Thoughts on Toyo R88R tires

[$iriu$black]

As the title says, I am on the market for this specific tire. I’ve been running RS4s in the 225/45/17 size for the last three years and I think they’re due for replacement.

I’ve been contemplating sticking w RS4s but on the 245/40/17 size but recently was awarded contingency money but can only use it for Toyo tires. I am looking at the R888Rs and will be able to get a great deal for four of them, and amazingly, it will be less than the amount of four RS4s of the same size shipped.

Granted I’ve done a bit of homework and know that TW100 will be a big difference compared to TW200, I’m a bit worried about fitment. My current setup is as follows:

Suspension:
Ohlins R&T with Swift springs on all fours set at almost full hard
Dinan Camber plates giving me about 2.5 meg camber upfront (might be off, can’t remember exact setting)

Wheels:
BW TA-16 17x8 ET40
Currently no spacer used as 225/45 fit well

Height:
Not too low, can’t determine height setting currently but I’m not slammed, just maybe an inch below Ohlins recommended settings

Has anyone used these tires (R888Rs) on track? Is it going to fit on a 128i w the above setup? Just wanted to make a good, informed decision before pulling the trigger.

If it helps, I’m driving at an Advanced level with most groups, upper intermediate in a few. I’ve found that some groups are more stringent with driver levels but yet the driving groups are generally slower than others. This explains why I’m Advanced in one and UInterm in another.

Thanks for any input!

[tsk94]

They are a good 100tw tire. Nothing special about them, they are decently quick, wear well and hold up to numerous hot laps. Going from the RS4's they will be a considerable upgrade in terms of grip.

Are you wanting to run 225s in the R888R like you have been, or going to 245?

I ran 255/35R18 R888R's on a 135i on 8.5" wheels. Had rolled front fenders and ~-3.5 of camber, but the car was pretty low. You should be able to fit them pretty easily, as long as your front spring doesn't interfere.

[$iriu$black]

Originally Posted by tsk94

They are a good 100tw tire. Nothing special about them, they are decently quick, wear well and hold up to numerous hot laps. Going from the RS4's they will be a considerable upgrade in terms of grip.

Are you wanting to run 225s in the R888R like you have been, or going to 245?

I ran 255/35R18 R888R's on a 135i on 8.5" wheels. Had rolled front fenders and ~-3.5 of camber, but the car was pretty low. You should be able to fit them pretty easily, as long as your front spring doesn't interfere.

Thanks for the input! Yeah I’m already anticipating a big jump in grip going to the R comps from RS4s, we’ll see how it goes.

I’m planning to move to 245s and just worry a bit about fitment just bec the Toyos have a slightly wider shoulder than the RS4s I think. But yeah my car isn’t low by any means as I track it and hopefully will be able to do make it work. My fenders arent rolled to my knowledge so that might pose a difficulty there.

Again, thanks for the input.

[amg6975]

R888R is in the same ball park as the hot 200TW tires, it is not a particularly good 100TW. Personally I hate the way the R888R feels but they're fine, they're black and round and will get you around a track. They will be faster than the R-S4 but it will not be night and day.

My personal favorite all around tire right now is the Falken RT660.

If you have to spend the money on Toyos then go for it, they work just fine.

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/ar...P5cGXJeTwlw8F0

[$iriu$black]

Originally Posted by amg6975

R888R is in the same ball park as the hot 200TW tires, it is not a particularly good 100TW. Personally I hate the way the R888R feels but they're fine, they're black and round and will get you around a track. They will be faster than the R-S4 but it will not be night and day.

My personal favorite all around tire right now is the Falken RT660.

If you have to spend the money on Toyos then go for it, they work just fine.

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/ar...P5cGXJeTwlw8F0

Thanks for your input! I was actually reading that over the weekend, too while I was in-between sessions at Club Motorsports in NH. I’m def in for a longer lasting sticky tire and have been happy w the RS4 in that department. I swore to myself before that I won’t be making any big changes to the car mid season but the tires I have on now are dual purpose (to/from track) and since they are almost down to the wear markers, are very slick in the rain the past weekend. Very sketchy.

So I figured I will move to track only tires and wheels and wanted to move up to slightly wider tires and better compound. I’m still quite undecided and feel that I will be happy either way. It’s just that I got some contingency money recently and wanted to use it to try something new.
Thanks again.

[tsk94]

If it wasn't for the contingency you have, there are better 100tw options. But if you can get a heavily discounted set of R888R's, then you might as well. They'll still be faster then the RS4's but they are a pretty forgiving r-comp to drive and wouldn't be night and day difference to what you're used to. Just a bit more grip everywhere.

They will be worse in the wet though - they'll work fine if it's damp. Oh and they are hilariously loud if you drive to the drive on them lol.

[Phloozy]

With 2.5 degrees on camber and fenders not rolled I would be slightly worried about fitment since you will most likely need to run a spacer.

[$iriu$black]

Originally Posted by Phloozy

With 2.5 degrees on camber and fenders not rolled I would be slightly worried about fitment since you will most likely need to run a spacer.

Thanks for the response! I see you’re running w NASANE as well. Yeah I might need camber plates that aren’t fixed and/or rolling of fenders. I’m not sure what my camber settings are but I’m sure it could be a tad more aggressive.


Did you have any experience w these tires?

[Phloozy]

Originally Posted by $iriu$black

Thanks for the response! I see you’re running w NASANE as well. Yeah I might need camber plates that aren’t fixed and/or rolling of fenders. I’m not sure what my camber settings are but I’m sure it could be a tad more aggressive.


Did you have any experience w these tires?

Personally no but I have heard the same things you are told here. They are not bad but there are better choices. People that run them seem to like them but they aren't all that fast. You doing any NASANE events? We need more numbers!

[$iriu$black]

Originally Posted by Phloozy

Personally no but I have heard the same things you are told here. They are not bad but there are better choices. People that run them seem to like them but they aren't all that fast. You doing any NASANE events? We need more numbers!

Yeash as I keep hearing mediocre reviews here looks like I’ll be leaning towards just sticking to RS4s for now.

Yeah I just did LRP w them a couple weeks back. Used to do a lot more w them but they dont do Palmer anymore. Won’t be doing any events until next year w them again though. I’m driving w BMWCCA and PCA for the rest of the year at CMS in NH on Sept/Oct and Watkins Glen in a month.

[$iriu$black]

After doing more research and asking for opinions from other track drivers, I’ve decided to purchase and give the Falken RT660s at 245/40/17 a try this time.

[amg6975]

Originally Posted by $iriu$black

After doing more research and asking for opinions from other track drivers, I’ve decided to purchase and give the Falken RT660s at 245/40/17 a try this time.

You won't regret it.

[Phloozy]

Originally Posted by $iriu$black

After doing more research and asking for opinions from other track drivers, I’ve decided to purchase and give the Falken RT660s at 245/40/17 a try this time.

Yeah you are going to love that choice

[$iriu$black]

Originally Posted by amg6975

You won't regret it.

Thanks. I sure hope so. I’m looking forward to discovering a new baseline, though mid season, for this car.

[$iriu$black]

Originally Posted by Phloozy

Yeah you are going to love that choice

Thanks!

Will I be able to pull the fitment off with just having fixed camber plates? I’ve got Swift springs on the Öhlins. I’m just anxious about any more surprise purchases at this point.

When’s your next event?

[Phloozy]

Originally Posted by $iriu$black

Thanks!

Will I be able to pull the fitment off with just having fixed camber plates? I’ve got Swift springs on the Öhlins. I’m just anxious about any more surprise purchases at this point.

When’s your next event?

Oh man yeah I would check… I'm pretty sure the falkens run wide. Next event is aug 20 at njmp I'm pretty sure

[spidertri]

This is good info, I was planning on RT660s for my next set of tires, glad to know they are a solid choice.

I was able to fit 245s on koni/eibach with dinan camber plates. I did have to roll my front fenders though.

Do you have the lower M arms that add camber? If not, that will help you since the tire won't be as close to the fender.

[$iriu$black]

Originally Posted by Phloozy

Oh man yeah I would check… I'm pretty sure the falkens run wide. Next event is aug 20 at njmp I'm pretty sure

I might be able to make the fit work, fingers crossed!
Never been to NJMP but I know that’s pretty much NASANE’s home track. Quite far but I’ve driven further to WGI before. I’m at the Glen next month the 14th with PCA.

[$iriu$black]

Originally Posted by spidertri

This is good info, I was planning on RT660s for my next set of tires, glad to know they are a solid choice.

I was able to fit 245s on koni/eibach with dinan camber plates. I did have to roll my front fenders though.

Do you have the lower M arms that add camber? If not, that will help you since the tire won't be as close to the fender.

Glad this was able to help you make the decision. Good to know it might fit w the Dinan plates. Don’t really want to buy $500 camber plates for now. I do have M control arms upfront so hopefully that helps.

[Phloozy]

Originally Posted by $iriu$black

I might be able to make the fit work, fingers crossed!
Never been to NJMP but I know that’s pretty much NASANE’s home track. Quite far but I’ve driven further to WGI before. I’m at the Glen next month the 14th with PCA.

Awesome, I'm the opposite situation. Never been up north but I'm definitely planning on making it there soon.

[spidertri]

Originally Posted by $iriu$black

Glad this was able to help you make the decision. Good to know it might fit w the Dinan plates. Don’t really want to buy $500 camber plates for now. I do have M control arms upfront so hopefully that helps.

M arms add a little camber but they reduce wheel to fender clearance to do it.

Do you have 7" long swift springs on the Ohlins? Without wheel spacers I had 3mm of clearance from the tire sidewall to the lower spring perch, that's with a 245 RE71R with section width of 9.8". The 245 RT660 has a 10" section width which makes it about 2.5mm wider on each side than the clearance I posted in my Ohlins install thread. It'll definitely be a tight fit and you may need to play with wheel spacers to get it working nicely. Rolling the front fenders is incredibly easy too, if you end up needing fender clearance.

[tsk94]

I just installed front M arms and Koni's. I'm also using Dinan fixed camber plates.

What I did was slot my strut tower holes. This is something I've done on my race cars previously and have done on my E92 M3 as well. With the Dinan plates, M arms and my extended strut tower slots I'm able to get just over -3* on each side. May not be for everyone, but it works! If you take your time it can turn out great and look like it came like that from the factory.