Hi Guys,
I was after some advice on the above two tyre choices as I'm looking to replace my Toyo T1R's. I currently have 205/50/15's but find
there are more choice if running 195. I'm however unsure if 195 would lesson my grip due to less surface area, but then the reduced area will
have a better weight displacement pushing down on the road (I have a BEC car).
I dont drive the car in the wet hence I'm not worried about aquaplaining. I know Toyo R1r's are another choice and are a lot cheaper but I
don't know how different to the T1r's they are. Most of my driving is on the road, but I do aim to get on the track for fun.
I'm also looking to get a set of the soft compound rather than medium, as I don't do a lot of mileage.
Also where is the best place to get a set from as both are expensive (especially the Yoko)?
[Edited on 17/6/13 by smitht82]
Tyres are a bit of a minefiled, i like the 888 very much but be aware that certain compounds of the 888 arent road legal so check before you buy. Toyo
have really cut back on there distributor network but i have always found George Polley very helpfull.
HTH
smitht82 - I have R888s on my car. You are welcome to come for a spin and see what you think of them... I love them! Great grip, especially when warm! Fairly terrible in standing water, but better in damp conditions than I thought they would be.
quote:
Originally posted by twybrow
smitht82 - I have R888s on my car. You are welcome to come for a spin and see what you think of them... I love them! Great grip, especially when warm! Fairly terrible in standing water, but better in damp conditions than I thought they would be.
I run 13s, so I have 185s on the front, and 205s on the back.
quote:
Originally posted by snakebelly
be aware that certain compounds of the 888 arent road legal so check before you buy.
My 2P worth:
Driving style - If you push hard on the road then you will get the tyres warm enough to get the benfit of the softer tyre but you should really try
and get them hot to get the most out of them. If you do this then you need to consider the life cycle of the tyre. Tyres can go off if they have had a
lot of heat cycles. The rubber kind of cures and therefore you loose some of the benfit from the sticky rubber. Essentially you need to be using the
rubber up and not have 1 set of tyres for 500 hot blats over 3 years. Depending how in tune with your car you are you may not even notice the change
in tyre width.
Compound - If on the road I would stay with medium. R888 and such like in medium are sticky enough for the road and going around corners as fast as
you will be able to should put you on edge. One slip on unexpected stuff and your in a ditch a lot quicker than if you had even less sticky tyres.
Softs may not offer you the benifit difference on the road, will loose rubber quicker and in my eyes require far my dedication into corners than I
would like to give on a B road.
Tread pattern - You may only drive in the dry but you dont know what the road conditions are like when your out or under tree cover 50 miles away. For
road tyres I would look at T1R or R1R or one of the many others out there (Parada Spec 2 or RS2, ad08). They may offer that little bit of grip that
you may need only once to save your bacon.
R888 or A048 - A048 generally get a better write up but do cost more.
I hope this helps and does not upset any one!
Last set of sg we had came with a sticker saying for compettion use only, maybe its changed since then
IMO R888 are better in the wet, A048 better in bone dry conditions....
Just a shame they do T1r or the R1R in 13" sizes
My 048's lasted two sessioned track days at Lydden, so after four hours of hard driving 8 x 15 minutes they were reduced to to the legal limit,
nice and grippy it must be said.
[Edited on 17/6/13 by mark chandler]
i have had t1r's r1r's and r888's
the t1rs were like blocks of wood and a bad choice for a 7. the r888's had awesome grip but wanted to kill me every time i went through a puddle
then last but not least i tried the r1r's. the r1r's have 99% of the 888 grip but the big bonus is they work bloody well in the wet (even
better than the t1r's) so should you go out for a drive and get caught out in the rain you will really appreciate them.
i am on my second set of r1r's and dont see myself changing any time soon, lots of diehard 888 users in my local club skcc have converted to
r1r's for the better wet performance as the on road dry grip is virtually the same as a medium 888. a couple of the westie boys have dumped
their 14inch wheels for 15's just so they can run r1r's and not one of them has looked back.
[Edited on 17/6/2013 by ashg]
Thank you for all the reply's and feedback. I think i've decided that since the car is going to be used 95% on the road that the R1R's
are the choice (their also cheaper!) + they have a noticably better compound by the sounds of it than the T1R's.
The next questions however is (i run 15" wheels), Do i keep my current 205/50/15 set up or change the fronts to 195/50/15. I want grip but
understand that the 195's offer better comfort and turn in with less tramlining. However, comfort isn't my priority so what is the best
performance choice? I know there's lot of debates on this but whom better to ask than the guys that actually own and drive the cars 
Yeah, I'll be using R1Rs too. Same compound as R888s, but more blocks.
For a 205/50/15 is £67 so you have to be happy!
I run 195s with a +200hp Saab turbo motor, no lack of grip whatsoever but if you can get 205s to fit then I don't see a problem if the rims are wide enough. Technically a 195 will give better stiction but I doubt there's much in it.
Slightly more thread cut away, but to throw it into the mix, i have been very happy with the A539's. I cant run the r888 or a048 tyre for
autotesting so went with the 589 as one fo the faster list 1a tyres, very cost effective in a 13 and I have been very happy with the grip.
Daniel