Crazy Eddie

RA1 vs the R888 or will the Nitto NT- 01 245 50 16 fit on my stock turbo S wheels ?

Hi Guys
I need to get tires for my 88 944 Turbo S
I had Yoks 008R's 245/45 /16 all around fit fine, back in the day, when I tracked the car, but that was with the (Mg) Turbo cup wheels which were 8's in the front and 9's in the rear. Sadly, those tires are no longer avail in my sizes
The car is not going to be tracked (at least for the now) but for spirited driving around town. NO driving in the rain as well
My plan was to use the Stock Turbo Club Sport wheels that came with the car ( So I am guessing the Nitto 01 245/50's would prove to be too wide for a 7 inch rim) As well as the profile of the side wall being a bit larger, 50 series vs the 45 on the stock set up...
So, I need to know which tires to buy ? ( I was also considering the Fusions, but wanted to go with a more aggressive tire ) Then I was planning on going with the R888's but, I have read a few postings that seem to dump on the R888's, do to Heat cycling break down, after minimal use ... ( Don't know if that would be an issue for me, as it will be used for mostly street use ? )
Any experienced input would be greatly appreciated
Thanks in advance
Regards
Ed

M758

I would not buy the R888. I ran these and did not like. I would run RA-1 as i love this tire. I have heard great things about the NT01, but have not run them.

I doublt you can get a the 245 on you 7" wheels. Too much tire. They will be a ok on 16x9 rears.

I suggest getting some 8" wheels for the front.


Now I just read that you will be street driving only. Well Why even get RA-1's I guess you could, but I would rather get a street tire in stock 225/50 and 245/45 sizes. I know the 245/45 R16 is getting hard to find. I have turbo S and worry about my tire choices.

If you must use R compoinds on the street use the Ra-1. It comes at 8/23 tread depth vs 6/32 on NT01 and R888. I think it will be a quiter tire on the road vs the R888 as well.

KaiB

If the car won't be tracked, why not get a set of Dunlop Star Spec Z1sand be done with it.

Fantastic tires! If you do track it, they won't let you down at all either.

J richard

^^^was going to be my suggestion as well. Transitioned my RSA back to street use but did a few instruction track days and was very impressed with the star specs, like Joe said the 888s are not great and any type R is kinda a waste for street driving anyway...

JustinL

The problem we have with 16" wheels is tire selection. There just aren't street tires in 245/45/16 anymore.

utkinpol

there are kumho V710 in this size and hankook z214, both are decent tires but with no grooves for water escape if you meant that as 'street' tires.

JustinL

Agreed, lots of selection in DOT R compound. The OP said the car wasn't to be tracked which leads us down the path of street tires, but that turns out to be a dead end. So I think that's why he's looking for an R comp that can be used on a daily basis.

I will also agree that R888 are pretty scary in standing water. In my Avatar is a picture of a very rainy track day with R888. The front end gets awfully floaty.

utkinpol

not sure why anybody would need daily r-comps, they only make some sense if you got to drive to a track on them when it rains. to drive on them every day is just a waste of money...

top street tires from 2011 were Kuhmo XS, Hankook RS-3, Z1 Dunlop Star Spec, Toyo R1R, Bridgestone RE-11, Yoko AD08s. sizes he wants are indeed scarce, so, probably only option is to get into 17" rims, if possible? who knows.

I drive on a street on Z1 star specs, imho it is a best 'universal' tire on the market so far and I also use them as rain tires on a track. works fine for me.

analogmike

not when you have 500 foot pounds of torque and want to use it.

Crazy Eddie

I will be driving this car on a limited basis for now, and I live in Northern CA. It rains here only 4 months out of the year, and only seldom ( I don't think we have had a inch of rain so far this winter) The average daytime temps, are in the 60-65 range, during this time of year, and I only drive the car when it's not raining
My concern is, Heat Cycle and Noise. Sadly, there are very few choices left for me ( and I have 3 sets of 16's,- 2 forged club sports and 1 turbo cup Mg ) I can't see tossing them at this point. They are all in like new condition.
I would love to get the NT 01's, but then I would have to run the Mg Cup Phone Dials, and still, the car would sit an inch higher or so, due to the profile of the sidewall being 50 vs 45 ... ?? Don't know if that would be a good trade-off ?
Looks like you are a fan of the Toyo RA 1's.... So they are quieter than the 888's and better balanced ?

Well as Murphy's Law would have it, they don't come in my size @#$

No tires in my size

Truer words were never spoken !!

Yes, there are Kumho's that would fit ... a bit more expensive though...
Are there as good or better than the Toyo RA1 ?

Exactly, both the limited selection of street tires ( Fusions are really one of the only choices left ) and the car will never be run in the rain nor is it a daily driver far from it ... too long to explain why

I will look at those street tires you listed and see if there are any matches. I know the Dunlop tires wont work size wise, actually nor do the Kuhmo's. ( I just looked them up as well)
Looks like the RA1 is the only one left standing

Probably more like 350+ but who's counting
That is still a lot for this car and my old tires are like baloney skins with this power .... If I am not pointed straight, I will be in the weeds in a heart beat
Thanks for your help
Regards
Ed

IcemanG17

Ed
I run a race 928 with all types of tires-wheel combos..... from 225/50-16 on stock 16x7x65mm wheels to Pirelli slicks 275/645-18 on 18x10x65mm wheels...... My car doesn't have the power you do, but it is 215whp-256 torque....

For a car that does double duty, the Star Spec is hard to beat....I race Lemons on 225/50-16's with a racing weight of 3100+lbs and the tires are fine....last 2 complete race weekends (32+hours)

I also run shaved RA1's 245/45-16 on stock 16x8x52.3mm all around.....while they are faster than the Star Specs by about 3+ seconds a lap at Thunderhill......but Hooiser R6 is about 2 seconds faster than RA1.....

The slicks are the best of all...but they also are the widest and lightest.....

Edward

I just ran into the "what's available in 16" problem and it does, indeed, suck! But I did find the Hankook Z214s in 245/45 and these are awesome, IMHO. Have done only two events with them so far (and very little street driving as my Trackmeister has street tags), but I like em lots, and they are a bit cheaper than the RA1s if that's a concern. Highly recommmend them.

Edward

wlittleman

The NT01 are extremely noisy...they sound like off-road tires. I would not recommend them for daily use.

Crazy Eddie

Thanks for your feedback
I think, for the street, I am going to go with either the RA 1's or the R888's

Yep the selection really sucks ...
I think, with the intended street use, I will for now, stick with one of the Toyo's
Thanks for your help


I have heard that about the RA1's as well but I dont have to worry about that
The NT 01's will not fit on my car. They are offer only a 50 series tire in my size. I need a 45 series, in the rear ... and 225/50/16 up front
Thanks anyway
Regards
Ed

xsboost90

what about RS3's? i loved the rs2 but they discontinued them. Not sure if they come in those sizes though.