Veloce Raptor

Really? Wow!

911S3.6

Have to agree on the MPSC's and light cars. My 911S3.6 weighs 2280 lbs. and even after driving the bejesus out of them, the pyrometer was still at 157-165 on a 70 degree day. Michelin states 172 is the minimum temp to get them going. On hot 90 degree midwest summer days, they are incredible. I think they are a great tire, but on a lightweight car they are just too tempermental-I can feel 1-2 lbs difference while on the track as they heat up past their optimum tire pressure and get squirrely.
Been thinking about running the RA-1s this coming season to try them out for consistency sake.

thanks for all the comparison/info,

///Nick

Brian_77_3.6

I just started using a set of RA1's as rain tires for DE. 2400lb 911 with a 3.6. Big torsion bars and Smart Racing sway bars. With the suspension set where it is very neutral with good grip in the dry running Avon or Hankook Dot Hoosier clones the RA1's suck in comparision. In the dry they squirm a lot and the car has some understeer. In the wet unless I release the rear sway bar and increase the pressure the car will spin with the least amount of throttle increase when exiting a turn. I ran some SO3's before this as rain tires and never had car controll issues this extreme.

M758

Remember RA-1's full tread new do have lots of squirm. Wear them down and they get better. Even then to be fast on Toyo's you need to slide them around quite bit. Even then you will give up some time to hoosiers.

David Ray

I know several 993 (over weight) drivers that run the RA-1s and yes the (944 Spec series is a 225/50/15 tire program); however, I don't really see weight of the car being a big factor here nor that of the driver! The RA-1s at 235/40/18's and 265/35/18s are just as cash competitive as any of the more expensive brands out there.

I'm now driving an "over weight" 993 with RA-1s and have the same handling characteristics as my old 944-Spec. For one, the feel is very consistent to what i was used to with the 944 at race speeds, after three track events I still have a fare amount of tread left on the tires (24 cycles so far). I know eventually, as with all other tire manufacturers that the RA-1 will disappear, but for now there isn't a more inexpensive tire out there that can beat the RA-1 heads-up. So let's bring on the challenge. 944-Spec – Miata Spec – 933 (soon to be spec) racing.

I can attest to one quality that makes me a believer – I was running at Willow Spring (big) last year and ran through a whole qualifying session on a set of corded tires that didn’t blow between 8 and 9 – needless to say I didn’t know they were corded until the session was over.