2021 Track Day 200TW Tyre Test

For the 2021 Tyre Reviews 200 treadwear Track Tyre Test we have selected eight of the the most popular 200tw track focused performance tyres and have access to Michelin's Laurens proving ground in South Carolina, which has a very fast, high grip, dry handling test track.

You can either watch the full test video for all the glorious shots of the beautiful E36 M3 test car, or scroll down to read the full results.

200TW Track Tyre Test

Dry HandlingBFGoodrich G Force Rival S 1.5: 87.94 sCooper RS3 RS: 91.06 s
We're going to be testing each tyre to find out which is the fastest over a single lap, which tyre has the best heat management on track over multiple laps, which tyre gives you the best steering response, and which gives you the most confidence to drive at the limit.

To keep things as fair as possible, we have three sets of new control tyres so we can run a control tyre at the beginning, the same tyre again after set four, and another set at the end to calculate for driver and track evolution. All tyres will be started at exactly the same 30 psi cold.

The test vehicle is a beautiful E36 BMW M3 Lightweight, which thanks to a lightweight chassis, a normally aspirated engine and hydraulic power steering, should be a really wonderful test car and relatively representative of what people use on track and at autocross events.

There are sadly a few key tyres missing. There's no bridgestone RE71R because it's been discontinued in North America and Bridgestone don't plan to replace it, there's no toyo because the R888R is 100tw and the R1R is extremely old, and we couldn't get the Nexen N Fera SUR4 or the new Continental ExtremeContact Force in time for this test.

Dry

The lap times below are taking from the test video, for an explanation of the data please watch from 6:37.

2021 200tw track test

Results

1st: BFGoodrich G Force Rival S 1.5

BFGoodrich G Force Rival S 1.5
  • 225/45 R17
  • Production: 1319
  • UTQG: 200 AA A
  • Tread: 5.7mm
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Handling1st87.94 s100%
Fastest tyre on test over a single lap, 3 lap average and a heat cycled 8 lap average. Excellent steering reaction, good feedback, high levels of grip, it felt like it enjoyed being driven quickly.
Slight lack of feedback at large steering angles compared to the Falken, some understeer at the end of the 8 lap run as the front left overheated.
The BFGoodrich Rival S 1.5 is a really enjoyable to drive that likes to be driven fast. It needs a little heat to be at its best, but once the tyre is warm, it's extremely fast, controllable and stable.

Read Reviews

2nd: Falken Azenis RT660

Falken Azenis RT660
  • 225/45 R17
  • Production: 4020
  • UTQG: 200 A A
  • Tread: 5.8mm
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Handling2nd88.53 s87.94 s+0.59 s99.33%
Excellent heat management, low wear, precise and consistent steering, extremely strong on the brakes, very enjoyable tyre to drive, very stable once heat cycled.
Not quite as fast as the BFGoodrich G Force Rival S 1.5
The Falken RS660 is a very well priced, extremely capable tyre with good grip, direct and stable handling and very impressive heat management.

Read Reviews

3rd: Yokohama Advan A052

Yokohama Advan A052
  • 225/45 R17
  • Production: 0921
  • UTQG: 200 A A
  • Tread: 5.3mm
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Handling3rd89.3 s87.94 s+1.36 s98.48%
Friendly tyre to drive, slight understeer balance and it felt softer on the sidewall / slower to react than the Falken and BFGoodrich, but it was very easy to drive quickly. Extremely fast warm up, very good for autocross style events.
Peaky first lap grip with rapid drop off in time, high levels of wear.
The Yokohama Advan A052 has a quick warm up and predictable friendly handling which makes it an excellent choice for the less confident driver, or those doing sprint / autocross style events.

Read Reviews

4th: Hankook Ventus RS4

Hankook Ventus RS4
  • 225/45 R17
  • Production: 0421
  • UTQG: 200 AA A
  • Tread: 6.9mm
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Handling4th89.63 s87.94 s+1.69 s98.11%
Very good heat management with very low wear, good steering response, rounded grip circles, enjoyable tyre to drive.
Not the fastest single lap performance on test.
The Hankook Ventus RS4 was an enjoyable tyre to drive with good steering response and progressive handling, and while it wasn't the fastest tyre over a single lap, it's heat management and predicted wear were impressive. With nearly 7mm starting tread depth, it would be an excellent option for endurance racing.

Read Reviews

5th: Dunlop Direzza ZIII

Dunlop Direzza ZIII
  • 225/45 R17
  • Production: 5220
  • UTQG: 200 A A
  • Tread: 6.5mm
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Handling5th89.73 s87.94 s+1.79 s98.01%
Quick first lap, good steering response, rounded grip circles, enjoyable tyre to drive.
Peaky first lap grip with rapid drop off in time.

Read Reviews

6th: Kumho Ecsta V730

Kumho Ecsta V730
  • 225/45 R17
  • Production: 0321
  • UTQG: 200 AA A
  • Tread: 6.3mm
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Handling6th89.8 s87.94 s+1.86 s97.93%
Good heat management, it felt like it likes being hot. Rounded grip circle.
Not the best steering response or feedback led to inconsistent lap times.

Read Reviews

7th: Maxxis Victra VR1

Maxxis Victra VR1
  • 225/45 R17
  • Production: 2219
  • UTQG: 200 AA A
  • Tread: 6.8mm
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Handling7th90.95 s87.94 s+3.01 s96.69%
Better heat management than the Cooper.
Higher levels of understeer and noticeable less grip than the other tyres on test.

Read Reviews

8th: Cooper RS3 RS

Cooper RS3 RS
  • 225/45 R17
  • Production: 4818
  • UTQG: 200 AA A
  • Tread: 5.4mm
  • 3PMSF: no
Test#ResultBestDifference%
Dry Handling8th91.06 s87.94 s+3.12 s96.57%
The only 220tw tyre of the group, so at a natural disadvantage.
Peaky first lap, higher levels of understeer and noticeable less grip than the other tyres on test.

Read Reviews


Discussion:

comments powered by Disqus