Who has used these tires and what do you guys think about it? I am looking into these 2 tires for my track rims but not sure which ones to buy. I plan on doing some SOLO 1 next year and i annually attend 4 to 5 trak events. I would like to know how do these tires compare in terms of wear, grip, etc. Any info would be appreciated. Thank!

 

I own a pair of yokohama advans A032R...I use them for street-slicks...You can launch them at 5000 to 6000 RPMS...

 

Advan's are definitely not the tire to be dragging with. You can even ask Mike Marsey about that. These tires are definitely worth the money. If you're going to auto-x often, you're probably going to get quicker wear. But they grip very nice from what i've heard.

 

It depends (of course). This year for Solo 1 we had Yokohama and Kumho as sponsors. If you run their tires you're eligible to win a set of their tires at the end of the year or if you're running Kumhos you're eligible to win a $250 coupon every Solo 1 weekend.

Either tire is a good choice, although I've never used the Yokes. Some people don't like them, but I haven't heard anything bad about the Toyos. Next year I'm going to be running with Kumhos for the dry, Toyos for lapping and rain compound BFG R1s for the rain.

 

I've talked to some avid MR2 autocrossers, and most say that the RA1's are a great R-compound tire for beginners. They are relatively cheap and will do a good job. For performance, they prefer the A032R and V700 tires. For the best, they generally recommend Hoosier tires.

 

I think the extra grip offered by the Kumhos far outweighs the added mass. I was much faster after I got m Kumhos than I was with my Toyos. The major drawback to the Kumhos was wear. I went through one set after 4 Solo 1 weekends and a couple lapping days. Definitely not good if you're only going to have one set of race tires a year.

 

I run A032's... I like them, run them on street, autox and lapping days. I've driven on Toyo RA1's, like them also, but I liked the A032's more. I've also driven V700's and old g-force R1's, the R1's were the fastest but the A032's were easier to drive on (more predictable in my experience).

 

Most of my Rcompound tire experience comes from using the 32Rs....

the 1st thing you will notice about them is they do weigh quite a bit if you buy them in a 205/50/15 size. If I find these heavy....I wonder how much the V700s weigh!? We put them on my friend's Spoon wheels and they were noticeably heavier than when he had his Toyo T1Plus mounted on them Spooners....

Next is noise....they make as Big Phat R once referred to them a sort of mud bogger truck tire hum to them...other than that....

they grip really well...especially if you are coming off using a street tire. The stiff sidewalls might be a bit tricky to launch off of....but once you get it figured out....hang on! For those who have experience with the RA1 and 32R...they agree that the RA1 has better outright grip but also don't last as long.

The treadwear for the 32R is like 60 I think and the RA1 is 45 or 40. Some say the 32R are better for the rain..some prefer the RA1. I think full depth vs full depth..the RA1 should have better traction since it has more "tread".....but then again...i won't be trying the RA1s for some time till I wear out my 32Rs and perhaps a set of Hoosiers!

 

I have tried both these tires in 205/50 size on my stock rims. I currently have the RA-1s. Some comments:

Yokohama A032R - This is a good tire for hybrid use (street/track). They are 80 treadwear rating. Dry performance is good with progressive break-away, and excellent audible feedback. They don't take very long to heat up on a road course but are not as good as some of the softer tires for autocross. Sidewall stiffness is exceptional. Wet performance is good until the treads start wearing out and then they hydroplane like mad. They are extremely noisy but in a hardcore, liveable sort of way. Price point is decent too.

Toyo Proxes RA-1. This is a tire more geared towards track only use. Treadwear rating is 40 - and they are noticeably softer than the Yokos. Dry performance is exceptional except for when the tires are new. Most of the guys in competition will use "shaved" versions of these tires. They actually get faster the more they wear. The sidewalls are a little softer than the Yokos and initial turn-in "bite" is more muted. They are a lot quieter than the Yokos on the street and track which is a definite plus. Like the Yokos, wet performance is great until the treads wear down. I do not use my RA-1s on the street.