Need advice on sticky tyres

[Shakey60]

Afternoon guys and girls, new to this site as i've only had my car a few months but wondered if anyone could advise me.
I have a W205 C63 and took it to Santa pod last weekend. I had a nightmare trying to get any traction off the line, spun in the first 3 gears but when it hooked up it was a rocket ship. I have been thinking of buying another set of wheels and putting some Toyo R888's on but would rather buy a new set of road biased tyres to replace the wooden Dunlops that are on the car.
So any recommendations? TIA

 

[PobodY]

The problem you'll find is that the more sticky (and slick) they are, the less use they are on the road.

Yokohama Advan AD08 are another road-legal track day tyre you could consider.

 

[Shakey60]

Agree with that, I'm reading good reviews on Michelin PS4S and think that may be the way forward as an all round tyre. Thanks for the reply

 

[GeeJayW]

Don't know if the W205 C63 already has an LSD, but a friend fitted one to his SLK55. Made a world of difference at launch.

 

[Shakey60]

Don't know if the W205 C63 already has an LSD, but a friend fitted one to his SLK55. Made a world of difference at launch.

I think my model has a mechanical LSD, the real issue is the tyres, they take a while to warm up. Once warm it's a different car, so I think a change of brand is the way to go first.

 

[PobodY]

Did you do a burnout? That's the approved way of warming your tires at the drag strip.

Have Michelin improved the compound for PS4S tyres over the PS3? - My experience is that they're good in warm, dry weather... but not so much when it's cold and wet.

 

[Shakey60]

Did you do a burnout? That's the approved way of warming your tires at the drag strip.

Have Michelin improved the compound for PS4S tyres over the PS3? - My experience is that they're good in warm, dry weather... but not so much when it's cold and wet.

Yeah, did burnouts before hand but still spun in the first 3 gears. In a video you can hear the tyres spinning up half way up the track!

The PS4S is a massive improvement going by the reviews, it's wet grip now out performs the Conti's. My local garage can supply and fit for £270 for the 275/35/19 rears.

 

[garycat]

The problem you'll find is that the more sticky (and slick) they are, the less use they are on the road.

Yokohama Advan AD08 are another road-legal track day tyre you could consider.

Also consider that the stickier your tyres, the more stress it will put on your engine and transmission. Even the C63 is not designed for super sticky tyres and eventually something has to give, I'd rather it was grip than gearbox.

 

[PobodY]

Also consider that the stickier your tyres, the more stress it will put on your engine and transmission. Even the C63 is not designed for super sticky tyres and eventually something has to give, I'd rather it was grip than gearbox.

I've seen this advice before, particularly where an expensive component (like a viscous-coupled differential) is known to be the weak point; better to let the tyres spin and protect it.

Having said that; road-legal tyres shouldn't put significantly more stress on the drive train than standard fitment. We're not talking about Hoosier drag radials.

 

[Alexxis]

Hi!
I agree that warming them up can be a helpful option, so it's worth tryin'. BTW, if you tried already and it didn't help, uh, even dunno.
As for the brand - have tried Michelin and Contis myself and must admit that I prefer Michelin. Last ones, bought here http://www.tyres-outlet.co.uk/ never betrayed me. Anyway, biased tyres are always great for such a case, so it's up to you to decide.

 

[whitenemesis]

If you're serious about getting the best traction of the line try this stuff but as has been said, there's a danger of trashing your transmission or snapping a driveshaft..

PJ1 Track Bite Traction Compound

 

[PobodY]

They helpfully tell you what's in that if you read the MSDS:
50-80% propan-2-ol
0.1-10% ethanol
0.1-10% hexane/toluene etc - read "petrol"
10-20% proprietary resin.

So a cheap solution is probably a mixture of alcohols and petrol; if nothing else that will soften the rubber in tyres to make them more sticky that they would normally be.

 

[whitenemesis]

The point of Track Bite is it doesn't soften the tyres, which can weaken them if not designed for the strip.

I produced a traction aid for my BiL's drag bike. That was rosin in alcohols (methanol/hexane/IPA) worked well enough until he could import VHT

 

[PobodY]

The aliphatic and aromtatics (like hexane and toluene) will soften rubber, but I guess at as much as 80% propan-2-ol it's going to be fairly minimal.

I thought it was usually a mix of ketones used as "pimp juice" for burnouts.