mx5cartalk.com

R-Spec Tyres - what are you using?
What have you used?
Best regardless of cost?
Best value for money?

I've tried both AD08R and NT01 and can say that I feel that NT01 are much grippier and feel much more confident on the track with them. Set of NT01 cost me 740 from Taleb Tyres in Sydney.

A050 soft are fast, NT01 best bang for buck.
If you drive on the street a fair bit then AD08r or the new RE71r will get you very close to NT01 performance.

I've run r888s don't rate them at all, I've run a048s and found them to have plenty of grip and tend to have the same feel start to finish, also run Kuhmo v70a they good but take a couple laps to come on, unlike the a048s. I'm on slicks now but after seeing the grip Verne Johnson's car gets on Ao50s, I wouldn't go for anything else if I was going to run semi's again. Also hearing great things about the nankang AR-1s!!! And they cheap!

The scritineers gave some of the blokes with Nito NT01s a hard time at R1 of the NSW Supersprints.
Apparently they aren't on the CAMS list of "road tyres" and have "recommended for competition" on the side walls.
Worth considering.
I'm using the Toyo R888R and find them very good on the track and fantastic on the road.
They stick better than I'm game to drive.
Haven't tried them in the rain yet, so I can't comment on wet grip.
They are wearing much better than the Khumo V70As I used last season.

I heard about the Nito NT01s so I will avoid those.
I have got onto a set of used Federal 595 RS-R and used Yokohama Advan A050
I will use them and then decide what to go for from there.

MX593 wrote:I'm using the Toyo R888R and find them very good on the track and fantastic on the road.
They stick better than I'm game to drive.
Haven't tried them in the rain yet, so I can't comment on wet grip.

Don't bother. There isn't any. I've had several sets of R888s. Driving in the wet is like ice skating in ugg bots.

Nuddy wrote:I heard about the Nito NT01s so I will avoid those.

Are you racing? While not on the list NT01s are D.O.T compliant so are acceptable for speed events.
http://docs.cams.com.au/Manual/GeneralR ... 2017-1.pdf

I have used: Achilles 123S, Toyo R888, Kumho KU36, Kumho V70A, Hankook RS3 and Nitto NT01
I just bought a set of 215/50/15 Yokohamas at $1468 fitted, ouch!
I have dríven other peoples cars on A050's and would say they are the best. Will confirm once I drive my car at the next Supersprint.

The best value for money factoring in performance would be the Nitto NT01's. $740 for 4 of them in 225/45/15 from Ozzy Tyres at Hoxton park. These have been my equal best tyres so far along with the R888's which from my understanding are the same rubber.
The Achilles 123S were the slowest tyre but had the best life by far. I had these in 205/40/17. Would recommend for drifting.
The Kumho V70A I had in hard compound in 225/45/16. This is the worst tyre I have used in the wet of any tyre I have ever dríven on road or track. I only got 5 Superpints out of them. 3 out of the 4 tyres went out of round so were vibrating for the last 2 events. They were slower than used Toyo R888's of the same size in the dry as well. Plus they are bloody expensive, I got quoted $1500 for 4 x 225/45/15 Medium just 2 weeks ago. You can see why I went with the Yokohama.

rossint wrote:

Nuddy wrote:I heard about the Nito NT01s so I will avoid those.

Are you racing? While not on the list NT01s are D.O.T compliant so are acceptable for speed events.
http://docs.cams.com.au/Manual/GeneralR ... 2017-1.pdf

Yep sure are DOT compliant and allowed at Sprint events according to Cams.
But not allowed in NSW Supersprints because of the "recommended for completion events only" tag on them. They have some extra rule for words based around similar statements without the word recommended in them in the NSW Supersprints rules and regs.
I have argued it out with the panel regarding the word recommended and got no where. A panel member will be pursuing it though as it is the cheapest R-Spec and they make some sizes that others do not especially in 20 inch sizes.

manga_blue wrote:

MX593 wrote:I'm using the Toyo R888R and find them very good on the track and fantastic on the road.
They stick better than I'm game to drive.
Haven't tried them in the rain yet, so I can't comment on wet grip.

Don't bother. There isn't any. I've had several sets of R888s. Driving in the wet is like ice skating in ugg bots.

I found R888's the best R-spec of all the ones I have used in the rain. I was even in the top 10 of a Supersprint when we had monsoonal weather at the North CIrcuit at SMSP a few years back. To put that in perspective in the dry I would have been around 60th of the 120 cars entered. I know I'm the odd one out here having good experience with R888's, but don't they love these in the land or rain, the UK?

I just managed to get 6 Supersprint rounds out of the Khumo V70As before they went off. The 7th round was like driving on an skating rink so I went home early.
They have a weird wear pattern and get a saw tooth effect going and start to vibrate. Never again, poor value for the money.
I have heard the Toyo R888R are a dry only tyre, but haven't tried them on a wet track yet.
I can use my Federal RSRs in the wet if the Toyos aren't up to it.

Luke wrote:... A panel member will be pursuing it though as it is the cheapest R-Spec and they make some sizes that others do not especially in 20 inch sizes...

I am looking forward to having the option of running a 205/55 14, which is available in the Nitto, if they are approved. Yokohama don't do anything wider than 185 in a 14 inch size, and I think a 205/50 15 is a bit tall for my car.

I have used:
Yoko A050, A048, A008, A509 (IIRC),
Dunlop Direzza DZ03G,
Toyo RA1,
Some crap that was on my MX5 when I bought it (I think may have been Kumho).

The best is the A050. They grip from stickers to canvas (thanks zossy). The RA1s were a good tyre, good value and no slower than the Dunlops (before the Dunlops 'went off' all of a sudden). They had a funny feel to them, where sliding seemed to occur at a lower grip level than the Dunlops I was using at a similar time, but my times were no slower! I am led to believe the RA1 uses the same compound as the R888, noting there is now an R888R available. Like Nitto, Toyo do some interesting sizes that no-one else does e.g. 205/60 13. I'd like to know how the R888R stacks up against the A050.

I've only used AO48, R888 & V70a. I think the Kumho's are the best of the 3 for both grip & longevity

Nuddy wrote:I heard about the Nito NT01s so I will avoid those.
I have got onto a set of used Federal 595 RS-R and used Yokohama Advan A050
I will use them and then decide what to go for from there.

I am using the stock size 195/50R15 on standard NB rims 15 x 6