I'm trying to decide what tires to put on my car next. Right now i have yoko' avs 100's, before that i had P-S03's. I was thinking about the ECSTA Supra 712's, but are they any good?? I wouldn't mind an r compound tire, as long as the price was reasonable. The problem is i don't know what tires are R compounds and which ones arn't.... Also, my tires are 255/35 18's, and 225/40/18's. Any info would be appreciated. Thnx,

Brandon

 

The ECSTA Supra 712s are not an R compound tire. They are okay for the price, but a lot of people hate them and are willing to pay more for better tires.

The Kumho Victoracer V700s are R compound, and so are the ECSTA V700s. I don't know about 18" sizes though.

 

Anyone else... 18'' r compound tires...

 

I have 712s on my 18s and to be honest, they are okay for the street but not as good as the SO2s. However, for the price they are acceptable....80% of the performance for about 50% of the SO2 $$$.

Read through this review by Triple-H...

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/showthread.php?...threadid=119477

 

There are several R-compound tires that are DOT legal, including the following models; Michelin Pilot Sport Cup, Kumho Victoracer V-700, Kumho Ecsta V-700, Yokohama A032R, and Pirelli P-zero Corsa. Hoosier also makes a DOT legal R compound tire, but since it lacks steel belts, it is a very poor choice for a street-driven car. Toyo R-1s are also popular tires, but they aren't listed in the Tire Rack website.

A quick search at the Tire Rack website reveals that you can get a matched set of tires with the Pirelli P-zero corsa. It is the only listed tire that will fit on your rear, while the Pirellis, Kumhos and Michelins are available for the front.

Before you buy them, make sure that R compounds are what you want on your street-driven car. They have exceptional grip, especially when warmed up, but have a very short tread life, abysmal hydroplaning resistance and generally cost more than true street compatible tires. That's why I have two sets of wheels, SO2s for the street and Kumhos for the track.

 

I get the feeling you don't understand what "R compound" means. For the most part, they are only street legal for a couple hundred miles. They also don't work well in the rain, and they will give a very rough ride. They are also so sticky that they will pick up road debris, and throw it at the bottom and sides of your car.

I have 2 sets of wheels (1 for street, and 1 for competition). I use Kumho 712's on the street, and I think they are fine. It is definitely true that they don't perform like the OEM S-02s, but I don't really see that as a bad thing. They are very predictable and controllable at the limit, and they do much better in the rain.

 

Hoosiers may only be street legal for a couple hundred miles, but some people have gotten thousands of miles out of Victoracers, and even more out of A032Rs.

 

I'm sure some people could get thousands of miles out of Victoracers, but I don't think they would be LEGAL (minimum tread depth), especially if driven primarily on city streets for 1000 spirited miles. I have no experience with A032Rs.

 

The Victoracers start with 6/32 tread depth which will allow it to stay legal for some time. Whether that's a good idea in the rain is another issue.

 

Interesting discussion! I have a couple of questions.

I already have a second set of OEM wheels for the track but don't really want to get into trailering them to track events (not keen on buying and pulling a trailer). I currently have a pretty worn set of S-02s on these track wheels right now, and also a set of excellent S-02s on OEM wheels for regular street use.

I change over the wheels in my garage before going to the track, which is a one-way drive of from 50 to 150 miles depending upon the track. Right now I am using the worn S-02s at the track to keep the wear off my excellent street S-02s. Soon the worn S-02s will be too far gone, and then I would like to replace them with moderate R-Compound tires like the Victoracers. I believe that I can get away with driving back and forth to the track with such tires mounted on the car -- Is this reasonable?

Also, what size Victoracers are best for OEM wheels on a stock MY 2002 with a stock sway bar? Will I ultimately be forced to use a stiffer sway bar? Should I stray from my stock alignment? I would like to keep it as simple as possible.

My track time is mostly Autocross, with a few DE events at road racing courses mixed in.

Thanks for any helpful advice!

Kind Regards, Chris