Track day tire tests are always a welcome read, as those of us who use our cars on track are often super switched on to the differences the tires can make. This year AutoMail.Ru have tested four track day tires in 225/45 R17 using a Mazda MX5 Cup car, and included the Continental PremiumContact 6 as a reference "normal" tire.

It's worth remembering the MX5 is a light, relatively low powered car, so the results from this test might be different on something heavier.

Dry

As proven in previous tests, for all out pace the Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R is hard to beat, and it again sets the quickest dry handling time of the test. Curiously, even though the Russian track Magnitogorsk is a long lap, the road-bias PremiumContact 6 is on pace with the track tires, which they've said was due to the lower rolling resistance allowing a higher top speed on the straights... 

The dry braking tests were done when the tires were cold, to replicate how they'd be used on the road, not track. This is why the Continental PremiumContact 6 placed so well. Once warm, the track day tires should have a significant advantage over the road bias tire.

Subjectively, the Yokohama A052 scored the best, but again interestingly the Continental matched the Trofeo R and beat the other two track tires on test. A curious result, but then the PremiumContact 6 is proving to be an excellent handling tire.

Wet

The wet braking data wasn't conducted on a proper wet braking surface, and had very little water depth, meaning these results should be taken as a guide rather than gospel. With any actual water depth, the track day tires would have performed much worse, for example the A052 starts with 4.4mm tread depth where as the PremiumContact 6 is 7.4mm, with the lower tread depth vastly reducing the tires ability to clear standing water.

Results

1st: Yokohama Advan A052
225/45 R17 3PMSF: no	Test # Result Best Difference % Dry Braking 1st 24.1 M 100% Dry Handling 2nd 90.3 s 90.24 s +0.06 s 99.93% Subj. Dry Handling 1st 10 Points 100% Wet Braking 1st 16.55 M 100% Forgiving of mistakes, greatest cornering grip, good wet grip. Expensive, high wear, not designed for heavy rain. Similar handling to the Trofeo R, but very novice friendly as it forgives over driving. The A052 doesn't require a strong warmup, and it keeps its peak grip for 2-3 laps before settling into its race pace. Even when worn to the limit the pace remains strong! Very high treadwear for a 200 tire, 100-120 seems more realistic. Read Reviews
2nd: Yokohama ADVAN Neova AD08R
225/45 R17 3PMSF: no	Test # Result Best Difference % Dry Braking 3rd 25 M 24.1 M +0.9 M 96.4% Dry Handling 3rd 91.53 s 90.24 s +1.29 s 98.59% Subj. Dry Handling 4th 7 Points 10 Points -3 Points 70% Wet Braking 2nd 17.35 M 16.55 M +0.8 M 95.39% Universal tire for different weather conditions, less overheating than Hankook RS3. Average feedback, high price, moderate lateral cornering. Nicely balanced on the Mazda, but poor reactions to large steering lock so not ideal for beginners. The tire doesn't overheat much, and allows for constant laptimes. A good wet performance means this tire could be a good choice as an everyday tire, but for the price you could get the Hankook for track and Continental for road. Read Reviews
3rd: Hankook Ventus RS3 Z222
225/45 R17 3PMSF: no	Test # Result Best Difference % Dry Braking 4th 26.5 M 24.1 M +2.4 M 90.94% Dry Handling 3rd 91.53 s 90.24 s +1.29 s 98.59% Subj. Dry Handling 4th 7 Points 10 Points -3 Points 70% Wet Braking 5th 20.15 M 16.55 M +3.6 M 82.13% Steer reactions to steering, good lap time for a low price, good wear resistance. Relatively quick overheating, softer sidewalls, low wet grip. The Hankook is very good at high speed turning, but as the speeds decrease and the steering angle increases the softer sidewall shows itself. A great time attack tire but overheats after a couple of laps. Read Reviews
4th: Continental Premium Contact 6
225/45 R17 3PMSF: no	Test # Result Best Difference % Dry Braking 1st 24.1 M 100% Dry Handling 5th 91.8 s 90.24 s +1.56 s 98.3% Subj. Dry Handling 2nd 9 Points 10 Points -1 Points 90% Wet Braking 3rd 17.65 M 16.55 M +1.1 M 93.77% Lowest rolling resistance, good lap time, short braking in the dry and wet. High wear on track. While the tire has more understeer and less steering speed than the track day tires, it still provides an excellent laptime. Read Reviews    Buy from £89.17
5th: Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R
225/45 R17 3PMSF: no	Test # Result Best Difference % Dry Braking 5th 29.3 M 24.1 M +5.2 M 82.25% Dry Handling 1st 90.24 s 100% Subj. Dry Handling 2nd 9 Points 10 Points -1 Points 90% Wet Braking 3rd 17.65 M 16.55 M +1.1 M 93.77% Fastest dry lap time, good overheating resistance, quick steering speed. Not good on the road, long wet braking. The Trofeo R has the sharpest steering in all conditions, and unlike the other tires on test, showed no signs of overheating. Needed a lot of warm up, hence not being the ideal tire to also be used on the road. Read Reviews