Hooked On Driving ran a Fourth of July weekend at NCCAR (North Carolina Center for Automotive Research). Jackie drove my silver 135i; I drove the red LS3 135i. NCCAR is rough on tires even on a good day — combined with ~105°F ambient and a scorching track surface, I was not chasing lap times. I wanted to shake down a new set of Gladiator X Comp HP drifter tires and see whether a cheap steer/grip compound could survive a hot HPDE weekend without the usual street-tire weirdness.
Gladiator X Comp HP
These are marketed as a drifter steer or grip tire — not an R-comp, not a 200TW street tire. Square setup on the 135i: 275/35ZR18 on 18×10 wheels.
| Tire | Gladiator X Comp HP |
| Size | 275/35ZR18 (square) |
| Set price | $569 |
| Baseline | ~4-year-old Nitto NT01 (also a slow tire, heavily worn) |
Saturday — Gladiator tires
Three sessions on the Gladiators before the alternator died. Grip was obviously down compared to anything stickier, but the car was predictable — when they broke loose it was gradual and easy to catch. No delamination, chunking, tearing, or other heat-related drama in brutal conditions. And no funky street-tire behavior on NCCAR’s rough surface.
The surprise was pace: within about one second of the very worn NT01s, despite lower overall grip.
July 4 — optimal 1:36.82, average 1:38.06. Max speed 142.9 mph on the straight.
Wear after three sessions
Pulled the Gladiators off the wheels after Saturday to see what three HPDE sessions at NCCAR in 105°F heat did to a fresh set.
Rubber pickup in the grooves — typical NCCAR marbles, nothing delaminating.
Overall wear looked normal for a rough track in extreme heat. No belts showing, no chunks missing, no sidewall damage. For a $569 drifter tire that ran within a second of dead NT01s, that is acceptable.
Sunday — NT01 baseline
Swapped back to the 4-year-old Nitto NT01s for three more sessions. Same alternator problem ended the day early again — it died on Sunday too.
Only about one second faster than the Gladiators. For a $569 set of drifter tires vs. dead R-comps, that is not a bad trade for a hot weekend where survival mattered more than peak grip.
July 5 — optimal 1:35.48, average 1:37.04. Max speed 142.6 mph.
| Session | Tire | Optimal lap | Avg lap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat Jul 4 | Gladiator X Comp HP | 1:36.82 | 1:38.06 |
| Sun Jul 5 | Nitto NT01 (worn) | 1:35.48 | 1:37.04 |
| Delta | −1.34 s | −1.02 s |
In the paddock
105°F in the paddock — Jackie in the silver 135i, me in the red LS3 135i.