hey guys i was just wondering if the toyo ra-1's were a good autox tire... ive only participated in 2 events and i have one left in columbus, ohio... a guy contacted me and said that he had some toyo RA-1s that would fit and they only had enough tread on them for 1-2 more sessions... i thought that this would be perfect for me since i dont have a lot of money and only one race left this season... he told me that they might not warm up quickly enough for autox... right now i have all seasons and theyre really holding me back... what would you guys do? thanks for the info
-Josh

 

ttt

 

Personally I wouldn't go for it. the RA-1's are R-compound tires, which are in a whole different league from street tires. I would just run with what you have and save up over the winter if you're dying to get something better.

Plus you'd have to get them mounted, etc.. which will add up to more $$

After two events, I'm guessing there's still room for improvement before switching to better tires.

 

i agree that i still have some work to do but ive been told that i am a lot better than most new drivers there... i went along with one of my buddies who has a 90 crx hf with a b16 and big falken tires... he has less weight, bigger, stickier tires, and about +35 hp than i do... the first event i beat him(he was having a bad day) and the second event he beat me by a small margain(.1 of a second)... i really think that my tires are holding me back and that i cant do much with them... they are made by dayton and are 185/60/14... you cant tell me that you can do much with those ... not only that but i have some connections where i can get tires mounted for free... all i need to pay for is shipping and dismounting of his tires plus whatever he wants for them(i dont think itll be too much considering the wear on them) what do you think?
-Josh

 

I can understand your desire to want to try them, and it sounds like you're willing to go for it. This late in the season, the Toyos might actually work really well. It'll be too cold for Hoosiers, and Kumho V710s are gonne set you back.

The only things to remember are:

Tires that maybe only have 1-2 events left in them will be excessively heat cycled, and may actually be quite hard. I've heard the Toyos are good right to the cord, but I don't have any experience with them personally.

You should not be paying more than about $20 for a set (yes, all 4) of tires that will only be good for 2 events. Sure you can pony up fo rthe dissmount and shipping, but the rubber itself is pretty much worthless at this point.

 

thats the thing that intrigues me most... i dont have to pay a lot for them...im thinking of using them for only this last event... i might try the first event of next year but if they are pretty worthless then ill just give them a burial in a big white cloud of smoke until one of them gives ... and ill have a buddy taking pics to share with you guys ... if they dont help me at the autox then itll be worth it for the big burnout ill do with them... lol... oh and depending on my money situation it might be cheaper for me to drive up and pick them up... that would be even cheaper
-Josh