A few people have mentioned that they use competition tires on the street because of the improved handling and feel. How long would a set of these last? 5K miles? More? Less?

Curious,
Tanq

 

Mileage is not the real worry, heat cycles are.

Competition tires are generally not designed to endure nearly as many heat cycles as street tires are. So if used for daily driving they can harden long before the usable tread has worn out.

 

I'd say they would only last around 2 months. I'm not sure if heat cycling would be an issue for street driving since the tires would probably never go up to operating temps which is around 180deg.

 

So we are talking 2-3K miles for a set of tires? And I am guessing that I would have to replace all four tires every time, instead of just replacing the rears frequently.

It looks expensive to run this way.
Tanq

 

It's probably not worth the money. Besides, I think that the S02's are incredibly sticky for being street tires. It's probably why they wear so fast.

 

should be lots of fun when you get caught in the rain.

 

Tanqueray,

Some R tires will last longer and work better on the street than others...
The R tires i prefer for the street are Toyo RA1s. I will typicaly get 3 to 4 track days out of them plus 8 - 10K miles. They are much stickier that SO2s for 85% of there life but will start to get less gripy for the last 15% or so (but still fun). I've tried Yoko AO32Rs and got maybe 4K miles out of them and 2 to 3 track days. I dont recommend them for the street. I am currently running a set of Khumo Victoracers and after their first track day they have no tread left, unlike the RA1s, not recommended for street.

The tread on the RA1s will last longer than any other r tire i have tried, but the tread will wear out before the tire is toast. So you'll need to be comfortable driving around on slicks for a couple thousand miles. But Ohh what a fun couple thousand miles it will be

 

Dave,

good info!

How would you compare the RA1s vs. the OEM SO-2s vs. the SO-3s for dry grip, wet grip, and treadwear?

Thanks,

Ted

 

Dave,

What do the Toyos run? I sent an email to the place that several people said sold them online, but haven't gotten a response back...cheaper that S02s?

Tanq

 

Tanqueray, Treadepot.com has RA1's. The 205/55 is $159, the 245/45 is $169. These prices are a bit high and I typicaly get mine through americas tire. $750 mounted and balanced. You'll need to haggle with them a bit to get that price but they will do it.

Tedster, I've never driven SO-3s but everything i have heard and seen would indicate less dry grip than OEM SO-2s. Though for your location i'm sure thier improved wet grip is a big plus. When new the RA1s actually do very well in the rain, comparable to the OEM SO-2s. But, as mentioned before you'll wear the tread out eventually and still have usefull life left in the tire.