R Compounds

[986chris]

anyone ever use r compounds for everyday use. i'm thinking of getting r888s. also thoughts on largest size tire for 17" turbo twist's. currently have 255-40 & 205-50.

Illegal.
Expen$ive.
Rain.

[Sammy]

I'm not sure they are illegal as they are DOT approved and do have some level of wet traction (hence why they put in the "rain" grooves)? If you were running slicks than yes, those are definitely illegal.

Regardless, R-compounds are expensive and less puncture resistant than your typical tire. I am constantly picking large rocks out of the soft rubber of the tires.

Also, R-compounds are stickier and will fling up more road debris which will cause damage to your paint in the wheel area. I haven't noticed that much with mine but I only use R-compounds for autocrossing.

Sammy

[944boy]

Actually I got stuck out in some light snow with RA-1s, did fine (not great, but survivable)

If you don't drive much, R888's would do just fine, but you will heat cycle them really quickly and they would be toast as far as competitive racing goes.

If your not racing and just want sticky tires I would go with Falken Azenis 615's. 75% of the stick, cheaper, and last MUCH longer than you would expect them too. (longer than the MX's did) I loved them.

[j.fro]

I wouldn't expect more than about 5000 miles on a set of R-comp tires driven on the street.
To need R-comps on the street, you've got to be driving seriously outside the limits of the law...and when those babies lose traction, you're going to do some major damage to something.

[mdex]

I tend to leave my MPSC's on most of the summer as I get too lazy to swap tires between track events (I try to get out a few times a month).

Unless you are going to be at the track and want the "R" compounds for that use there is no reason to have them as a street tire. They wear out quickly (both tread wear and more importantly heat cycles), aren't great in the rain (to put it mildly) and since you can't get them up to temp with street driving they will actually perform worse then a high performance street tire.

So it is possible to use them on the street but unless you are at the track all the time it isn't a great option imho.

Marc

[986chris]

Thanks everyone. I need new skins and want R's for track days thought this might be my best option. Instead of 8 tires and 4 new wheels, $$$. Any more thoughts would be great. there's a great track 30 min from here with open thursday nights, see my problem! lots of corners.

[heyjae]

Truly awful in the rain when the tread is worn, which is also when they also work well on the track. So either you get rid of them prematurely (as far as track performance is concerned) or you risk your life in the rain. My car is mainly a track car so I keep the r-compounds on and I've had to drive in the rain to get to couple of events recently. I had to get off the freeway as I would lose control at speeds above 45 mph. I would not recommend them for a daily driver that will see any kind of inclement weather.

[j.fro]

I was in the same situation, and ended up biting the bullet and getting a second set of wheels. I found a set of Carrera Lightweight reproductions from an aftermarket company on eBay. I was able to negotiate the price with them, and got them shipped for under $700. I weighed the aftermarket wheels with the PSC's, and they're 3-5 lbs lighter each then my stock 18" Twists with Falken AS tires. Another nice bonus is the ability to throw either set of wheels in the back of my truck to take them to the tire shop when it's time to mount and balance a new set. This opens the door to get the tires I want at the best online price, shop around for mounting/balancing rates, and my car stays out of the hands of whoever is working at the tire shop this week.

[986chris]

so maybe were in agreement no r's on the street. buy new wheels and have the r's shaved? also should i reduce the wheel size to a 16" for even less mass?

[heyjae]

I would go with 17s. I don't know if you already have an S, but in case you want to upgrade your brakes, you'll likely need at least 17s. Tire choices and availability for r-compounds will be better for 17s. Plus, if you ever needed to, you can swap tires with your existing 17s. Oh, and unless you are looking for the last few tenths, I wouldn't shave the r compounds. I prefer to lose a few tenths and have tires that last a bit longer to save money.

[wconley]

I haven't had to replace my RA-1s yet but word on the street is that the R-888s don't need to be shaved like the RA-1s. They also have a stiffer sidewall than RA-1s so your effective spring rate will go up. While people generally like them more for track events, some of the racers haven't been as happy with them and everyone is struggling to find the correct tire pressures.

[rob76turbo]

I plan to replace the Yoko ES100's with the Falken Azenis RT-615 (F. 225-45-17 and R. 244-40-17). These are great street tires, fairly soft, lot's of stick and will last longer on the street than 888's. I have another set of wheels for the track and use the 888's. This will be my third set of Azenis (not all on the same car....).

[986chris]

sooo rob do those 888's make a diff in your butt while on track? and have you determined an air pressure? how about nitrogen filled? i do have an "s" love those brakes!! 17" is fine if it's only a few tenths.

[JMP]

Dear Sir, Take a look at the Nexen 3000 tires on the internet. They are very cheap, have tremendous gip, low road noise and ride very smooth. They are made for the "Drifters" and that is why they are so inexpensive so they can be replaced frequently. Beat of both worlds - far better in my opinion that the Pirelli's P-Zero's I used to have on the car and for the cost of one Pirelli - you can almost buy a complete set of the Nexens. Just my opinion, Jerry Peterson