Well i've done a lot of searching on these tires and I'm still not convinced that they are either good or bad for mild street use.

I plan on running 285/30/18s all around on 18X10 CCWs.

My car really only sees maybe 2000 miles a year on the street and spends most of it being dogged on the autocross course or some light track duty.

I want a good looking tire that is sensible and grippy. I figure if i'm forking over the money for racing rims and tires I need to be sure in its ability. I never drive the car in the rain unless i'm trapped in it by chance.

My fears about the tires are wear... I don't want them to become hard from street driving and i don't want them to become unusable on the track. So i'm looking for a good mix. Since these are factory tires on some of the Porshes.. i was hoping this would be a great tire for street/track.

Thanks in advance.

 

The feedback I've heard from track guys who use these occasionally on the street is that they are superior to the old compound A032Rs and a bit quieter, but performed considerably worse than Pilot Sport Cups or RA1s. All were unimpressed with damp or slightly wet weather performance and noted that they were horrible in really wet conditions.

I'd recommend the Pilot Sport Cup as they are available in 285-30-18. Note that the the Pilot Sports are also 2 lbs lighter and $31 cheaper per corner.

Gene

 

Gene,
Are guys using Sport Cups for autoX? The reviews i've read say they take forever to heat up.

 

Some are, though they're generally not competitive for that exact reason. I suspect that 285s would probably never get up to operating temp on a '7. Heck, I had a ahard time getting my R3S03s up to temp, for auto-X, but was able to do so when co-driving with my wife.

Of course, selecting a compound that's really good for autocross and street driving is certainly a compromise.

Gene

 

I just ordered these and should be on the patio no later than 20th.

http://www.discounttiredirect.com/di...%2FPerformance

The guy Matt hooked me up by taking $10 off each tire.

I have a thread with his contact info in this section.

 

BTW, the A048 are stock tires on the upper-end Elise.

 

Yep and those guys swap 'em for Hoosiers/Kumhos at autocross events too. At least the folks who want to trophy.

Gene

 

I havent been out on them yet but we have switched from Yoko 008s to 048 this year and and the Specracers are 1.5 to 2.0 sec faster.
Stiffer sidewall than the 008s and they say they last longer too.
1R1

 

So anyone else use these tires or should i go with a different set? what seems to be the consensus here?

 

Here's some basic info:

Comparison of A048R with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup, Pirelli P-Zero Corsa, and Dunlop Super Sport Race (English translation is on right side):

http://www.nobleforums.com/images/on.../tires/gt3.pdf

General info on Pirelli P-Zero Corsa:

http://www.europeancarweb.com/tech/0309ec_pirellipzero/

Basic overview on a few DOT-R choices:

http://www.europeancarweb.com/tech/0408ec_tire/

 

Interesting. A local specracer friend of mine said perfomance began to decrease appreciably on the 048s after 4 heat cycles.

Gene