TIRES
Continental EXTREMECONTACT
DWS 06 PLUS XL
We needed a perfect balance of road and track usage, so we initially chose the ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus.
This is a Premium All-Season Ultra-High Performance tire with excellent year-round traction! It comes with SportPlus Technology, which provides responsive handling, better grip on wet roads, and extended tread life.​
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We have run this tire through various conditions and a wide array of road surfaces. Suffice to say, they held up great, so it was a no brainer to go with these as Project WRX won't solely be a track or demo vehicle.
Continental Tire is NOT our Sponsor. These are the tires we use and we l only promote products that we think will work the best - based on our requirements!
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Based on track extremities, these tires did NOT hold up as well as we envisaged. We found the excessive heat to make these tires 'greasy' and would therefore hamper control at high speeds on the track.
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Having said that, we found them very versatile for fast street and canyon runs upto 30 degrees Fahrenheit - That's as cold as it got in SoCal lol
As The VB500 SuperGT is now solely used for track events and social group meets, we have upgraded the tires to a 200 Treadware compound that still allows us to be legal on the streets and are much more capable on the track - BRIDGESTONE POTENZA RE-71RS XL
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The RE-71RS (were presented in 2020), is "the fastest in street radial history" - as its Japanese manufacturer claims.
It is characterized not only by a high level of traction and precise handling feedback but also by a long expected mileage. The tire is designed to be used on both race tracks and public roads.
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The Bridgestone Potenza RE-71RS model inherited its 'sporty' habits from its predecessor, Potenza RE-71R. It is noted that 'R' in the model name stands for 'Racing', while 'S' can be interpreted either as 'Sport' or 'Second'. If we are to compare the two tires, RE-71RS definitely prevails, because it provides a better grip and has higher resistance to wear.
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For example, according to the tests performed by the manufacturer, the Bridgestone Potenza RE-71 RS in size 265/35 R18 97W XL showed the best lap time on the Tsukuba racing circuit. The tire’s breakaway on the fastest lap was 2%, while the average overtake did not exceed 1.1%.
In the treadwear test (the test distance being 8000 km), the Potenza RE-71 RS tires in size 215/45 R17 91W XL surpassed Potenza RE-71R by 5%. The Bridgestone Company attributes all of these improvements to the optimization of the asymmetric tread design and the form of the contact patch with the help of the patented technology UltimatEYE.
The rubber compound of Bridgestone Potenza RE-71RS, which was developed based on the company’s experience in taking part in motor racing, includes polymers that help to maximize the traction.
NOTE: The RE71-RS is a great street and canyon tire, but not very competent as a track tire. The best laps you will achieve on these tires will be lap 1 & 2, thereafter tires get greasy. The RE71-RS is not rated as an endurance race tire.
We have been through two sets on our 2022 WRX (with 2.5 camber all-around). Each set has lasted 2200 - 2500 miles. These numbers relate to Track & Canyon use only, where the latter number of 2500 miles is canyon only.
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I wanted to try different tires that would last longer (Kumho Ecsta V730 / Maxxis Victra RC-1 / Nankang CRS V2) but unfortunately they are not available in our existing tires size (255/40/18). The closest they had was 265/35/18 and that would have required addition mods to the rear fenders. Our car is also running a 18x9.5 +38 wheel also, so this complete setup is as aggressive as you can get (with the negative camber) and still, we did need some slight fender rolling at the back.
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Only other choice I had was the Michelin PS4S, but they wont be as fast of a tire and apparently wont last as long.
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There is a good tire decision guide below, created by Grassroots Motorsports
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Autocross: Choose A or AA for warmup and B or better for time trial pace.
Time Trials: Choose by time trial pace and wear.
Lapping Days: Choose by heat tolerance and wear.
Street & Track: Choose by heat tolerance, wear and wet weather performance.
