Originally Posted by BLUE TII

I found heat cycling really depends on how hot you get the tires and for how long.

I just do autox, kart track and hillclimb so they are shallower heat cycles than on the track and tires last longer at their peak grip state and have a slower drop off into being heat cycled out.

Tires that feel hard and waxy when cold and sticky like chewed bubblegum when hot (chemical grip tires) heat cycle out way easier than ones that mostly use a soft rubber cold or hot that never gets sticky gummy (mechanical grip tires).


----
example-
I used Hankook Z221 (chemical grip) in 295mm wide on my 2,600lb FD and they lasted a full season plus the next years pre-season with a slow even drop off in performance.

After a kart track "enduro" and the hillclimb where it was 100 degrees the tires did develop a plastic like hard coating from being at their super sticky state for a while and it took a full weekend of auto-x to scrub them back into working well again- but they did recover.

My friend put Hankook Z221 195mm wide on his 2,200lb Civic and it heated the tires to their super sticky state every single auto-x run and heat cycled out in a couple of events.

On tires like RA1, R888 and NT01 I never heat cycled them out including daily driving on the street. They always got faster, lighter and more responsive the older they got until the underlay rubber or chords started showing.

Track is another story. Even street tires can heat cycle out fast.

Originally Posted by LargeOrangeFont

Bang for the buck I don't think anything touches an NT01 if you are out having fun on the track or have a street car with a little too much power. NT01s are notably cheaper than R888s.

Originally Posted by Smokey The Talon

I've been tracking on NT-01s for over 5 years and I agree that they're the best bang for the buck. They get better/faster as they get worn down just like the old RA-1s which is also great because you know every time you go out you can turn your best laps as opposed to Hoosiers or similar that heat cycle out so quickly. They're also a very forgiving tire that likes a lot of slip angle so they're a great tire to learn to push the limits with.

The downsides are that they're loud (not great for a street car), are iffy in the wet, and you need to take it easy on them with no sliding when they're new at full depth. I'd only run them on a street car if traction was an issue with sticky street tires and you're chewing them up. The Nitto doesn't offer much more grip than most sticky street tires, it just handles the track abuse way better.

Originally Posted by Brilliant7-LFC

I think many people here would agree with that point of view. Here's my dilemma though...those tires aren't really available in a whole lot of size options. I got this from Nitto's website:

• 225/40ZR18
• 235/40ZR18
• 245/40ZR18
• 265/40ZR18 XL
• 275/35ZR18
• 275/40ZR18
• 305/35ZR18
• 315/30ZR18
• 335/30ZR18

Compare that to the R888, and there's just so many more options. I can get a variety of sizes to fit my visual and performance goals. For example, I can get a 295/30-18 and a 265/35-18 combo which would have sidewall heights no more than 4mm difference (92.75mm front & 88.50mm rear). With the Nitto's, you can't get anything over 275 that isn't super chunky on the side wall. The same on the fronts, unless it's a 235. Take the 305/35's for example; they would have a sidewall 106.75mm tall.

I know I've talked about grip and grip is certainly important, but as a street car, looks are important as well. I also know that having rubber bands for tires reduces my straight line grip and a taller sidewall will improve straight line traction. But, if I can have 80%-90% of the performance of the Nitto with the R888's than these available sizes may be the final influence in my decision.

Nick