I'm about to go to the Nurburgring for my first track session... My tyres are all speed rated "R" which is 106mph as I understand it... My question is will this be safe? Obviously I intend to do it anyway, but I'd like to know quite how stupid I am being. From my experience I'd say it seems unlikely I'll be going above 106mph for very long (driving round Europe on empty motorways I managed a top speed of 120mph but felt a bit sorry for the car as I was nearly hitting the red line) but obviously some of you guys might know better... (7/01)
You should be able to get above 100 mph in some parts of the Nordschleife. I would make sure to have the proper speed rating - one thing less to worry about! BTW, are you sure your tyres are R-rated? You will find the "R" in next to any tyre identification on the sidewall, but often it just means "Radial" and the speed rating is different. like e.g. 195 R 15 82 W where "W" is the (rather high) speed indicator. (7/01)
But the Nurburgring for your first track day!!! (Presume you're meaning Nordschlief (sp?) not the European GP track?? Bridgestone SO-2 (although these have been replaced by the SO-3, so maybe hard to find) The SO-3 maybe even better, but is unproven at the moment (although I have seen good reviews in USA) (7/01)
If you're wanting tyres with the view to a big track day, and with the view to them being replaced before winter truly sets in, then forget about SO2/3s - especially as too many people complain about them going off towards then end of a 20-30 minute track session (and the Nordschlif should be hard on the tyres). Go for Yokohama 032Rs - road legal track tyres. These cost more but should totally out-grip the Bridgestones. On the upside they do them for 14" wheels, the down side - they cost more. (7/01)
IF they're just track tyres...which im suspecting not. Wouldn't touch them with a bargepole, for road tyres...unless its a dry- weather only car.. (7/01)
They are road-track tyres. I've spoken to caterham and westfield owners who not only swear by them, but also swear that they can be used in the wet, just not in the really heavy wet. I have been told there are two compounds though, a soft and a super soft. Apparently the latter wears very quickly but is considered to be unrivalled this side of slicks. It's the harder ones I'd go for (if I ever get around to getting a second set of alloys (track use ones :-) )) (7/01)
The Yoko A032R is a very good wet weather tyre. There was a fuss in the Classic Saloon Car Club a little while ago as it was thought that the A032R gave an unfair advantage over the control tyre (Dunlop D84J). They (the Yoko's) do make an excellent road tyre, if you can afford them (they wear pretty fast). I have a set for the Capri and they make a huge difference on the track. (7/01)

I have a small addition to the grippy-vs-hard debate. Recently bought Goodyear Venturas for the back axle. Perceived "wisdom" is that these are much better than my trusty P6000s. Experience at Donny (wet/dry conditions) and Silverstone National (bone dry!) showed that the rears had NO more grip than the fronts, in fact I got oversteer MORE often than previous outings. This could be down to the cambers at Silverstone etc, and also the reduced tread depth on the Pirellis probably helped them - hard to say.

Anyway, the other feature of the Goodyears is that I definitely took some chunks out of them on the outside edges. I've never had this happen with the P6000s. So maybe the Pirellis are actually better suited to warm track work on longevity basis (personally I've never seen the point in worrying about ABSOLUTE grip for track days - we're not racing, after all!). As for the speed rating - I would take this quite seriously. I KNOW there is a huge safety margin built in, but then again the tyre companies know what they're doing. And if you shred a tyre in a fast corner and trash your car, it will be impossible to complain to the makers, and you may find yourself in other sorts of trouble if you continue to claim 120mph speeds on 106-rated tyres ( e.g. if 3rd parties are involved). (7/01)

Is this wise going ono the track with virginal tyres ?

You should definately NOT use brand new tyres on track, or even abuse them immediately on the road. Tyres need a running-in period, and a few heat cycles, before they are made to work hard ...... something to do with links in co-polymer chains, but I'm no chemist. Well treaded tyres will generate more heat as the tread blocks move around, and some of the 'softer' makes will start to squirm around a bit towards the end of a session.

I would use what you've got on the circuit, and get new ones fitted to go home on. Admittedly, they'll be pretty bald at the end of the day, and you may have to swap front to back at lunchtime, but hey, the last couple of sessions you'll be using slicks ;-)

I had a set of 'semi-slick' S02's refitted yesterday, so I'll be in the same boat, but unfortunately I've got to come home to get my other S02's put back. I've got a set of 14" alloys with Kuhmos fitted, but it seems a shame to waste the couple of mm left on the Bridgestones. (9/01)

I notice that after a 10 mile run at high speed (100+ don't ask where officer!) my tyres are actually too hot to touch. Question is will the tread blocks melt at a track day given the high cornering forces generated? Tyres are 15" Michelin SX-GT's that were on there when I bought it and still have plenty tread. Any experiences or advice? (9/01)
I'm no expert, but:
* At Donington and Silverstone I could just touch on 100 (Fairly stock Mark 2 1.8i) top speed before having to brake for a corner - and most of the track was taken at speeds between 30 (corners) and 80 (straights) - so your average speed will most likely be considerably lower at the track than on your "high speed run". (My average was roughly 45mph, although that's just a quick calculation off the top of my head)
* I believe rolling resistance at high speed usually generates more heat in tyres than cornering and braking (?), especially if you are driving well (not squealing the tyres and doing powerslides to get around corners). But this might be totally wrong. Airflow around the tyres and brakes has a large effect on cooling too.
* Track sessions are 15-20 minutes and maybe 15 miles maximum, and then your tyres have 40 mins to cool off. You can feel the tyres getting softer and "going off" towards the end of each session, but they should last reasonably well - If you have a problem with it, you can always modify your driving style, do a slow lap in the middle or quit the session a couple of laps earlier.
* I have Bridgestone SO2s (well known for being very soft) and they held up well at Silverstone and Wroughton. I would imagine they would be far softer & meltier than SX's - and while I wasn't the fastest guy on track, I don't think anyone would accuse me of hanging around :-)
* A track day will wear your tyres noticeably, and after a couple of sessions you will notice how much punishment they are taking in the form of scrubbing on the shoulders and lumps of rubber hanging off the tyre looking sad. And how much brake dust has appeared on your wheels.
* Who cares?! Buy more tyres after the track day!! (9/01)
Unfortunately your tread blocks will soften up to the extent that the regular (normally right hand) corners will sorta 'squeeze' them all slightly left. Also lots of bits of rubber will end up smeared all over the track, and the tread blocks will kind of 'pill' like a cheap jumper, and all the little bits of rubber will peel off. Then you can upgrade to SO3s! (9/01)
You'll actually find this is just yourr hot sticky tyres having picked up marbling - though it is a little disconcerting pulling bits of rubber off your tyres. (9/01)