Track day tyres and sizes

Wheel set-ups

• 16/17 on aftermarket wheels is the usual track set-up, with 195/50R16 and 225/45R17 (2021). The 16 inch front widens the choice of tyres.
• 17/17 on ATS DTC wheels is the other common choice.
• Standard 17s. A 2021 owner with standard wheels asked what to fit. The answers were to go 16/17, or get a set of original rear wheels for the front, to open up more sizes. One owner staying on original 17s planned NS-2R tyres in 195/45R17 at the front and 235/45R17 at the rear.
• 16 inch fronts that look like the snowflake turbo wheels were said to come from the Astra, needing a spacer (about 16 mm, from memory) to get the offset right. That is hearsay, so check before buying. The 16/17 set-up in the thread means aftermarket wheels. There was never a standard 16 inch turbo front.
• See aftermarket wheel options for the wheels themselves.

Sizes owners ran

One owner on 195/50R16 and 225/45R17 A052s on standard suspension says the back end can still be a little loose. He advises keeping a decent front to rear balance and not ending up with far too much grip at the front and a tail-happy car. A 2025 owner wondered whether a 205 on the front would be too lively. There was no clear answer.

What owners said about the tyres

• Federal 595 RS-R. Popular and cheap. In 2015 one owner called it "great on the track, competent on the road, usable in the wet, cheap as chips". In 2021 an owner on his third set got about 5,000 to 6,000 miles of good grip (95% road use) from the rears before the wear bars, and said they do fairly well in the wet. Another said the 595 was a killer when introduced but cost caught up. In 2021 sensible prices were hard to find.
• Toyo R888 and R888R. One owner who bought a car with R888s fitted called them poor on the road (2015). Another, in 2021, said the R888R lasts well on track and is passable in the wet, but can go off quickly on hot days. In 2025 an owner noted the newer tread pattern isn't handed, so the grooves look as if they run the wrong way on one side. In 2025 it was said that Toyo had pulled out of the UK, so these would get harder to find. We haven't checked that.
• Avon ZZR and ZZS. One owner switched from the ZZR to the ZZS after a couple of years because Avon doesn't recommend the ZZR for road use, especially in the wet, and he drove 800 miles round trip to the circuit. He said the ZZS was the same on a dry track but far better in the wet. He also raised the insurance angle: a tyre maker's advice against road use could be used by an insurer.
• Yokohama A048 and A052. Named as popular. One owner who now does mainly hillclimbs and sprints runs A052s and says they work well.
• Nankang AR-1 and NS-2R. The NS-2R in 195/45R17 is one of the few that fit the standard front rim. Views are mixed. One owner on 16/17s found it ok when new but below a 595, and bad over winter and in the wet, and would avoid it. In 2025 another uses it for dry days and occasional track, and calls it decent grip without being expensive. An owner was considering AR-1s in 2025 as a pure track tyre.
• Pirelli Trofeo R. One Canadian owner runs 205/45R17 front and 225/45R17 rear on 17x8 wheels with no rubbing (see aftermarket wheel options).
• Kumho V70A was also named as a common choice in 2021, with no detail.

An owner pointed out in 2021 that not much had changed in ten years: most manufacturers have a similar tyre, with minor differences that need proper skill to judge. Pressures are in the tyre pressures guide, and set-up in wheel alignment.