What to expect at the track? R1R VS RS3?
 

Hey guys, well i dont know if i did the right thing but i just ordered a set of Toyo R1R's since my second set of Hankook RS3's are almost toast. I really have no complains on the RS3's (heck i just posted my best lap time @ h2r with them) but i wanted to try something different and ordered the Toyo R1R's since they are in the same price range. Anybody that has tried them have any idea on what i should expect from the R1R's compared tot he hankooks? I ordered them in the same size 245/40/17.

R1R'S

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/f...rading/R1R.png

RS3'S

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...sRS3-small.jpg

i like the toyos but i run a 245/35/17..like the small LOW setup
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/f...s/IMAG0060.jpg
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/f...s/IMAG0057.jpg
What you think?

Why not try a nice easy DOT-R tire like the Nitto NT-01's? Would be a nice step up from the RS-3s...and not too much more expensive (~$173 for 225/45-17 or 235/40-17). A really progressive and 'long lasting' DOT-R track tire that will last quite a while and not have such a limited heat cycle tolerance.

Any difference in feel in the 35 vs the 40 or is it just a personal preference? Glad to have you on the board BTW your suspension skills are amazing!!



Ive got two sets of BF R1's in 225/40/17 waiting to be mounted but on my second set of wheels. But i also want an aggressive street tire, so far ive gone through two sets of rs3's and love them but im quite curious about how the R1R compares to the rs3.

interested in what you think of the toyo, looking at those myself

well I really like the lowered rear end ratio! (works out to like a 4.50 from the stock 4.10...) lower powered cars need "torque development" any where you can get it.

From what I know about the two tires is the hankooks like heat. the hotter they get, the more they tend to grip. the toyo on the other hand, likes to be cold. they tend to grease over easier when you start to add heat to them. I know at autox, most people I know spray their toyos after almost every run to keep the heat down, and that is in 70 some degree weather. I've driven on both, and they feel pretty different. I don't think neither is better than the other, more of a preference thing. My only concern would be if you are using them for track days, they might overheat quicker than you would like them to.

the RS3 is a faster tire than R1R, no competition

The RS3 is the fastest tire 140TW and higher, but is also the numbest tire in its category.

Seems like track junkies forum confirms it as well. R1R does not like the heat, but seems to be a good cold weather track day tire. I guess ill stick to RS3'S again next time. I really want to try the federal 595 RS-R though i heard good stuff and bad stuff, some sweat by it and some hate it 400 bucks for 255/40/17 or 235/40/17 140 treadwear.



Ill let you know as soon as i try them out brother!! Im always glad to help other forum members just like im glad that i can receive help from you guys as well.

The R1Rs talk a little better than the RS3s. The toyos may overheat with too much track time. The kooks hot grip is almost as good as an r comp, but is harder to feel.

thanks folks, good stuff here!

The RSR really can't handle heat at all, but have almost no warmup time.

They had a compound change last year, and the current compound isn't as good as the original.... they also have a tearing issue where the tire delaminates if you overheat it too much.

Good to know, thank god i bought them in the winter and not the summer. Though texas winter temps are summer to other parts of the country lol. Ill take it easy on them and will continue on the R1R next time.

absolutes can be limiting

Because I won the redline time attack in 09 on r1r's in 105 degree heat and my fastest lap was lap 3 of 3 timed laps at spring mountain.. I guss all that roundee round dirt track experiance helps out on a "greasy" tire lol
;-). As always ymmv.

RObi

I've used both R1R and RS3 (as well as Star Spec and RE-11), mainly for autoslalom purposes, but I did use the R1R for a lapping session early last year. Although I haven't tried the RS3 on the track, I can say that aside from what's already been posted about heat tolerance, the R1Rs feel very vague compared to the RS3. To me, the RS3 had the best feel and response, where as the R1R was hard to get a good feel for them because they are such a soft tire (soft sidewall as well). Some told me to run them at a higher pressure but I wore out the tire way to fast to even get that. The RS3 just felt the best - next would be the Star Spec, and the RE-11 and R1R sort of get clumped together, depending on the circumstance.

I will say that the R1R is absolutely fantastic in the wet/rain - unbelievably grippy and fast. But I had no issues with the Star Spec and RE-11 in the rain as well, so I guess it would depend there. I would suspect that to get the most out of the R1R it's best to shave them, especially if it's for track use. But you compromise some wet traction there, possibly. YMMV.

Oh yeah, I should mention that this is all based on my highly sprung FWD track car. *takes cover* I'm hoping I can get the car out on its RS3s at Mosport next year, just to see. I did have the opportunity to run R1Rs on my BRZ for an autoslalom a few months back and although they did well, I still found them to be very vague in feel. I think that if I do end up getting a set of tires for the BRZ I will probably go with the Star Specs or RS3s. The tire size and wheel choice is a whole other issue. :D

I had the Toyo R888, Toyo R1R, Bridgestone RE-11, and Yoko AD07. The R888 were the best for the track when dry, but wear quicker. The AD07 (now replaced by AD08) seem to have just a little better feel than the RE-11 but they are great as well. R1R basically same as state above by the other user, good but hard to get a good feel. I currently run RE-11 on my BRZ and love them but currently not tracking more than a couple times a year, but if I was doing track only or mostly track then I'd go R888 or closer to slicks.

How did the R888 work out on the street, do they melt or will I see a few thousand miles at least? My track is a 2 hr drive, no trailer budget , yet.

R888 are fine as far as tread life goes for the street, but on a light car they heat cycle out quickly. Buy NT01's and be happy.

We prefer NT01s to R888s as well. :thumbup: