Results 1 to 12 of 12

Thread: E36 M3 Tire recommendations - HPDE, Autocross

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2018
    Location
    Narberth, Pa 19072
    Posts
    5
    My Cars
    1996 BMW M3 Coupe

    E36 M3 Tire recommendations - HPDE, Autocross

    Hi All - sure there is a ton of this on the board already, so forgive the inability to find it. Winter will allow me to get this set up, starting with some ISC Coil Overs (after re-tapping that rear lower shock mount). I drive for fun, not to compete, so what tires will allow a nice HDPE & Autocross, and street-able driving? I still haven't decoded the BMW wheel maze (anybody make a graphic of all these yet?), but right now on 235/45-17 & 215/45-17. Have some 16's I use for a little drifting too. Thanks

    M3-9-2018jpg.jpg

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Central, MD
    Posts
    3,847
    My Cars
    1995 M3
    The good news, there is more than 1 tire you can pick that will nicely fill your needs.
    The bad news, there is more than 1 tire you can pick that will nicely fill your needs.

    Really, anything in the TW200 or TW300 categories, and rated as a summer tire.

    We could get more specific if you provide more info. How much are you using these tires on the road? Expect these tires to be used in the winter also? How often do you expect to replace them?

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2018
    Location
    Narberth, Pa 19072
    Posts
    5
    My Cars
    1996 BMW M3 Coupe

    Useage

    Yes, many choices! No winter use, will be using on the road, so mileage a minor consideration (~80 miles to track events, drive 10-20 miles per week to keep battery charged.). If I could get 6,000 miles on them I'd be happy - that is probably two-three seasons.
    So, go square, or keep the staggered set-up another question. Likely to get some additional wheels.


    "aeronaut"The good news, there is more than 1 tire you can pick that will nicely fill your needs.
    The bad news, there is more than 1 tire you can pick that will nicely fill your needs.

    Really, anything in the TW200 or TW300 categories, and rated as a summer tire.

    We could get more specific if you provide more info. How much are you using these tires on the road? Expect these tires to be used in the winter also? How often do you expect to replace them?[/QUOTE]

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Central, MD
    Posts
    3,847
    My Cars
    1995 M3
    Definitely go square. Reduces understeer and gives you tire rotation options.

    Lot of options, for example:
    Direzza III
    Ventus RS-4
    Toyo R1R
    HTR Z-III
    RE-71R

    It comes down to how long you want the tire to last. And, there's a huge difference between a tire optimized for Autocross vs HDPE. So a compromise if using for both, which is fine.
    Other's will chime in with experience across various tires.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Springfield, IL
    Posts
    2,491
    My Cars
    '95m3(Avus)/996tt/4.8is
    I recommend the rs4 as it seems to me to be the best compromise of very grippy while also being long lasting. Cant go wrong with them IMO.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    mid-atlantic
    Posts
    357
    My Cars
    70's p-cars
    I have an e36 m3 with apex 17" wheels and a full coilover setup from ST. I run about -3.5 camber in the front and -2.5 in the rear. The car is lightened some and is about 3000lbs. It is really a street car, but it is lowered a bit, corner weighed and balanced. Fender not rolled, well maybe a little. 12mm spacers on the front.

    Car is shared on weekends so it is double-stinted in HPDE. Driven very hard in the instructor and mid-level groups. We use a lot of brakes, tires and fuel. A good time would be somewhere around 1:32 at Summit main being driven hard on a not-too-hot summer day. No auto-x. Trailered to the track.

    I've run Nitto NT01, Bridgestone RE71R and used Conti slicks on this M3. Always a square setup so they can be rotated. I've also run RA1's and R888 but on a different car.

    Observations:

    Conti's - 225/40/17: hyper sticky once warmed up. They wear pretty well and are very predictable regarding breakaway and slip angle. Do not get greasy. Sizes run large so 225's are like a 235 or 245 for other tires. Cheap fun but not long lasting (they're used). Fastest of the three. Of course not to be used in the rain. Average about 10 heat cycles and done but I think that depends a lot on how much they were "used" before you get them.

    NT01 - 235/40/17: Second fastest and reasonably sticky, but tend to get greasy when driven too hard. You could back off for a couple of laps and get them to come back some but on hot days the car developed a pretty significant push in medium speed transitions that was pretty annoying (7-8-9 at summit for example). Responded some to adding camber and softening the sway bar. Had some problems with weird tread wear and cupping when newer. Evened out with fastidious rotation. Ok but not great in the rain. Corded at 25-28 heat cycles. Stayed pretty fast to the end but you could tell they were wearing out.

    RE71R - 245/40/17: again, reasonable sticky but got a little greasy when driven too hard. Lap times just a tiny bit off from the NT01 but hard to tell. Responded well to more camber and did not have any understeer problems. Spectacular in the rain. Have 30 heat cycles on one set now and probably have 2-4 sessions remaining. Another set has 20 or so heat cycles and has easily 10-15 more. Just bought another set for this season from Discount tire for about $600 shipped. A good deal. Good enough on a dry track and you don't throw away a session because the track is wet - just go out and have fun. An excellent all-around HDPE tire with good grip and decent wear characteristics but can be overdriven if I try to bring the car up to race pace - Not a slick nor really a race tire but super for HPDE or probably auto-x because of their ability to come up to temperature quickly.

    Toyo RA1 - 225/50/15 and 205/50/15: My favorite track-day or race tire. Long lasting, super consistent and gets better with heat cycles. Decent in the rain. Tire speaks to you when you get near the edge and breakaway is progressive rather than sudden. Might be a little more expensive to buy but total cost of ownership is less because they last and stay fast so long. If you have to be at the pointy end of the field, buy Hoosiers or other pure race tire. And yes, you'll give up a second to someone on Hoosiers but you can stick the money you save in your back pocket.

    R888 - 225/45/15: See RA1 above just not quite as good. I have not driven the R888R but will probably try them at some point.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Pittsburgh, PA
    Posts
    577
    My Cars
    E36 M3 / 2.0T WRX
    Hankook RS4 - Best street tires to learn driving on. It has a more favorable slip angle characteristic. Meaning, it loses less grip as you slide the car around. So, you can get the car more out of shape and not totally lose control. The other faster tires (RE71R, etc.) are quicker by about a second per minute around most tracks but you have to drive them more precisely. Also, the Hankook RS4 is more tolerant of heat which can occur when you overdrive the car, which is bound to happen as you're learning how to drive. Other faster tires start losing grip quickly if you start to overheat them due to excessive sliding.

    Gun analogy:
    Hankook RS4 = AK47
    Bridgestone RE71R = M4

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    VA
    Posts
    306
    My Cars
    16' STI DD, 97' M3 Track
    I run Federal RS-R in 255/40 on my 17x9 wheels. They run big so beware. But they are a great tire for an intro into HPDE/AutoX. They have an aggressive treadware so you may not want to DD them.

    They are also very cheap. I got a set of 4 for a little over $350 shipped to my door.

    Out now is the Federal RS-RR which is a bit more aggressive and closer to an R-compound... though still technically a summer tire (correct me if I'm wrong)

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Pittsburgh, PA
    Posts
    577
    My Cars
    E36 M3 / 2.0T WRX
    Interesting. Does anyone have any data on the Federal 595 RS-RR? Especially with regards to grip and heat tolerance?
    It's $118/tire in 255/40/17
    https://www.amazon.com/Federal-595RS.../dp/B01M7ZAZJD

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jun 2016
    Location
    Los Angeles, CA
    Posts
    53
    My Cars
    M235 | M3 | 325Ci
    I just got a square set of 17" x 8.5" wheels, and now need some tires for occasional street, and track use. My E36 M3 sees occasional street use, and a track day every couple months. So I am looking for a good choice for mixed duty (NOT DD). I am thinking of giving the Bridgestone Potenza S007A a shot. Seems like a good option for my use, and mid-priced. Any opinions, or is there a better option? The RS4 looks interesting, but it looks like it is hard to get, and not sure if it even comes in 245/40r17 (looks like only 235/45 or 255/40 in 17).

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    CA
    Posts
    32
    My Cars
    e36
    Quote Originally Posted by skyotee View Post
    I just got a square set of 17" x 8.5" wheels, and now need some tires for occasional street, and track use. My E36 M3 sees occasional street use, and a track day every couple months. So I am looking for a good choice for mixed duty (NOT DD). I am thinking of giving the Bridgestone Potenza S007A a shot. Seems like a good option for my use, and mid-priced. Any opinions, or is there a better option? The RS4 looks interesting, but it looks like it is hard to get, and not sure if it even comes in 245/40r17 (looks like only 235/45 or 255/40 in 17).
    I am in a similar position. I called tirerack and they don't have a date on when the RS4s in 245/40/17 will be back in stock. I'm left with either the ZIIIs or running some cheap 595 rs-rrs in 235/40/17

    I would love to run re-71r's but they wear too quickly based on all that I have read. If I had enough seat time Id run NT-01s but I don't feel I am in rcomp territory yet.

    It's been surprisingly hard to find a good tire with long life that isn't a rcomp.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jan 2019
    Location
    Connecticut
    Posts
    358
    My Cars
    E92, E46, E36
    Just my input on the 595s, 4 of my good friends all run them for drift events, 2 reasons for that, 1 is they are cheap and 2 is that once they are warmed up they like to slide with little effort. I've personally driven 2 of their cars with the 595s and it's not a tire I would want on a track intended for grip

Similar Threads

  1. E36 M3/4 - SCCA STU Autocross/HPDE/TT
    By fsmtnbiker in forum 1992 - 1999 M3 (E36)
    Replies: 27
    Last Post: 02-14-2015, 08:53 PM
  2. E36 M3 Speaker Recommendations
    By 98 silber sedan in forum Car Audio & Electronics sponsored by Bavsound
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 02-05-2006, 03:05 PM
  3. Replies: 13
    Last Post: 01-11-2006, 10:28 PM
  4. E36 M3 Tire Specifications
    By '96 E36 M3 in forum Tire & Wheel Forum sponsored by The Tire Rack
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 05-05-2004, 10:33 AM
  5. 95 M3 Tire recommendations
    By Chongus in forum 1992 - 1999 M3 (E36)
    Replies: 14
    Last Post: 01-14-2003, 04:44 PM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •