Maxxis VR-1, New 200TW "Extreme summer performance" tire

[CSG Mike]

I've been getting a lot of question on the Maxxis VR-1; here's my feedback.

I'll cover a few things here in this post.
- Grip
- Sidewall/Feedback
- Tread life
- Heat cycle life
- Heat capacity/Heat vs Grip
- Wet grip/cold grip
- Wear patterns/Setup
- Street driveability

Grip.
Grip is directly competitive to the current 200TW "non-cheater" tires, aka Z2 Star Spec, RS3, etc. If you are looking to compete against the RE71R or Rival-S, this tire will not do that. I believe the very FIRST heat cycle of the RS3 may be marginally faster than the VR1 (when it is faster than almost everything), but from there on, the VR1 will always hold a grip advantage.

Sidewall/Feedback
The VR1 has a strong sidewall that will not deform or deflect much. Steering feel is far superior to the RS3, and similar to the Z2SS and AD08R. Overall feedback level is close to that of an R-Compound like the NT01/RC1. Risk of bending a wheel with the VR1 will be lower than the RS3. The tire makes noise as you approach the limit in a progressive manner, much like the RC1. Some noise is good, and the tire will be screaming as you hit the peak amount of grip. Howling means you've gone past the limit. Between the auditory and sensory feedback, this tire will be very, very easy to drive. Auditory feedback is far superior to the AD08R/RS3, better than the Z2/Z2ss, but not as excessive as the RE11.

Tread life.
Expect to get about the same amount of life out of these tires as the Dunop Z2/Z2 Star spec. They will last longer than the RS3, but not as long as an AD08R. Remember, this is purely tread life, not heat cycle life.

Heat cycle life.
The tires heat cycle, as expected with a tire of this performance. However, the heat cycle drop is not as dramatic as most tires in this category, and that, I believe, will be the key point in these tires. They heat cycle slower than the RS3, and will still have great grip when you have 30+ heat cycle on them, provided that you do not damage the tire by completely cooking them in a session (remember, tire management is also a driving skill). Cycling is about on par with the AD08R, and substantially superior to the RS3/RE11. I have not driven the Z2SS extensively enough to comment against that in this regard.

Heat Capacity/Heat vs Grip
Relatively speaking, as a 200TW tire, these tires love heat. They do have a short warm-up time that will increase as the tire heat cycles; if you are at a track day, a brisk out-lap will be more than plenty. Toward the end of the tire's life, you will need to allow more time for the tire to warm up. They have a broad window of opportunity, before the tire compound overheats, and starts greasing out. They are far superior to the Z2 in this regard. In absolute heat capacity, they are a little bit better than the RS3, and do well in 20-25 minute lapping sessions. These are not 1 lap wonders like the RE71R or Rival-S. If you are Auto-Xing this tire, you will want a co-driver in colder weather.

Wet Grip/Cold Grip
Unfortunately, my wet experience, due to California weather, is limited to only damp surfaces. Damp surfaces will result in a cold tire, that takes more time to heat up. However once warmed up, the tire grip just as well as expected given the conditions. I do not yet have any hard rain experience, but based on the size of the siping tread pattern, I expect the tire to be superior to the RS3, and on part with the Z2SS and AD08R. It will be far superior to the RE71R.

Wear Patterns/Setup
The tire is not as forgiving as the RS3, which is driveable even with a bad setup. The sidewalls of the tire are fairly stiff, so use a pyrometer to dial in your camber based on temps. For street driven cars, I recommend dialing in a little less camber than usual. The tire pressure range is extremely forgiving, and you can expect similar performance in approximately a 4psi spread, instead of the usual 2.

Street driveability
I had hoped that these would be as quiet as the RC1 on the street, but unfortunately that is not the case. There is some road noise, and this originates primarily from the tread pattern. The noise can be described as a pink noise, rather than the white noise of the Dunlops. Overall perceived volume is higher than the RE11/AD08R, and approximately on par with the Z2. It is quieter than the RS3.

Price.
The tire is a BARGAIN. The tire is competitive with the Z2SS and AD08R in many ways, at a RS3 price. As with the RC1, the tire isn't a clear winner in every category, but based on a price/performance perspective, I expect the VR1 to become very popular very quickly.

The tire can be purchased at http://shop.maxxis.com/c/automotive_victra-vr-1

https://www.instagram.com/p/9pBmyBG4I4/

[go_a_way1]

@CSG Mike nice writeup!

I dont mean to thread jack but what are your overall thoughts on the Nitto NT01's??

[Pat]

FYI the only size for 17" tires is 255/40.

[Lynxis]

Thanks for the review, sounds like it has a lot of what I want from such a tire. I hope they release more 17 inch sizes by next year when I'll think of getting new tires.

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by go_a_way1

@CSG Mike nice writeup!

I dont mean to thread jack but what are your overall thoughts on the Nitto NT01's??

Great tire, but way too forgiving (good at masking mistakes)

[continuecrushing]

nice! Looking forward to seeing more of these out there

[Stang70Fastback]

Ugh. I dunno what to do. Autocross is my primary thing, so I wanna get some RE71Rs, but I had hoped to do one or two track days this year and those are the wrong tire for that. Decisions, decisions...

[drewbot]

Originally Posted by Stang70Fastback

Ugh. I dunno what to do. Autocross is my primary thing, so I wanna get some RE71Rs, but I had hoped to do one or two track days this year and those are the wrong tire for that. Decisions, decisions...

Well in order to keep up with the newest hotness for autocross tires, the track day will help you shave away at your tread. That way, you're always buying tires each year!

[ViperASR]

Thanks for the review Mike, I remember you from the s2000 world.
I've got a set of these coming to my house ironically, just not for my car. I'll be very curious to drive them though, looks like they will be my next set of track/street tires when I kill the Z2s I have on another set of wheels.

Originally Posted by Stang70Fastback

Ugh. I dunno what to do. Autocross is my primary thing, so I wanna get some RE71Rs, but I had hoped to do one or two track days this year and those are the wrong tire for that. Decisions, decisions...

If competitive autocross is your primary objective, get a set of RE71Rs. For autocross in an 86 (CS or STX), there is no better street tire.
As far as one or two track days, they will be just fine for that. I have an STR s2000 that I also run in NASA Time Trials just for fun, and my 71Rs have lasted 4 days at Sebring, and 2 days at Daytona. This is along with probably 30+ autocross runs, and driving them to and from events. I'm also still running them locally, and expect another 2 days at Sebring or Road Atlanta later this year with them. Expect some wear and heat cycles, but its not the end of the world if you're planning on replacing the tires annually.
(This is real world experience, on a car with camber. I'm sure someone will disagree with me, but its the internet )

[ATL BRZ]

My 255/40/17's arrive on Friday. Can't wait to run them at Road Atlanta at the end of April!

[Stang70Fastback]

Originally Posted by ViperASR

If competitive autocross is your primary objective, get a set of RE71Rs. For autocross in an 86 (CS or STX), there is no better street tire.
As far as one or two track days, they will be just fine for that. I have an STR s2000 that I also run in NASA Time Trials just for fun, and my 71Rs have lasted 4 days at Sebring, and 2 days at Daytona. This is along with probably 30+ autocross runs, and driving them to and from events. I'm also still running them locally, and expect another 2 days at Sebring or Road Atlanta later this year with them. Expect some wear and heat cycles, but its not the end of the world if you're planning on replacing the tires annually.
(This is real world experience, on a car with camber. I'm sure someone will disagree with me, but its the internet )

Thanks for the info. I don't plan on being competitive in the sense that I'm fighting for first in class. I'm bumped to STX because of my KW V3s and camber plates and LCAs but that's it, lol, so don't really have a competitive car (and this is only my second year autocrossing. Last year I was completely stock.)

Thing is last year I was also on the stock Primacys, and I was pretty frustrated by the end of the season because I was beating some people who were on much stickier compounds, and really wished I had some proper tires, so I don't want to half-ass it this year. I want to have "THE" tires so I can see where I actually stack up. Sounds like RE71Rs will work. I'm just not made of money, and I'm afraid that I'll do one track day with them and literally destroy them.

[ViperASR]

Originally Posted by Stang70Fastback

Thanks for the info. I don't plan on being competitive in the sense that I'm fighting for first in class. I'm bumped to STX because of my KW V3s and camber plates and LCAs but that's it, lol, so don't really have a competitive car (and this is only my second year autocrossing. Last year I was completely stock.)

Thing is last year I was also on the stock Primacys, and I was pretty frustrated by the end of the season because I was beating some people on my hands stickier compounds, and really wished I had some proper tires, so I don't want to half-ass it this year. I want to have "THE" tires so I can see where I actually stack up. Sounds like RE71Rs will work. I'm just not made of money, and I'm afraid that I'll do one track day with them and literally destroy them.

That says a lot about you and the improvements you have made over the last year in your driving and ability to adapt to a less-than stellar car when compared to your STX competitors. Which is why I always suggest to my students and to novices to not run home and dump a ton of money into their car. These improvements to the car will mask a lot of errors in their driving, or will make the car too complex to setup properly. Learning how to drive and seeing those improvements it way more important

If the goal isn't a local autocross championship/HPDE1 champion, an RS3 or Maxxis VR1 will work perfectly for your goals and hopefully your budget. Will an RE71R be faster? Well yea, but it all comes down to your goals and budget. One track day won't toast a set of good 200tw tires, in my experience. If one were to overdrive it, or run it with a bad setup, well yea, you can kill anything at that point, but it sounds like you're driving skills are above that.
The camber plates will help a lot with tire wear either way.

[Bramick]

Originally Posted by ATL BRZ

My 255/40/17's arrive on Friday. Can't wait to run them at Road Atlanta at the end of April!

Keep us posted. I'm in Dallas and searching for a track tire for the TX heat. This looks like a great candidate.

[cactus]

Anyone else get these? How are they?

Originally Posted by ATL BRZ

My 255/40/17's arrive on Friday. Can't wait to run them at Road Atlanta at the end of April!

You liking yours?