R comp advice

[TobyB]

Seems like you need 2 sets of tires- for autocross, something that grips well cold,
and for lapping, something quite durable. Asking one tire to do both will probably
lead to slower- than- hoped- for autocross times!

But as they say, if you adjust your expectations appropriately, a good lapping tire
will make you happy. I disagree with Mr Levie a bit, (but we run very different front suspension)
in that a set of RA1's will typically stick pretty well for me for a dozen or so 'cycles'-
and it's very track- dependant.
We're going to the Toyo RR's as a trial this season- we'll see how THEY do...

t

[matthugie]

I have no experience and no room to talk just curious where the BFGoodrich Rivals sit in all this?

They fit with the ZII's, tires that function on the street but are highly performance oriented. What I'm looking for is a more dedicated track/autox tire.

Seems like you need 2 sets of tires- for autocross, something that grips well cold,
and for lapping, something quite durable. Asking one tire to do both will probably
lead to slower- than- hoped- for autocross times!

But as they say, if you adjust your expectations appropriately, a good lapping tire
will make you happy. I disagree with Mr Levie a bit, (but we run very different front suspension)
in that a set of RA1's will typically stick pretty well for me for a dozen or so 'cycles'-
and it's very track- dependant.
We're going to the Toyo RR's as a trial this season- we'll see how THEY do...

t

Yeah, unfortunately I don't have wheels, budget, or transport for extra sets like that. I plan on keeping the ZII's on the wheels I'm running now and putting the R comps on my extra set of Arc-8's. If the temp is too cold (which is somewhat rare around here) or there is heavy rain I can just leave the ZII's on the car without sacrificing too much.

[Fooshe]

Tires

I can tell you from experience that you don't want to try to big track tire out of your Autocross set....it just doesn't work out well and will cost you more in the long run. The sidewalls are different, the heat cycles work out different and the wear will be dramatically different. This is all assuming you are wanting to max out performance.

I can tell you with no reservation that the NTO1 is your best bet for the track. GREAT tire and lasts a long time. I did the 25 Hours of Thunderhill race on 1 and 1/2 sets! They were outstanding and never failed to provide whatever we asked of them, even when pushing at the end. They are a progressive tire that let's you know when they are going to say "You're reaching the max of what I got for ya buddy!"

The other one I like, especially if there will be ANY moisture, the Bridgestone RE-11. Probably the biggest surprise you will find, but it is a great all around tire if you have to deal with the wet.

Hoosiers = Sticky, but $$$. Also, when they let go....they let go right now! Very little warning, but there is some. You MUST be in tune with your suspension and sensitive to what these tires are telling you. You WILL respect their authority! :hitler:

As for Autocross, you have to consider the variables and what you want to spend. The BFG tire is quite nice and works very well.

Invest in a second set of rims...trust me.

[matthugie]

I can tell you from experience that you don't want to try to big track tire out of your Autocross set....it just doesn't work out well and will cost you more in the long run. The sidewalls are different, the heat cycles work out different and the wear will be dramatically different. This is all assuming you are wanting to max out performance.

I can tell you with no reservation that the NTO1 is your best bet for the track. GREAT tire and lasts a long time. I did the 25 Hours of Thunderhill race on 1 and 1/2 sets! They were outstanding and never failed to provide whatever we asked of them, even when pushing at the end. They are a progressive tire that let's you know when they are going to say "You're reaching the max of what I got for ya buddy!"

The other one I like, especially if there will be ANY moisture, the Bridgestone RE-11. Probably the biggest surprise you will find, but it is a great all around tire if you have to deal with the wet.

Hoosiers = Sticky, but $$$. Also, when they let go....they let go right now! Very little warning, but there is some. You MUST be in tune with your suspension and sensitive to what these tires are telling you. You WILL respect their authority! :hitler:

As for Autocross, you have to consider the variables and what you want to spend. The BFG tire is quite nice and works very well.

Invest in a second set of rims...trust me.

Thanks for the insight, that's very helpful. And I do have a second set of rims, just not 3 sets to dedicate to this. I still drive my car to and from events, so I need street tires on one of them. When I get to racing for more than pint glasses and driver improvement (and am not paying for kitchen renovations and a wedding) I may go that route, but right now dedicated sets for autox and track separately isn't in the cards.

It sounds like the NT01's are probably my best bet. The r888's are appealing, but both here and elsewhere people seem to either love or hate them, and no one seems to have issues with the NT01's. Thanks guys!

[e30bulldog]

What tire did you run on last season?? All of these new street tires, ZIIs, RS-3, BFG Rivals, Proxes R1-R are exceptional autox/track tires. And alot of these I would not run on the street very long. My RS-3s rode like shit, I'd consider them a dedicated autox/track tire. I would think most e30s would have a hard time keeping up with me on rs-3s with the nt-01, or r888.

Not to mention I got between 150 and 200 runs on my rs3s.

Have you raced on R-comps before?? Its a completely different game.

What autox class are you running??

[matthugie]

What tire did you run on last season?? All of these new street tires, ZIIs, RS-3, BFG Rivals, Proxes R1-R are exceptional autox/track tires. And alot of these I would not run on the street very long. My RS-3s rode like shit, I'd consider them a dedicated autox/track tire. I would think most e30s would have a hard time keeping up with me on rs-3s with the nt-01, or r888.

Not to mention I got between 150 and 200 runs on my rs3s.

Have you raced on R-comps before?? Its a completely different game.

What autox class are you running??

As mentioned, I'm running SM and have been on ZI/ZII's. I've been happy with them, but to have any chance of being competitive I need to be on R comps, which I'm new to (hence the thread).

It's also worth noting that the RS-3's are discontinued, and their replacement isn't due until March or April.

[Emre]

If you want Hoosier R6 levels of grip with much more durability at a substantially lower price, check out the Hankook Z214 in the C51 (medium) compound.

If you're doing auto-X just for fun and running non-competitive HPDE type events, then there's really no reason to jump right to Hoosiers or Z214s. They don't last very long, are sensitive to alignment settings, don't work in the wet, and cost a lot. Plus, you'll get increased wear-and-tear on the car (e.g., wheel bearings, control arms).

As others have said, you're better of with a "streetable" R-compound. The RA-1, R888, or NT-01 are all good choices.

[Eric]

I like these threads.


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[JRKOUPE]

I get at least!!! 6 or 7 days on my RA1's....over 20 cycles easily.

I pushed one set over 30 cycles........still livable.

[Eric]

Just aquired 235/40/17 NY01s!


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[matthugie]

As an update, I picked up a set of square 235/40/17 NT01's and got them mounted last week. My car is off the road at the moment, but they're a little wider than the ZII's (apparently I read the dimensions incorrectly) so I'm not sure how they will fit yet, but I have some spare front fenders if they're a little too wide.

First autox is Saturday, but the weather is supposed to be kinda cold and probably wet, so I think I'm going to stick with the ZII's for this event. I won't have a chance to do the initial heat cycle beforehand, and if it's in the 40's or low 50's I'll never get the NT01's close to ideal temps anyway. I'll be going to VIR in March to give them their first real use. Thanks guys!

[z31maniac]

For what its worth, i hated the r888's. To the point of i just gave them to a friend, i used them on the front of my drift rat, could never get them to wear properly. Played with camber, tire pressure, they just would wear on the outside edge constantly (im running -3.5 degrees of camber and zero toe) to the point where they even started to cord. They also seemed to heat cycle out quickly. After reading it seems im not alone with this issue. Ive heard good things about the RA1's. I now run star spec zii's they work great but might be a bit to soft for you.

I'm pretty sure drifting definitely would load the front tires differently than normal HPDE/TT.

Also, if you weren't using a pyrometer, at best you were guessing how they needed to be setup.

[QUKBMER]

I would stick with the NITTO NTO1's,i have had excellent results with them for street/track use.

[Wh33lhop]

It seems like you have a set of street wheels and a set of autox wheels.

What I would do in your position is get some Z2s, RE11s or Rivals for the street wheels and use those for DD and HPDE, then get some slicks for the race wheels and use those for autox. There really is no better compromise if you want to be competitive at autox but not chew through slicks at the track. R888/NT01/RA1 are great tires but they will be significantly off the pace of a pure autocross tire.

[IronFreak]

has anyone had any experience with the Rival? I was thinking about picking a set up.