Hubert

Hi,
Just wanted to get a quick concensus of which r compound tire would be best suited for a driver going out on r compound tires for the first time. I'm considering : the mpsc's, hooiser r03's (possibly the r04's); kumho ecsta v700; and, the toyo ra1's.
They're all comprably priced in the size I use, any wear/grip and experience would be appreciated; what I'm mostly after is which tire will safely allow me to learn / adjust to the new found grip.
thanks, hubert.

MJR911

Hoosiers are the fastest on the car and will wear out the fastest as well

Hubert

Alright, noted.
But, what I'm also after is finding out just how steep the learning curve is for one tire v. the other, since I've read that different r compounds have varying charactaristics of grip, communication and letting go at the limit.

DAR951

The Hoosiers are arguably the least forgiving and the Toyo's the most, with the others falling somewhere in between.

For my money, the RA-1's win hands down as the best choice for a first time R-compound user... not the stickiest, but they'll take pretty much whatever you throw at them (including rain at full depth) and last a long time with little heat-cycling effect.

JackOlsen

I'd agree. Hoosiers are probably more than you need, just getting your feet wet with the stickier stuff, and they can last as little as a single weekend. Yoko A032Rs will last the longest. Toyo RA-1's are a real good compromise.

Bill Gregory

I would avoid the Kumho Ecsta's, as I found they consistently get greasy after about 10 mins, and others have reported wear/chunking problems (although my 17's wore like iron and no chunking). The Kumho Victoracers, on the other hand, should be on your list to consider.

M758

Are you driving to the track on those tires?

I'd also recommend the toyo's Not the fastest, but a good solid tire with progressive breakaway charteristics. (ie it is relativly easy to feel when the tires are begining to slide) It may also squeel a bit at limit. (depends on the track surface) Most R-tire do not, but street tires do.

jakermc

I am in the same place as Hubert and just purchased the Toyos for my first try at R-compound, for all the same reasons mentioned here. First track day should be Oct 31, I will let you know how they do.

Ag951

Where can you find the toyos?
I'm thinking of getting my first set of Rs this winter, and at my skill level, there's no point in paying for the expensive ones that last for two events.
Also, are they durable enough to drive 40 miles there and 40 miles back to an event? Or would I still have to change tires at the event?

As to the forgiving nature of hoosiers. I know an autocrosser who spun on a set of hoosiers. He gave them away, because they were flatspotted and ruined.

Geoffrey

I have run Yoko 032Rs on my Turbo for several years. I get about 10-14 events on the tires and I drive back and forth to the track, including 200+ miles to Watkins Glen. You don't really notice a difference on the street in terms of ride quality, but the Yoko's are particularly noisy. I just swiched to a set of MPSCs but have yet to try them out. I have also driven to the track on Hoosiers, but the side wall is extreemly stiff and the car bounces quite a bit. Definately more of a slick type tire.

Hubert

Thanks all for your input. I don't have to drive on these to the track, but would prefer it; however, it's about 300 miles (roundtrip) to any of the tracks that I frequent here in CA, and that's a lot of "wasted" miles, IMO. I'll probably truck the spare set of wheel in the truck.

I was considering the ecsta v700 for it's bang/buck ratio, but will apprehend that in light of the comments here.

I'm still deciding b/w the ra1; mpsc; and the s03 (for comparisons sake), and based on pricing, they're all comprable:

(these prices are unshaved, and uncycled):
ra1 $205.99/tire
mpsc: $199/tire
hooiser so3: $180/tire

So, from what I've gathered, and considering the cost, I guess the mpsc is the best int. choice that's left; as it , allegedly, grips almost as well as the hooiser, but last considerably longer. what I don't know, however, is how it compares to the ra1 in sheer grip, and handling. Anyone care to comment?

Further, if I'm deciding b/w sidewall sizes, would I be better of going w/ a 40 profile, or a 50? Assuming the tire widths are equal.

Thanks again,
Hubert

91C2wrencher

I just switched from Yoko's to Toyo RA 1. The yoko's are a great DE tire for beginners and I loved'em except for the noise. Only been to one AX witht the Toyo's, they're much more like a street tire(squealing at the limit) and not quite as sure footed a the Yoko's. If I had another set of rims, I'd put on Yoko's on them just for the track, but as it is I'm running the Toyo's on the street and love the "sounds of silence".

I ran the Yoko's for about three years to and from events, I'll probably get the same out of the Toyo(both have a steel belt). Hossiers and Kuhmo don't? IIRC.

DAR951

What size(s) are you talking about here? RA-1 price seems way high in comparison to the Hoosier or for that matter, the MPSC...

Mark in Baltimore

I am not the voice of experience with R compounds by any means since I have just bought my first set, MPSC's, a few weeks ago. I just did the Zone 2 DE at Summit and, while the tires took three sessions to heat-cycle, I easily dropped 3 seconds from my best street tire (the surprisingly competent Michelin Pilot Sport MXX3's) lap time, bringing me down to 1'27". Bear in mind that I was still feeling the tires out and wanted to make sure they were fully heat-cycled, so I wasn't even pushing as hard as I could have. If I'm lucky, I can drop another 2 seconds, maybe 3. For the first time, I actually felt confident going through the chute.

Also, in contrast to what I have been told about R compounds, I found the tires to be extremely forgiving at the limit and, actually, much more controllable when the rear did break loose. I almost felt inclined to try and hold the slide. The MPSC's made the driving even easier and more exhilirating.

The MPSC's are more expensive than the RA-1's but I, too, had heard of their longevity and overall value. Paul at Radial Tire in Silver Spring, MD said that he sold a whole bunch of MPSC's last year but only a few sets in 2003, most of his R compound sales having come from the RA-1's.

Again, my experience is limited to one day of track driving but I thought you might want to hear the limited experiences of a neophyte R comp user.

M758

Wow MPCS cheaper than Toyo's

In my size 225/50 R15 toyos are 155 ea and MPCS are 202 ea.

AG951...
Toyo's can had at Chapman BMW. Bryan Schackleford is the race tire contact. Some times they bring their tire trailer to NASA events and you can get them there. Tire price is the same, but the add a little more for mount and balance since they are at the track. 225/50 R16 and 245/45 R16 are the size for turbos.

My dad runs A032R's on is 944 Turbo. Great on the track, but noisy as hell on the street.

I would think you can run RA-1's, A032R's, and MPCS on the street to and from the track with some minimal street driving.