Viper X has good points again. This notion that run flats are crap and that this other tire is 10 times better just isn’t so. All these tires are $300+ tires, none of them are crap. They are all the best of every manufacturer, they are all very close. I have run flats, non run flats, Michelin sport cups, Kumho’s, Michelin slicks and Hoosiers. I would rate them in the order I listed but there is no night and day difference. Though I have never tried the Pirelli’s on a Viper, I suspect there are right in there with the sport cups and Kumho’s. Each one is slightly better than the previous one. I think people have the expectation that a new tire is going to turn them into this incredible driver. It’s the crappy tire that is the reason they are so slow or can’t get traction. I should know, that’s what I used to think, till I bought a half dozen different tires and realized it wasn’t the bow but the Indian.
Put yourself in the company of a good driver and watch what crappy tires can do, talk about humbling. It’s not about the tires, it’s about the driving. To say run flats are crap? A good driver would say “they don’t have as much grip as the Kumho’s but they are very predictable and fun to run. There are a handful of drivers at Viper days are posting some very completive times running stock tires so, where the argument? Bob Woodhouse is on radials, I am on slicks and he is beating me around every corner, it ain’t the f-cken tires.
At a 3 day track event, I will run the street tires the first day and then switch to the slicks mid way through the second day. It gives you a chance to get a very good comparison. Yes, there is a difference in the grip but not enough to overcome bad driving. They don’t have spikes on them, they are not on rails, and you still need smooth steering, braking and acceleration. You should be comfortable spinning and sliding your car around before you are ready to move up in tires. The warning before a tire breaks lose gets short and shorter as you go up in tire. If you want grippier tires because you keep spinning your and you feel out of control, then don’t go up!! That just means you need more practice on your tires.
Here is a way to earn new tires. Find a big parking lot and spin. Do a bunch of figure 8’s burning out the entire time. Go do a bunch 35 MPH arcing, sliding, spinning turns. By the time you’re done, you know what the tires can do and they should be pretty wasted, so go buy your next set.
