orthojoe

I mounted NT01s on my Evo and magically dropped 7 seconds off my best lap time at Thunderhill. I ran 2:05 that day even with having to lift down the straightaway from the engine overheating. NT01s are awesome. They have better audio feeback and more progressive breakaway than the NT05s I was using on the Evo and the PS2s on my spyder. Counterintuitive to what you would expect from an R comp.

So now that I've been spoiled with NT01s on the Evo, I don't think I can bring the spyder back to the track without R Comps either. I hope you don't mind, but I'm probably going to sell the PS2s you sold me. I'm looking to get the Trofeo Rs when they become available in our sizes later this fall.

My other option is go get 18" wheels and run NT01s like Ben. Tough call. I only put about 3-4k miles on the spyder a year, so it might not be worth it to get a second set of wheels, and just drive on the R comps on the street. I wonder if 18" wheels will fit over my PCCB calipers...

Joe

stevecolletti

No worries - it was just a matter of time before you were bit.

I haven't tried the Nittos. I'm looking forward to trying the Trofeo Rs, myself.

Besides the more progressive break-away, they also come back a lot quicker (at least when on the proper width wheel). And isn't braking a world better?

I've been running R-comps on the street since the late 80's (A-001R, A-008R/R-Tu/RS, Goodrich TA/R1, Michellin MPSC, Kumho V700, Pirelli P-Zero C). I won't try Hoosiers on the street - a friend ran them on his Europa, and I think you could cut them by running over an empty soda can.

There are, and have always been, more and less streetable R-compounds. Before 18 and 19 inch wheels, R-comps used to cost a lot less than non-R-compounds, and the cost/benefit ratio was far better - which made it a lot cheaper to experiment.

medici78

I've got the OEM Goodyear F1 on mine and they're ok on the street. I put MPSS to replace the MPSC's on my Ruf RT12 when I bought it and those have been good. Once the Goodyears wear out, I plan to go with MPSS. What are folks' thoughts on the Goodyear for an autocross day?

stevecolletti

Any of the performance category tires (F1 is) are great for autocross or DE. It won't have the speed of some of the newer performance tires, or an R-comp, but you'll still have a lot of safe fun.

Tires tend to be a compromise. You give up traction to get ride and/or noise. What's made the MPSS so impressive is that you seem to be giving up little if anything.

What size are the Ruf's tires, and how old were the MPSCs on it, if you don't mind my asking?

bensf

Ha ha, too funny. You looked like the cat that got the canary after your first session on r comps.

I've run through 2 sets of the Super Sports, 3 sets of NT01s. 2 track days on 19 inch Trofeos and 2 track days on 18 inch Trofeos. The NT01s and Trofeos are 3 seconds faster than the Super Sports at Thunderhill so there is still a large performance gap between r comps and street tires.

You can still get the older Trofeos. According to Savyboy in the GT3 forum, the R may be slower and they may not last any longer. They are also more expensive so you may want to try out the current offering.

orthojoe

Wait, wha? Slower, not longer lasting, and more expensive? Maybe 18" wheels and NT01s are in my future then...

bensf

Post #1 and #13

https://rennlist.com/forums/997-gt2-...-r-report.html

orthojoe

Ben, what's your impression of performance and longevity of the NT01 vs Trofeos?

the_vetman

Anyone tried Toyo R888's on Spyder or R wheels? As stated above I think they'll fit fine. I think R888's have similar handling characteristics to NT-01's.

medici78

The RT12 has 245/35/19 in front and 325/30/19 in rear. Not sure how old the MPSC's were, but they were pretty worn out. Probably a track day or two left on them, but I drive my kids in that car quite often and didn't want to get caught in a storm during the rainy season with them hence the switch to MPSS. I did not get the N-spec, though since they were not available at the time, which is another debate altogether but they've worked out well on that car. Technically, it's not a Porsche anyway, lol.
While I plan to take the Spyder to DE and autocross events (still haven't due to work and travel schedules), I'm not sure I could make the commitment to an R-comp yet since I also drive the car often.

bensf

TheKane tried and hated the Triple 8s for Spyder application. He's an excellent/fast driver.

https://rennlist.com/forums/987-981-...hlight=thekane

Too early to tell but it looks like I'll get at least 4 track days out of the Trofeos maybe more. I get 5 days out of the NT01s. The R version of the Trofeos may or may not last longer, I will try those in the future. The main difference between the NT01s and Trofeos is that you have to be slow in, fast out with the Trofeos. Understeering through a turn will kill the fronts. You can drive the NT01s any way you like, they can take a ton of abuse. I have the the Trofeos set up for oversteer at the limit by changing the tire width. They are 245 front, 265 back.

Dr.Bill

I've also seen a bunch of 911 drivers who hate the R888's. They say they get greasy after 15 or 20 minutes.

So far, I really like the RE-11. Mine have about 4500 combined street/track miles and 10 track days on them. I think they will be OK for one more track day, maybe two. I saw a comparison somewhere (one of the Porsche forums) between the NT01 and RE-11. I think the NT01 was 1-2 sec per lap faster, but the RE-11 was much better in the wet.

Still undecided as to what's next - more RE-11's or NT01's. Might even try the Pilot Sport Super Sports. A couple local tracks are 3 hours away, so the RE-11 or MPSS may be better just in case it rains. Don't laugh, it happens here every six months or so.

orthojoe

The other reason people might not be willing to try the R888s are the 30 aspect ratio sidewall vs the 35 stock ratio
1) There are wheel speed sensors on all four wheels on our cars. The rears will be traveling at a different speed than what the car is calculating since the diameters will be slightly different. This will potentially screw with ABS and traction control
2) The decrease diameter will decrease the forward rake of the car
3) larger fender gap and smaller diameter will look goofy

You might be able to 'get away with it', but coupled with Kane's review, it's not a great proposition, IMO.


Ben, bring your spyder on Aug 12th. We're gonna try fitting your 18" wheels on my Spyder to see if they'll fit over the PCCBs.

orthojoe

the_vetman

How interesting... Thanks, Ben! I'm ashamed to admit that I previously read his post and thread... I'd just completely forgotten about it!!

Oh yeah, +1 to about Bill and rain. FWIW, I've seen posts by multiple people who drove R comp's in pouring ran (to and from the track) and they said it was "fine" as long as you were very careful. Scary, but fine nevertheless - not withstanding R6's (practically no tread).