Cheap R-Compound Tires
 

I was killing time this morning and was looking at R compound tires. Since a lot of people on here use Kuhmos hopefully someone could get a good deal.

Kuhmo Ecsta V700

225/40ZR18 $235/each
265/35ZR18 $225/each,closeout for $99/each

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/CompareTireResults.jsp?loadRank=2&search=true&page len=20&pagenum=1&pagemark=1&vehicleSearch=true&sta rtIndex=0&autoYear=1999&frontRatio=40&autoModClar= &frontDiameter=18&rearWidth=265%2F&rearDiameter=18 &frontWidth=225%2F&autoMake=Porsche&rearSortCode=5 4300&minSpeedRating=V&frontSortCode=53650&autoMode l=Boxster&rearRatio=35&performance=C&speed_rating= V&speed_rating=Z&speed_rating=W&speed_rating=Y&Run Flat=All

At checkout they say they are no longer available. Oh well.

Where do you get "R-compound" from? if your referring to the R that comes after Z, as in 265/35 ZR 18.... R just stands for Rim as in Z-rated Rim size 18. Its on nearly every Z tire i've ever seen. Even the cheap stuff

My mistake,don't know where I got that idea from. I guess they are just track & competition tires.

Wait,what exactly are R-compound tires? I thought any tire designed for track & competitions but driveable everyday on the street is a R-compound tire

european car has opted to classify everything that falls between the minimal D.O.T. certification and the top of the line Max-grip tire as an R-compound tire.

http://www.europeancarweb.com/tech/0408ec_performance_tire_guide_r_compounds/index.html

Are these R-compound, i dont see any R anywhere but they are street/summer legal and race ready

http://www.costco.com/Tires/Product.aspx?IV=true&YW=1998&MA=PORSCHE&MD=Boxster +w%2f17+Inch+Tire+Opt.+(Rear)&SP=0&MN=11419&cat=39 61&lang=en-US&MNo=0&Prodid=11237875&Aspect=40&Diameter=17&Spe ed=W&Width=255

These are R compound tires :

http://www.kumhousa.com/tires/passenger/competition.do

Nick

mmm..you can't really drive an R-comp everyday. Puts allot of strain on the drive train. Also, I'm not sure if heat cycling is an issue--you may end up with Flintstone's wheels, too hard.... and there is standing water to deal with as well.
The "R-Comp" usually have the bare minimum tread to pass for DOT. Not what you want in a daily driver but during rainy track events it doesn't seem to be an isssue.

R-comp was a tire industry reaction to some grassroots formulas banning slicks in favor of DOT approved tires for their events. They basically took the sticky slicks and carved out tread for wet weather. But now some sereis require not only DOT but a certain minimum tread wear.

? ?? Not true at all. In fact almost all of my porsche driving - street and track - is done on "R" compound tires. Toyo RA1, Khumo Victoracers, BFG R1s (first genreation)Yoke A032 and A008s (yes, those go back quite a few years).

While it may not be the best "street tire" due to their quicker wear rates and less tread blocks (for water evacuation), they are perfectly fine driven on the street.

Also not sure why you would say they "put allot of strain on the drivetrain" - How?



As to the OP,. the Ecsta V700s were a bust as "R" comp tires. Khumo's V710, and Victoracer V700s were/are superior to the ECSTA version.

How do you measure the amount of use you get from these R-rated track tires? I am wondering how long a set would last. I have resisted tracking my car because I hate to see my PS2's getting rubbed down to nubs in no time flat. I have an extra set of rims to play with....

Ed

:cheers:

Your half way there! Load em up on your spare rims. Then, if you feel you are using them too much, just swap back and forth.

That said, I tended to measure my R comps in "track days"... Compared to the mileage on the track, street driving is very easy on tires. Most of the wear is from Camber settings. That said, on both the 911 and Boxster, I couldnt get enough negative camber in the front, and thus, I wore out fronts much more quickly than the rears on Both cars.

I am not the best barometer on R comp wear. I would get "one season" - say.. 6-8 autocrosses and 4-5 DE events (10 track days) at best. Sometimes 2 sets of tires for the longer "seasons".

"How fast do you want to go? how much you wanna pay ;) "

Lots of guys around here run DOT comp (R comp) tires every day. Sticky tread, stiff sidewall, wear out fast. The most popular is the Toyo RA-1. With a wear rating of 100 it's not as sticky as Victroracers but it's a pretty good comp tire and reasonably priced. Most guys get at least one season on them. If you commute 150 miles on the freeway every day this is probably not your daily tire. Fast on a track...Not a good choice for driving comfort.

R=Radial (nearly all car tires are radial)

the OP is correct, these are R-compound tires. Decent, but no longer competitive.

I drove the RA1 not really as a daily driver but put well north of 10K miles on the weekends. One of the great things about the RA1 is the mileage you can get out of them...BUT not something I would do again. After about 7 months I could definitely tell that the car was feeling the strain, particularly through the steering wheel in corners. creaking, rattles, etc. All this went away almost immediately after mounting the regular street tires where grip took a huge dive but the car ran smoother.
its only logical that a stickier tire will work the drive train, suspension, joints,etc. a great deal more than a regular street compound.

Cheap R compound tires ==
You might want to look at the Falken Azenis RT615 -- not R compound but cheap and sticky. Look at Discount Tire web site:

http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/findTireProductCategoryDetailBrnd.do?rcz=85028&rc= AZRINT&tpc=FALHZA&tp=Passenger%2FPerformance&tc=FA LHZA

The TOYO Proxes RA1 is a very good track tire and some of people drive them on the street. But, they are more expensive!

http://www.toyo.com/docs/tires/tires.asp?lpid=18968&name=Proxes%20RA-1%99&category=sport

As always, it comes back to how YOU use the car :D

Take care,
Ed

I've seen a lot of cars at autocrosses running the RT615 and doing very well. I found them at a great price at the following site.

http://www.vulcantire.com/azenis_rt615_t.htm

I will probably stick with R compounds for autocrossing; however, these seem like a great alternative if you don't want the super sticky ultra low treadlife stuff.

I have never bought from Vulcan Tire, just found their pricing to be very good.

:cheers: