yeah they suck.....
btw what size are you using for the rears?

 

Yes I did notice, and I think that the 16" OEM rims with shaved Toyo RA-1 tires are an excellent inexpensive and relatively durable choice for fun on the track. It'll cost about $1300-1400 for everything, but that's a lot cheaper than the 17" solution.

 

Stock sizes.
Rear: 245/40-17
Front: 215/45-17

 

AVS ES100?? What were you thinking man?!? I put those on the wife's bimmer sedan only because they were cheap!!

You should get Volk CE28N 17" rims if you're looking for track specific wheels. Everyone needs to be a pioneer. Volk wheels and shaved RA-1s == the shit. Experimenting is only going to cost you time, money and humiliation.

We've been down this road sooooo many times yet everyone wants to be different. There is NO street tire that will hold up to use on the track. PSC's suck. Kuhmo's overheat, Hoosiers are expensive and wear fast. RA-1's are the only R-compound that offers performance and durability.

 

Oh I'm with you on the duality thing. But Potenzas are the shit for weekend fun and street. Fantastic tire. Got a little gummy after a few laps, but for the most part, the Potenza's ... fantastic performance tire.

The Extra Slipperies will work fine for the daily driving. I'm buying some track wheels and wrapping them with Toyo RA1s. That's really the best way to go anyway.

ahhite!

 

That IS the right answer! BTW you can drive RA-1s to the track and back no problem. They do great on the freeway (assuming of course it's dry). Since in cali we track in the desert it almost always is here.

Get them shaved or else!!

 

To me this is not true, mine have work fine at full tread, just a little shake coming from very high speed ( from 135 mph) with very hard braking (to 55 mph). With both my wife and I driving, they where shaved down to 6/32 after the first weekend.

 

I have heard many opinions about shaving, and not shaving.

I have the Yokohama ES for daily driving. I actually have grown to like the smoother ride and rather appreciate the deep rain gutters as it is monsoon season here in the Phoenix valley.

I was advised to shave the Toyo RA-1s to 6/32 for track use by other HPDE drivers. Me, I want to go with full tread and let the tread wear out, (after rotating properly... of course), and learn the break points of the new tires. However, I've been told that under track usage, the RA1s unshaved have nasty break characteristics.

Word?
CB

 

Oh,
And I did fail to mention above that I will be acquiring separate track wheels; earlier model rims strapped with RA1s.
This way, I figure that the street rubber, the new ES100s, should last almost three years while the track rubber might last a couple of seasons. I only do about 6 events per year, but I sure look forward to them. Tons of fun, and it isn't racing per-se, as much as it is learning how to make my stook go faster and learning the skills to stay faster.
I believe that the two-most signifigant upgrades to my stook were the H&R coils and the Euro alignment. MAN!, my ride stuck like glue in the corners during the last HPDE! WOW! And the car did not escape/break out in the turns like it used to. It did slide, but the car "talked" to me a lot more and let me know when it was about to escape and I was able to correct much better.
I can hardly wait for our AZ season to start and have the new wheels and RA1s!!!

Happy Driving,

CB

 

"However, I've been told that under track usage, the RA1s unshaved have nasty break characteristics."

I just don't completely agree with that, yes they do have a shimmy/shake during hard brakeing at full tread, but I don't think it is unsafe.

Many would not run full tread, but I do, because my wife and I can wear out a set of shaved (4/32) tire in a little over 2 weekends. That's just too costly for me. My full tread RA-1's have been to 3 track events and I still have 4/32 left.