Modifying and driving a car that needs to see dual use as a street-legal car you can drive daily and a performance machine that you can take to the track on the weekend is tough to balance. Adding the right engine parts is a start, but once you have your engine and transmission purring, you need to put the power to the ground and get the car to stay on the track. Getting the right tires can make all the difference.
Street Tires
When you are buying tires for your performance car, you need to decide the level of performance you are trying to get from it. Multiple tire manufacturers make racing-style tires for the street, but the performance of these tires is not going to be as good as a pure racing tire.
Some of the qualities that make a tire a true performance tire are the tread design, the width of the tire, the sidewall design, and the durometer (hardness) of the rubber. Most street tires have hard rubber compounds to extend the life of the tread, so even if they have a fancy race-like tread design, they are going to be suited to daily use, not track use.
Street Performance Tires
Many tire manufacturers do offer tires that are intended to perform well on the street and provide performance benefits. These combination tires are better for track driving and are still a decent tire on the street.
The tires in this range may have a more aggressive tread design to encourage better handling and a slightly softer rubber compound, so the tires are going to wear faster. There are a lot of tires in the performance tier to choose from, so you may want to do some research and see what people are saying about specific brands and designs.
Racing Tires
Racing tires have one intended use. The tire design is specific for performance and handling on the race track. A real racing tire is very soft and will wear quickly, but it will stick to the track and allow your car to corner harder and hold the line down the straight sections.
Running racing tires on your car all week while commuting to work is not only not legal in most areas but also impractical. The tires wear fast, and they are so expensive that replacing them can be costly. If you want to use a full race tire on your performance car, buy a set to take to the track and consider a mid-tier street performance tire for weekday driving.
For more information on your options for racing tires, contact a company like Frisby Performance Tire.
