Michelin PS4S vs Nangkang AR-1?

There's a series I plan on racing in next year, and the regulations state that for my car in the dry, I must use Nankang AR-1 tyres. I'm thinking it may be worth getting these tyres so that I can get familiar with their grip and handling. In terms of usage, I am still dailying the car, but will be buying a different daily in the next month or two. I'm approaching summer, so not concerned about driving in the rain, and have other options should rain come, but I can't be 100% certain I won't use it in the rain. I do track days 1-2 times per month, with 45 - 60 min total track time over the course of the day. I bought the car 9 months ago, with 5 - 5.5mm tread all round, and after 20,000km including 1 track day, the tread is down to 0.4mm on the rear and 0.9mm on the front. PS4S are about twice the cost of the AR-1, so depending on tyre wear the AR-1s may end up costing less. I have quite a tight budget so spending less on tyres means I can spend more on other modifications. I'm wondering if anyone has wear comparisons for the two tyres so I can see how the price difference compares to the rate I would go through them? Also wondering (if the Nankangs would cost more long term) how much I would benefit from getting familiar with the tyres now?

Theo, you are comparing apples to oranges as they say. These tires aren't even close to eachother in any way. The Nankang is not really a tire for street use while using the Michelin PS4S on the track would work for only a casual track day rather than someone who is planning to race. If you are planning to race, practice with the Nankangs. Doing track days with the PS4S will in no way prepare you for using the Nankangs in a race.

Seconding what @PorscheGreg said. I completely roasted a set of 3k mile PS4S's at my 2nd ever trackday, and now am using Yoko V601 (comparable to PS4S) and A052s (comparable to Nankang CRS/AR1) at the upper intermediate level. You COULD street drive the AR-1 but you would be burning away money with every mile you drive that's not on the track. My A052s come fresh with 7/32" tread (5.5mm) and are usable to 2/32" (1.5mm). You cannot use AR-1s or CR-S's lower than that window (it's similar on Nankangs) as they are virtually slicks at that point with zero capacity to expel any water from the treads. Again, apples to oranges. Figure out how to drive a street set and buy a roof rack to transport a set of wheels with AR-1s to the track, or trailer the car. Most spec Cayman/Boxster series that I know of usually aren't with street legal cars anyways.

The series I plan to race in (New Zealand Pirelli Porsche Series) keeps the car mostly stock. Some modifications will make it no longer road legal, however there is a special certification you can get to make them road legal again. I can't really justify spending an extra $4-5k on a good set of rims for a seperate track set, and a second hand set in this size is really hard to find. For now, I think I'm going to choose between the Nankangs or the PS4S (Or another street tyre with a track performance near the Nankangs?). Is there anything else that makes the Nankangs bad on the street? Other than the obvious noise and wet performance.

Theo, I’m in complete agreement with likethebossiam regarding the tires . Racing is an expensive hobby and doing it with less than the proper resources can be dangerous for you and the cars you encounter on the street and track. I know various folks who race and not a single one of them uses the same tires for racing and the street. Having a second set of wheels is a requirement if you plan on driving the car on the street and in races. Apex and Titan makes excellent and fairly affordable wheels for our cars. A decent set can be gotten for about 2500. At least that is the price in the US.

As I've written before, I'm a HUGE 4SPS fan on both my 987.2 and 981 Outlaw. For street, I absolutely LOVE them. This being said, a colleague totally roasted his as he's a die-hard track guy. I totally agree with @PorscheGreg that two sets of wheels is a great idea -- and you might find dedicated racing tires (like what he suggests) with better wear results. One thing to look into though, whatever you get -- just make sure you get the UK-specced version tires for driving on the left side of the road. You should be just fine with your rims though.

You should bet a used second set of 18" wheels and mount the Nankang on those, the day of the event you install those and drive to the track, and hopefully won't rain on the way there or back home.. LOL PS: Occasionally, you can find on Rennsport, OEM sets of 18" for around $1k, these are a bit heavier but as long as they are in good condition you cannot go wrong with them, good luck!

I have a plan to get a second set of wheels for the 100 TR (tread ware) tires ie: Nankang AR1 I do also street the Mich ps4s which are 300 TW Apex suggests going a little wider: APEX Staff Pick: Front: 245/40-18 // Rear: 275/40-18 Wheels / Front: 18x9” ET46 // Rear: 18x10” ET36, Apex SM-10 Rear $928 ($789) +Ft $888 ($754) / $1816 ($1544) (-15%) so with the 15% discount the 4 wheels are $1544 us Apex Wheels | Forged & Flow Formed | Strong & Lightweight We make quality forged and flow formed track wheels. Available for BMW, Porsche, VW, Toyota, Subaru, Chevrolet, Ford, Tesla, Honda, Audi, Lexus and more. apexwheels.com Interested on how you do. Cheers

I personally like Forgeline.. but the Apex at $1,550 you a large price difference..

Hard to go wrong with Apex's lifetime track warranty. Crack one hitting a curb on the track and Apex will send another one out to you no questions asked. There's a reason they are no. 1 in the wheel game for the track guys across all brands (especially Porsche and BMW ).

"just make sure you get the UK-specced version tires for driving on the left side of the road." Is there such a thing?? I assumed this was in jest, but no one has commented yet.

I think it is in jest, hence the winking face from foodbiker.