Motorsports rulemaking is a tricky enterprise–attempting to keep up parity throughout all method of various automobiles prepped by opponents with various priorities. Add to that an aftermarket that’s continuously introducing new merchandise with no regard to the foundations season of a given sanctioning physique.
So it wasn’t an enormous shock to learn of NASA’s mid-season course correction on tire rankings for its Tremendous Touring street racing and Time Trials packages.
Over the previous six months, quite a few new tire fashions have come to market, and solely not too long ago have we and others been in a position to get scientific comparative testing outcomes revealed. So the preliminary 2026 guidelines concerned fairly a little bit of guesswork primarily based on producer advertising and marketing claims, a few of which have turned out fairly in another way in actuality.
NASA’s Tremendous Touring and Time Trials guidelines are primarily based on power-to-weight ratios, with modifiers for varied prep allowances. However on condition that listed allowances have an effect on efficiency of each automobile in another way, a key a part of constructing a successful automotive is selecting and selecting these mods that assist your most well-liked automobile the most.
This additionally lets you construct any automotive the way in which you need and nonetheless have cheap competitiveness. It’s a intelligent system however requires fixed tweaking.
Tires are ranked into teams with attendant modifiers to the power-to-weight equation. Operating slower tires permits extra energy and/or much less weight.
We get requested typically about which tires are the quickest in every group, and to a point it depends upon the automobile, class, kind of competitors and price range. Right here’s our greatest recommendation on easy methods to choose.
For the quickest lessons (ST1-3), the place energy typically drastically exceeds traction, the stickiest tires are sometimes going to offer the optimum profit. For many, this has meant the Hoosier R7 and A7.
With the brand new guidelines, the brand new Hoosier TrackAttack Race R8 and A8 will substitute them at no extra issue change. Our current testing has proven the R8 to be extra constant than its predecessor however not considerably faster–in order that’s a pure development.
Hoosier R8 and A8. Images courtesy Tire Rack
The A7 to A8 transition has been a bit trickier. Whereas the Hoosier A-series was initially designed as an autocross tire and later adopted for time trials, some people in light-weight automobiles have been capable of finding higher street racing tempo with them than the R-series Hoosier, particularly in cooler situations.
With the A8, Hoosier has leaned into that functionality, permitting extra automobiles to reap the benefits of this in additional situations–excellent news for street racers. However it seems that Hoosier has accomplished so on the expense of the one or two megalaps that the A7 may present in a TT scenario. So these people could want to stash away some A7 tires whereas provides final.
For the cost-conscious, the opposite possibility is to select from one of many different teams that provide value financial savings via increased sturdiness and decrease pricing. Grip ranges are decrease, nonetheless, so drivability of a higher-horsepower automotive could also be compromised.
Additional, if you wish to keep in the identical class optimally, you’ll must reap the benefits of the power-to-weight breaks given in these groupings. This will increase acceleration functionality, although, placing corner-exit traction at much more of a premium. A greater reply when utilizing the lower-grip tires is usually to remain on the identical energy and weight however drop down a class.
The ST1-3 groupings for these lower-grip road tires are nearly the identical as these you’ll see under for ST4-6, however the components for utilizing them are a lot bigger. The picks for every group nonetheless apply.
For the slower ST/TT lessons (ST4, 5, 6), wheelspin off the nook is way much less of a difficulty, even on the least grippy tires. These lessons even have extra particular modifiers for greater aero.
This opens up far more choices to dial in the very best mixture of energy, weight, aero and tires. Word that autocross compounds just like the Hoosier A7/A8 aren’t allowed in these lessons–nor are they wanted.
Inside the 2.0 modifier group–tires we name Endurance 200s–the BFGoodrich g-Force Rival + and Continental ExtremeContact Force are the quickest. Each will present a cool-tire flyer lap or two for TT after which settle into constant laps only a tick slower for street racing. Additionally they present very lengthy life.
BFGoodrich Rival + and Continental ExtremeContact Power. Images courtesy Tire Rack.
The 1.4 modifier group brings collectively all the slower Tremendous 200s–we typically name them Tweener 200s–in addition to a few Endurance 100s.
Once more, BFGoodrich tops the time trial tempo chart with the g-Force Rival S 1.5, adopted simply behind by the Falken Azenis RT660+. Each of those tires fall off a bit after their cool flyer laps, whereas the super-consistent Kumho Ecsta V730 and Toyo Proxes R then transfer forward for the longer periods of street racing.
The 1.0 group is new with the current replace, pulling out the quicker Tremendous 200s from the earlier 1.4 group. Of those, the Hoosier TrackAttack Professional has been quickest on our ND Miata take a look at mule however much less so on one in all our extra highly effective observe automobiles. If you may make it work, it’s simply the very best alternative.
Hoosier TrackAttack Professional. {Photograph} by Andy Hollis.
If not the Hoosier TrackAttack Professional, the Bridgestone Potenza RE–71RS, Nankang Sportnex CR-S and Yokohama Advan A052 are all very fast for time trials. You’ll need them shaved or worn to decrease depths for finest tempo. These tires can even work for street racing at these decrease depths. The CR-S is essentially the most sturdy and immune to warmth soak, with the A052 being the reverse.
Word that the Bridgestone RE–71RS is being phased out of manufacturing in favor of the brand new RE–71RZ, which will get a much less advantageous issue grouping. We’ve discovered no important tempo benefit with the brand new tire, so replenish on the RE–71RS whereas provides final.
The small group of tires at a modifier of .5 may as properly simply be one, the Goodyear F1 Supercar 3R. We’ve run these on the Thunderhill 25 Hours to nice impact. For time trials, you’ll need tire heaters, a scorching observe floor or loads of warmup laps. However as soon as as much as temp, they’re magic–one in all our favourite observe tires.
The one draw back to the Goodyear F1 Supercar 3R is availability: They’re very often bought out within the non-OE fitment sizes. Goodyear makes them in periodic batches, and the favored sizes get bought as quickly as they arrive at retail. We’ve been ready on a set ourselves for six months.
This brings us to the R-comps with a 0 modifier. We simply did two rounds of testing on these, and the Yokohama Advan A055 continues its unbeaten streak when put next towards equal bodily sizes. However fitments are restricted, so they could not work in your software.
The Hoosier R7 has the widest vary of sizes, so for certain you’ll find one thing there, and it would even be quicker than the accessible A055s if it’s bigger. Word that the Hoosier R7, A7, R8 and A8 are all bodily wider than typical tires for a given marked measurement. Remember to test NASA templates for compliance the place sizing is a part of your classing components.
Additionally word that the Hoosier R8 is at present grouped by itself at a -1.0 ranking, which renders it much less aggressive than its predecessor. To this point, we’ve not discovered it to be considerably faster than the outgoing R7.
{Photograph} by Tony Politi
It’s good that there are such a lot of groupings, as a few of these slower lessons have some very particular automobile eligibility guidelines. For instance, our Triple-Menace ND Miata may match into TT6 primarily based on power-to-weight, but it surely’s not allowed there. At inventory energy in TT5, it might run full aero plus 0-modifier R-comp tires and nonetheless match inside the TT5 limits. No road tires for us.
Remember to reference our Ultimate Track Tire Guide, the place TT tempo is listed on an absolute foundation after which sorted inside every class. For street racing, the warmth tolerance column provides you with a sign of falloff to final constant tempo. The tread depth sensitivity ranking provides you with an concept of how a lot additional profit in tempo and consistency might be gained via tire prep. From there, drill right down to particular person testing outcomes to get all of the nitty-gritty of how every tire drives. Blissful tire purchasing!
Feedback
That is such a complicated algorithm for the grassroots ST/TT opponents in NASA. I took the most recent guidelines and display screen shot them, highlighting a few of the additional variables some lessons want to have a look at:
That’s the straightforward one, for ST/TT1 to ST/TT3. There are solely 3 classes of compounds / sorts however you even have DOT vs non, and quite a few measurement penalties / bonuses to calculate.
ST4/TT4 has 6 tire classes and 1 measurement handicap to cope with. That’s numerous sustain with for one single class. Who’s going to check the assorted energy / weight setups for every kind of tire, a lot much less every compound inside a sure class??
Final we’ve ST/TT5-ST/TT6 with 6 tire classes to select from, however no measurement penalties as a result of they’re locked right down to teenie tiny tires anyway.
https://community.drivenasa.com/topic/92717-2026-new-tire-modifiers-for-sttt-classes-discussion/
I began a dialogue about this advanced topic on the NASA boards, however the exercise degree there’s nearly zero… :/
I’ll admit that I just like the extra scientific primarily based guidelines of NASA ST/TT than the SCCA TT variations, as weighing automobiles, measuring precise tire width, and placing a automotive on a dyno is a MUCH higher manner of getting class parity than random displacement primarily based and automotive mannequin primarily based guidelines. At the least they do not do factors primarily based classing, just like the previous NASA letter lessons – that by no means labored properly.
However attempting to have people run a Hoosier A8 vs a Falken RT660 in the identical class is a close to not possible process. It is going to be observe dependent, at finest.
Nice work as normal, Andy.
One issue you did not point out is contingency. Some are higher than others, a lot better. Lots of the listed tires provide zero contingency to NASA opponents. Others award sufficient free tires you could race all season after shopping for only one set of tires (should you podium). It is a important issue to me and in the case of selecting a tire.
The NASA system is doing fairly properly at being all of the issues for everybody. The present ST/TT fields regionally and even up via nationwide competitors are seeing a large range of automotive and tire configurations with respectable sufficient parity to not flip it right into a one make, one tire present. I agree with Terry that it’s sophisticated, however when you dig in to the specifics in your explicit automotive the choices develop into clearer. That is to not say that some Richy Wealthy could not purchase all of the mixtures and do all of the testing and discover a hidden cheater setup. However I do not see that taking place at our degree of competitors.
If all else fails, do what the quick guys are doing.
Truthful mentioned:
ST4/TT4 has 6 tire classes and 1 measurement handicap to cope with. That’s numerous sustain with for one single class. Who’s going to check the assorted energy / weight setups for every kind of tire, a lot much less every compound inside a sure class??
Yeah, I agree it is changing into stupidly advanced. That mentioned, the -1 class strikes me as “we actually don’t need you to run these tires, however we won’t ban them for some cause”, and the 0 class solely has one tire that I’ve ever seen anybody run (the R7) and that is within the technique of going away. Given that there is a sturdy desire to run tires with contingency packages (Hoosier, Maxxis, Toyo), I anticipate ST4 will likely be 80% Monitor Assault Professional or RCES, with possibly a couple of individuals going the VR-1 or Toyo R. The RC-1 wasn’t aggressive at 1.6 final 12 months, so until they transfer it to 2.0 I am unable to see the purpose.
Shifting the TAP to 1.4 for 3 months wasn’t a terrific alternative. I do know a number of individuals who went and retuned to modify from R7 to TAP, solely to must both pay to retune once more or add a bunch of ballast with the last-minute rule change.
TAPs are what I run, as a result of I want 18s that match the 266 template, and there isn’t any appropriate measurement in RCES.
Rick O’Shea mentioned:
If all else fails, do what the quick guys are doing.
Heh, this is the reason everybody thinks you want Hoosiers to win. The quick guys run them due to contingency packages, and everybody else follows this rule of thumb.
Query, for the st5-6 +2 catergory, it appears like primarily based on the tire information chart the Ar-1 needs to be barely fast than the rival + and ECF. Is that this right?
codrus (Discussion board Supporter) mentioned:
Rick O’Shea mentioned:
If all else fails, do what the quick guys are doing.
Heh, this is the reason everybody thinks you want Hoosiers to win. The quick guys run them due to contingency packages, and everybody else follows this rule of thumb.
With the present Hoosier contingency requiring new purchases at full retail to match with contingency tires gained — “purchase one, win one” — there’s a “Hoosier meals chain” now at work.
Quick man buys tires, wins new tires, sells the used tires down the meals chain to fund his subsequent buy. Repeat and rinse.
justinscalfano mentioned:
Query, for the st5-6 +2 catergory, it appears like primarily based on the tire information chart the Ar-1 needs to be barely fast than the rival + and ECF. Is that this right?
For TT, possibly. It has been a very long time since we examined the AR-1 so there is a bit “Chinese language whispers” occurring with relative tempo rankings. ECF and Rival+ are a lot newer.
Extra necessary is that AR-1 just isn’t notably constant over the course of a session or race, whereas the others two are tremendous constant. So you are going to get extra bites on the apple with these for TT they usually’ll keep the identical for an extended race if W2W is your factor.
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