Testing the All-New Hoosier Track Attack Pro Street Tire

Track Day at Thermal Club with Hoosier

Until recently, the only time you’d see the word “Hoosier” written across the sidewall of a tire it was fitted to a race car of varying motorsport. However, now, Hoosier has ventured into a new road with the all-new Track Attack Pro performance summer tire. Branded as the “Ultimate Track Day Weapon”, these tires are essentially street legal track tires designed to handle the demands of daily commutes and weekend track days.

To gain the full depth of what these tires can do, I ventured to the sometimes brutally sunny skies of Palm Springs, California, to spend a day with Hoosier at the Thermal Club race track. A team of expert driving instructors from the BMW Performance Driving School made sure we had the proper vehicles to lay down rubber – safely.

Handling the Hoosier Track Attack Pro Tires with BMW M Power

I was greeted by a fleet of gleaming, factory fresh Bavarian beauties sporting M badges when I stepped off the shuttle bus. It was difficult not to drool over the array of M3, M2, and M4s sporting Hoosier Track Attack Pro tires. Some of the vehicles wore a decal that read “Competitor,” signifying that they wore Michelin Pilot Sport Plus and Yokohama ADVAN A052 tires. This meant we would have the opportunity to do direct comparison testing.

Rarely do manufacturers show that much confidence in a new product.

After a driver’s meeting, we eagerly left to find our assigned groups and pick a driver’s seat. The track’s facility and vehicles were divided into four different courses to test the tire’s braking, handling, and durability.

The last test of the day would involve suiting up and driving hot laps in a full-fledged GT4 race car at the track as the ultimate test for a road legal track tire. 

The Tire Stress Tests 

The Hoosier Track Attack Pro was tested on four different handling courses to stress test the tire’s handling, cornering, braking, and durability.

My first test involved driving a 2024 BMW M3 and accelerating up to 50 mph until I reached the designated braking point. Then, I had to apply the full weight of my right foot to the brake pedal to engage the car’s ABS system while making a sharp, sudden steer to the left to avoid the theoretical obstacle represented by a set of traffic cones and thread the needle between another set of traffic cones to safety. 

This obstacle avoidance simulation would allow us to feel the Track Attack Pro tire’s grip and handling in a panic stop situation. 

We ran the course a handful of times in the M3 fitted with Hoosier Track Attack Pro tires before switching to another BMW M3 wearing Michelin Pilot Sport Plus tires. Between the two brands, the Track Attack Pro was more composed under stress compared to the Pilot Sport Plus.

During the panic stop, I felt the Michelins had a bit more slip with the ABS on as I threaded the needle between two traffic cones. The Hoosiers felt like they crawled into the pavement like a frightened cat, allowing me to steer without a hint of lost traction. 

The difference between Michelin and Hoosier is enough for even a non-racing driver like me to notice.

The second test was a slalom course in a 2024 BMW M2. Under the clock, we took turns charging a slalom course with traction control to experience a tire’s grip under fast, evasive maneuvering. 

Again, the Hoosier Track Attack Pro tire felt significantly more comfortable than the competitors’ tires. By comfortable, I mean the margin of error, the distance between grip and loss of traction. The Hoosier tires gave me more confidence and peace of mind while throwing the car into the turns and pushing for more speed. 

The tires handled so well that motion sickness set in way before I felt like I was close to the edge of losing control.

The final test before the full track day run was taking a BMW M3 around a short track. Here, we had the opportunity to propel the Hoosier rolling BMWs along a racing line with a heavy foot, throwing the car into the turns and leaning on the brakes to stay on the fastest line.

The Hoosier Track Attack Pro held its grip to keep my overzealous driving ability safely away from the edge, like a parent’s hand on the shirt collar of a hyperactive child.

The BMW M4 GT4 Track Day Test 

My group was the last one to be out on the track in a BMW M4 GT4. That meant putting on a racing suit and HANS device for the first time. A childhood dream came true as I stepped over the roll cage and fastened the five-point safety harness. 

We ran laps around the Thermal Club race track following a BMW Performance Driving School instructor who expected everyone to keep up or risk getting the embarrassment of being told you were driving too slow in a race car. 

The fear of a bruised ego kept my foot firmly on the gas down the straightaway, flat out. Reaching the end of the straightaway, I stomped on the non-power-assisted brake pedal to activate the brakes while flicking the paddle shifter down into third gear before diving the M4 GTA into the turns. 

My eyes target-locked on the lead car while my brain frantically surveyed the gauges to make sure I was in the right gear for every turn. Confirming the car’s tires were pointing straight before jumping back on the throttle, trying my best not to lose focus because what is 100 years away can become 10 feet in an instant if your mind begins to wander. 

The pressures of the task at hand meant I wasn’t paying attention to how the tires were coping with this kind of extreme testing. Nevertheless, nobody at this event went off the track, spun out, or put themselves in a situation that alarmed the instructors.

Afterward, we found out that the M4 GT4s we drove were running the same set of Hoosier Track Attack Pro tires for the entire day of testing and the test day before us. That means two full days of punishing high speed test trials with a spectrum of driving skills and not a single blowout or wear that would force a tire change. That’s impressive! If that doesn’t stir up enough curiosity to kick these tires at your local dealer, I don’t know what will.

What’s the Point of a Street Track Tire? 

Anyone with even the briefest experience in motorsport and the automotive world will tell you that this lifestyle is anything but cheap. Performance summer tires are typically the best solution for those who want to enjoy their vehicle in good-weather daily commutes and the occasional weekend track day without needing to haul a jack stand or splurge on multiple sets of tires.

A dual-purpose street legal track day tire means the rubber needs to excel in durability, handling, and braking. It needs to be strong enough to handle boulevard potholes and 120 mph straightaways without losing composure or grip. 

During the multiple tests in BMW M-powered cars, you could feel the dedication and quality control Hoosier invested in developing the Track Attack Pro tire.

Hoosier Track Attack Pro Construction

What makes the Hoosier Track Attack Pro a leading contender in the street legal track tire segment? For starters, Hoosier has been making racing tires since the Kennedy administration. You don’t stay in business for that long without learning a thing or two about tire technology. 

Hoosier has infused its extensive knowledge of motorsport into this street performance track tire. The Track Attack Pro is constructed with extra-wide shoulder ribs to maximize cornering ability and a center rib to increase braking performance. The tire is also lightweight and UTQG 200 rated. 

Moreover, it’s available in 46 sizes, ranging from 15 to 21 inches in diameter, to fit a variety of performance vehicles.

You can shop for a set of Track Attack Pro tires to fit your ride at any retailer carrying the Hoosier brand.

I sincerely want to thank the good folks at Hoosier Tire for letting me participate in their historic product launch. 

Thank you to BMW Performance Driving School for keeping us all safe and informed during the day of high-speed testing.