Does a lower treadwear tire make your car quicker around a track? Based on recent testing by YouTuber Tyre Reviews it’s a bit complicated. Tires are not exactly the most exciting part of your car but they are incredibly important. It doesn’t matter how good your suspension setup is or how much horsepower is added by your ECU tune if you have bad tires that lack grip. So does low treadwear ratings translate into lower lap times?
Before we dive into the results of this testing let’s address what tire treadwear ratings mean. Treadwear is a government-required rating that is meant to tell consumers how rapidly a tire will wear down. In basic terms the larger the treadwear number the greater the tire’s lifespan. A tire with a treadwear of 600 should last twice as long as a tire with a 300 tread wear rating. How does treadwear rating affect on-track grip and performance?
To find out, Tyre Reviews took a 6th generation Camaro SS 1LE around the track at Nelson Ledges in Ohio. The Camaro SS 1LE is a hugely impressive muscle car known for superb handling characteristics and a balanced chassis which makes it’s the perfect platform for this test.
Tyre Reviews choose some of the most potent and extreme tires for this test to showcase what very low treadwear ratings mean for on-track performance. The test included Michelin’s PS 4S Summer tire and Cup2 Track tire. This paring faced Goodyear’s new Eagle F1 Supercar 3 ultra-high performance summer tire and Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3R track tire. Finally, the Yokohama R888R joined the fray to showcase a spread of low treadwear tires with a 100 rating.
Which tire is the quickest? Well, let’s find out.