ceboyd

So today was 88 degrees and sunny and my first experience with the A048s!


They started out brand new (NOT heat cycled and I have never shaved a tire and don't even know if these are optioned to be shaved anyway)...


So far I'm very pleased with them!


What I immediately liked:

It started out 66 degrees this morning... only my 1st lap was 'new mold greasy' (granted I did drive 80 miles to get to the track) but by my 2nd lap I already got a really decent laptime and then got consistant 1:24s all day long at Blackhawk farms. (Now I used to get consistant 1:23s all day long with my DSSRs BUT I also had my 100 cell sport cats and ECU reprogrammed by Steve which are now both gone) so I'm pretty pleased! My record laptime was 1:22 at blackhawk farms but again that was when I had the 100cell sport cats, ECU retuned and DSSRs and of course a different day... different track conditions, etc.

Anyway, what I really like about these tires is:

- no need to wait for them to warm up -- they stick right away! (ahem - not the case with MPSC)

- They 'talk to you' and are very consistant/predictable

- They are available in proper 993 sizes and not odd sized like the Toyo RA1s

- They are readily available from TireRack (where I prefer to order since South Bend, IN is NOT that far from Chicago which makes for cheaper ship costs)

- They have deep cut tread meaning they can be driven to/from the track in rain without extreme worry like with RA1s after just 3 track days. (Eric has already put 3 track days on his A048s and the tread is still very much there unlike his RA1s sitting removed with 2 ever-so-slight lines visible now -- aka no rain day tire now and may as well be a hoosier the way they look without tread)

- They cost less than RA1s and less than MPSC



What I don't like about these tires so far:

- They are very noisy in the street... noisier than DSSRs, MPSC or Toyo RA1s (....so I turned up the tunes on my kenwood HU/Sirius SAT radio and problem solved)

- I don't know yet how many days they will last compared to other's like MPSC, DSSR or RA1 (...not necessarily a negative but an unknown at this point)

- They aren't as cheap as the DSSRs were. (then again, nothing else is)

ceboyd

so 3 days at Mid-Ohio and I'm LOVING these A048s


I have so much predictability. I'm at a point now where I like them MORE than the DSSRs


...oh, and the long drive from Chicago to Mid-Ohio (including a monsoon-type downpour with ZERO visibility) yielded no white knuckle driving due to tires (just white knuckle due to visibility issues)... so mission accomplished... an R compound tire good in rain driving to/from the track..


Nice thing to add was that they are the best WET track tire I've ever used other than normal street tires (but again, I have never tried the mighty Hoosier Rain tire either)

Martin S.

Chris writes, They started out brand new (NOT heat cycled and I have never shaved a tire and don't even know if these are optioned to be shaved anyway)...

If you drove them to the track and they sat overnight; they are pretty much heat cycled, at least that is what the Toyo Tech Rep told me. I drove my car to the track on RA-1 tires…no problem, but I live in Cali, no rain to speak of.

Chris adds, “- no need to wait for them to warm up -- they stick right away! (ahem - not the case with MPSC).”
So true with MPSC tires. I have also noted that Toyo RA-1 tires and Kumho VictoRacers also come on right away. Hoosiers are pretty greasy first lap out, in my experience.

Chris adds further, “- They are available in proper 993 sizes and not odd sized like the Toyo RA1s.”

May I suggest that in a 17” tires, RA-1s have a perfect size combination, 235/40/17 fronts and 275/40/17 rears. The rolling radius delta front to rear is less than 5%...that is optimal. They also offer a decent selection in 18".

Chris adds, “- They have deep cut tread meaning they can be driven to/from the track in rain without extreme worry like with RA1s after just 3 track days. (Eric has already put 3 track days on his A048s and the tread is still very much there unlike his RA1s sitting removed with 2 ever-so-slight lines visible now -- aka no rain day tire now and may as well be a hoosier the way they look without tread)”

This can be both a curse and a blessing. On hot track days in the west, deep grooved tires (8/32) will heat up too much and may chunk and come apart. When tire heat gets over 250 degrees F., troubles are sure to follow. They don’t like to get that hot.”
- They cost less than RA1s and less than MPSC.

“Most everything cost less than MPSC tires…..but the really good news, they worked for you and they meet your needs. I have spoken to the Yokohama Tire rep in the west and he recommended that the only competitive tire that he has are their slicks. He wasn’t big on the A 048 Advan tires. I had a set a while back…got them for $400…loved the price, a one time only distress sale. In my experience they were about as fast as Kumho VictoRacers, but way off the pace off Hoosiers. I too drove to the track on these tires. They were extremely noisy…also note, my experience with A 048 tires was 1 ½ years ago. I also noticed that when they were worn quite a bit, but not anywhere near corded, they went away, super greasy with vastly decreased grip

I have finally seen the light…if I get new tires, other than Hoosiers or Hankook tires, I shave them. It costs $15 a tire…the tire performance as good as it ever will get, right out of the box with shaving. I have been told that you will get as many heat cycles out of a shaved tire as you will from a full depth 8/32 tire. So far this rumor appears to be close to fact. We'' see in August. I am going to Laguna Seca with shaved tires...let's see if they hold up! Also as most know, Hoosiers come molded to 4/32 "tread" depth. No need to shave them! They new Hankook (Hoosier look a likes) are also molded to 4/32 and require no shaving. Both will benefit from heat cycling

Note presently I run Toyo RA-1s on 17” wheels in the above sizes. They stick very well up to the bitter end (Corded!). Also note, the front RA-1 tires on my 993 NB car are very difficult to wear out, even with 3 degrees negative camber…time keeps ticking and they keep sticking!

In conclusion, pleased to hear of your positive experience. There is an optimal tire for everyone…you just have to find it.

Please note, I receive no renumeration of compensation from Toyo for the above remarks...they are simply a summary of my experience.

ceboyd

oh I'm sure the Toyo's are a great tire... it's just that we get so much rain here in the midwest and I'm stuck having to drive to/from events and cannot risk getting standed on the side of the road due to bald tires in rain.... Eric loved his RA1s as well but we don't love the 'slick' part of them driving to/from the track.

I'm pretty sure we never got anywhere close to 250 degrees on the tires... (although we don't have a pyrometer). Ambient temps were around 85 all weekend (and colder like 69 in the am) so I'm guessing they would be pretty greasy in hotter temps.


The A048s are indeed noisy BUT I found that anything above 70mph and they get quiet again (like the frequency cancels itself out) so I tend to drive home with the cruise set at 71 and all is well!

ceboyd

o.k. another day at Blackhawk.. and all is still well with these tires!

so far I have 6 DE days on them and no worries of being close to cording YET!!!!
...still plenty sticky too!

ceboyd

I got 2 more days at Blackhawk on these (so 8 days total) and yesterday inspected them to find I actually have more wear in the middle than on the sides (so I gotta go even lower than 28 pounds hot apparently)

I'll be at Road America for 2 days with them and expect them to be done after that (but that means 10 days total which I'm very happy with overall!)

This is the first set of R compounds I will have had that did NOT wear out prematurely on the edges (corners) so it leads me to believe that the 993 really works well with the A048 medium-hard compound (at least in the midwest)

TroyN

Nice update! Considering these next...

ceboyd

your welcome.


If I remember, I'll try to get some photos of their condition before dismount to show what i mean about the edges looking perfect while the insides wore more (first for me to have the middle wear more.. I was afraid to go lower on pressures but now I know these like it VERY LOW hot!!!)

Martin S.

I just spent a weekend at Laguna Seca...I tried out the new Hankook (Hoosier knock-offs) and a set of Hoosiers as well (Latest formulation). I took the Hankooks out on day 1, of 3, heated them up and let them cool for 24 hours...I then went to my Hoosiers.

Is there any difference between these two tires? They seemed fairly similar to me...I can tell you this...I believe the Hossier/Hankook style DOT tires are good for 2 seconds a lap better than the Toyo RA-1 tires....the Hankooks are about $100 a set cheaper than the Hoosiers...by the way.

Since I now trailer my car to events, I will no longer be using RA-1 tires. They are not that much cheaper then the Hoosier/Hankook tires: Hoosier @ $1,000 a set, Hankook at $900 and the RA-1s a little less...about $800 as I recall.

Spuds993

Chris,

Did I miss where you posted the sizes you were running? Inquiring minds want to know...

Thanks,

ceboyd

oh.. o.k.


Well, these things are pretty expensive from TireRack and I was still unemployeed when I bought them sooooo


I am currently running 225 40 18 front and 265 35 18 rears (I just couldn't justify the 285 30 18s but they are available)