Tegiwa RWD Track Day Tyre Test 2023
Time and time again, we see the internet asking “What is the best track day tyre?” Well, back in 2021 we did our first ever track day tyre test. Since then we’ve had nearly 200,000 views on our video and over 10,000 of you have read the blog!
Fast forward a couple of years and we’re back with another tyre test. This time round we’ve selected 6 different performance tyres to put through their paces, with a couple of the old favourites returning too.
The test…
We lined up a selection of 6 tyres to put to the test around Oulton Park. To make it as fair as possible, we ran the tyres on the same car each time. To ensure we had enough time to give each tyre a fair chance, we’d booked 8 sessions on a test day, with each tyre getting a session each. This also allowed us to have extra sessions at the end of the day in case there was any technical issues with the car or an array of red flags.
Due to popular demand, we didn’t tell Luke what tyre he was going out on. This means the test would be truly blind and the feedback should be even more honest with no bias at all (not that it was last time!)
After each set of wheels were fitted, Luke took the car out for a few laps to get the tyres up to temperature and then brought the car back to the pits so we could bleed the pressures to the manufacturers recommended settings.
We looked at plenty of different variables throughout the test such as lap times, warm-up times, predictability and cost.
The car…
Our chosen car for the test was our F22 BMW M240i. We’ve built the car to what we consider Clubsport specification with upgrades including YSR coilovers, Milltek Sport exhaust system, BMW Motorsport LSD, SW Motorsports roll cage, Hardrace suspension arms and Cobra Nogaro bucket seats. The car weighs in at 1,564kg (exc. driver) and 1,647kg (inc. driver). The M240i’s B58 engine produces 440 horsepower thanks to a tune from Ti Motorsport which gives a power to weight ratio of 267bhp per tonne. You can read the full break down of the car, here.
Our alloy wheel of choice was the 2Forge ZF6 with a 18″ x 9J square setup. These weigh in at 9kg each. We’re using a custom offset so they fill the arch as flush as they can be with an ET42 on the rear and ET30 on the front.
Our car had the following geometry specifications:
- -3° front camber
- -3° rear camber
- 0.5mm front toe out
- 2mm rear toe in
The driver…
The man behind the wheel is Tegiwa Imports director, Luke Sedzikowski. No stranger to a race car or track day, Luke has been racing competitively since 2014! He’s raced everything from a CRX, NSX and an M4 GT4 and plenty in between too.
The contenders…
The sizes that we tested were all a 235/40/18 front and a 265/35/18 rear.
Benchmark – Michelin Pilot Sport 5
- Price
- Fronts: £150.15
- Rears: £241.37
- Total Cost: £783
- Road Legal: Yes
- Best Lap Time: 1.56:06
Official Statistics
- External Rolling Noise: 72db (B)
- Wet Brake Distance: A
- Fuel Consumption: C
First up in our tyre test was the Michelin Pilot Sport 5. Obviously, this isn’t a semi-slick tyre but these are what we use on the road. We know that the PS5’s are a great all rounder for the road, and many people will want to go for a ‘one tyre that does it all’, so we thought it’d be interesting to see how it stacks up against the track orientated tyres.
Luke knew what tyres he was going out on with the Michelin’s. This tyre was here to set the benchmark before the track tyres were fitted. Here’s what Luke thought: “After a couple of laps the tyres ended up ‘ballooning’, with the pressures reaching 38 psi. As the laps went on the car got more lairy with under and oversteer, which was to be expected as the temperatures rise. I came into the pits to bleed the pressures back down to 32 psi so we can go out again and see how they feel.
Once the tyres were back at a suitable pressure, they felt much better. I could still feel ABS through the brakes and I had to short shift to keep the car in check as the lack of grip was really noticeable. They feel too inconsistent to really put in a decent lap time and inspire any confidence. They’re obviously a fantastic road tyre that perform well in the wet and dry, but it’s clear that they’re out of depth when pushing on the track.”
Tyre 1 – Nankang AR-1
- Price
- Fronts: £209
- Rears: £247
- Total Cost: £912
- Road Legal: Yes
- Lap Time: 1.53:10
Official Statistics
- External Rolling Noise: 72db (B)
- Wet Brake Distance: D
- Fuel Consumption: D
The AR-1 was a firm favourite during our last tyre test. However, Luke was now blind testing it so it was interesting to gather his thoughts without him knowing what he was driving on.
Here’s what Luke had to say: “Straight away I could tell that these were a track tyre as there was a lot more noise and more feedback. They felt really good on the brakes, with only a small of amount of ABS. They did rub slightly on the rear which is probably owing to the increased size. They really do inspire confidence in the corners. I was able to keep my foot planted whereas you just couldn’t with the PS5.
The only struggle that I had with the car was the off-throttle turn-in understeer. I managed two lap times within 2 tenths of each other so they’re consistent. Corner exit was a lot better, I was able to choose a lower gear than before when using the PS5. Generally, I really enjoyed using these!”
Tyre 2 – Yokohama Advan Neova AD09
- Price
- Fronts: N/A
- Rears: £254.92
- Road Legal: Yes
- Lap Time: 1.52:97
Official Statistics
- External Rolling Noise: 71db (B)
- Wet Brake Distance: A
- Fuel Consumption: D
The Yokohama AD09 is the successor to the AD08RS. With the tyre being so new, not all sizes are available in Europe yet which includes the 235/40/18 fronts. We managed to get ourselves a set of front tyres by importing them directly from Japan for this test.
Here’s what Luke said: “These tyres seem to be quieter than and aren’t as grippy from the off as tyre 1 (Nankang AR-1). When I started to push on, the tyres made the car feel really balanced with a lack of under and over steer. It definitely feels better on turn-in than tyre 1 too. These must be bigger than the PS5 too because I was getting a tiny amount of rub. We know that the tyres are tight fitting anyway with a 265 rear only just fitting in the standard arches of our M240i.
Unfortunately, the session got cut slightly short on this tyre due to a red flag but they felt really good. It had a similar amount of understeer than tyre 1 but slightly more oversteer, however, it felt a little better during braking. I think that because the car was almost sliding through the corner rather than understeering then this made for a faster lap time than before.”
Tyre 3 – Yokohama A052
- Price
- Fronts: £271.55
- Rears: £369.53
- Total Cost: £1,282.16
- Road Legal: Yes
- Lap Time: 1.52:30
Official Statistics
- External Rolling Noise: 73db (B)
- Wet Brake Distance: A
- Fuel Consumption: D
The A052 is one of Yokohama’s flagship semi-slick tyre and is a firm favourite amongst many track day enthusiasts and racers here in the UK. This isn’t a tyre that Luke has competed on recently either so it was definitely going to be interesting to hear his thoughts.
Here’s what Luke said: “Out of the box, these feel like they have the most grip yet, they’re really good on the out lap! This was the fastest lap too out of all the tyres so far. I was six tenths quicker than the previous tyre so it must be more track focused! I think I could have gone even faster if I wasn’t held up by traffic. It felt really balanced.”
Tyre 4 – Dunlop Direzza DZ03G
- Price
- Fronts: £306
- Rears: £390
- Total Cost: £1,392
- Road Legal: No (they do have an E-Mark stamp)
- Lap Time: 1.51:96
Official Statistics
- External Rolling Noise: /
- Wet Brake Distance: /
- Fuel Consumption: /
The Dunlop Direzza is the most expensive tyre here, however, this is a dedicated track tyre that isn’t suitable for the road. It came out on top with the fastest lap time back in 2021 so we were all keen to see if still outperformed everything else when fitted to a RWD car.
Here’s what Luke thought: “Again, this tyre feels good straight away. The car feels so planted on these tyres, this is definitely the best the car has felt all day. I can really push on in all the corners and haven’t got to worry about the car being unsettled.”
Tyre 5 – Nankang CR-S
- Price
- Fronts: /
- Rears: /
- Road Legal: /
- Lap Time: 1.53:30
Official Statistics
- External Rolling Noise: /
- Wet Brake Distance: /
- Fuel Consumption: /
Nankang’s latest performance tyre, the CR-S, isn’t due to be released in the UK until 2024. There are only some sizes that have been released in the USA but thanks to Nankang, they’ve supplied us a set specifically for this test, which makes us the first ever people to use them in the UK. Thanks Nankang!
Here’s what Luke said: “On the out lap, the car slid around a bit so I needed to get some temperature in them. They felt good when I’d got them up into grip but definitely as good as the last tyre or the tyre before that. The track was getting hotter though.
My guess is that they’re a brilliant road and track tyre!”
Conclusion
In short:
- Michelin Pilot Sport 5: Perfect performance road tyre for wet and dry
- Nankang AR-1: The cheapest track based tyre we tested
- Nankang CR-S: Will be great for the road and track but Nankang are yet to confirm pricing
- Yokohama AD09: Fantastic all rounder for both the road and track
- Yokohama A052: The fastest road legal track tyre
- Dunlop Direzza DZ03G: The fastest track tyre and offers the best performance
After showing Luke the results after the test and him learning what tyres he actually went out on, this is what he said:
“There were some interesting results from the day and it was a little bit different from what I was expecting.
The Michelin Pilot Sport 5 was a real struggle on the track, but it’s not designed for that so it was to be expected. It was good to see how far behind the other tyres it was though.
Both the Nankang tyre times were both very close with just a couple of tenths separating the two. They could have easily swapped places as I could have gained on a lap depending on traffic.
The next fastest was the Yokohama AD09 which is obviously a road tyre and I thought this performed on par, or a bit better, than the Nankang AR-1. I’m amazed with this tyre, it’s probably the best all rounder here from what I can see. It’s ideal for the road, nipping to the shops, driving to the track and then setting some fast lap times!
The Yokohama A052 had the potential to go a little bit quicker but the wear on the tyres was crazy! I might have got the tyres a bit too hot, a bit too quick but they just didn’t have as much grip as the Dunlop Direzza. The Direzza came off the car looking like brand new.
Bang for your buck, taking into consideration the lap time, wear and price the Yokohama AD09 is winning hands down!”
Since we carried out this test, we’ve fitted a set of Yokohama AD09’s to our Civic FL5. These drive like normal tyres on the road and aren’t noisy at all!
Thanks
A big thanks to everyone that has been involved in making this project happen!
As always the big tyre debate is probably going to rage on. We hope that we’ve once again provided enough information for you to come to your own conclusions and it helps you choose your new performance tyre.
Thanks for reading and we hope you enjoyed it! We really love doing these tests and if there’s anything you’d like to see or any feedback you have then please let us know.
Please note that pricing is correct as of June 2023.
