Track tire life expectancy with power.
 

Still deciding if a Miata is right for me. One question I have not been able to find the answer to is how long do the tires last, at a track, with a Miata that has significant power?

For instance, a higher hp turbo or a V8 swap? I know that if I get one it will eventually have a V8 in it, hence the question. I haven't been able to find anything in regards to this subject through my searches of various forums. I appreciate your input.

I'm still getting 12-14 days out of a set of NT-01, maybe more but the tires get hard. I will go the entire season on one set of tires. This all depends on how you drive of course. I'll probably cord the tires on the next weekend.

1 million

1 million, not useful or relevant in the slightest. 12-14 days on the track? Much longer than I would have expected. I know on some of the newer high performance cars tires at the track will only last for about 3 or 4 days. Which is my real hesitation behind getting one.

12-14 is possible I think. After about 4 weekends, the tires are definitely less grippy than new. Everyone says they don't cycle-out, but I sure think they do. I'm on day 10 with mine and there is at least one more day, maybe two.

Depends on the track, how much power you make, and how much you slide the car.

On the black car, 3-5 days is typical. On the Red Rental, which makes 1/3 the horsepower, typical tire usage is closer to 10 days.

What are you comparing this to? A Vette? A Porsche? Before you buy a miata and spend 10-15k on a V8 try a 2k suspension setup.

I have 3 trackdays on my current set of nt01s and about 1000 miles driving around. They are still in great shape. I could easily see about 12-14 track days. My car makes about 120whp.

Thus far I haven't compared it to anything. Just looking for the straight out answer. But I am actually comparing it to a Vette. As for the point on the V8, it would not be immediate. Note that I said eventually. I know myself, and I know where it would end up in the long run.

Ultimately I'm trying to figure out the price difference between taking a Miata and a Vette Z06 to the track. The main point seems to be tires.

For the price of one set of Vette wheels and tires, you can pretty much get two sets of wheels and tires for a miata. In general, Miatas are much less expensive to maintain than a Vette.

Way less expensive. Tires, brakes, and catastrophic engine failures (I've seen more than a couple C6Zs lose motors at HPDE days).

I bet the cost of running a Miata is about half what it is for a Vette. Probably less than half if you budget for blowing up an engine.

2 sets of front pads and rotors for the vette = 1 set of NT-01s for the Miata, lol.

It doesn't just end with the tires on the Vette.

I've done both, z06 then miata.

Wheels, Tires, Brakes, Engines, Mistakes, Vette Tax

You also have to prep the car for the track a little more than a miata. (Accusump absolutely required. Trans/diff coolers are a good idea too. As well as an expensive big brake kit.)

I also made the conversion from an frc to a Miata due to price. I love spending 1/3 the amount on tires, wheel bearings, and any other maintenance issues. This is not including all the other million issues vettes always have. Example- oil pressure gauge, fuel level gauge, steering column locking, rocking chair drivers seat and more.

I switched from a Porsche 993tt to a Miata for track duty. Cost, performance, safety and liability were all factors. The Miata cost less than 1/2 to operate for the basics like tires, brakes etc. The big items like motor and trans are about a 1/10-1/20 the cost to rebuild.

Then there is the dedicated track car vs street car debate. Over the years I watched guys continue to convert their nice street cars into track cars and end up with something that's not really ideal for either.

All things being equal lighter cars will be easier on tires. I run slicks on my Miata. They cost $1,100 for a set and are good for 2-3 days. It is approaching Porsche cup car times in its current configuration.

At Infineon on Saturday a guy backed a Spec Miata into the unprotected T9 wall and wadded the shell up (shifted the LR shock tower 1/2" to the right). We were commenting on how cheap it would be to buy a new shell, re-cage it, and swap the subframes over.

You can't do that with an S2000 or a Vette. :)

Are you sure it was a guy? A girl I know flipped her Miata at Infineon very recently (within the last couple of weekends). Was it red?

It was a flat black SM, the car did not roll over.

Great thread! This confirms my recent decision to buy my 99 Miata and leave the C6 for my street driver. All the reasons given above were why I made the change. OP; have you ever had a ride in a spec Miata? At a recent HPDE I was at with my C6 (425RWHP and TQ) an instructor took me for a ride in his SM. It was shocking! You may realize you don't need a V-8. (S/C or turbo maybe)