Many of us focus our tire desires on the hottest, shiniest models–the ones that deliver the fastest laps at the pointy end of the field. But what about the masses who value streetability as much as durability and ultimate pace?
You’re in luck.
[Grassroots Motorsports ultimate track tire guide]
There’s a subset of the Endurance 200 category that can provide …
Great comparison for those of us that do casual track days and aren't looking for the 10/10th.
I've ran the AD08s for the last 2 years and I'm really happy that the AD09s keep that consistency. I like knowing that the last lap of a 20 minute session almost always feels the same as the first few laps. That's helped me get better everytime I'm out on track.
In reply to bmw88rider :
Glad you found the review helpful. I'd be lying if I said I didn't get excited when a new tire test gets announced...
I keep landing on the Conti and the Hankook RS4 for the best balance of wear, grip, enduro performance and value.
The pace of the ECS02 really makes me wonder if it's a true 300TW class tire. I'd really want to see where it stacks up directly against your typical Endurance 200 and Super 200. Because these results almost make it seem like the unicorn tire for dual duty.
Vaoh said:The pace of the ECS02 really makes me wonder if it's a true 300TW class tire. I'd really want to see where it stacks up directly against your typical Endurance 200 and Super 200. Because these results almost make it seem like the unicorn tire for dual duty.
While not direct same-day, the lap times generated by the ECS02 are about 1-1.5 seconds off of the best Super200's (A052, RE71RS, CRS V2), all of which I can turn the same lap times with at Harris Hill. This also jives with what I've heard from others who have tested.
In particular, the RE71RS and ECS02 are the two tires of choice for the One Lap of America. The former being the obvious choice when the forecast looks mostly dry and the latter when Noah shows up. Each is the best at one condition and really good at the other. But it's also why there is so much comparative data out there, as plenty of those folks test both.
In reply to Andy Hollis :
Honestly that's extremely impressive for a tire that's a PS4S competitor. They seemed to do pretty well after getting heat soaked, they might not be as resilient to heat as your typical endurance 200 but I feel like you wouldn't regret taking them out for a fairly long session either.
Hmmmm, a tire test involving a Miata, you don't see that everyday.
In reply to Vaoh :
The ECS02 was made to directly take aim at the PS4S, that is why it received the very similar treadwear rating, tread pattern, etc. A comparison of those two would be interesting. Currently I run the PS4S on a mostly daily driver and occasional track day car. I don't swap tires when I go to a track day, and I run whether it rains or not, so its the perfect tire. If it is a second or two slower than a super 200TW tire, so what? Roger Penske isn't scouting me, I don't time myself - I just enjoy the laps.
In reply to Vaoh :
The ECS02 was made to directly take aim at the PS4S, that is why it received the very similar treadwear rating, tread pattern, etc. A comparison of those two would be interesting. Currently I run the PS4S on a mostly daily driver and occasional track day car. I don't swap tires when I go to a track day, and I run whether it rains or not, so its the perfect tire. If it is a second or two slower than a super 200TW tire, so what? Roger Penske isn't scouting me, I don't time myself - I just enjoy the laps.
In reply to Vaoh :
The ECS02 was made to directly take aim at the PS4S, that is why it received the very similar treadwear rating, tread pattern, etc. A comparison of those two would be interesting. Currently I run the PS4S on a mostly daily driver and occasional track day car. I don't swap tires when I go to a track day, and I run whether it rains or not, so its the perfect tire. If it is a second or two slower than a super 200TW tire, so what? Roger Penske isn't scouting me, I don't time myself - I just enjoy the laps.
In reply to Vaoh :
The ECS02 was made to directly take aim at the PS4S, that is why it received the very similar treadwear rating, tread pattern, etc. A comparison of those two would be interesting. Currently I run the PS4S on a mostly daily driver and occasional track day car. I don't swap tires when I go to a track day, and I run whether it rains or not, so its the perfect tire. If it is a second or two slower than a super 200TW tire, so what? Roger Penske isn't scouting me, I don't time myself - I just enjoy the laps.
In reply to Vaoh :
The ECS02 was made to directly take aim at the PS4S, that is why it received the very similar treadwear rating, tread pattern, etc. A comparison of those two would be interesting. Currently I run the PS4S on a mostly daily driver and occasional track day car. I don't swap tires when I go to a track day, and I run whether it rains or not, so its the perfect tire. If it is a second or two slower than a super 200TW tire, so what? Roger Penske isn't scouting me, I don't time myself - I just enjoy the laps.
In reply to Vaoh :
The ECS02 was made to directly take aim at the PS4S, that is why it received the very similar treadwear rating, tread pattern, etc. A comparison of those two would be interesting. Currently I run the PS4S on a mostly daily driver and occasional track day car. I don't swap tires when I go to a track day, and I run whether it rains or not, so its the perfect tire. If it is a second or two slower than a super 200TW tire, so what? Roger Penske isn't scouting me, I don't time myself - I just enjoy the laps.
In reply to Vaoh :
The ECS02 was made to directly take aim at the PS4S, that is why it received the very similar treadwear rating, tread pattern, etc. A comparison of those two would be interesting. Currently I run the PS4S on a mostly daily driver and occasional track day car. I don't swap tires when I go to a track day, and I run whether it rains or not, so its the perfect tire. If it is a second or two slower than a super 200TW tire, so what? Roger Penske isn't scouting me, I don't time myself - I just enjoy the laps.
In reply to Vaoh :
The ECS02 was made to directly take aim at the PS4S, that is why it received the very similar treadwear rating, tread pattern, etc. A comparison of those two would be interesting. Currently I run the PS4S on a mostly daily driver and occasional track day car. I don't swap tires when I go to a track day, and I run whether it rains or not, so its the perfect tire. If it is a second or two slower than a super 200TW tire, so what? Roger Penske isn't scouting me, I don't time myself - I just enjoy the laps.
In reply to Vaoh :
The ECS02 was made to directly take aim at the PS4S, that is why it received the very similar treadwear rating, tread pattern, etc. A comparison of those two would be interesting. Currently I run the PS4S on a mostly daily driver and occasional track day car. I don't swap tires when I go to a track day, and I run whether it rains or not, so its the perfect tire. If it is a second or two slower than a super 200TW tire, so what? Roger Penske isn't scouting me, I don't time myself - I just enjoy the laps.
In reply to Vaoh :
The ECS02 was made to directly take aim at the PS4S, that is why it received the very similar treadwear rating, tread pattern, etc. A comparison of those two would be interesting. Currently I run the PS4S on a mostly daily driver and occasional track day car. I don't swap tires when I go to a track day, and I run whether it rains or not, so its the perfect tire. If it is a second or two slower than a super 200TW tire, so what? Roger Penske isn't scouting me, I don't time myself - I just enjoy the laps.
t321sg said:In reply to Vaoh :
The ECS02 was made to directly take aim at the PS4S, that is why it received the very similar treadwear rating, tread pattern, etc. A comparison of those two would be interesting.
Correction: The ECS was made to directly compete with the PS4S...both came out at the same time, a number of years back.
The ECS02 is the successor to the ECS, made to compete with the successor to the PS4S...which is called...wait for it...the PSS5 (not the PS5S). Currently only available in OE fitments, but will have a full range soon enough. That's the comparison we'll do...not new versus old.
I've got the first version of the ECS on my modified ND-RF and I'm still being impressed by the grip level. Springs are 6k/3k and yet the car rides smoothly and quietly. I love Continentals in general, but the ECS went a step further.
I was interested in the Kenda UHP tires. I'm glad you guys did the comparison. It looks like with the Kenda's, you get what you pay for. 
Trazdad said:I was interested in the Kenda UHP tires. I'm glad you guys did the comparison. It looks like with the Kenda's, you get what you pay for.
A guy I autocross with also does SCCA Time Trials and lots of track days in his stock 2022 Mustang. He's very fast, but in a heavy, camber-limited car, so he was using up tires, specifically Falken RT-660s at a pretty rapid rate, and so he bought a set of the Kendas. In his words, "I bought them because I could get two sets of Kendas for the price of one set of Falkens, but now, I don't even want one set of Kendas."
Sadly after deciding the ECS02 was the right tire for me I learn Continental has discontinued making it in the 205/50r15 size I needed. A couple months of overthinking, chasing down reviews, etc completely wasted!
If folks have a suggestion of a fun tire for strictly street duty please make suggestions. I have dedicated track tires for hpde and autoX already. Wet isn't important but want a performance tire that is grippy immediately for street use.
(200hp Birkin Lotus 7 replica)
In reply to Cueball7 :
TireRack has the RE71RS in 205/50/15, and at two different prices. The cheaper ones are 2021 production. I would think a 200TW tire would be fine on a Birkin and I'm assuming the car doesn't accumulate a lot of mileage. There aren't a lot of choices in that size anymore, unfortunately, but they do have the Dunlop Direzza ZIII. I had the previous version of that tire on my NB Miata and liked it for everyday street hooning.
Cueball7 said:Sadly after deciding the ECS02 was the right tire for me I learn Continental has discontinued making it in the 205/50r15 size I needed. A couple months of overthinking, chasing down reviews, etc completely wasted!
If folks have a suggestion of a fun tire for strictly street duty please make suggestions. I have dedicated track tires for hpde and autoX already. Wet isn't important but want a performance tire that is grippy immediately for street use.
(200hp Birkin Lotus 7 replica)
Consider getting a set of inexpensive 16" wheels and running the 205/45-16 ECS02. Same sized donut, different sized whole.
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