Is it ok to track with OEM run-flat tires on a 430?
It's OK its not Ideal. Safety wise your fine just runcraps are not going to give you the traction like other tires would. For your first track day your fine but once you do it for a while you might want to upgrade.
+1, but I think it's fun to drive on those tires! The overall grip level is not that great comparatively, but the balance is fine and you'll have a lot of fun! Ray, my first time on track with runflats was when the C5 Corvette had just been released. The owner took the car to Roebling Road and we had a ball. The car stuck reasonably well and it was a great opportunity to gently probe the limits of the car, the tires and ourselves.
If you are just learning how to track, I think runflats are great! I once instructed a student in a C6 ZO6 Vette at Summit Point. He had done a little bit of autocrossing, but that was it. The run flats were great for him because the performance is so low. He couldn't physically go fast enough to really get himself into trouble. We did end up going off in turn one because he was carrying too much speed in one of his later sessions (he was certainly getting more comfortable, and definitely faster). The run flats are low grip, which means you are going to feel/hear the grip fade away much more slowly then you will with sport or racing tires. This way you can really start to learn how the car/tires feels and reacts as you start to lose traction, and you aren't going nearly as fast. The one thing with runflats is that you most likely will need to trash them after you get home for the weekend. My student's tires were starting to go pretty badly. I told him they were good enough to get home on, but not good enough to use regularly after that.
I tracked my old 335 with run-flats and they developed bubbles after a few sessions. I can't be sure if they can be attributed to the tracking, but I'd check them after each run just in case! -Joe
