Track days - where ordinary drivers get the chance to see what their pride and joy can do in the relative safety of a race track - have become popular all over the UK.
All tracks give advice and set rules and warnings for driving standards and vehicle condition, which may include speed limits based on proof of your competition driving experience or, indeed, lack of it. Some centres offer performance driving and racecraft tuition packages for those enthusiastic enough to seek it, or wise enough to know their personal limitations before nailing the throttle.
Typically, the would-be competitors will turn up in a hot hatch of some description and of course there's nothing wrong with some fast fun in the right environment. But you must remember that enthusiastic laps of a track will put more strain on components in a short period - particularly tyres and brakes - than would be the case in normal public road driving.
From the perspective of tyres alone, if this type of activity is to be a regular event, it is better to equip your car with a set of tyres dedicated to the purpose. The easiest way of doing that is to have them fitted to a spare set of suitable wheels. This won't only save you money in the long run, it will also help to maintain your consumer rights in relation to your normal tyres in the unlikely event that you need to complain about their performance.
For road use and for track days, some people have been known to fit much wider wheels and tyres than the power of their car can possibly use - that's simply a waste of money with potentially detrimental consequences for handling, ride and fuel consumption.
"There's a simple maxim here," said mytyres.co.uk's Ken Mann. "Get the right advice! Most good track day organisers will have instructors or technicians on hand who can provide you with the answer. In the same way, at mytyres.co.uk we offer an online or telephone advice service to make sure you always get the right tyre for the job - guaranteed."
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