Posted: November 05 2003 at 8:40am | IP Logged

I've been wanting to try R compounds for a while now, but am unsure which r compound will be the easiest to make the transition with? A032R, kumho ecsta v700, toyo ra1 or the michelin pilot sport cup.

Lastly, considering that it's slated to rain on friday, is there a tire out of the above that does really well in the wet, and will be a decent dry weather tire?

Posted: November 05 2003 at 8:51am | IP Logged

Either A032R's or Ecsta V700's at at least 4/32 tread depth would be good choices. The A032R's aren't as sticky as the Kumhos, but they last a lot longer, and end up being cheaper in the end (despite being more expensive per set). Either has plenty of tread for the rain if you don't shave them too much. The A032R would probably be better in the rain since the tread has more "void area" to channel water through. The A032R would be an easier tire to move to as a first R-compound, though the Kumhos aren't out of the question. the A032R is more consistant in grip level, while the Kumhos get really sticky, then fall off and get greasy after several laps.

I would say try the A032R first, overall

Posted: November 05 2003 at 8:59am | IP Logged

There's no question that the kumhos are a couple of seconds faster than A032R's, and I'd say the A's are a couple of seconds faster than street tires. The reason I suggest the A's is that:

1) They're consistant, so you have time to get used to the increased grip levels and work on your driving. With the Kumhos you'll have 3-4 laps to do that, then they'll get slippery and you'll have to deal with it. Not ideal for getting used to R-compounds I'd say

2) The A's will last a *lot* longer than the Kumhos. A lot longer.

3) They should be better in the wet.

It's all up to you. The Kumhos do make a lot of noise when cornering, which is good as you have some idea where the limit is. If I remember correctly, the A's don't make nearly as much noise. OTOH, the Kumhos make a lot of noise when they still have a good deal of grip left, so they basically "warn you off" too early

It's a tough decision, but either tire will work well for you.

Posted: November 05 2003 at 9:17am | IP Logged

I guess I'll try the A032R's 1st as the one thing everyone agrees on is that they last a long time, and are good in  the wet (beneficial this friday). What pressures do /did you usually run ? I've been hearing that a032r's like ~ 30-32psi HOT, so that would be ~ 25-26 psi COLD. My car weighs 3000lbs., any tips?

ps: the ultima gtr gets my vote, but the gt40 is real purdy.

Posted: November 05 2003 at 9:23am | IP Logged

That's roughly right. You'll gain less heat in the tires in the wet, so I'd start more like 28psi and just see where the pressures end up after a session. I think you'll want 32-33psi hot, 30 would be too low imho, but then again I ran them on the RX-7, so it's been a while.

You'll really like them on the track. They're a big step up from street tires, they are "chunk proof" and they can take a lot of heat and they last a long long time. They're basically the perfect track tire aside from they being uncompetitive with kumho's / hoosiers.

Posted: November 05 2003 at 9:28am | IP Logged

Sounds good. Since DE's aren't "racing" I think I'll put my ego aside and just focus on getting used to R compounds (that and the whole "driving" thing). Ultimatly , I'd like to move to hoosiers, but I'm a long way off from needing those, I think. At any rate, thanks for the input, and see you on friday.

Oh, and when you say uncompetative w/ the kumho and hooiser, you mean the victoracer kumho, right?

Posted: January 27 2004 at 11:36am | IP Logged

While I know it's to late for hubert, I still think it should be noted that the RA-1's would have probably been a better choice in this scenario.

The reason being is the compound, even at full tread is not prone to breaking down under abuse. It's steady at all tread depts.  So for a rain tire, you can get the RA-1's at full depth and if it doesn't rain, you still have a tire that you (while you'll still eat away the tread quickly at full depth) you won't destroy the compound.

Some say the RA-1s dont' need to be heat cycled, true or false it's just a statement to the consistency of the compound. (I still always cycle mine) and the life expectancy for an R is exellent. But as always you trade life expectancy for max grip. Just thought it was usefull info to post.

Posted: January 28 2004 at 11:45am | IP Logged

Kumhos do lose grip after a few track days, and RA1's don't, so I totally agree with that. Problem with RA's is they're not available in very many of the bigger sizes, so I can't use them.

As to A032R's, I think they're a really great choice for a first R compound, as they last a very very long time, and they're not "too sticky". They offer a more gradual progression into R's than the RA's are (and a good value, due to their life).