I replaced my S02s with Toyo RA-1 competition (R compound) tires last week. I'm running 225/50 in the front and 245/45 in the rear. They cost $590 plus shipping at treadepot.com.

Note that the tread width of the front relative to the rear is different than stock, with the fronts being relatively wider. This setup should increase oversteer / decrease understeer. I have been experiencing understeer at the track with the original setup.

These tires are not recommended for street use because they have such short tread life. However, they are cheaper and I only got 8000 miles out of the S02s, so it will actually be cheaper to run these tires if I can get 6500 miles out of them (I spend a lot of time at the track). I have not experienced any other problems yet using these tires on the street. They are almost as quiet as the S02s. I can hear some whine on some surfaces, but you almost have to concentrate on it to hear it. The ride doesn't seem to be any harsher that normal, either. I can't tell much of a difference in feel. If anything, they are just slightly less responsive than the S02s, which I think this is due to the fact that they are very wide for the stock wheel width. I have not tried them in the rain, but I don't anticipate they will be any worse than the S02s. They have relatively deep groves compared to other competition tires and they have performed well for other types of cars on the track in the rain. I realize I am supposed to get another set of wheels and swap the competition tires for street tires every time I go to the track / autocross, but frankly I'm too lazy and I think these will work fine for daily use. Also, I want to get the best performance possible on the street.

As far as performance, they definitely seem stickier. I ran my first autocross yesterday and they seemed much more grippy than I remember the original tires being. I did not have a problem with oversteer and I was able to drift all wheels. I won't have a chance to run them at the track for 2 weeks. I'm hoping I can do some sort of scientific comparison to see if they really have much more grip. I was thinking of running my car and a car with OEM tires on a skidpad and see which one looses grip first. The other option would be to use a G-Tech, but I don't have one.

 

Dave,

Thanks for the post bud. Sorry I wasn't able to make the auto-x, I was up really late friday night (5:30 am).

Do you think "R" compounds will be more effective drag racing tires than the stock S02's?

 

The auto-x was a blast. They definately looked like they were gripping. I noticed that your car seem to hold it's ground better than the other S2000's, and well... my S2000 was just all over the place Hopefully when the times get posted, we can do a quick comparison on overall times on the Toyo's vs the S02's.... oh and the guy that was running the S03's in the rear. It should be interesting to see the comparison. Of course it is not a true test (based on driver skill's).

Dale

 

The RA1'1 definately has more grip than the stock S02's, i wonder how much miles will they last on the street.?? The other alternative is the Yoko 032R which is suppose to last longer than the RA1's. I think this is a better tire for both street/track..

 

Thanks for taking the time to report your tire experience. I was in two conversations today about R compound tires and the Toyo did not come up although I have wondered about them.

Not a bad price. I think I paid about the same for the Yoko A032R

 

Nice report Dave. Except for the heat, everything was fun. Look forward to finding that skidpad we talked about.

The best line from the day:

Dave: "I suck but the tires are awesome!!" (Sorry Dave, had to share this with the group.)

Mark

 

At least I was able to get across the finish line without any cones still attached to my car!

"A day at the autocross: $25;
New racing helmet: $250;
Having to walk back to the officials to return the cone you dragged all the way back to the grid: Priceless."

 

So...who had the best time?

 

I'm bone stock. I know everyone is reporting oversteer. I don't know if I'm crazy or what, but I definitely had a problem with understeer the last time I was at TWS. I could not get the car to drift at all because the front wheels would plow and had to get off the trottle. How is it possible for the same car at the same track to show understeer for me but oversteer for everyone else?

[QUOTE]Originally posted by cdelena
[B]One of the things I disliked about the Toyo

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by BB AP1
[B]The RA1'1 definately has more grip than the stock S02's, i wonder how much miles will they last on the street.??