The Difference Between the Accelera 651 Sport and Accelera PHI Family
Pick Your Poison
We hope we haven’t confused you too much. We now offer two different types of tires that can be used in similar situations. They are both are produced by Accelera, and both are performance tires. So, what are the main differences between the Accelera 651 Sport and the Accelera PHI?
Track to Street Vs. Street to Track
Let’s start on a basic level of what each tire is made of. The 651 Sport is an r-compound race tire meaning it was designed for the track, and its performance is very dependent on how it’s heated because of the rubber compound that it’s made of. (Check out R-Compounds Explained if you need a refresher). This also means that the 651 Sport will heat up faster and give you initial grip quicker than the PHI. This is also the reason behind the 651 Sport being produced in both a 100 and 200 treadwear. Don’t let that fool you though; this grippy tire is DOT certified in both treadwears, making the 651 Sport the perfect tire to take from the track to the street.
Meanwhile, the PHI & PHI 2 are made for the street or daily driving but are considered UHP tires. What is a UHP tire? UHP stands for Ultra- High Performance, which means this tire will give you heightened performance daily in terms of control and handling. As always, summer tires are made of a slightly softer compound, meaning that their performance will get better as they are heated on a hotter surface or exposed to extended driving. Because of this, the PHI and PHI 2 have longer tread life and in turn a higher treadwear of 400, making the PHI and PHI 2 the perfect tires to take from the street to the track.
Sturdy Vs. Stretch
Having a sturdy sidewall comes with territory of being a race tire, which is why the 651 Sport’s sidewall feels like it’s unmovable. This is due to its reinforced sidewall, which can handle a lot of pressure and basically whatever you throw at it. This makes the Accelera 651 Sport perfect for what it was made for: racing. Don’t be afraid to drop the pressure to get more grip out of your tire across any application. If we could score this tire on grip level, we would give it a 10/10.
On the other hand, the PHI & PHI 2 are designed as street tires. With that comes a sidewall that can be stretched and moved on to a rim, giving you more of a stance look. This will take any car to the next level of style. Daily your car with piece of mind with this stretchy sidewall. With the PHI, don’t hesitate to drop the pressure just a little to generate more grip when you go to the track. If you’re sporting lower HP you will do great in terms of grip and tire life on the track, allowing you to compete harder than ever. If we could score this tire on grip level, we would give it a 6/10.
Our Opinion?
In our opinion, these two tires are the best duo for driver versatility. Run the 651 Sport in the front for maximum grip and the PHI in the rear for perfect burnability. Yes, we just made up that word. We would recommend using the 651 Sport as a comp tire because of its overall performance, and the PHI as a fun tire because of its ability to extend your sessions with added tire life. If you have a car over 500 HP, we would say get even more grip with the Accelera 651 Sport XTRA. Or if you're the guy that runs something on the lower HP end, then the 400 treadwear PHI or PHI 2 would be perfect all around. It will allow you to get more life out of your race tire, and essentially more laps, while sacrificing slightly on performance.
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