Originally Posted by JARblue

Car mods? Maybe, maybe not - there are too many variables to get into that. But you can spend $500 on a driver mod and you'll be far better off in the long run. An instructor running with you is going to help your driving ability to get the maximum out of the car you're driving regardless of the mods. Spending the $700 savings on track time even without an instructor is not a bad idea either - ideally over the life of those tires, you get comfortable with their limits and look to move on to better tires for your next set for improved lap times.

If you are looking for fast time attack laps, Federal tires are just going to hold you back. But like you said, they are going to be worlds better than a/s tires on the track. And as a beginner track driver, you are just looking for faster lap times on a relative scale to yourself. There's not a lot of point in putting slicks on the car if you can't drive them to their potential.