The OEM tires on my wife's Evo have ~2000 more miles on them and it will be time to replace them. We are looking for a high-quality R-compound replacement tire. We live in San Diego and are not that concerned with a tire that performs well in wet conditions. Her Evo is our daily driver, but we like to drag race it once or twice a month. We are looking for a tire that will excel in straight line driving (i.e., drag racing) while still performing well in corners.

We thought about getting some DRs, but I've heard the cornerabilty of DRs is crap and I don't think that'd be a suitable choice for us. We are currently looking at two possibilities: Advan A048s (or the new A050s) or Toyo RA-1s. We know that these tires are primarily designed for road racing, but have heard that they can perform pretty well when drag racing. We are expecting to get 8-10K miles out of whatever tire we chose.

Any thoughts?

 

I have the A048's that I've used for a few auto-x's now, plus daily driving..
I have the Med-Hard Compound.
Grip is good once they are warm, and still have a small tread for the mildly wet conditions..
They work good for me at least..
A little pricey but worth it if you ask me..
If your looking for 7-9K on em, then they are good.

Haven't seen the A050's though, I'll have to check that out..
edit: ooohh those look nice.. maybe my next set, hmm?


A048's on the Left / A050's on the right..


def. might have to look into these A050's..

 

No other opinions? It seems that most Evo owners end up replacing the OEM tires (which are R-compound tires) with something inferior and I am pretty sure it all boils down to cost. R-compound tires aren't cheap, and when using them for daily driving as well as "spirited driving" the life of them is quickly diminished.

So, I am looking for people who have said "screw the cost I want maximum performance" to provide me their valuable feedback.

 

Any other opinions?

 

Nitto NT01. I heard they work very well for drag and many of the big TA racers use them (Buschur, AMS, and others). I would look into them, they are extremely sticky!

 

Falken RT-615.

 

RT-615s are nice, but:

1. They are not as good as the OEM A046s (in any comparison) and I am looking for something even better then A046s.
2. They are very poor for drag racing because their sidewall is too stiff.

 

Bridgestone RE-01R's or Dunlop Direzza Z1. Both are about the same, but the RE-01R's are supposed to be a little more grippy, but the Z1's are MUCH cheaper. Both will get you around 15k or so of use.

 

You've obviously never used these tires before. I have these in 255/40/17 on stock BBS rims and I have to say that they grip just as good as the stock Advans, it may also be due to the wider size. I've been through 2 sets of A046's in the last 2 years. One set I bought brand new and I knew after one year that I just threw my money down the drain. I know many people have also used these for drag and like them with reduced tire pressures but i've never tried it myself, that's because the Evo was not meant to be a drag car in the first place. You need to know what your looking for, because your not going to find a good drag tire and a good handling tire in the same package. Good handling=stiff sidewall and soft rubber which is horrible for drag but great for corners.

 

Toyo R1R, Im loveing mine much better than those Falkens.

 

I've actually used two sets of RT-615s on my S2000 and one set on a third vehicle I had. I've drag raced on RT-615s and I can tell you first hand that they suck, even at reduced tire pressures. The RT-615s provide a great bang for the buck, but I am looking for something better. I am very tempted to simply get some DRs, but I am concerned with how they will behave in mildly spirited cornering.

 

why did you choose the R1R over the R888?

 

Oviously none of you people read his original post! HE WANTS AN R-Compound! Look into the Nitto NT-01, or the Toyo R compound, cant remember the name off the top of my head.

 

If you're looking for a nice r-compound tire, I would go with the NT01's… have used those and they ROCK. The RA-1's I've heard are good too. Stay away from a DR if you like the feel of the evo… a DR with a really soft sidewall will ruin that 'connected' feeling you get with the evo.

 

We are now looking at the Advan A048s/A050s, Toyo RA-1s, and Nitto NT1s. I hear what you are saying about DRs, but you certainly can't beat the straight-line traction they provide (aside from going with slicks). At some point I'd like to get an extra set of wheels to mount some DRs on for the strip.