R Spec Tyres

NAtural · Postby **NAtural** » Wed Dec 11, 2013 12:16 am

I am about to get going again in supersprints (NA - road registered modified) and need to replace my tyres. I have been racing on the Khumo v70's but the car really has too much camber for them to work well. They are predictable with a gradual breakaway but ultimate grip in my car is not there. I used to have the Dunlop Direza Zo2 - which worked well. I have recently been rcommended the Bridgestone Potenza RE11s but note that the REYokahama ADVAN A050 R SPEC TYRE have received some rave reviews - especially since the time attack challenge.

I have been out of it for a couple of years not so what's the latest?

Tony W

Charlie Brown · Postby **Charlie Brown** » Wed Dec 11, 2013 8:18 am

Hi Tony,
How much camber are you running?
I was running -3F & -2.5R in my NC and put down my quickest times around Wakefield on V70a's.
AO50's are being used by a number of the quicker Club members but price deters most as they are a lot dearer than V70a's. They (AO50's) do last longer though and are better in the wet.

NAtural · Postby **NAtural** » Fri Dec 20, 2013 12:04 am

3.4F & 3.35R. I talked it over with the Khumo track support people and they voluntered that my camber angles were not ideal for the tyre. Mind you I did set the 1.12.8 record at Wakefield on these (road reg'd 1.6 NA) so not completely bad! I just never had that feeling of immense grip you get when the tyres come into the heat zone. I found it difficult to get heat into them & consequently they didn't feel much different after the warm up lap.
I will look into the AO50's

ja9 · Postby **ja9** » Fri Dec 20, 2013 8:57 am

I would seriously consider holding off from purchasing AO50's for the minute and do a little more homework. They are a fine tyre but the V70 are awesome. I run them as most racers do and find I can go pretty much flat out from the first lap. You should consider playing around with your tyre pressures before shelling out good money. If your V70's are worn out then I can understand wanting to try something different. Tyres behave differently on different cars and you may find in a light weight car the AO50's may exacibate the problem you seem to be having.
You said it yourself that you managed a record of 1.12 in an NA6. That is an impressive time and I doubt you will do better on any other tyre. Definitely let us know if you do. I'll buy a set.
Just my 2c.

PeterB · Postby **PeterB** » Fri Dec 20, 2013 11:01 pm

Hi Tony, welcome back.

I was running my road registered NA6 on Toyo R888s and got down to a 1.13.5 (MX5 trackday timed) and 1.13.8 electronic timed. These were well worn tyres at their best on a cool day.

I have swapped to V70As with -2.2 F and -1.8R, KYB adjustables and sway-bars - 205x50x15. I have only had two runs on hot days and am well off the Toyo times, but am told they will come into their own after a bit more wear. I set a pb at our local hillclimb on the V70As.

Friends running Toyota 86s claim the Yoko A050 Medium is significantly quicker than the V70a and that the Hankook semi-slick is even quicker again but you pay a big price for either of them.

Bryan has had success with the Bridgestones on his stock NA6, but found the R888s hopeless, so the suspension set-up makes it a big difference.

I would have gone Yoko A050, but as the V70As were significantly cheaper I went that direction.

NAtural · Postby **NAtural** » Fri Dec 20, 2013 11:11 pm

Thanks Peter & ja9. I am quite familiar with tyre pressures and how to maximise performance of the tyre. I agree the V70 is the safe choice but the AO 50 is getting rave reviews from the Time Attack crowd and you never progress if you do same old same old. So I think I will try the AO 50's and see what the fuss is about...........

Postby **Boyracer** » Sat Dec 21, 2013 8:33 am

Get the Yoko 050 if you want to go fast.

Magpie · Postby **Magpie** » Sat Dec 21, 2013 8:44 am

DZ03 are a very good R Spec.

ja9 · Postby **ja9** » Sat Dec 21, 2013 9:14 am

NAtural wrote:Thanks Peter & ja9. I am quite familiar with tyre pressures and how to maximise performance of the tyre. I agree the V70 is the safe choice but the AO 50 is getting rave reviews from the Time Attack crowd and you never progress if you do same old same old. So I think I will try the AO 50's and see what the fuss is about...........

I like the way you think. Make sure you let us know how you go with them.

NAtural · Postby **NAtural** » Tue Jan 07, 2014 11:38 pm

Thanks Guy's I will keep you posted & see you at events...............Looking forward to it!!!!!!!!!!

danga78 · Postby **danga78** » Fri Jan 10, 2014 1:35 pm

Sorry to side track the thread a little.

But can I ask where everyone buying there R spec tyres from. I would appreciate any recommendations.

cheers

ja9 · Postby **ja9** » Sat Jan 11, 2014 8:34 pm

Peak Motorsport for the Kumho's in NSW.

oztrackdays · Postby **oztrackdays** » Mon Jan 13, 2014 1:28 pm

Remember there is a special compound for the A050 a "Super Soft" basically, this
is what helps the crazy time attack cars get across the crazy time, top teams bring
6 fresh sets for the event and use them all up.

A050 is a fine tyre though will be my next R spec if I stop running slicks.

ja9 · Postby **ja9** » Fri Jan 17, 2014 2:10 pm

I was pitted next to a guy running the super softs at WP. He was flying but did say he only has 1 maybe 2 laps before they go off. They are a supersprint tyre and probably not a good choice for multiple lap racing. I coundn't believe how soft they where.
The other side to this is you would probably pull a decent margin and have the rest of the field chase you down as their tyres come on later in the race.
After having seen them in person and touching them I'm not surprised they are so fast. They get as gooey as licorice. No wonder the top teams need multiple sets for a weekend. I wonder how long they last.

NAtural · Postby **NAtural** » Tue Feb 25, 2014 11:40 pm

Well folks, I purchase the A050 Yoko's and ran them at the MX5 2nd Feb Club day. It was pretty hot but and I was rusty. The tyres though were very good - too early to say if best yet. They required very little warm up and were very grippy - more like the grip I used to get with the DZ03 but with the consistency of the V70's. I was able to get good heat right across the tyre tread - something I could never do with the V70's. For my car with the camber I run these definitely work better than the V70's.
I managed a 1.13.75 which was better than I expected for my first event. I was careful not to punish the tyres as they have to last a whole supersprint year - concentrating on lines and braking points so the tyre wear for the day was even and very good.
I drive to the events on the R spec's and there was no noticeable wear from that - they are noisy though - but I kinda like that as it adds to the whole experience - I have to wear earplugs anyway to overcome extreme induction noise.