Old Skool Kool

[Rusty]

Just put some OE Avus on the Alpinweiss

(that's over the 314 996 monoblocks for anyone who said it can't be done )

Looks quite funny after having 17x8j et35 wheels on it for the last 4 years but winter means that some different tyres are required! (Michelin Primacy HP 205/55R16)

[newsh]

Back to basics eh? Put up a pic of what the tread looks like

[Rusty]

Tread pattern on the primacies

http://www.michelin.co.uk/tyres/michelin-primacy-hp

A nice cruiser tyre for the winter.

[Christophski]

So big brakes with og wheels? Hmm I'm thinking an upgrade is on the cards next year!

[Rusty]

314mm A8 discs, DS2500 on 996 425/6 fronts, OE rears with DS2500, braided lines and super dot4. Certainly did the job at Combe last weekend Don't need much more on a track car, only if you're going for 400+bhp and 20+ min sessions...

[TimE-J]

Ive got these on my avus' and I must admit I do like them they do grip well in the wet and the dry.

[mcandmar]

Be careful Andy, went i first changed from 18" to 16" on the coupe i was a liability on the road. Huge difference in grip between them.

[Rusty]

They're fine, good quality tyres, not on there to be hooned but will heed your advice! Just on there to stop me having another winter based incident on the frankly lethal Eagle F1s on the ice/snow and I can't imagine that the P Zero Corsas would like the snow either

[S2central.net]

I was caught out a couple of times in that transition from 225/45 on 18 going to 205/55 winters on 16 - that horrible moment when you get into the roundabout and realise you are carrying way too much speed for a dignified exit... and you have to force yourself to keep the right foot planted for a wee naughty four wheel drift as you collect yourself into vaguely the correct direction to continue your journey.

[andy10v]

314s/996s look great under 16s.



Why the huge difference in grip being discussed, width, sidewall flex or tyre?

[S2central.net]

In my case - all three...

[Rusty]

As much as anything else, modern sports tyres aren't available less than 17 inch.

225 vs. 205 , 45 vs. 55 profile, stiff sporty sidewalls vs. soft comfy ones!

[HPmuirt]

Hey, you should try OEM 16" (205x55) tyres on the track - grip, what grip?

Cheers n

Si

[andy10v]

Ok, I have gone from 205 55 16 to 225 50 16 in an attempt to get more grip, so getting a nice set of 17x8 et 30 - 35 and 225/235 would improve things a bit more?

Is 17 a good road size for the s2? Tiny sidewalls just start to skitter about on any uneven surface and no point in having something that can only be driven on perfect roads as I live in Scotland.

17 wider in summer and 16 narrower winter ala Andy best option then?

[Rusty]

As you say, 17s for summer, 16s for winter. I had 225/50s for a 2 years but swapped 3 years ago, 225 are of no interest for winter as 205 will increase pressure on wet/greasy/icy/snowy roads, increasing grip. 205/55 is also a very popular tyre on many modern cars so you can get plenty of tyre brands in that size (not necessarily performance models though). 225/50 is more Mercedes/BMW only.

Not sure on exact comparison now as I've gone from 205 16" to 225 16" to sports 17" and then to track 17" tyre with sidewalls as stiff as runflats and then back to 205 16" comfort tyre

The thing I've learned is that each tyre has its place and rarely does one tyre do everything well. That said, it's not practical to have lots of set of wheels, I think 3 sets is already somewhat OTT!

• Winter - 16" OE Avus, 205/55R16
• Spring/Autumn/Wet track - 17" Dezent C, 225/45R17 Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric
• Summer/Dry track - 17" OZ superleggera, 225/45R17 P Zero Corsa

It's worth noting that I have not had anything but praise for the Eagles in the wet but below 5DegC and on snow they are useless so they're not an all year round solution (hence the 16s). Track tyres also offer a big advantage over even sport tyres, they grip like crap to a blanket and far out perform sports tyres... need a tyre storage rack in my shed methinks