Go R-comps??

[Focusedintntions]

So i've been thinking about this hard here lately with picking up a set of new dedicated track wheels/tires. Do I go Rcomps or should I finish off the year on street tires? If I did street tires they'd be some dunlop star spec so i can rotate and flip them between events to make them last a bit longer. Rcomps i'm not sure between the NT-01's and the R888's.

Right now i've been tracking with PSS's and make them howl fairly consistently all around Summit Main and VIR and I'm tired of needing new front tires after 2-3 events b/c I can't flip them on the rims.

[pixelblue]

Chris,
go r-comps if you're looking for the fastest lap times. go star specs if you're budget minded. to be honest the amount of speed you'll gain from r-comps compared to star specs may be negligible. I say try the star specs first since they will be faster than pss. also as good as the R888's are they tend to heat cycle out very quickly from what I have heard.

[Groundpilot]

Hell yes, go R Comps. And go with Hoosiers r6 if you can, as now i think they are the best tires period. I just tested them at Thunderbolt and let me tell you that i am more than impressed.
I thought BFG R1s were good, but these tires are in their own league.
I will give you 1 example. At Thunderbolt there is one very fast corner(13) that leads to the front straightaway. With R1s my exit speed was 103-105 mph. Now its 112

[pixelblue]

Originally Posted by Groundpilot

Hell yes, go R Comps. And go with Hoosiers r6 if you can, as now i think they are the best tires period. I just tested them at Thunderbolt and let me tell you that i am more than impressed.
I thought BFG R1s were good, but these tires are in their own league.
I will give you 1 example. At Thunderbolt there is one very fast corner(13) that leads to the front straightaway. With R1s my exit speed was 103-105 mph. Now its 112

yes sure they are in a different league but how many track days do you get out of them? I got 20 sessions out of my R1's but the last 6-7 sessions they lost a lot of grip. R6 would last even less. like I said if budget is not a concern then by all means go for the R6's. speaking for myself I can't afford to change tires twice a year with everything else that needs to be maintained

[Focusedintntions]

Pretty much i'd like to get a set and have it last me all throughout the year. I'm not looking for every second of time right now, just trying to find something that'll improve me as a driver while lasting some haha.

[yandy]

Originally Posted by Focusedintntions

Pretty much i'd like to get a set and have it last me all throughout the year. I'm not looking for every second of time right now, just trying to find something that'll improve me as a driver while lasting some haha.

Toyo RA1, hear great things about them, last longer than the R888. Also, don't hit the wall

[Groundpilot]

We will see how long they are going to last, but i think even cycled out R6s will be at least as good as any street tire on a dry track surface.

[pixelblue]

Chris,
I think you answered your question. star specs or RS3's. RS3's having better dry (warm) traction but less wet traction. star specs seem to be the best all 'rounder. if you could've found toyo RA1's in your size, I would tell you to get those. you can get them in a square 275/30x18's though. ideal setup in my opinion

[pixelblue]

Originally Posted by Groundpilot

We will see how long they are going to last, but i think even cycled out R6s will be at least as good as any street tire on a dry track surface.

I was faster on my RFT's than cycled out R1's. love to give the R6's a try though. liking my RA1's so far and they're suppose to get better with use unlike most other r-comps. braking and cornering will be missed from the R1's

[Focusedintntions]

Any of you guys have experience with the nt-01's? I've heard good things about them.

[yandy]

Originally Posted by Focusedintntions

Any of you guys have experience with the nt-01's? I've heard good things about them.

NT01s are great, but I just don't like the sizes they have available for an 18" wheel. A bit better for a 17" wheel

[GaryS]

Chris IMO you are ready to advance to r-comps at Summit Point Main. If your driving is at that level on your other tracks, I'd say go for it. The only track I drive well enough so far is Shenandoah.

From what I see on forums, Star Specs are 1 second faster than PSS, and RA1 or R888 are another 2 seconds faster than Star Specs. More important to me, I know from riding with instructors who have them that Star Specs sound and feel closer to r-comps than to PSS. I hate listening to PSS screaming for mercy and feeling mushy when they slide, but Star Specs sound like they're loving it and feel firm.

I've seen a ton of opinions about R888s. Some people say they don't last as long as RA1 or NT01, other people say they do last as long. Some people say you can run RA1s and NT01s down to the cords but you can't with R888. Others say they always run R888s down to the cords. My best guess is that RA1 has the advantage of consistent performance all the way down to the cords, whereas R888 starts out a little faster, then drops down to RA1 performance after one or two days, then gets a little faster when the tread is gone, and then gets a little slower again.

[fourtailpipes]

in my opinion, track tires only make sense if you're in some kind of timed or wheel-to-wheel competition and need the extra seconds, AND your car is set up in such a way that it can take advantage of the extra mechanical grip. otherwise, there's really no upside to going around the track another couple seconds faster. too many downsides.

in hpde, though i've used various r-comps in the past, i keep coming back to cheater streeter tires for street cars (currently using 255/265 star specs on the 135). i still pass all the slow cars and get passed by the racecars. another second or two is irrelevant in an untimed event, and i like that my tires can take a good amount of thrashing on the track before needing to be replaced.

[GaryS]

Originally Posted by fourtailpipes

i like that my tires can take a good amount of thrashing on the track before needing to be replaced.

You also save having to load wheels in your back seat and swap them at the track.

[fourtailpipes]

Originally Posted by GaryS

You also save having to load wheels in your back seat and swap them at the track.

yep. there are many downsides to r-comps. cycling out before they're bald and/or wearing down to bald faster, generally poor rain performance, less feedback for developing drivers, you usually can't or don't want to drive to/from the track on them, they're more expensive, they ask more of your suspension and brakes and tend to make suspension and braking shortcomings much more apparent... just to name a few.

[Groundpilot]

Originally Posted by fourtailpipes

yep. there are many downsides to r-comps. cycling out before they're bald and/or wearing down to bald faster, generally poor rain performance, less feedback for developing drivers, you usually can't or don't want to drive to/from the track on them, they're more expensive, they ask more of your suspension and brakes and tend to make suspension and braking shortcomings much more apparent... just to name a few.

What you said makes a lot of sense. I agree, but the difference in performance is amazing. With R1 tires i thought i was driving a different car.
I ment Hoosier R 6

[Sauce]

Just go with RS3's. On the road course they handle heat much better than the Star Specs. No personal experience between the two, but I have heard from many really good drivers that rs3's are similar grip wise to NT01's but last longer. I've been running them and they are great!!!!!! FWIW I had Star Specs on my last car which I was also really happy with, but RS3's are definitely superior track tires.

[GaryS]

HPA Shop's J. Tyler posted this comment on another site:

Having tracked & street'd many BMWs on both of those tires (135i, 335i, M3), I'd go with the AD08s all day long. They are much more quiet & comfortable on the street vs the Dunlop, and they are quicker on the track. Longevity is about a wash between Dunlop & AD08.

NT05 is not horrible but the AD08 is significantly better on track.

Only one I have not tried on track yet is the Hankook RS3, but from talking to guys who have tracked on them, they are significantly faster for the first heat cycle than all the other street tires. Like, 1s/lap, borderline R-comp grip. But, after that first heat cycle, they lose a lot of grip.

So.... Get the AD08s IMO.

But AD08's currently cost a lot more than Star Specs.

[Focusedintntions]

Thanks for all the info so far guys....keep it coming I have a bit of time to decide while i wait on parts.

[GaryS]

Here's something luke@tirerack posted on another forum:

Extreme Performance:
You want extreme dry street performance and are willing to trade some comfort and hydroplaning resistance to get it.

These are all fantastic to push to the limits but, they also have their own set of compromises mostly related to ride quality, road noise and wet traction.

1.) Advan Neova AD08 (Super Glue sticky)
2.) Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec (making a comeback after slipping a little)
3.) Hankook RS3 (could use more straight line grip)
4.) Bridgestone Potenza RE11 (still offers the best ride and top level performance)
5.) Kumho Excsta XS(stupid fast and still scary in the wet)

FWIW I'm going with AD08. I noticed coming back from lunch just now that my PSS left front has started chunking on the shoulder. So I checked at Tire Rack, and AD08 is $138 more than Star Specs for my wheels. Fine, I can live with that.

[Focusedintntions]

I'm thinking I may go the AD08 route too from what i've been reading for rest of this year and maybe go rcomp the next time around when I start trying out time trials

[pixelblue]

can't never go wrong with yoko. re11's are great too. they are all great. each has their own unique character. you should try them all. isn't life grand