Right. Having done a fair bit of research, I have a few answers and a decision!
First thing I learnt is that the stickiest tyres are no use for trackdays but until now, I didn't know why! I do now. The list I have produced above consists of 2 types of tyres and the types are not interchangable. In one group you have the Toyo's and Yoko's and you can add MPCS, Corsa's Dunlops etc. In the other you have the Stunners and Margangoni's. You can also add Kumho's plus a couple of others to the second group.
The first group are great road legal trackday/race tyres but they wouldn't last long on the road and aren't particularly nice for road use anyway. Besides noise and comfort, they can become particularly scary at 11.00pm on a dark road in heavy rain. Aquaplane and hedgerow/crash barrier are words that spring to mind.
The second group of tyres are actually very suited to the road, are safe in the wet and shouldn't aquaplane any more than other performance road tyres. Yet, it is this group of tyres that will give you the best grip and the fastest lap times! So, in sprints/hillclimbs, these tyres will whip the a#ses of those on the first group. However, while these tyres are great on the road, they would be destroyed on trackdays.
To a simpleton like me, it seemed totally illogical that a tyre that was stunningly good for grip but wouldn't last more than half a dozen track laps could be really good on the road.
Now all if this might not be new to some, but it was to me and more importantly, understanding why has been a revelation.
It seems that the best sprint/hillclimb tyres are, almost an accident. In fact, the success of the Stunner Scudo's in UK hillclimb/sprints has, quite literally, been a mistake! I know this will develop into one of those Urban Legends but............... chap goes to have his road legal hillclimb tyres fitted the day before a competition. On arrival at the tyre specialists, they couldn't find the tyres and it was too late to get any more. Rather than miss the event, he was given a special deal on their cheapest "performance" tyres of the right size. They were the Scudo's which nobody had heard of but they had the right rating and so thats what he got. Next day, he blows away the oposition and sets a class record for the hill. Based on his past performance, this came as a bit of a shock and the tyres were given the credit and they are now the tyre of choice in certain classes, with records falling like something that falls a lot!! (or at least that is what my bro tells me).
So, you might think, if they are good on the road and great for hillclimbs, they should be good on the track. Wrong!!! The problem is tyre construction and tread design. Great for the road but because there is so much "block" caused by the groves, when they get too hot it all goes pear shaped! This photo shows hwat I mean
However, in road use they never get up to temperatures that cause problems and therefore they are great. So, there is a class of tyres that if you want to be super quick over one lap and drive on the road in confidence, you really can. Now, the tyre I like the look of is the Margangoni Zeta Linea. These tyres dominate the German hillclimb scene and also have great success in their home country of Italy (must be good in reverse
) They look like
Now, how cool do they look, knowing that they are the stickiest thing since sticky toffee pudding!! The grooves give you confidence in the wet just looking at them! Best of all, they are cheap as chips (just over £400 fitted)
So, there you have it. The tyres that will give you the fastest lap time are ideally suited to the road and wet yet are nearly useless for trackdays! However, as I am close to needing replacements for the S-02's and Judgement Day is nearly on us, guess what I might be buying
Now to the other group of tyres, those designed for track use. Again, I have been looking at these and have spoken to many. I would have 2 sub groups, namely Old Skool (Cups and Corsas) and Young Turks (Toyo 888 and Yoko 048) I am not sure where to put the dunlops but I think in the first group. I am not talking about which is better by the groupings, its just that one group we understand, the other we don't. Now, the safe option is to stick to Old Skool and there has been enough on so I won't expand.
However, I have done a lot of research into the 888 vs 048 story. It seems that both Toyo and Yoko agree that in the hands of a top race driver, the Yoko's are a bit quicker but might be a little more unpredictable. Toyo are pushing themselves as a great tyre for everybody, Yoko are trying to appeal to the macho side in us (my interpretation). I would be happy with either and when I buy a trackday tyre, it will be one of them, probably based on price. Therefore, I think it would be the Toyo 888's for me.
What this has shown me, yet again, is that you cannot get one set of tyres to do everything. However, I used to think that if you did trackdays, sprints/hillclimbs and wanted to do some road driving as well, you needed 3 sets of wheels and tyres. Now, I believe you only need 2.
I hope that, if all goes to plan, I will have something a bit special on the car for Judgement Day which won't leave me wondering if I need wet or dry tyres. So, yet again, I am setting myself up to have no excuses. As usual, when I try something different, I will write a full report on progress.
