I’ve been using this for this year’s track season on my GR Yaris after having previously used them on drift cars. Decided to be a bit more budget friendly after using A052’s last year, I knew there would be a trade off in lap time but at the same time a set of four 651 Xtras with one of the regular discounts they offer is the same price as one A052 which is a considerable saving.
The elephant in the room that everyone wants to know is the lap times. I have no doubt that a dedicated semi slick would be quicker than these, that’s not even up for debate. But they’re not marketed as being the fastest tyre, fundamentally they’re aimed at drifters and you can tell with how controllable they are past the limit. That limit is lower than the expensive tyres when it comes to lateral G’s but they’re also less prone to snapping on you too, choosing to slide progressively instead. For comparison’s sake when cornering I could manage 1.25G on an A052 but the 651 Xtra can only do 1.1G and I think that’s where the time is lost on a track.
My experiments with them on my GR Yaris however have yielded a new PB so far this year at Knockhill so they’re not exactly a slow tyre. They switch on quickly and with the occasional cool down lap I was doing 20 lap sessions on them, peak grip comes early but you know when it’s gone because I found myself starting to miss apexes. Cool them down and they come back to you.
I’ve taken them to Crail raceway and managed a 1.7s 60ft time on the concrete 1/4 mile track with 400hp and launch control which shows they have plenty of straight line traction, the road surface there is awful and dusty.
I’ve also been using them on the road daily since the weather has got a bit warmer. Stay away from them when it’s freezing out but when milder - say 8+C - they’re nice to drive on. Steering feels pointy and they’re progressive when you want to accidentally slide on “oil” on roundabouts.
In terms of wear I’ve done 3 trackdays and a couple thousand miles on the road and despite the 100TW fears they’re holding up well. All four tyres still have 3-4mm left, wear is pretty even except for the front left which has been the one to go first around Knockhill with the heavy right handers, the surface looks a bit melty. But still life in them.
If you just want to go to the track, drive around enjoying yourself all day and get home afterwards I can’t think of a better proposition for the money. Of course a tyre 3-4x the price will be quicker, these aren’t breaking the laws of physics. For under £100 a tyre with regular discounts they’re great for getting cheap seat time and having fun.
Would definitely buy these again.