Post a pic of your real car
- Thread starter Sparxxx
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- 78
- Shreveport
- Careerfire
- Soules Reaper
- 5,760
- Pennsylvania
- Ilikewaffles_11
Truuuuuughs
/Mytailgateiscooler
/Mytailgateiscooler
Obelisk
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- 9,826
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- RMedia_Obelisk
I sure hope you haven't bumped anything in those. They're the Nokia of cars.
- 4,605
- United States
- carracerptp
What year is it?
Finally I got a chance race my new tires and someone got some pictures of me at the event
I lent my car out to a friend to help me scrub them in and I also got a chance to take some pictures of it again.
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- 4,544
- Los Angeles
- racingheartruby
- RubyWooby
1991.
MedigoFlame
Premium
- 6,239
- Maine
- MedigoFlameX
Hanging out with my friends at their shop. And yes, I sold my '95 LS400 "winter beater" to my friend.
- 4,763
- Houston, TX
R888 love. I'm on my 3rd set.
- 3,990
- Chicago
- fortbo
- fortbo
I'm definitely going to have to get those now. It seems like everyone is getting them so they must be exceptional tires.R888 love. I'm on my 3rd set.
- 4,763
- Houston, TX
- 8,853
- Ottawa
- Automotive_Buff
R888 love. I'm on my 3rd set.
@Harry6784 was right, they are vacuums.
Look great though.
"My SR5 is best SR5 because _________"
- 2,980
- The Ramapo Mountains
- jjaisli
I'm running Toyo RA1s (on track) which have a different tread pattern but are essentially made from the same compound as the R888s. They have slightly different wear characteristics but similar levels of grip and performance. I'm happy with them. That said, they're effectively race compound tires, not DOT street tires and they're not really suitable for road use for a good number of reasons. Frankly, I don't know why you guys would want to run them on the street. If you're looking for a good street tire that's suitable for a variety of conditions, and has great grip, something like a BFG g-Force Rival or a Bridgestone RE-71R would both be better choices. (Although in Heldenzeit's case, having a 14 inch rim is rather limiting). Even a Dunlop Starspec, which IS a DOT tire has too narrow a performance window to make them decent street tires.
Sorry, my bad.
- 3,990
- Chicago
- fortbo
- fortbo
Well, finally got the Audi back with the new H&R sway bars and a new steering rack. I wasn't expecting the new bars to make that much of a difference in the handling since I already have a good set of coilovers on it. However, I was very wrong. The entire chassis feels stiffer and the car itself feels much lighter and even more nimble than what it was. It feels very balanced now even to the point of possibly getting some oversteer out of this front heavy pig. I took it to a car meet last night. This is a picture of it after the meet getting some food on the way home.
These are from this morning. Sadly, it had to stay out in the rain because the Firebird has a slight leak.
Finally, and up close shot of one of the new sway bars.
These are from this morning. Sadly, it had to stay out in the rain because the Firebird has a slight leak.
Finally, and up close shot of one of the new sway bars.
- 1,591
- Under the Hood
Maybe it depends on what car/size you have but there are many reasons the R888 is perfect for me:
1. Price; they are dirt cheap for the amount of grip they provide. I got four 315/30/18 tires for a hair over $1000. Rival S's would have cost over $350 more.
2. They are very suitable for road use in my case. Yes don't try taking on-ramps at 100 right after pulling out of your garage but once they get some heat in them just from driving around for 15 minutes they transform into super glue. In the wet they're not bad, about as good as my old BFG T/A KDW's. Just avoid standing water.
3. Weekend/track car only. I have a daily beater for rain and snow. Only time I will pull out the Trans Am is on a nice day so I don't need an 'all seasonal' tire. I need a 'maximum grip' tire.
4. No other affordable 'streetable' tire come in 315/30/18.
5. I don't care about SCCA classes. I build my car to be as fast as it can be while still retaining everyday amenities. If I wanted a ESP class killer I'd get another car.
- 2,980
- The Ramapo Mountains
- jjaisli
The fact that you have a rather heavy car is an important point. It means that you'll be able to get heat in the tires quicker, and that's something I didn't fully consider. Although with a 315 width (on the front) well, call me a skeptic.
I can certainly understand the appeal. The first time you mount a set of R888s, get in the car, drive away, crank the wheel off center and the feel the instant response, the sidewall stiffness, the soft compound grip and the way it responds, it’s an eye opener. And ‘oh wow’ moment where you think you’ve found a piece of heaven. I get it. Believe me.
But it’s important to understand that this is the way an entry level r-compound tire SHOULD respond. And there are a lot of compromises for that performance.You've already used the tire. You've had good luck with it. You're happy with it. And you're certainly entitled to your opinion. But I think this is an interesting discussion and an important one for people who are considering these tires. So a few points I'd like to put out there.
1) I’ll start with a not so obvious one first. Insurance. We live in a very litigious society. Especially if you’re dealing with one of the larger insurance companies like a Geico or Allstate, that’s known to investigate claims, and they find out you had non-DOT tires mounted on the car, don’t be surprised if they use it to build a case to mitigate or possibly outright deny your claim, should you have an accident. Which might not be a big deal if you have a $3,000 fender bender. It could be a very big deal if you’re laid up in the hospital for 3 months with serious injuries. Along with a buddy or two. Chances are you could fight it but now you’re talking serious and nasty litigation. I've driven on the road with my Toyos too. But it's usually just going from the track back to a local hotel where I'm simply too lazy/tired/out of time to switch back to my road wheels for the short few miles or less. So yeah, call me a hypocrite here.
2) R-compound tires are designed to endure heat cycles rather than miles. They build up heat and pressure. If you’re driving on public roads, you are NOT going to get these tires up to full temperature. Maybe if you live near an empty canyon road, possibly. And as I said,the weight of your car alone is a fair and mitigating point. But then you’re going to be driving at speeds that will pretty much lead to an arrest and suspended and/or revoked license if you get caught. Not to mention the trauma and danger of coming up on a slower moving driver around a blind corner. In short, you’d have to drive like a complete ass-hat on an empty road to keep these tires up to their optimal performance window. As such, under most conditions, you are not going to get the performance out of these tires that you could and that they're engineered to give you.
3) That said, even if you’re not getting them up to proper pressure/temperature, you’re still burning through heat cycles. And unlike normal performance tires that will last 5,000~15,000 miles, once you have 35-50 heat cycles out of an R888, they fall off a performance cliff. You can still use them but effectively, they’re done. You may not feel it because in truth, on the street, you won’t be pushing the car like you would at an autocross or on track where you would feel it. They aren't going to shread and die. But at that point, they don’t ‘bite’ anymore. They become greasy. They slide. They’re inconsistent. Have you not experienced this yourself? So every time you go out and put a few miles on them, you’re taking a chunk out of their performance window at about 20 times the rate you would with a normal summer performance tire. And you don’t have to be driving ‘hard’ to do it.
4) A tire with that much potential grip has it’s effects on the car’s suspension and chassis dynamics. You’ll potentially roll over (lean) more in corners. And you’ll be losing contact patch. It depends on so many different factors but to really take advantage of them, you’re going to want to run at least 2.5 degrees or more of negative camber. For a normal performance tire that would probably be too much. But for Proxes you can go further and there’s a sweet spot where the ideal balance is reached. And it makes little sense to drive a road car around on the street, over bumps and ruts and potholes and speed bumps, stopping at traffic lights, waiting for people parallel parking, etc., with a suspension set up to take advantage of the performance edge which tires like that can POTENTIALLY give you. OK, some people do. I guess I'm just too old to go through that myself anymore.
5) Yes they have treads. Yes you can get by if you tiptoe on damp asphalt. But if it starts to pour hard rain unexpectedly you better park the damn thing and quickly. Especially if it’s ‘chilly’. Maybe you've had a different experience. But if you get caught out in a rain storm it can be pretty dangerous. If it happens at the track you can usually make it back to the pits before it's truly wet enough to be a problem. On the road, miles from home, well... Again, if you're smart about it and aware of the conditions, it's fine. It's just a point to consider.
6) The compound these tires are made with is very sensitive. It’s not has prickly as a Nitto or Hoosier but it’s still affected by extreme conditions. Even if you’re smart and dismount the tires during the cold months, assuming you live somewhere where it freezes during the winter, make sure you bring the tires inside and store them in your basement rather than the garage. Because prolonged exposure to below freezing temperatures means they’re done. You're never going to get the same grip out of them again. Maintaining r-compounds is frankly, a PITA. It's like taking care of a baby. But one with mutant super powers.
I could go on and on here. But the point is, the more grip and performance a tire has, the narrower it’s performance operating window will be. And the more compromises it will suffer. Let’s put it this way. If you take a “cold” set of Proxes and a set of g-Force Rivals on the same car and just go out there and do a 80-0 braking test, and a skidpad test, I’m guessing the Rival will out perform or at least equal the R888. Dial in appropriate suspension settings (camber, toe, dampening, rebound, etc) and get the R888 up to temperature, to the point that the compound feels like gooey, sticky mush and it’s NO comparison. It’s stopping power, grip, handling balance will be superior. But it's real advantage is the ability to run CONSISTENTLY hard, mile after mile, where the Rivals will start to fall off and shred after 15-20 minutes. And those are advantages you just won’t see unless you’re on a closed circuit AND pushing really hard. So yes, for your track runs, the R888 would be better. For weekend blasts, probably not.
Your comments about the cost difference is certainly an eye opener. I never would have imagined such a price difference but it's a fair (and unfortunate) point that prices vary widely depending on sizes. And I can understand, money is money. But in principle it shouldn't really factor into it. Mile for mile, the BFG Rivals will or at least should last a LOT longer than the Proxes. Or at least let's say, they'll maintain their level of performance longer. So in a sense, that should negate the cost difference.
- 4,605
- United States
- carracerptp
- 4,763
- Houston, TX
Here in California where it never rains I was pretty much able to daily drive on the R888s. I only have a 30 mile commute though. Didn't really have any major problems in the rain, but it's safe to avoid large puddles of course.
I still want some 15s and Rivals though...
I still want some 15s and Rivals though...
Obelisk
Premium
- 9,826
- United States
- RMedia_Obelisk
All this talk of sport tires and I'm sitting here with a set of General Altimax RT43 all-season tires.
- 4,763
- Houston, TX
I put Dunlop DZ102s on my Lexus. Cheaper than some of the high end all-seasons even.
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