Tire Review: Accelera 651 Sport - XTRA 100 Treadwear
Our resident Rob Wilmoth has his thoughts on the Accelera 651 Sport - Extra 100 Treadwear. What do you think?
As many of you know from reading my other content, I'm competing in the SCCA Time Trials series, which requires a 200 Treadwear or higher tire for everything but the most extreme cars that compete. This is a great spot for the Accelera 651 Sport 200 Treadwear, where I finished 2nd in class at VIR in March of 2021. But that left me wondering - how much better is the 100 treadwear version of the same tire? While I couldn't do this in a competitive event, I determined that my HPDE and test day use makes this a great time to check it out. Unfortunately, I didn't get to do this test at VIR, however I did get to do it at Carolina Motorsports park as part of a Racing for ALS event - Supporting a great cause, fast cars, *and* a tire test?! Sign me up!
Fitment and Mounting:
I had them mounted by my local Audi Indy Technician. I used the 265/35-18 on a Neuspeed 18x9.0 ET40 RSe10 wheel. Unsurprisingly, they fit, balanced, and look exactly like the 200 Treadwear cousins! I was told that the sidewall is slightly stiffer and that it made mounting them up slightly more interesting. Balancing also seemed similar, with a common amount of wheel weights.
Initial Impressions:
These tires came to temp much quicker than the 200's, and they managed the heat better. Where the 200's need a full lap, I felt comfortable hitting it right off the bat. Steering feel is slightly more responsive, most likely due to the stiffer sidewall. I chose a target pressure slightly below what i'm used to with the 200tw, 33 front, 32 rear. This resulted in even wear in my 2018 Audi RS3, despite how much understeer the car naturally has. These tires inspire more confidence than the 200 treadwear tires, however you do have to manage the heat a little bit more closely. With the 200 TW, I found that I could run them about 7 laps before heat really came into play, with the 100tw, I found my times falling off around lap 4.
Final Thoughts, and lap times!
So - How much faster is the 100tw vs the 200tw? At a track which is very grippy such as Carolina Motorsports Park (since the repave), I was managing a 1:45.2 on the 200 TW version. On the Extra, I managed a 1:44.1. This is a very technical two mile road course that makes the understeer of my car do extra work. If you're looking for that extra second or so during an HPDE, and don't mind slightly shortened heat-life, then the Extra is a great alternative for you.I also would think that due to the faster heat-up time, they could also be a great tire for autocross, depending on the classing that you may end up in.
Little XTRA Sale
