The Track

The test took place at Blyton Park on a test day which meant we had no issues with timing throughout the day. It offers a good mix of slow and fast corners with a good blend of straights too. The weather was stable throughout the day with the ambient air temperature around 14 degrees.

The Car

The test mule we used was our recently imported MK7 Golf GTI. Before the test we had sent the car off to Area Motorsport with a boot full of Tegiwa supplied track parts which included:

• Yellow Speed Racing Dynamic Pro Sport Coilovers
• Yellow Speed Racing 6 Piston Big Brake Kit
• Hawk HP+ Brake Pads
• Racingline Performance R600 Intake Kit
• Racingline Performance Oil Catch Tank Kit
• Milltek Catback Exhaust
• TSW Imatra 18×9 ET45 Wheels

As you can see, these are just the right modifications to give the Golf a bit of extra handling capability and stopping power on the track. With all the modifications fitted and after an Area Motorsport alignment we gave the car a Ti Motorsport engine and gearbox remap which took power levels to around 300bhp.

The Tyres

The size we had chosen to use for this test was a 235/40/18. This is a common size used on the MQB platform and fit the 9J wheels that we were using perfectly.

Yokohama A052

Widely regarded as one of the best track tyres that money can buy, the A052 has always come out shining in our previous reviews. This is also the control tyre in Time Attack and the Racing Hondas Championship for both wet and dry weather so we know that it’s a great all rounder.

£274.86 per tyre (based on a 235/45/18 as the 235/40/18 is not available in the UK)

E-Marked (Road Legal): Yes

Nankang CR-S

Nankang’s flagship semi-slick tyre, the CR-S. Most recently we did a back-to-back test between this and it’s older AR-1 with great results for both tyres. In terms of side wall, this tyre definitely looked the best and looked the beefiest on the rim.

£271.00 per tyre

E-Marked (Road Legal): Yes

Vitour Tempesta P1

The Vitour Tempesta is a new tyre that everybody on the internet is talking about. We’d like to put this talk to the test and put this tyre up against two other proven tyres. It’s worth noting that the other two tyres measured 240mm wide whereas the Tempesta only measured 225mm wide. This was visually noticeable as they had some stretch with these fitted.

£267.00 per tyre

E-Marked (Road Legal): Yes.

A key question for any semi-slick is its road legality. The Vitour Tempesta P1 carries the all-important ‘E’ marking, confirming it has passed the minimum legal requirements for sale and use on European roads. This means it meets standards for tread depth, wet grip, and noise.

However, “legal” doesn’t mean “inconspicuous.” The design of the P1 pushes the definition of a road tyre to its performance limit. The most striking feature is the outer third of the tyre, which is virtually a solid block of rubber with minimal grooving. While this is fantastic for track work – providing a huge, stable contact patch for grip during hard cornering – it could cause an issue on a visual inspection on a MOT.

UK law requires a continuous tread pattern across the central three-quarters of the tyre’s breadth. On the 225mm P1’s we tested, this legally-required central band measures approximately 130mm. This leaves a significant portion of the tyre, especially that critical outer shoulder, dedicated purely to performance. While it passes the letter of the law, its aggressive appearance means it’s worth being aware that an uninformed inspector might question it.

The Driver

With the car and tyres in place, we handed the keys over to Tegiwa Co-Director and resident race driver, Luke Sedzikowski. Luke was fresh off the back of winning the Pro Time Attack Championship so was in great form for this test.

We drove the car to the track on a set of Yokohama AD09 tyres. These are a great performance tyre for the road so Luke did his warm-up laps with these tyres. Once he’d racked up a few laps and got a feel for the car and conditions we sent Luke out to set a benchmark time on the AD09’s. He set a time of 1:12.

“These felt great and are perfect for driving to and from the track and then blasting around all day. However, when you really start to push on then this is where you will need to step it up a level”

With the benchmark set, we changed the wheels over. We actually didn’t tell Luke what tyres were on the car so he could run this test ‘blind’. The plan was that Luke would do two sessions on each tyre. These would be back to back sessions, the first where Luke gets a feel for them and up to temperature, and then he would pit and bleed the pressures down to where they need to be before he goes back out. This would be the same for each tyre and then after lunch he would do one more session on each. This meant that the tyres will have had a full heat cycle on the third and final session and should be performing at their optimum level.

Tyre 1 – Yokohama A052

It made sense to put the A052 on as tyre 1 so we could see the difference in performance between an AD09 and an A052. After session 1, we bled the tyres down from 36 to 30 and the feedback was that the tyre had ‘ballooned’. His best time on this tyre was a 1:09.6. Luke said that the A052 felt great to drive on and were very rewarding. Although we haven’t tested them in wet conditions, we know that they perform well as they are the control tyre for the Racing Hondas Championship for both dry and wet.

Tyre 2 – Nankang CR-S

We then switched over to a set of Nankang CR-S. Luke’s first feedback was that these felt great however he did comment that they took a couple of laps to come up to performance. He’d managed 2 nearly identical back-to-back lap times with the CR-S which shows just what a consistent tyre they are. The best time on this tyre was a 1:09.5 in session 3 with Luke saying that they had nothing left in them to give.

Tyre 3 – Tempesta

Now to see if the Vitour Tempesta could put in a lap time like the previous two tyres. Luke’s initial feedback was that it was like driving on ice and the car had no grip on either axle with a lot of understeer. These were considerably harder to get up to temperature as well as once they were up to 30psi they didn’t rise. Luke managed a 1:09.8 in the third session of the day which shows they have the pace in the pace in them to match the A052 and the CR-S but the side wall was rolling over and generally didn’t feel as good. In terms of the tyre life and tread wear which seems to be a big thing that people are talking about, from what we saw, we don’t think they’d last 100 laps on track like people are saying they would, especially if you are really pushing the car to its limit.

The verdict

With all 3 tyres all within a £10 price difference, budget is something that we don’t actually need to consider here. The Tempesta showed us that it was capable of putting in a similar lap time to the already proven CR-S and A052, however, if you’re looking for a tyre that inspires confidence and doesn’t put up a battle this probably isn’t for you.

What would Luke’s choice be?

“The A052 was the nicest to drive on and we know from other tests they are great in the wet so this would have to be my choice. The CR-S put up a great fight and also felt really good. On other tests in other sizes we know this hasn’t been as close to the A052 time wise but is always a tyre that inspires confidence. The Tempesta had been hyped up to be better than the rest so this was a little disappointing, however the time was still very impressive. To get to this time pushing as hard as possible, the tyre will not last and the wear shows that, especially when compared to the other two.”

We hope this test gave you a good insight into the three tyres that we have chosen. It’s important to say that on a different car with a different setup, or even something that is RWD, the results may be different. We can of course only report on what we found!

For all your tyre needs you can check out the A052, CR-S, Tempesta P1 and more at Tegiwa.com! Unsure which tyre best suits your needs? Call or email our friendly team for advice!

Time and time again, we see the internet asking “What is the best track day tyre?” Well, back in 2021 we did our first ever track day tyre test. Since then we’ve had nearly 200,000 views on our video and over 10,000 of you have read the blog!

Fast forward a couple of years and we’re back with another tyre test. This time round we’ve selected 6 different performance tyres to put through their paces, with a couple of the old favourites returning too.

The test…

We lined up a selection of 6 tyres to put to the test around Oulton Park. To make it as fair as possible, we ran the tyres on the same car each time. To ensure we had enough time to give each tyre a fair chance, we’d booked 8 sessions on a test day, with each tyre getting a session each. This also allowed us to have extra sessions at the end of the day in case there was any technical issues with the car or an array of red flags.

Due to popular demand, we didn’t tell Luke what tyre he was going out on. This means the test would be truly blind and the feedback should be even more honest with no bias at all (not that it was last time!)

After each set of wheels were fitted, Luke took the car out for a few laps to get the tyres up to temperature and then brought the car back to the pits so we could bleed the pressures to the manufacturers recommended settings.

We looked at plenty of different variables throughout the test such as lap times, warm-up times, predictability and cost.

The car…

Our chosen car for the test was our F22 BMW M240i. We’ve built the car to what we consider Clubsport specification with upgrades including YSR coilovers, Milltek Sport exhaust system, BMW Motorsport LSD, SW Motorsports roll cage, Hardrace suspension arms and Cobra Nogaro bucket seats. The car weighs in at 1,564kg (exc. driver) and 1,647kg (inc. driver). The M240i’s B58 engine produces 440 horsepower thanks to a tune from Ti Motorsport which gives a power to weight ratio of 267bhp per tonne. You can read the full break down of the car, here.

Our alloy wheel of choice was the 2Forge ZF6 with a 18″ x 9J square setup. These weigh in at 9kg each. We’re using a custom offset so they fill the arch as flush as they can be with an ET42 on the rear and ET30 on the front.

Our car had the following geometry specifications:

• -3° front camber
• -3° rear camber
• 0.5mm front toe out
• 2mm rear toe in

The driver…

The man behind the wheel is Tegiwa Imports director, Luke Sedzikowski. No stranger to a race car or track day, Luke has been racing competitively since 2014! He’s raced everything from a CRX, NSX and an M4 GT4 and plenty in between too.

The contenders…

The sizes that we tested were all a 235/40/18 front and a 265/35/18 rear.

Benchmark – Michelin Pilot Sport 5

• Price
  • Fronts: £150.15
  • Rears: £241.37
  • Total Cost: £783

• Road Legal: Yes
• Best Lap Time: 1.56:06

Official Statistics

• External Rolling Noise: 72db (B)
• Wet Brake Distance: A
• Fuel Consumption: C

First up in our tyre test was the Michelin Pilot Sport 5. Obviously, this isn’t a semi-slick tyre but these are what we use on the road. We know that the PS5’s are a great all rounder for the road, and many people will want to go for a ‘one tyre that does it all’, so we thought it’d be interesting to see how it stacks up against the track orientated tyres.

Luke knew what tyres he was going out on with the Michelin’s. This tyre was here to set the benchmark before the track tyres were fitted. Here’s what Luke thought: “After a couple of laps the tyres ended up ‘ballooning’, with the pressures reaching 38 psi. As the laps went on the car got more lairy with under and oversteer, which was to be expected as the temperatures rise. I came into the pits to bleed the pressures back down to 32 psi so we can go out again and see how they feel.

Once the tyres were back at a suitable pressure, they felt much better. I could still feel ABS through the brakes and I had to short shift to keep the car in check as the lack of grip was really noticeable. They feel too inconsistent to really put in a decent lap time and inspire any confidence. They’re obviously a fantastic road tyre that perform well in the wet and dry, but it’s clear that they’re out of depth when pushing on the track.”

Tyre 1 – Nankang AR-1

• Price
  • Fronts: £209
  • Rears: £247
  • Total Cost: £912
• Road Legal: Yes
• Lap Time: 1.53:10

Official Statistics

• External Rolling Noise: 72db (B)
• Wet Brake Distance: D
• Fuel Consumption: D

The AR-1 was a firm favourite during our last tyre test. However, Luke was now blind testing it so it was interesting to gather his thoughts without him knowing what he was driving on.

Here’s what Luke had to say: “Straight away I could tell that these were a track tyre as there was a lot more noise and more feedback. They felt really good on the brakes, with only a small of amount of ABS. They did rub slightly on the rear which is probably owing to the increased size. They really do inspire confidence in the corners. I was able to keep my foot planted whereas you just couldn’t with the PS5.

The only struggle that I had with the car was the off-throttle turn-in understeer. I managed two lap times within 2 tenths of each other so they’re consistent. Corner exit was a lot better, I was able to choose a lower gear than before when using the PS5. Generally, I really enjoyed using these!”

Tyre 2 – Yokohama Advan Neova AD09

• Price
  • Fronts: N/A
  • Rears: £254.92
• Road Legal: Yes
• Lap Time: 1.52:97

Official Statistics

• External Rolling Noise: 71db (B)
• Wet Brake Distance: A
• Fuel Consumption: D

The Yokohama AD09 is the successor to the AD08RS. With the tyre being so new, not all sizes are available in Europe yet which includes the 235/40/18 fronts. We managed to get ourselves a set of front tyres by importing them directly from Japan for this test.

Here’s what Luke said: “These tyres seem to be quieter than and aren’t as grippy from the off as tyre 1 (Nankang AR-1). When I started to push on, the tyres made the car feel really balanced with a lack of under and over steer. It definitely feels better on turn-in than tyre 1 too. These must be bigger than the PS5 too because I was getting a tiny amount of rub. We know that the tyres are tight fitting anyway with a 265 rear only just fitting in the standard arches of our M240i.

Unfortunately, the session got cut slightly short on this tyre due to a red flag but they felt really good. It had a similar amount of understeer than tyre 1 but slightly more oversteer, however, it felt a little better during braking. I think that because the car was almost sliding through the corner rather than understeering then this made for a faster lap time than before.”

Tyre 3 – Yokohama A052

• Price
  • Fronts: £271.55
  • Rears: £369.53
  • Total Cost: £1,282.16
• Road Legal: Yes
• Lap Time: 1.52:30

Official Statistics

• External Rolling Noise: 73db (B)
• Wet Brake Distance: A
• Fuel Consumption: D

The A052 is one of Yokohama’s flagship semi-slick tyre and is a firm favourite amongst many track day enthusiasts and racers here in the UK. This isn’t a tyre that Luke has competed on recently either so it was definitely going to be interesting to hear his thoughts.

Here’s what Luke said: “Out of the box, these feel like they have the most grip yet, they’re really good on the out lap! This was the fastest lap too out of all the tyres so far. I was six tenths quicker than the previous tyre so it must be more track focused! I think I could have gone even faster if I wasn’t held up by traffic. It felt really balanced.”

Tyre 4 – Dunlop Direzza DZ03G

• Price
  • Fronts: £306
  • Rears: £390
  • Total Cost: £1,392
• Road Legal: No (they do have an E-Mark stamp)
• Lap Time: 1.51:96

Official Statistics

• External Rolling Noise: /
• Wet Brake Distance: /
• Fuel Consumption: /

The Dunlop Direzza is the most expensive tyre here, however, this is a dedicated track tyre that isn’t suitable for the road. It came out on top with the fastest lap time back in 2021 so we were all keen to see if still outperformed everything else when fitted to a RWD car.

Here’s what Luke thought: “Again, this tyre feels good straight away. The car feels so planted on these tyres, this is definitely the best the car has felt all day. I can really push on in all the corners and haven’t got to worry about the car being unsettled.”

Tyre 5 – Nankang CR-S

• Price
  • Fronts: /
  • Rears: /
• Road Legal: /
• Lap Time: 1.53:30

Official Statistics

• External Rolling Noise: /
• Wet Brake Distance: /
• Fuel Consumption: /

Nankang’s latest performance tyre, the CR-S, isn’t due to be released in the UK until 2024. There are only some sizes that have been released in the USA but thanks to Nankang, they’ve supplied us a set specifically for this test, which makes us the first ever people to use them in the UK. Thanks Nankang!

Here’s what Luke said: “On the out lap, the car slid around a bit so I needed to get some temperature in them. They felt good when I’d got them up into grip but definitely as good as the last tyre or the tyre before that. The track was getting hotter though.

My guess is that they’re a brilliant road and track tyre!”

Conclusion

In short:

• Michelin Pilot Sport 5: Perfect performance road tyre for wet and dry
• Nankang AR-1: The cheapest track based tyre we tested
• Nankang CR-S: Will be great for the road and track but Nankang are yet to confirm pricing
• Yokohama AD09: Fantastic all rounder for both the road and track
• Yokohama A052: The fastest road legal track tyre
• Dunlop Direzza DZ03G: The fastest track tyre and offers the best performance

After showing Luke the results after the test and him learning what tyres he actually went out on, this is what he said:

“There were some interesting results from the day and it was a little bit different from what I was expecting.

The Michelin Pilot Sport 5 was a real struggle on the track, but it’s not designed for that so it was to be expected. It was good to see how far behind the other tyres it was though.

Both the Nankang tyre times were both very close with just a couple of tenths separating the two. They could have easily swapped places as I could have gained on a lap depending on traffic.

The next fastest was the Yokohama AD09 which is obviously a road tyre and I thought this performed on par, or a bit better, than the Nankang AR-1. I’m amazed with this tyre, it’s probably the best all rounder here from what I can see. It’s ideal for the road, nipping to the shops, driving to the track and then setting some fast lap times!

The Yokohama A052 had the potential to go a little bit quicker but the wear on the tyres was crazy! I might have got the tyres a bit too hot, a bit too quick but they just didn’t have as much grip as the Dunlop Direzza. The Direzza came off the car looking like brand new.

Bang for your buck, taking into consideration the lap time, wear and price the Yokohama AD09 is winning hands down!”

Since we carried out this test, we’ve fitted a set of Yokohama AD09’s to our Civic FL5. These drive like normal tyres on the road and aren’t noisy at all!

Thanks

A big thanks to everyone that has been involved in making this project happen!

• 2Forge
• Nankang
• Dunlop
• Yokohama
• Michelin
• Yellow Speed Racing
• Cobra Seats

As always the big tyre debate is probably going to rage on. We hope that we’ve once again provided enough information for you to come to your own conclusions and it helps you choose your new performance tyre.

Thanks for reading and we hope you enjoyed it! We really love doing these tests and if there’s anything you’d like to see or any feedback you have then please let us know.

Please note that pricing is correct as of June 2023.

Performance tyres can be a minefield when it comes to choosing the ‘best’ rubber for your vehicle. Often the internet can provide a somewhat biased opinion based on what people want the hero to be. However, choosing the right tyres can help shave seconds off your lap times and provide a much more confidence-inspiring drive, after all, they are the only component of your car that provides contact with the surface of the track!

Chances are, you’ve probably seen our YouTube video of this test, but if you haven’t, you can check it out here!

The test…

We lined up a selection of 7 popular track orientated tyres to put through the test around Oulton Park. To make it as fair as we can, we ran the tyres on the same car each time. Due to the test day being 30 minute sessions, we tested 2 different sets of tyres per session within a 15 minute slot. After the wheels were fitted, Luke took the car out for a couple of laps to get the tyres up to temperature and then brought the car back into the pits to bleed the tyre pressures to around the 29/30 psi mark. Of course it’s not the perfect scenario, but each tyre got the same amount of time which meant that it was a fair test.

We looked at plenty of different variables throughout the tests such as lap times, warm-up times, predictability and how much fun they provide.

The car…

The test mule was our Honda Civic Type R FN2. This is fairly representative of most capable track cars that grace UK tracks, benefitting from simple upgrades such as an exhaust, coilovers, intake, helical LSD and a roll cage. Our FN2 weighs 1,380kg whilst producing 220 horse power, this gives a power to weight ratio of 160bhp/ton. You can check out the full build breakdown of the car, here.

The wheel of choice that we mounted our tyres on are 17″ x 8J Rota Forces. The weight of one of these alloys is 8.84kg. Our car was setup by renowned Honda tuners, Area Motorsport, with the following geometry specifications:

• -3.8 front camber
• -3.0 rear camber
• 1mm out front toe
• Neutral out rear toe

The driver…

The man behind the wheel is Tegiwa Imports director, Luke Sedzikowski. No stranger to a race car or track day, Luke has been racing competitively since 2014 and most recently became the 2021 Time Attack Pro 2WD Champion. He’s raced everything from a CRX, NSX and an M4 GT4 and plenty in between too!

The contenders…

The sizes that we tested were all 225/45/17, however, the MRF ZTR is a 215 wide tyre as unfortunately a 225 isn’t being produced at the time of writing.

Zestino Gredge 07RS (Soft Compound)

• Price: £131.28 per tyre
• Weight: 10.6kg per tyre
• E-Marked: Yes
• Lap Time: 2.02.263

• Official Statistics
  • External Rolling Noise: 71db
  • Wet Brake Distance: E
  • Fuel Consumption: F

First up in our tyre test was the Zestino Gredge 07RS. This is a tyre that is suitable for road use as well as the track and is comparable to the NS-2R and AD08RS.

Here’s what Luke said: “The Zestino is a great tyre if you daily drive your car and do the occasional track day. It felt ace when driving at 70%, which is pretty much all you can do on a track day anyway. When you start asking a little bit more from them, the tyre wasn’t able to keep up with the car unfortunately. On the fast lap, the car felt a bit understeer-y as well as a big slide through Cascades. They definitely needed scrubbing in as they’re quite lairy from new. I experienced the ABS kicking in frequently too.”

MRF ZTR (215/45/17)

• Price: £168 per tyre
• Weight: 10.54kg per tyre
• E-Marked: Yes
• Lap Time: 2.00.194

Next up we tested the MRF ZTR. These are the control tyre in the Type R Trophy and are known to be very manageable in the wet as well as the dry.

Here’s what Luke had to say: “After the Zestino’s, straight away the car felt really pointy, even when cold. These also felt quick too, which was reflected in the lap time. It was easy to change direction and the car felt very controllable with no ABS kicking in at all. The lap time was the best I could do at the time, but I think there’s more to give from them with less traffic. The tyres are very impressive and the car felt more of a race car on these.”

Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R

• Price: £240 per tyre
• Weight: 9.16kg per tyre
• E-Marked: Yes
• Lap Time: 2.01.134

• Official Statistics
  • External Rolling Noise: 71db
  • Wet Brake Distance: B
  • Fuel Consumption: E

The Pirelli Trofeo R was the most expensive tyre in our test, at £240 per corner. Luke is no stranger to this tyre after using them throughout his 2020 Time Attack campaign on his K24 Honda NSX. This is also the lightest tyre out of the bunch too, weighing in at a mere 9.16kg per tyre, 2.32kg lighter than the heaviest tyre here!

Here’s what Luke said: “These tyres didn’t feel as good as I was expecting. The Civic being a front wheel drive car, struggled to get the rear temperatures up which really hampered the performance of the Pirelli. On a rear wheel drive car you can bring all tyre pressures up equally and they perform much better, as I’ve experienced with my NSX and M4. These tyres didn’t inspire much confidence, even when warm, as they car felt very nervous and resulted in both oversteer and understeer.”

Nankang AR-1

• Price: £155 per tyre
• Weight: 11.48kg per tyre
• E-Marked: Yes
• Lap Time: 2.00.256

Official Statistics

• • External Rolling Noise: 72db
  • Wet Brake Distance: D
  • Fuel Consumption: D

Nankang’s AR-1 track and race orientated tyre was next up in our test. We’ve had plenty of experience with these before as these were our tyre of choice in the Club Enduro championship with our M4.

Here’s what Luke said: “I was really impressed with the AR-1 even from the out lap, they worked straight away without really having to warm them up. The car felt very balanced and predictable, it was great on the brakes too. During the session they didn’t ‘go off’ and the car behaved exactly as expected. I would say the feel of these was marginally better than the MRF and the lap time was pretty much identical even though the track has probably a got a little bit slower. In a true back to back test, I’d expect the AR-1 to be little bit quicker than the MRF. These would definitely be my first choice without a doubt if I was competing in sprint racing or a hill climb event.”

Nankang NS-2R

• Price: £95 per tyre
• Weight: 11.08kg per tyre
• E-Marked: Yes
• Lap Time: 2.02.691

• Official Statistics
  • External Rolling Noise: 71db
  • Wet Brake Distance: B
  • Fuel Consumption: D

The NS-2R is the cheapest tyre that we tested. It’s predominantly a road tyre that is perfect for your daily driver that does occasional track days. This tyre is comparable to the AD08RS and Gredge 07RS.

Here’s what Luke thought: “These were 2 seconds slower than the AR-1 but when they’re over £200 cheaper for a set and you can drive on them all year round, they represent excellent value for money. They did take a while to ‘come on’ and initially felt a bit sketchy. It felt a bit like driving on the edge due to the grip that was available but it was very consistent as the laps that I put in all had very similar times. Quite simply, it doesn’t offer the same levels of grips as the other tyres here. Having said that, it’s an amazing all rounder which would be my number 1 choice for a road tyre that performs well on track. It felt very predictable and consistent but just lacked the out right grip to put in a fast lap.”

Dunlop Direzza DZ03G

• Price: £181.20 per tyre
• Weight: 10.42kg per tyre
• E-Marked: Yes
• Lap Time: 1.59.568

Our only non-legal road tyre that we’re testing is the Dunlop Direzza. It’s no surprise that these are the fastest out of the bunch, but that’s to be expected from a tyre that’s purposely built to perform on the track.

Here’s what Luke said: “Wow! This is the hero tyre for sure. The car felt great on the Direzza’s with plenty of time left in it to set an even quicker lap time. The time that I put in doesn’t reflect what the tyre is capable of as the pressures shot up and way out of the window. Due to the session being so short, there wasn’t enough time to bleed them back down to an ideal temperature but they still gave the best lap time here by a good margin. It didn’t have as much grip out of the box as the Nankang AR-1, but after half a lap they came into a world of their own and felt really rewarding.”

Yokohama AD08RS

• Price: £132.62 per tyre
• Weight: 10.92kg per tyre
• E-Marked: Yes
• Lap Time: N/A

• Official Statistics
  • External Rolling Noise: 70db
  • Wet Brake Distance: B
  • Fuel Consumption: D

Unfortunately, due to circumstances out of our control we didn’t have chance to test the Yokohama’s. However, we’re hopeful to get another tyre test booked in, so watch this space so we can put them through their paces!

Conclusion

Of course, you’re able to draw your own conclusions from the test but the reality is that we’ve got 2 categories of tyres, a road based tyre and a track based tyre. We don’t think there’s any real winner here, each tyre has its place. Plus, you’re very likely to see different results on different cars.

Road based tyres

When comparing the NS-2R and Zestino Gredge against each other, the NS-2R was a better feeling tyre that didn’t bring on the ABS light like the Zestino did. Furthermore, the NS-2R provides better wet grip and is £35 per tyre cheaper too. However, the Zestino was 0.6 seconds quicker in comparison so it’s swings and roundabouts. It goes without saying that different cars will have different effects on each tyre, but the fact they were both within 2 seconds of the out and out track tyres mean that either of these tyres will be great for anyone who does the occasional track day whilst wanting to keep the same tyres on whilst driving there.

Track based tyres

The MRF ZTR isn’t available in the size that we were testing, but the guys at MRF were happy for us to run a 215, against the 225’s. They were confident that it’d provide enough grip and pace to keep up with the rest. With a bit more setup on the car, Luke was confident he would have broke the 2 minute lap time as they felt balanced and provided good braking.

We already knew that the AR-1 was going to be up there as it’s previously been used as the control tyre in M3 Cup. Like we’ve mentioned, the Nankang is fantastic right from the off. In Luke’s words, “by turn 1, you can be driving the car flat out.” So for anybody doing hillclimbs or sprints, this would be our go to option.

The wet grip of these tyres isn’t potentially as good as the road going tyres, but we know from experience how well the MRF performs in the rain due to it’s sharp edges. The AR-1 is also OK in the rain too, so long as you can keep the temperatures up.

A tyre we had high hopes for, the Pirelli Trofeo R. These always take a while to get up to temperature and when they’re in the zone they provide excellent grip and feel. However, during the time we had them on the FN2, it was hard to get the heat into the rears. We know that the pace was there because even though the actual lap time wasn’t that good, the predicted lap time showed that it could equal the Dunlop Direzza. With it being the lightest tyre of the bunch, this could be a considering factor for those hunting out and out performance or a certain power to weight.

The MRF, AR-1 and Trofeo are road legal, so you can drive to the track, do your day and then drive home again, unlike the Direzza. This is a list 1C tyre so not every championship can use it, but if you’re racing then this should be a major contender. After half a lap the tyre was up to temperature and provided consistent grip and got faster and faster. Even with an increased tyre pressure the Direzza set the fastest time of the day with plenty left to give.

In short:

• Zestino Gredge 07RS: Fastest road tyre
• Nankang NS-2R: Slightly slower than the Zestino but £35 cheaper per corner
• Nankang AR-1: Consistent tyre that doesn’t require warming up, ideal for sprints and hillclimb
• MRF ZTR: Provides good levels of both wet and dry grip, great overall
• Pirelli Trofeo R: Works well on RWD or FWD cars that you can get the temperature into them
• Dunlop Direzza DZ03G: Fastest tyre however not road legal, perfect for racing in championships that can use list 1c tyres

We think the big tyre debate will continue for the foreseeable. Everyone will still have their favourites and something different to take from this but hopefully we’ve provided enough information for you guys to draw your own conclusion! Hopefully, we’ll be able to bring you another tyre test and put some other contenders through their paces in the future too. Let us know what tyres you’d like to see hit the track next…

Please note that pricing is correct as of October 2021.