[ZPD]

Originally Posted by RugbyBro

TLDR: AD09s.

If you want consistency then you want to look at endurance tires; of that group it'll be the AD09s. These will also last the longest of the group so you'll get the most days out of them. I like endurance tires for pure seat time, so this would probably be my pick. Track/S runs these and likes them a lot.

If you want pure speed it would be the CRS. They will not last as many days and will start drop to endurance tire pace after some hard laps so they need tire management. Price is a bit steep, and if you aren't fast enough to really take advantage of these, it can be a waste.

Cup 2 R and Trofeo R are quite fast but very expensive. Also, Supercar 3Rs seem to be the gold standard for PBs but they have very low longevity. These compete more with CRS/RE71RS than they do with AD09s/RS4s/Cup 2s.

As for regular Cup 2 (240tw) they would be a tad slower than AD09s and won't last as long. I also remember now my other major gripe with them which is they are extremely finicky about pressures. It felt like as soon as I was even a PSI over 36 *hot* the tires get real greasy (which only gets worse as you build up the heat cycles) - optimal pressure zone was quite narrow (34psi - 36psi hot). In contrast, running RS4s was so much better as they had the same pace but were completely happy operating in a wider pressure zone (34psi - 40psi hot)

Slightly off topic here but I am on my second set of CRS tires for my (mostly) track dedicated M2. I find your comments to be very accurate about them. I will also add that I was a little surprised about the delta in tire pressure as temp builds. I will start at 26 psi cold and by the end of the ~25 min session I am at 37 psi. A local race shop that exclusively uses CRS on their cars advised me that the sweet spot is 34-36 psi. I ran NT01s on a previous track car and the psi delta was about 5 psi. I know that there are several other variables but can you comment on the psi delta that you have seen on the AD09s on the track?

[RugbyBro]

Originally Posted by ZPD

Slightly off topic here but I am on my second set of CRS tires for my (mostly) track dedicated M2. I find your comments to be very accurate about them. I will also add that I was a little surprised about the delta in tire pressure as temp builds. I will start at 26 psi cold and by the end of the ~25 min session I am at 37 psi. A local race shop that exclusively uses CRS on their cars advised me that the sweet spot is 34-36 psi. I ran NT01s on a previous track car and the psi delta was about 5 psi. I know that there are several other variables but can you comment on the psi delta that you have seen on the AD09s on the track?

I haven't personally run them but know people who have, and also those who have run AD08Rs extensively. 34-38psi HOT window seems to be the range. I typically avoid running tires over 38psi - on these modern BMW chassis 35ish-psi HOT seems to be the magic number.

[DBV]

I was planning on giving them a try this spring, when I upgrade my wheels. Before people jump on me with the street car argument (I will primarily be using them on the street, autobahn and occasional track/drift day), I will say that yes, they are an overkill for the street in 99% of the case. However they apparently do have a higher treadwear (240 vs 180) over the regular Cup 2's and have been tested as having better wet traction. I figure I'll give it a shot, and see how they feel. I have a special deal for tires through the German equivalent of Tire Rack, so cost isn't as big of a factor unless I'm replacing flats constantly.

It should be noted they were factory equipment for the F87 M2 CS, with pretty positive reviews on that platform.

Sidenote: I experienced the AD09 this summer on the Nurburgring GP Circuit, and was really impressed. Great tire and very predictable.

[RugbyBro]

Originally Posted by DBV

I was planning on giving them a try this spring, when I upgrade my wheels. Before people jump on me with the street car argument (I will primarily be using them on the street, autobahn and occasional track/drift day), I will say that yes, they are an overkill for the street in 99% of the case. However they apparently do have a higher treadwear (240 vs 180) over the regular Cup 2's and have been tested as having better wet traction. I figure I'll give it a shot, and see how they feel. I have a special deal for tires through the German equivalent of Tire Rack, so cost isn't as big of a factor unless I'm replacing flats constantly.

It should be noted they were factory equipment for the F87 M2 CS, with pretty positive reviews on that platform.

Sidenote: I experienced the AD09 this summer on the Nurburgring GP Circuit, and was really impressed. Great tire and very predictable.

I think they're a street tire first, track tire second. If you can get them cheaper then that makes them much more competitive. My main point on this thread is that at retail price, they're just very expensive for what you're getting.

The one thing I will say they are VERY good at is providing steering feedback and elasticity in the wheel - it gives you back some of that mechanical feeling through these modern EPS systems.

[Kanrai]

Originally Posted by DBV

I was planning on giving them a try this spring, when I upgrade my wheels.

Nice! If you do go with them this spring tell me what you think of them.

[Jack@AUTOID]

Originally Posted by Track/S

For my ad09 has no rival, it surprised me a lot on wet, they are not noisy, hard edge, on 285/30/18 size that i use they cost $150 per tire.

I back this. I've got 305/30/20 on my G87 on the rear, traction is insane in almost all circumstances. I've only been caught out a couple times, namely when it dips below 12c. Which is 100% normal and totally self-inflicted.