Tire question

#1

I’m one of the people currently building a car to use next season for DE’s and hopefully comp school. I originally planned to pick up some used 888’s, however the recently announced rebate program and the pending price increases got me thinking about just getting some new ones. Also, there doesn’t seem to be that many used ones available anyway. So I got some prices today and realized that a set of 888’s with the rebate is only about $115 cheaper than a set of RA-1’s (I didn’t realize that the 888’s were more expensive). Also, apparently the RA-1’s are more durable as well.

My question; Should I just get RA-1’s or is it a waste of $230 (two sets)? As far as I can tell, they will offset their higher cost by lasting longer, and in addition, I would like to learn on the same tires that I will eventually race. Can I expect them to last more than just next season?

Thanks to anyone who can help.

#2

I would get the RA1s. My 2 year old unknown heat cycle RA1s at CMP this past weekend were leaps and bounds better than my 9 heat cycle R888s. I would not have swapped if it had not been for 2 pretty badly corded RA1s.

You mention 2 sets I’m guessing one dry one wet set. Wear on the dry tires will be determined by whether you shave the drys, and how many track days you have planned. The wet tires should last you a couple seasons if you only use them in the rain.

Greg

#3

Yes, I was thinking one wet and one dry set. Any idea if I need to get spares, or are they generally available at DE’s? As for the shaving, I was thinking 4/32nds. Any reason to go higher or lower?

Thanks

#4

You don’t need RA1’s until your first real race. There are cheaper alternatives.

#5

Ranger wrote:

I agree with Scott, I didn’t switch to RA1s until DE3. But if you are further along in DEs it would not be a bad idea to get use to the RA1. I would stick with unshaved for your first set of drys.

Greg

#6

I wouldn’t drop $500 on a new set of tires for DE. Search the boards and Ebay, pick up some used sets for $100-200 or look for the cheapest set of R-Comps you can find. A year ago they put Hankooks on sale so I got a set and ran them.

But, if you absolutely made a decision to buy one of these then get RA1 shaved - good grip and longevity.

#7

I’ve used RA-1’s on the car for DE’s exclusively. I didn’t shave them since achieving ultimate lap times was not a requirement and I wanted them to last as long as possible. They are great tires and have amazing grip. However, if you are just climbing the HPDE ladder then I would not go to these. I’d use something a little harder that will slip a bit more. It will help you in learning car control. Since I only had one set I used the mix-n-match street tires the car came with as rains and they did okay, but boy did I want to change them as soon as the track dried!

#8

I went with the Kumho XS since they were nice and cheap and a really grippy non R compound tire to start my HPDEs. I got them in the SpecE30 sizes from Tire Rack.

#9

GRM had a good article (or was it European Car?) a few months ago that may be worth looking for. They reviewed several tire for wear, wet and dry traction and price.

FWIW: The Toyo T1R was a good tire (that was my DE tire of choice) and they are $20-$30 cheaper than the RA1’s

#10

OK, thanks for the replies. I guess the consensus is that new RA-1’s or even 888’s might be wasted on DE’s. I’m still considering getting a few sets now before the prices go up. It seems like a safe investment, and I could probably resell them if for some reason I didn’t use them.

#11

Dashdog wrote:

A harder tire is easier to learn on. Going to soft tires early will be doing yourself no favors. Harder tires last longer too.

Re. buying your race tires now. Soft tires don’t age well. They get harder each month they sit in your garage. Once you start racing, think about used tires. We’re approaching the last event in my 2nd full year of competition, and I finally broke down and bought new tires yesterday.

#12

In 3-4 months you will be able to buy a bunch of 888 for dirt cheap used and maybe even new so don’t spend much money now. I put my kids on rock hard street tires for DEs. Times don’t matter at this point. You will learn to drive better with slippery tires.