Given
98%
while driving a
Porsche Cayman
(/40 R18) on
track
for 300
spirited miles
2015 Porsche Cayman GTS. Manual Transmission x73 suspension. 245 40 18 front 265 40 18 rear. Having been a Porsche racer and DE driver/instructor for 30 years now, I can assess tires with an eye to what works. My stock tires were Pirelli P Zero Porsche NO tires that I drove on the track. Not so great. Went to NT01s. Ok, but not so good. Gave the 01s away and put on the Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3R. Wow! Started concerned because the newest 3Rs that I could get from TireRack were made July 2020 and October 2019. In terms of age, they were almost done. Had them heat cycled and gave it a go. These tires never stepped wrong, stepped out or gave me any issues that were of concern. I have raced on Hoosier slicks, R6's, R7's Goodyear bias, Toyo RA1s BFG R1s over the years as well as instructed in all sorts of cars with all sort of tires. So far, nothing beats these tires on the track. Driving conservatively at Buttonwillow and I was turning 2:12s. No where near the limits of the car or myself. Love the car too much to push it to it's limits, but the tires did great. After 10 heat cycles, they showed little wear. Keep in mind that these tires are almost past their age limits. Now, I need to find a set that are freshly made and not 3 years old.
Goodyear needs to make more sizes than they have now. It would be nice to get some 20" tires that are closer to the stock size needed.
My car is a manual and I would use the power to rotate the car on tight corners. Stuck like glue. In the twisties, was able to take tighter lines than I would typically take.
I had not anticipated driving my car home on the road. Lent my trailer to a friend so that he could get his broken car home. 210 miles on 2 lane and 4 lanes of Hwy101 to get home. They were quiet and ran great.
It is essential to watch the air pressure. Start with 28 in the morning and bleed them down to 34/35. take it slowly for the first 2 laps of consecutive sessions until the pressures come up. Bleed them down if over 35 at the end of the session. Add air before you leave the track, whether it is to go to a hotel or home. Start the process all over the next day.