I am looking for a set of DOT R-comps for next season. There seems to be some new players on the field and was wondering what you guys have heard/experienced.

One tire for sure that has not been talked about on Evom is the Nitto NT-01. Looks like it comes in our sizes.


Avon Tech R-(A)? Appears to be limited in sizes, but with some Evo guys running bigger wheel/tire combos it should be worth discussing.



Hankook Ventus Z211 (C30/C50 compounds). The vendor Tswift mentioned this tire in a thread before and it sounds like a great deal and a great competitor with the Toyo RA-1 in both price and performance...maybe even better.



Picture of RA-1 just for reference

I'm going to PM Tswift and link this thread to him. Maybe he can pop in here and give some info that could help all of us.

 

The avons suck, they are basically auto x tires.

Scorke

 

The z211 hankooks are supposed to be great but I think they are rather hard to get in a correct evo fitment.. thats size was sold out and impossible to find last year.. it was also the official miata spec tire last year. I would to get at set of these, but since I need these tires for autox.. Id like to run them on the street a little bit at least.. and these are a little too slick compared to the RA1s from what tswift told me before.

 

Stray far from the Hankooks. Compared to other DOT-R's they are crummy. This is first hand info from a friend of mine who was sponsored by Hankook and ran that compound at SCCA Nationals this year.

If you're looking to autox, Avon's aren't that bad, but again there is better.

I'm not sure what your limiting factor is, but you're best bet is still Kumho V710s for life combined with grip. RA-1's for life, with increasing grip over their use tenure.

If money is no option, Kuhmo V710 is still the best bet.

 

In my particular situation money is a factor and doesn't involve autox. Track only. That doesn't mean we can't discuss more expensive tires.

 

I'd highly recommend RA-1s for you then. They last a long time and are pretty damn grippy. IMO. It's what I use.


Devin

 

Just so everyone knows. Not only are V710's a great choice for autocross. But they do work very well as track tires as well. Just ask the guys that won on them at this years runoffs.

 

the nitos are trash, the avons are decent, and the hankooks wear too fast... the Ra-1 would be the perfect tire if it wasnt for the fact that they have a soft sidewall. Other than that they are simply amazing in terms of raw grip and longevity.

 

So just how long do they last if you had to estimate street miles?

 

What makes the nittos trash?

 

They dont know how to make a road race tire.. (grassroots motorsports did a review of them and said they are not at the same level as the other r compound tires like ra-1, hankooks, kumhos and the advans. they make good drag racing tires though. Look up most reviews.

 

On an Evo, I'd guess between 5-10k miles. Of course, you could get 20k out of a set or 2k depending on how you drive.

 

Hmmm..I have a subscription to GRM. I must have looked right past the review.

 

I used A032r's at Putnam in October and was pretty pleased with them. I would expect they are pretty similar to the RA-1 from what I've heard (I've never driven on RA-1's). Real predictable and not much wear in 70 degree weather.

 

I was asked by "mayhem" to give my opinion. So her goes.

First I'd take the reveiws in GRM or anyother with a grain of salt for the most part. They may make an ok baseline, but each persons experience is usually different from style to style. I.E. some guys drive very aggressive and slide all over, while others are more precise on their lines and braking, while still others are just plain SLOW!

As for ripping on Nitto's that isn't fair. The tire hasn't even been released to full use. I bet the guys at GRM would change their minds a bit if it were shaved like we did them in testing. Yep, I was the guy who shaved them for the factory. FYI, Nitto and Toyo are the same company.

Avon's as one said are primarily an AutoX tire. If you have a light weight car they will last or you use them on EVO for only AutoX. We did a Hoosier test two years ago with the Avon's and we had the wires hanging out of the Avons in 10 laps. They were fast though!

Now the Hankook line. For the EVO guys we can get three different models to work. The Z211 which was first discussed is a much faster tire than the RA1, but as was said it doesn't cycle anywhere near the RA1 . This tire in the C50 Compound on an EVO will be worth at least 1 sec per lap over the RA1 when new. They tend to back up after a few cycles. Let me be clear on this, the Z211 is a RACE tire, not a mixed bag tire. It is probably only good for a full Track Day weekend of 8-10 cycles. If you compete in Time Attack this would be one tire to look at for the money and speed it can produce.

The next Hankook is the Z214. This is Hankook's top of the line DOT race tires. It is much faster than the Z211. This is a track tire only! It comes in two basic compounds, C50 for track and C70 for AutoX. At the moment they don't make an EVO size. The do make a 255/40-17. This tire did win a class in Pro Solo at Toledo in a 16" configuration.

The R compound is for you guys who want to go ultimately fast. Hankook makes a full SLICK! They have two sizes that will fit. We' ve had on of our dealers do a test on a BMW M3 and he said they were UNBELIEVABLE. He ran them at a school at Brainerd Raceway and said they were 3 seconds a lap faster than the Z214, which he loved. He said he had maybe a couple seconds more in them, but didn't want to make a fool of himself in front of the students by pitching it off course.

The Toyo RA1 is the only tire you can even think of driving on the street and the track. Be warned that once the tread blocks are worn off, you have 4/32 rubber left but they then become like the other R compounds, only lines no tread, so stay away from water. As for wear, nothing even comes close. This tire isn't the best choice for the serious AutoX guy, but it makes a fantastic lapping or track day tire. You can easily get multiple track events out of these. You will not get that from any of the other R compounds. Yes, you can run a Hoosier, Kumho, Hankook, etc... but they will be long gone and you would be better off putting the stock Advans on.

Before you buy a track tire, know what you want to do first. Most guys on this site whan more grip without having to spend a lot of money. Know this, you will always compromise something to gain something else. Do you want your fastest time? Then get th slick, they are expensive and don't last long, but they are fastest. It works for all the tires this way. All these tires have different characteristics from model to model. That effects performance too. The Z211 is very square compared to the others which are more radiused. This squarenes some guys like because the turn in is so sharp. While other's prefer the gradual turn in offered by the radius shoulder'd tires.

Ultimately the best way to know is use them. Remember, most of the fast guys who win all the time are getting tires for FREE. They'd be fast on just about anything too.

If I can help further, let me know. There is soooo much more to this...