Has anybody used these more track-oriented R compounds for autocross? What are your experiences?

I've seen people use old/used RA1's at some winter events without much success (aka grip), but what about a fresh set?

I can probably only afford to do one set of race wheels and tires for track and autox events for my DSP-ish Integra GSR, and while I'm a fan of Hoosier A6's for autox those won't cut it for extended track sessions of course. V710's are more suitable for dual-duty use but won't last long on the track I gather. I'd really like to run 225/45-15 NT01's on my 15x7 K1-TS wheels for the track, just wondering how they'd do for autocross as far as heating up, grip, etc. My car's about 2600lbs, Koni/GC/rear sway, stock B18C1, Wavetrac LSD.

 

ive used the nt01s mainly for autox...
had v700 prior to that

the kumhos had much greater grip
steering response was similar
they kinda lasted the same with my driving

 

Iv used "used" RA1's 40treadwear-fronts and 100treadwear-rears overall grip was a big step from street tires. I would probably use them again. I think Hankook might have a decent rcomp for both forms of motorsport, but dont quote me on it.

 

they all suck! they need tons of heat at full tread ra1 may be used as decent rain tires... other than that... i would stick to a newer street tire

but it seems your more serious for dual duty any of those track tires will be fine... i did try kumho ecsta v700 shaved they were decent...

 

I do mostly track stuff, but still ax some. RA1's have really surprised me about how effective they are.

At the local level, the driver is more important than the tire.

btw RA1's work well cold. 1st flying lap of qualifying is always my fastest.

 

A few years ago, Toyo changed the treadwear rating on the RA-1 from 60 to 100. There were no changes to the tire itself; they simply decided that the higher treadwear rating was justified.

I am not aware of them ever having been treadwear rated at 40. Perhaps you are thinking of the 60?

 

I am almost positive it was a 40.
http://www.nasaforums.com/viewtopic....27151&start=60

 

I am currently on 245 NT01's and really like them. I never had any other rcomp to compare to but I will be buying 295 A6's in a few months

 

your gonan need those a6s if u plan on trophying at lincoln against the shelbys

 

That post is wrong. It was 60 before they made it 100.

I suppose it's possible that a long time ago it was 40 and they increased it to 60. But when I first started using them - I bought my first set in 2003 - it was definitely 60, not 40.

 

http://autospeed.com/cms/A_0593/article.html This is an old article with the 40trdwear.

 

Yeah, like I mentioned, I don't know if it was rated 40 a number of years ago, before it was rated 60. Or it's possible it carried a different treadwear rating in Australia than in North America.

In any case, though, the tire remained exactly the same, even when the treadwear rating changed.

 

Roger that. I havent driven on auto-x rubber yet, so I dont have much say in this thread.

 

I've tried R888's on my coupe and found the Z1 Star Specs work better, simply because I had a hard time keeping the R888's warm whereas the Z1's don't require a lot of constant flogging to keep in operating temperature.

R888's had a treadwear of 100, I borrowed them from a friend so no idea on longevity (they weren't new). Z1's have a rating of 200, I'm partial to the Z1's honestly.

No experience with any other R-compounds though.

 

It sounds like you're referring to street use, where it's true that R compounds generally don't grip as well for the reason you state. On the track, it's a different story, of course, since this is where we all do a lot of constant flogging!

 

Thanks for all the input!

One tidbit I read from another thread here is that the NT01 has a soft sidewall like the RA1, while the R888 is stiffer- that could give the R888 the advantage for autocross I'd think.

But I think I'll give up on running track-oriented R compounds for autocross. I care about being locally competitive in autocross = Hoosier A6's, while track time is just for fun really. 2 sets of dedicated used wheel/tire setups wouldn't cost that much more than 1 set of brand new track tires, considering I already have 1 good set of wheels and a pair of A6's. So I'll save my pennies!