Tire Dilema...

[Boozshey]

So, since I have decided to run a street tire, I am conflicted between two tires. Hancook RS-3 and Toyo R1R.

The problem I face is the biggest the RS-3 comes in is a 255/40-17. The Toyo come in a 275/40-17.

Reading the tread width the Toyo tread width is only .2" larger, however the tire width is .6" wider.

I am not sure how much of a difference the 275 will make over the 255 since the treads are so close in comparison. Then of course the sidewalls on the 255 are smaller which shouldn't allow the tire to flex as much and might make up for the difference.

Any tire experts out there that can lend some advice???

[Jeremy]

Just pulling this out of my butt, but I think Toyos are not meant for heavy cars or hot climates.

[Boozshey]

No idea about the heat problems with Toyo.

However, I run R888s right now and they seem to be doing fine. The problem I have with them is they are 100 tread wear and aren't worth losing "street tire" class over. Especially since they aren't a slick. They might be good for a race class in the rain, but that of course will never be my case.

I also run a 315 r888 on the rear my other mustang (750rwhp) on the street and they seem to do well grip wise.

[Jeremy]

https://www.facebook.com/notes/hollis-r ... 8598916447

"Easy to drive, forgiving, works in a wide variety of temps -- especially cooler ones -- and fits well on the smaller cars that formed the original basis for ST. It is also inexpensive...sorta. The downsides are that the extremely progressive breakaway makes it a challenge to find where the grip level starts to drop off. As a result, the large slip angles developed by overly aggressive driving will literally grind the rubber off the tire. This can be observed as an extreme "graining" pattern across the tread face, eventually wearing out the tire prematurely. In addition, if the vehicle has poor camber control, that wear can be quite uneven, further reducing tire life."

"This tire shines in cooler weather, but can easily overheat if not cooled off between runs on warmer days. In the 195/50 size, this can be moderated through shaving to 3/32nds or so. Other sizes are limited to starting at full-tread and watching for a performance drop-off as the tire nears the 4/32nds level. Given the temperature profile, this makes for a great wet weather tire, as the water will continually cool the tire to optimal levels."

IMO, not good at all for Brooksville Summers. My friend in a miata corded his in a couple events with 2 drivers at Brooksville.
They will work, but you will have to spray them with water after every run.

[lddavis91]

I have had a similar dilemma with my Cobra that I'm planning to run next year. I'm not sure what precisely the answer is on "wider is better" as it seems it is not always the case, though I've typically always subscribed to it. One other tire to look at is the Kumho XS, it is a little off the pace of some of the other comparable hot street tires, but it is available in much wider sizes for 17" rims, up to 315s and the prices are pretty good, I think I'll be going with these myself.

[Boozshey]

I believe the r888 faced the doom of overheating. At the last bmw event I got stuck with a re-run. After sitting for a couple minute and going back out. The car was all over the place...

I think I'm going to just try the hancook out at brooksville on the 14th. I'll run the r888 on the morning and swap to the rs-3 in the afternoon and see what happens.

Worst that can happen is I have to buy different tires.

[Jeremy]

Yes, the R1R

[twistedwankel]

I've run a whole season on RS3 245/40/17 w/8"rims on Shamu and replaced my RS3's on Grey8 with 245/40/18 R1R's on 8"rims for a whole season just because I saved $150 at the time. AND Steve said they were good:) Both cars weigh in at about 3150lbs. I have been happy with 3 sets of RS3's until they raised their prices.

The RS3's are pretty crap the last 3/32". They do wear well and like heat. They also seem to have soft sidewalls and require much more air before racing. I end up running them hot 42-44psi fronts and they are happy there. Rears sit about 38-39 all day long.

The main structural difference I see is that the RS3's have 2 layers of nylon in tread and more tread depth new than R1R's so they weigh more and thump when cold even in the summer.

The only complaint I have with R1R's is they get a weird curling on the leading edge of the tread on the front tires only when worked extra hard. Like a pouting lip. It doesn't go away until you grind them off on the rear. That appears to be the only Con. Doesn't appear to affect handling. I used to think they were slower than the RS3's until I got decent shocks and alignment recently. Now they shine. Think of the curls as little paddles for when it rains.

Pros: They are a great street/hwy tire if you actually use the car. Quiet, nice ride no thumping at all. They heat up quickly and hold that pressure all day long. I set them the nite before @ 35 front and rear the nite before I leave the house and never reset tire pressures all day long. The fronts will go after one run to 40 and the rears will sit at 37 all day long. I think the water on a hot day with two drivers is a very good idea. They do cool off well with one driver between runs.

Price has alot to do with the tires I pick. From what I've been reading the top 4-6 tires in 180+ are pretty equal other than suiting a personal unique driving style. I think you should get the 255/40/17's because if you hate them you'll sell them to me for 1/2 price and they'll fit my Shamu rims:)

I have always believed Wider is better too.

All tires hit cones. Drivers never do that.

[Native]

The R1Rs work great on my Miata. But we all know a Miata is no Mustang...
15 events and lots of tread left - in fact they've gotten better with age.
Like Doug said, if not shaved, the first few runs will leave little dreadlocks hanging off the tread. That eventually stops.
No problems with heat (but see second sentence above).

[Boozshey]

Yeah the price difference is about $200, the R1R being mor expensive. The car is a race car, i rarely drive it on the streets and normally tow it to events. Just haven't the last cause I had the other car in the trailer.

It is a hard decision for sure... Guess I just have to think a little more about it.

[Vz28]

What width wheels?

How about the BFG Rival? I have tried these out on a number of cars and while they haven't always impressed me with their responsiveness they have generally been immediately grippy, very quick and forgiving - and I have seen them used on a few heavier, higher-horsepower cars with success. They also have tread out to the very edge on the sizes I have seen - useful for cars that tend to use the sidewall for heavy cornering. No personal experience on my cars however. Only tried them once or twice in damp conditions and they were still excellent - soaking wet conditions might be a bit different however.

I do like the feel of the RS3 and they seem to work well on heavier cars without getting too greasy - might need a warmup run.

Personally I use the Dunlop Z2's on my Camaro (275/35/18) because they don't require a warmup lap, are very responsive to steering inputs, fantastic in the wet and pretty good in the dry (probably not as quick as these other tires however) - good for the daily driving and track days the car also sees. They are not as forgiving of massive slip angle as the Rivals/RS3s and do get greasy if you beat up on them at an autocross but spraying them with water between runs does not take much effort for those that are so inclined. I don't worry about it and try to transfer weight more smoothly - seems to work ok.

[Boozshey]

I have an extra set of 8.5" but a 9.5" set is only $300.

So I can always obtain a bigger wheel and money doesn't really play a factor in my ultimate decision. I just want the right thing to start with.

[Jeremy]

money doesn't really play a factor in my ultimate decision.

Front 18 x 10 with 275 BFG Rivals
Rear 18 x 11 with 295 BFG Rivals

[Boozshey]

I don't want to run an 18" wheel.

[Jeremy]

Why not?

My mustang has 18 x 10 with 265 Yoko AD08's in the front and it's not that much grip.

I guess I would do 17 x 9.5 with 255 Rivals then. You are getting dangerously close to Miata sized tires though.

[Boozshey]

17" wheels are a dime a dozen and cheap. With the 17" I can have several sets of tires to swap as needed for different events. And I don't have to be concerned with a wheel getting rusted or stained from brake dust cause I didn't pay a lot for them.

What makes you say the rival over the rs-3?

[Boozshey]

Well I pulled the trigger on the R-S3... We figured that we can do a comparison between another set and if I don't like them I'm not out as much money as if I bought the more expensive set before. Everything I've read says the rs3 works good on heavy cars.

So we will see. Thanks for all the help and especially that Facebook link. Lengthy buy very informative!!!

[blacksheep-1]

FWIW I can supply Conti 275 35 18s out the whazzoo for about 30 bucks a piece.

[Boozshey]

Race or street tire?

[blacksheep-1]

race