1.

Will you drive your car to the track on these tires? It can be done on an nt01 or the maxxis (they are street legal) but they are very sketchy in the wet, especially any standing water. If you will drive to and from the track and want something usable in the wet, I’d probably stick with the hankook if you liked them. They are fine and last the longest of all of those tires. Good all around tire.

[mainstreamer00]

I would also highly recommend Yoko A052's.
I purchased them this season based on great anecdotes/reviews. Covid has put a hold currently on my on-track experience with these, but from spirited road driving they have been super predictable, compliant, and very sticky.
Previously ran Cup 2's as well as RS-4's, so far prefer A052's on road.

edit: realize these don't come in 275/35, but their 265/35 runs about 10mm wider than measured.
I'm running them on a 10" rim with pretty square/meaty sidewall profile.

[Nick_P]

I would also highly recommend Yoko A052's.
I purchased them this season based on great anecdotes/reviews. Covid has put a hold currently on my on-track experience with these, but from spirited road driving they have been super predictable, compliant, and very sticky.
Previously ran Cup 2's as well as RS-4's, so far prefer A052's on road.

edit: realize these don't come in 275/35, but their 265/35 runs about 10mm wider than measured.
I'm running them on a 10" rim with pretty square/meaty sidewall profile.

+1 on the Yoko A052s. I purchased them for the same reason and so far I've been pretty happy with them on backroad driving, plenty of grip, predictable and not really noisy. Drove them in the rain as well, didn't feel too sketchy. Haven't tried them on track though due to Covid. As mentioned above, they run pretty wide...I'm running them on a 9.5" width rim (265/35/18) and they look very meaty!

[mrgizmo04]

For track in hot climate I would not recommend re71, they are a great autox tire that grips out of the box without needing much warmup, but on track they get overheated easily and they wear super fast.

Nt01, is an awesome tire. They are 100tw, but are a "streetable" tire and can easily be driven to/from track.

My next tire I am looking to try is RS4. Everyone raves about them for longevity. Seems like tirerack is doing a sale on a lot of sizes (as in prices have dropped another $20 per in the last week or so), so might be that RS5 rolling out soon.

[Hyperboost]

thanks guys! the tires on tirerack are cheap now! Just need more space and more $$$

[Onefastsicilian]

I’ve been running RS4s for a couple years and several track days. They wear amazing and
last a while. I’ve done some 25/30min. Track sessions and never had an issue with overheating or greasing.

for the money, the RS4 is great. They’re also fantastic in the rain.

[r4dr]

I’ve been running RS4s for a couple years and several track days. They wear amazing and
last a while. I’ve done some 25/30min. Track sessions and never had an issue with overheating or greasing.

for the money, the RS4 is great. They’re also fantastic in the rain.

+1. I haven't tracked my E46 yet but on my E30 I run these and they last FOREVER. It's a bit bizarre. If you're just doing DEs and not chasing tenths for a podium, there is no better tire IMO.

[Jevi Javi]

For track in hot climate I would not recommend re71, they are a great autox tire that grips out of the box without needing much warmup, but on track they get overheated easily and they wear super fast.

Nt01, is an awesome tire. They are 100tw, but are a "streetable" tire and can easily be driven to/from track.

My next tire I am looking to try is RS4. Everyone raves about them for longevity. Seems like tirerack is doing a sale on a lot of sizes (as in prices have dropped another $20 per in the last week or so), so might be that RS5 rolling out soon.

I'm from the caribbean and my local track is always hot, year round. Ive tried both the RS4 and Re-71r. The Re-71 is way faster. But like everyone has stated they dont last long. Around 20 heat cycles. i value more the outright speed than the longevity. But i still drive to/from track. Thinking I might try the NT01 or CUP 2s.

[liam821]

I’ve been running RS4s for a couple years and several track days. They wear amazing and
last a while. I’ve done some 25/30min. Track sessions and never had an issue with overheating or greasing.

for the money, the RS4 is great. They’re also fantastic in the rain.

I had RS4s on my s2000 back in the day, they're a great tire until they're not a great tire. I also only got like 7000 miles out of the rears. I've never used them on an e46m3 so I can't compare them with like a Cup/PSS/PS4 etc.

[Geoff.T]

Any "street" tire marked 200TW and designed for track use is a complete cheater tire. They're only marked 200TW so that they meet class rules for autocross and time attack events. A052s from off after a couple heat cycles while still having plenty of tread left. They're probably the fastest though. RE71rs wear out fast and grip falls off after a few heat cycles, like others have mentioned. Hankook RS4s seem to favor lighter cars. Whatever Nankang lists as their TW, I'd divide by 2 at least. They're a fast tire with a stiff sidewall if you prefer that feel on turn in. Federal RS Pro seem to be okay for the money. Decent grip, budget friendly, not as loud as the 595 RS-RR. My friends have said good things about the Nexen Surg4. I haven't tried them though.

Personally, I always use Nitto NT01s. For me, they handle the heat cycles well and have always lasted longer than any 200TW tire I've tracked on. They're a little loud on the street if you don't have a rear seat. On track, the key is to run them no more than 34psi hot. Once I get the pressures dialed in, I run full 25min sessions with consistent grip. You can always buy a faster tire if you're trying to win a race. If you want to be able to develop as a driver, I strongly recommend the NT01s for their consistency and forgiving nature if you over drive the car.

[Dptmachine]

I ran RS4's for a season with Lucky Dog Racing league with 3000# E46 M3. These hold up to 8 hour endurance stints for 2 days in a row and then some. I actually get tired of running them at times, like they never die (track wise). As mentioned before, they are good until they are not. Once scrubbed in and heated up I can push almost as fast as the NT01s for 20 min then I have to back off and settle in for my remaining 1"40" stint. Portland International Raceway Rs4's mid 1:27's, NT01's high 1:24's. The NT01's have half the life cycle in my experience but allow for aggressive/exploration in driving techniques.

I let my buddy borrow the RS4's on his F80 and the extra weight #600'ish made was a little greasy into breaking zones by his review. I never drove it, I will take his word.

Finally, Hankook is a 2 or 3 year sponsor for the Lucky Dog Racing league and all cars that want to enjoy podium prizes with Hankook run Rs4's. So naturally, nearly everyone runs Rs4's. Once Covid-19 is over, there should be a wealth of info I can share from other teams.