For stockish power Nitto NT01's R-Comps overkill?
 

I am looking getting a dedicated set of track rims and looking at NT01's because I read they are great tires, less prone to heat cycling, and are semi cheap.(700$ shipped) I figure if I can get a full season out of them, (novice driver) then it would be worth it. Looking to use these with some Kosei 17x8 K4R which are almost as light as RPF1's but I can get them for about 550$ from a buddy.

I want to save my Rota's and MPSS's for daily driving.

Overkill for the car? No way.
Overkill for for a novice driver? Absolutely.

I should re-phrase this. I am looking to get better and I am staying away from FI. This season I am looking at Mainly tires, and wheels. Next season will be a AP BBK in the front. I like the idea of a fairly reliable low HP NA Track car that I can drive to and back from events. Everyone needs to start somewhere. More grip IMO can't hurt.

My answer remains the same. If your goal is to become a better driver, more grip CAN hurt.

Imo, use the stock tires for a few hpde days so u get a feel for the cars limits then decide what you want first. I personally went with cooling now I'm saving for the ap bbks. From my experience stock, the cars runs hot and I mean really hot. brakes are the next Achilles heal. I iced the factory brake pads in 2 sessions. They have ways of helping that issue ie titanium shivs ect but then u run into other problems like accelerated disk wear and or boiling brake fluid. Fix those 2 then tires and suspension. Factory rides great for any novice. Anyone telling you otherwise that doesn't already have track experience is on placebo effect hard lol.

For stockish power Nitto NT01's R-Comps overkill?
 

They should be just fine, enjoy. I recently got NT01 in 235/40-17 with RPF1 17x9 to try after running Toyo RA1 last year. Five years tracking, one with frs. I have JRSC, AP Sprint BBK, Ohlins, LCA, oil cooler, etc. Try to get some negative camber or the outside edges will wear faster. Track pads and better brake fluid and steel brake lines will make a lot of difference. Oil cooler is also a good investment for tracking. Have fun!

Already have an oil cooler. Will be running carbotech xp10/xp8 in the rear. HQ brake fluid and ss lines. Stock radiator is fine for NA. I have white line camber bolts up front and a 1 inch drop from eibach pro springs. I feel this is a pretty damn decent setup. Only wild card is tires

Don't stagger pad conpound.

Stock radiator is fine for FI too. The stock rads limits has yet to be determined.

High grip tires or aero mods will provide a short term benefit but may hinder your progression. They'll increase the limits of the car and mask mistakes that would become obvious with a lower grip setup.

I have to disagree with "use stock tires " comments, Nitto NT01s are not real R Comp tires..they don't heat cycle out and let go at the limits like the real R comps or slicks, couple laps with the stock tires (or any Summer performance street tires) and they will feel very greasy in other words inconsistent, it's somewhat harder to learn and educate yourself when variables change

I disagree. I'm interested to hear why you think they are not considered real r-comps.

Stay away from super sticky street tires or r comps until you're a better/more consistent driver.

As it's been said already, adding more grip just hides driving mistakes, and when you finally get past the limit of the grippier tires you're going much faster and have less time to correct before a little oops becomes a very big one.

Learn car control on less grippy tires at safer speeds, then add grip as you progress.

Perhaps a matter of semantics but I think some folks consider an R-Comp something like an RR/R1/R7 where there's no tread blocks for channeling water and they have a better TW rating (Stickier). The NT-01 and RA1 perform better than advertised simply because folks shave them to 4 or 3/32nd's before heading to the track.

The other reason could be that traditionally considered R-Comps have the reputation of letting go quickly or being "snappy". Think of it the slip angle graph being very pointy. Where as performance tires have a broader slip angle curve so as a driver exceeds the maximum grip there's still some grip (just less) that leave the driver some control and time to reign things in, aka; forgiving. So when folks drive a tire that's forgiving they can find themselves dismissing it as a real R-Comp. The problem with this viewpoint is that R-Comp tires, especially those that are DOT approved, have changed so dramatically over the years that their unforgiving characteristic has improved... a lot. R-Comps tires today like the Hoosier R6/7 and Toyo RR are faster than ever and aren't nearly as frightening as Rcomps of the past. However some still are like the Z214 C51.

I'd still call the NT-01/RA1 an R-comp (if it's shaved) but maybe the more accurate term is R-Comp-lite. :iono:


But like Glamcem put out there, the NT-01 is a pretty damn friendly tire at the limits and like any driver should know when playing with a proper track tire.. bring it up to temp before really laying on it.

To the OP: Take care of them, rotate them often (the tread doesn't care what direction it's traveling in when dry) and you'll get lots of life out of them.


EDIT: to the OP... Would you attempt to enter combat with an automatic weapon that you know nothing about and have no experience with? Consider that you know nothing about these tires so make sure you do your track days, or at least the first few with a good instructor and specifically talk to him/her about the tires and how to approach them from a novice perspective. Also, warm up to them slowly and pay attention to proper driving and technique and NOT GOING FAST.

Do you want to have a faster car or become a faster driver?