Use Z or better rated tires. Z rated tires are made to withstand the stress of high speeds and fast cornering. Z rated tires also tend to be made with stickier rubber compounds.

It's also important that your tires are in good condition! This may seem obvious, but bad tires are the most common cause of failure during extended high-speed runs, and when a tire goes, control is lost. The rubber in older tires may not be as flexible or resistant to the heat as newer tires. Also, repaired tires (nail punctures) may have suffered invisible structural damage and be more likely to separate at high speeds. Please... no plugged tires!

It's generally recommended that you bring partially worn tires to the track (unless it's raining). Partially worn tires have a number of performance advantages. Previous use will have helped your tires to become more resistant to abrasion. This is known as heat cycling. Heat cycling changes the chemical bonding in the tires and makes them more resistant to abrasive wear. Second, a partially worn tire (or shaved tire) will have a more solid feel due to minimal flexing of the mostly worn tread blocks. Tires with full depth tread are squirmier because the tread blocks will have the tendency to roll-over under fast cornering. The trick is to bring tires that won't wear-out before the end of the track event. If you are going to be getting new tires, we recommended that you put 300-400 miles on your new tires before driving them on the track.