A7 vs R1-S? - Toyota GR86, 86, FR-S and Subaru BRZ Forum & Owners Community

ZDan · 07-28-2020, 12:51 PM

I might be buying tires... What are pros/cons of A7 vs. R1-S as far as lap times and durability? Usage will be ~15 minute practice sessions and 3-lap time trials. I'll probably only put 6-10 heat cycles on them this year. Also how important would it be to save either of these and have their first heat cycle be a time trial, vs. running practice a single practice session on them first?

TIA

Totemo_Hayai · 07-29-2020, 02:07 AM

The A7 is better than the R1-S in terms of lap time and about equal in durability. For 3 lap time trials the A7 is definitely the way to go. For races longer than 30min and ambient temperatures hotter than 80F it is a toss up between the A7 and R7. R7s and R1-S both heat cycle out, this hasn't been a problem with the A7. I've used a single set of A7s this season over 3 weekends (12 heat cycles) and I'm still able to set fast lap times in T4 at Majors events. I expect the A7s to wear out before cycling out, but they are still going strong and will probably continue to do so because I've only had 2 flipped so far. The A7 is the way to go if you can only afford one set of tires for a season. If you can afford to and you're racing, carrying around sticker R7s for the times conditions warrant their use is a good strategy.

It doesn't really matter if you use the tires for the first time in practice or a 3 lap time trial. It is recommended to let them sit 24 hours after their first use, but that is not mandatory. I often don't have the opportunity to let the tires sit 24 hours before using them again.

rice_classic · 07-29-2020, 01:50 PM

Confirming Totemo's response.

I spent last year racing on and trying to make fast, R1-S tires while getting beat by HoHos. Their window of peak performance is just much narrower than HoHos and the time/effort to get them there, only to be (hopefully) equal to "slap it on an go fast" HoHo just isn't worth it. The HoHos are also preferrable on cars that may have limits on suspension setup (like in T4 where we are limited to 3.5 degress of camber).

I run both R7 and A7. A7 will be fast until cords due to rate at which it wears. R7 will cycle out with meat still left on the bone but is ideal for hot tracks or tracks where the tire doesn't get a chance cool or longer duration sprint or enduro races.

ZDan · 07-31-2020, 05:02 PM

Thanks guys!
I ordered up a set of 225/40-17 A7s.
Going up against another BRZ with take-off Pirelli slicks at Palmer next weekend...

07-28-2020, 12:51 PM	#1
ZDan Senior Member Join Date: May 2011 Drives: '23 BRZ Location: Providence, RI Posts: 4,584 Thanks: 1,376 Thanked 3,890 Times in 2,032 Posts Mentioned: 85 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	A7 vs R1-S? I might be buying tires... What are pros/cons of A7 vs. R1-S as far as lap times and durability? Usage will be ~15 minute practice sessions and 3-lap time trials. I'll probably only put 6-10 heat cycles on them this year. Also how important would it be to save either of these and have their first heat cycle be a time trial, vs. running practice a single practice session on them first? TIA

07-29-2020, 02:07 AM	#2
Totemo_Hayai Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2018 Drives: 2013 FRS Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 106 Thanks: 0 Thanked 51 Times in 29 Posts Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	The A7 is better than the R1-S in terms of lap time and about equal in durability. For 3 lap time trials the A7 is definitely the way to go. For races longer than 30min and ambient temperatures hotter than 80F it is a toss up between the A7 and R7. R7s and R1-S both heat cycle out, this hasn't been a problem with the A7. I've used a single set of A7s this season over 3 weekends (12 heat cycles) and I'm still able to set fast lap times in T4 at Majors events. I expect the A7s to wear out before cycling out, but they are still going strong and will probably continue to do so because I've only had 2 flipped so far. The A7 is the way to go if you can only afford one set of tires for a season. If you can afford to and you're racing, carrying around sticker R7s for the times conditions warrant their use is a good strategy. It doesn't really matter if you use the tires for the first time in practice or a 3 lap time trial. It is recommended to let them sit 24 hours after their first use, but that is not mandatory. I often don't have the opportunity to let the tires sit 24 hours before using them again. __________________ 2013 FRS - SCCA T4/ICSCC CT4 \| Instagram: Totemo_Hayai

07-29-2020, 01:50 PM	#3
rice_classic Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Drives: Nevermorange FRS Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 4,160 Thanks: 755 Thanked 4,200 Times in 1,803 Posts Mentioned: 77 Post(s) Tagged: 1 Thread(s)	Confirming Totemo's response. I spent last year racing on and trying to make fast, R1-S tires while getting beat by HoHos. Their window of peak performance is just much narrower than HoHos and the time/effort to get them there, only to be (hopefully) equal to "slap it on an go fast" HoHo just isn't worth it. The HoHos are also preferrable on cars that may have limits on suspension setup (like in T4 where we are limited to 3.5 degress of camber). I run both R7 and A7. A7 will be fast until cords due to rate at which it wears. R7 will cycle out with meat still left on the bone but is ideal for hot tracks or tracks where the tire doesn't get a chance cool or longer duration sprint or enduro races. __________________ SCCA T4 - FRS

07-31-2020, 05:02 PM	#4
ZDan Senior Member Join Date: May 2011 Drives: '23 BRZ Location: Providence, RI Posts: 4,584 Thanks: 1,376 Thanked 3,890 Times in 2,032 Posts Mentioned: 85 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Thanks guys! I ordered up a set of 225/40-17 A7s. Going up against another BRZ with take-off Pirelli slicks at Palmer next weekend...

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