I know there are not many R compound tire choices for the 18" x 10" wheels, but I'd like to hear people's thoughts, especially you "trackoholics" who have driven on lots of different tires & size combos (i.e. Fritz ).

I'm looking for tires for HPDE. I'd sacrafice grip for longevity. If they had this size, I'd opt for Toyo RA1's even though they're not the ultimate in grip, & are fairly heavy. I like their "value", their long life, their unchanging grip characteristics down to the cord, etc.

So, what do you folks like? What are the pros & cons of different tires? What lasts longer? I know some tires are only "good" for a few heat cycles. How "bad" do they become after a few heat cycles?

I guess another possiblilty is to run the RA1 in 275/35/18, but it's a little taller that stock at 25.6" in diameter.

Many thanks,
Ken

 

"I'd sacrafice grip for longevity"

Based on that statement you can not beat the Toyo Ra1! I would look no further..

 

Anybody have experience with the "other" treaded R compound tires, i.e. the Yohohama Advan A048, or the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup? Currently, I drive to my events with the R tires mounted, so the treaded version would be great. Tirerack reviews seem to be pretty good for both. The Yoko's are noisy (the A032 I have tried were also noisy), lots of Porche folks love the Michelins.

I'm still skeptical about going with the RA1 in the 275/35/18 size. 25.6" seems too tall to me.

Thanks again...

 

I'm not sure about your level of experience but I would recommend the Hoosier R6 over the RA1 any day.

The RA1 is a street tire with sticky rubber, the R6 is a race tire with a DOT stamp. Hoosier has gotten a bad rap for tires that don't last past the first few heat cycles. While this may have been true with the old tires, the new compounds are significantly improved. I just finished my 6th race weekend (18 heat cycles!) on the same set of Hoosiers and am still turning competitive lap times. The tires still have a few more weekends in them at least.

If you take the time to tune your suspension properly and are not overdriving the tires, they will last just as long as the RA1 and be significantly faster over the life of the tire.

If you're just starting out and want to step up from a street tire to an r-compound, the RA-1 is easier to drive on and harder to screw up due to overagressive driving or improperly set up suspension.

 

i would recommend yoko adavan a048's. i use them on the track with occasional steet driving when i'm too lazy to change back to street rims and tires. the yoko's heat up nicely and provied plenty of grip on the track. they are a little high, but well worth it imo.

 

How noisy are they? My A032's were as noisy as truck tires! Also, how long do they last?

Anybody have feedback on the Pilot Sport Cups?

 

From what i've "heard", the A048's aren't as noisy as the A032's, which where unbelievable. Like mudders.

 

the A048s are what come on the stock evo wheels.. my tires on the evo lasted a whole 6k miles... i would not get them... i do, however reccomend the Yoko es100's

 

ES 100s are also loud and don't have very good traction compared to the A032's.

I will say the ES 100s are really good for HPDE because they're predictable and last and the limit is found pretty quick IOW not real sticky.

I say get the 32s

 

6k miles is pretty good for R-compounds. I got a whole 9 track days (and zero non-track driving) out ofmy Victoracers before the fronts got roasted. That's not even 1,000 miles.

 

9 track days from your Victos? That's pretty good. I get MAYBE five out of victos.

Ken, you know you want the Hoosiers!