I would like to upgrade my toyo r888 for serious slicks for the track ( road course ). Which would you recommed? Hoosiers are not an option, I know that others like Dunlops are way much better. Any experience with slicks???

 

May want to check out the BFG R1's or Kumho V710's.

 

How much experience do you have on street tires? I recommend learning to the point you are maxing those out before going to r-comps.

But the two Neal listed are good too.

 

i agree i raced to the point i wasnt getting any faster at all with street tirres i just got a set of bfg r1 great tire.... slicks are weird they are cold cold cold slip slip cold GRIPPPPP GRIIIIIPPPPP its a weird feeling and i tend to want to over drive my car with slicks thats another thing .... toyo r888 great tire tho

 

BFG R1 ... HUGE grip!

 

I am to the point where street tires were maxed out long ago, then I started using Toyo RA1 and then R888. I am now going faster than every Porsche GT3 and at no point I feel that I am not using the full potential of the R tires I am using now. A vendor told me recently that his experience with R DOT tires (R888) is that they are about .5 to 1 sec slower than Hoosiers R6 and that those Hoosiers are about 4 to 5 seconds slower than real Super soft Slicks like Dunlops. Also , those Dunlops are twice the price of the Hoosiers.
So I think that either I stick to the R888s or I go all the way to the super sticky Dunlops and skip the Hoosiers ( .5 sec is not enough to justify the change )

 

Which Dunlops are you referring to? I know not of r-comps made by them.

 

Dunlop, Hoosier, BFG, Mich, Yoko etc all make supersoft NON-D.O.T legal slicks. Any of them should net times faster then the 40 treadwear level slicks (R6's, R1's, etc) but they require a metric ton of heat in order to BEGIN gripping. As in you won't have brakes on the first few LAPS until you catch them on fire - but once you do, you'll be pulling some serious G's and your suspension/brakes better be able to keep up or your wasting major $$$. On top of the cost, you won't get a day maybe two out of a set if your just doing lap after lap for the typical weekend. That aside, finding them in the size you want will also be a challange because not many people carry them for retail, they use a different sizing system, and also most of them require 18" wheels. (talking about road racing, not autox tires)

The vendor's information about R6's is a bit misleading. You can gain 2 to 3 seconds easily (again with proper suspension/brakes) over R888 level R compounds and get 2 to 3 weekends if your careful (proper pressures). The grip is amazing and they all (r1,r6,z71-81, etc) hold heat better then R888/NT01/RA1 etc etc simply because of the compound. Most, i'd say 75% of serious solo group drivers run this level of tire and break the same records. You'd rarely see regular guys on full slicks unless they got some serious bank/team/sponsors and are doing racing or time trials.

 

Are you buying new? If so why? If you've never ventured to R comps before, or are just doing track days for fun, buy used.
There are plenty of reputable guys out there who sell used R comps for fractions of what they are new. I bought 3 sets of tires from a guy this year, shipped to my door step, cheaper than if I bought 2 new tires. The R6s have been good enough to net me a track record at Pocono North and class record NJMP. The A6s were good enough for a win (if I or my codriver didnt' cone out) at Finger Lakes National Tour and DC Pro

 

I see what you mean. Well, my car has a suspension set up by Robispec and I did upgrade brakes to the 6 pot Brembo GT. I am using 18 inch wheels and the Dunlop tire they suggested was 250-640R18 and YES, they are very expensive. If you all think that R6 Hoosiers are good for 3 seconds over my R888s then that changes everything. Hoosiers are decently priced and will last longer for sure.
Where can I get the used slicks? and how much life can I expect from the used ones?
Thanks

 

Ah, great suspension and great brakes for sure. Life of used ones can be considerably less, especially if they were not handled/heat cycled correctly. However you can still get that one hot lap in if you know the track well enough. Also the A6's as mentioned are also good for hot lapping. Heat up very quickly but also fall off very quickly. Sticker for that good lap. If your running a race though R6's since they handle the heat better.

 

I would NEVER run an A6 at the track. A6's are meant for autocrossing. R6s are tracktires. They heat up slower, and dont' fall off as fast.
There are guys that have run A6'S before as a last resort, but only for a time trial not for an extended period of time.