R-Compound Search...

[sicarius82]

Hi. i'm planning on purchasing a new set of R-Compound tires for my weekend warrior set of rims did lots of research, but didn't not find a comparison like grass roots did a while back with RT-615's, 595RS, and Advan Neova's. right now i'm running on Hankook RSS (old version) 235/40/17. only a few companies run with that setup. was wonder if anyone has tried any of these tires. this is for willow springs race track (streets and big willow).

1. Yokohama A032R (mostly considering this one)
2. Toyo RA-1
3. Nitto NT01

Thanks.

[AceInHole]

I've run Kumho V710's and Hoosiers (actually have a full set of Hoosier A6's and 2 full sets of V710's atm :P). Is there a reason you're staying away from those (rain maybe)?

[Nikeboy355]

If you've got the cash... AO48s...
Plenty of good sizes available...

http://a480.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/32/l_15a1bef265e9f553022cabf6b8450acf.jpg

[Rennen]

Are you Autocrossing, or doing track days?

Are you looking for ultimate grip or longevity?

Here's my experience with mostly stock S13 on 205/50/15s:

I've been through quite a few sets of V710s. They seem to be the best grip out of the bunch, but tend to de-laminate near the end of their life, so they don't last too long.

I've had some A3S04/A3S05s and they were at the grip levels of the Kumho, but seemed more finicky to me, they were more pressure/temp dependent, and would break loose more suddenly. I've also gone through 4 ply of chord in one braking zone on an A3S04 :bite:

I've had A032-R Softs for a while, and while they didn't have the ultimate grip of the V710s, they lasted forever, and I couldn't seem to kill them. They also had great smooth transitions from grip into slip. I would definitely consider them if I were doing a non-competitive track day car.

Pick up some current or back issues of Grassroots Motorsports. They test tires in autocross conditions and "track" conditions, although their short test course keeps more heat in tires than they'll usually see on a real track. My intraweb searching kinda sucks right now, but here's an example: http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/images/samples/august_100_115_tiretest.pdf

Oh, and R-Comps are like crack, you can never kick the habit of the feeling of pure traction around a corner, the latest batch of StreetTouring tires will never feel the same again. So once you make the plunge, you can never go back. :2f2f:

Good Luck with your decision!

-Matt

[BlackZenkiS14]

I ran Hoosier A3S03's for a long time on one of my old cars. I liked them alot, but i mean its hard to compare a full race R-compound race tire to a street tire.

If you're looking for a true R compound race tire, i'd reccomend the R3S03's/

If you want a "stree-race" tire i'd look into the Yokohama AO32R's

[sicarius82]

...Is there a reason you're staying away from those (rain maybe)?

no reason, just know these are within my price range. i don't care about rain because it's my track only tires. not going to race when it's raining... crazy on my part...

If you've got the cash... AO48s...
Plenty of good sizes available...

hmmm.... was thinking about it, but a lil too much

Are you Autocrossing, or doing track days?

track days

Are you looking for ultimate grip or longevity?

grip please. thanks for all the info matt. too bad a little out dated... but still good info nonetheless.

[AceInHole]

For those that have been on the old Hoosiers: the A6 compound is a lot better. I'm pretty sure the Hoosiers win out in the peak grip department, but the Kumho's seem to grip well right till you hit cord. Anyways, I ran AS305's at the end of last year and corded them in 2 events on the heavy G35. Ran some used A6's at the last event on the G and the fronts still have cord (charity event = 50- 60 runs over 2 days)! Neverhteless, my rears are dead :P

My pick for the track would be some V710's, though.

[UfoZ8myCow]

Ive gone through 2 sets of RA-1s and loved them. Theyve each lasted me about a season (going about once a month usually). The grip is always consistent, and only gets better as the tire wears down and eventually becomes a slick.

Im going to be trying NT01s next just because I can get them for cheaper and Ive heard they are just as good if not better than RA1s.