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I know that this has been beaten to death... but what tire should I go with and should I go up 10mm in width to 255 Front and 295 Rear? I have almost 14,000 miles on these and its almost time to replace them.
As per above, RE11 are a fine tire. But they are not as good as PSS, which are probably the best tire you will find for dual duty as a daily driver (wet and dry) and casual track use. Or, if you don't mind exercising a bit of extra caution in the wet, and want something that will stick like glue in the dry and take a lot of punishment on a circuit, why not go for PS Cup 2's? I'm running them on my V12VS and they are an amazing tire. Both they and the PSS come in OEM size for the V8V, too, if I'm not mistaken.
Beautiful car on a great circuit, BTW. Any more action shots?
"Any more action shots?" Sorry, no... But here is an old photo of my former '07 Vantage @ Pocono taken back in 2010. The Vantage S is just so much better in every way.
I was hoping for a shot of a pass at the end of the long straight just before big bend where I passed an M3 that I had been dueling with... SCDA is a good opportunity to get some valuable practice in... but I'm spoiled as when I do an AMOC event there are like 5 cars on the track (as opposed to 25)!
excellent write up, thanks for that. Yes, Michelin PSS are the way to go.
Okay, the real reason why i'm chiming in this thread is to ask where you got your front lip from? it looks like the one i want from Hamann but am not willing to pay $3K for. thanks!
PSS get greasy at the limit on track but they are a good dual purpose tire. RE-71R is definitely a much better track tire, but it is more firm for the road for daily use (always a trade off).
Sport Cup 2s are a full 2 sec faster a lap than the Pilor Super Sports but they are not recommended in the rain so putting it on a car that won't see a lot of track time makes no sense. They also need a lot of heat in them to get max grip.
Pirelli Trofeo Rs are the best tire period for track use, but they are borderline R compounds so definitely NOT street able.
The Continental ContiForce Contacts are the equivalent version of the Michelin Pilot Sport cup 2s and Trofeo Rs, but they absolutely destroy both in wet weather performance making them the most logical choice if you actually want to drive a track tire on the street for max grip. Look at the tire results comparing them, it's embarrassing how badly the continentals destroy every other tire in the wet (which for driving around town in all weather conditions is ideal.). Also, I really like the way the tires look too aesthetically. They may not be the most common choice, but after reviewing countless reviews and looking at all the tests, combined with my own personal experience of the Extreme Contact DW, I have decided to go with continentals.
I will be purchasing the ContiForce Contacts as soon as my next Aston arrives.
Last edited by 007 Vantage; Aug 26, 2015 at 11:46 PM.
Last I saw there are no PSS left in the country, they are on a hold due to some sort of manufacture issue according to my friend from GM who is having corvette issues because of it. When I went looking for tires about 3 weeks ago discount tire couldn't find any in their system either.
I ended up with Yokohama Neovo tires that had a better rating than the bridgestones. I am doing my first track day in my aston next thursday so I will see how it goes. I instruct for a few clubs so I have plenty of experience just not in the AM as my Lotus is my track car.
I'm sure you had fun. I ran Lime Rock in my BMW a number of years ago and it rained slightly at the end of the day making the last session a little dicey. I remember coming up over that blind hill and getting really light before a right hander... good long stretch for passing as well.
Great pics.
You mentioned the S being much better than your 07, how so? Suspension? Power? Was your 07 stock?
I am still getting familiar with my 07, but it seems like a great 8/10s car. Seems like it needs some modifications to be driven near the limit.
Sport Cup 2s are a full 2 sec faster a lap than the Pilor Super Sports but they are not recommended in the rain so putting it on a car that won't see a lot of track time makes no sense. They also need a lot of heat in them to get max grip.
Pirelli Trofeo Rs are the best tire period for track use, but they are borderline R compounds so definitely NOT street able.
PS Cup2's are actually pretty forgiving in the rain if you behave yourself, and they are also pretty forgiving when not warmed up.
Are the Trofeo R's available in OEM size? If so, who is selling them? As for not streetable, well, I can't speak from experience on this particular tire, but other R compounds I've run (R888's, A048's) are also a non issue on the road.
I don't think R888 or A048s are an R compound, a Hoosier R6 is. R compound is typically not DOT approved although an R6 does meet DOT requirements. I have ran all three on my lotus and there isn't even a comparison between an R6 to a R888, they are in different leagues.
You mentioned the S being much better than your 07, how so? Suspension? Power? Was your 07 stock?
I am still getting familiar with my 07, but it seems like a great 8/10s car. Seems like it needs some modifications to be driven near the limit.
Despite mods on my 07 that included 200 cell cats and a much lighter Miltek rear muffler (which droned on the highway) the 13 S felt much faster perhaps due to the higher torque. Overall fit and finish as well as the updated dash were a nice change over the 07. It's funny that the 07 was goodwill green over red fox/black hides and the 13 is BRG over chestnut brown hides and most folks didn't notice that I was sporting a new Vantage.
If I kept the 07 I would have chipped it, done the 4:1 header thing... and replaced the rear box with a V12 Vantage box to quiet the high-speed droning.
