TRACKDAY : Tyres (for 18" wheels)

[Dr. FrankenRex]

Hey All,

Asking for a bit of advice here... I've had a bit of a search and can't find any specific track day tyre discussion anywhere - please point me in the right direction if it exists and I'm being an idiot).

I've looked at the obvious choices in the 'not horrific' budget which are:

- Federal RS-R
- Nankang NS2-R
- Yoko AD08R
- DMAC - various

I can't seem to find a definitive experience of any of them in an RX8, but do note that a lot of the people I've spotted on the forum run Federals - is there a reason for this or is it just because they're the most cost effective?

Answers/ thoughts on a postcard please - and if anyone has any recommendations that I've not considered then please let me know!

Dan

[V8 Power]

Federal RS-R here
Very good in dry and once warmed up. I would say about 95% of the performance of Toyo R888.
Progessive control and where quite well. OK for road use.
Not brilliant in the wet but still as good as a cheaper normal road tyre.

[Dr. FrankenRex]

Thanks V8, very useful.

I'll be keeping the R3 alloys for day-to-day road use and to and from the track, so I'm not fussed about what they're like on the road really.

This is potentially a very daft question - but what is the difference like on track between the RS-Rs and decent road tyres?

[Eddie_r32]

I have 595rsr's and think they are great, I used to always use ad08r's but buffet was not there for them. They are great, they are more than good enough for my ability and the car. I am running 245/35/18 and 255/35/18.

[mrspiller]

I have 595rsr's and think they are great, I used to always use ad08r's but buffet was not there for them. They are great, they are more than good enough for my ability and the car. I am running 245/35/18 and 255/35/18.

Sorry to butt in here - Eddie , how do you find the 255 on standard rims ? I've just bought 4 888,s but look huge compared to the 245
Thanks
Wayne


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[Dr. FrankenRex]

Can't speak for track tyres, but I'm running 255s on 8J rims and they fit, but they do extend beyond the edge of the wheel.

[StreetDragster]

I have used the ns2rs and I now run yokohama neovas.

Both very good tyres, loved the ns2rs but I wanted the stock profile so went to the neovas which are also very good

Matt

[V8 Power]

Thanks V8, very useful.

I'll be keeping the R3 alloys for day-to-day road use and to and from the track, so I'm not fussed about what they're like on the road really.

This is potentially a very daft question - but what is the difference like on track between the RS-Rs and decent road tyres?

World of difference.
I would say 25% more grip and the ability to do 2 or 3 times the amount of hot laps until you need to cool them down.

[Eddie_r32]

I have 595rsr's and think they are great, I used to always use ad08r's but buffet was not there for them. They are great, they are more than good enough for my ability and the car. I am running 245/35/18 and 255/35/18.

Sorry to butt in here - Eddie , how do you find the 255 on standard rims ? I've just bought 4 888,s but look huge compared to the 245
Thanks
Wayne


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I'm running volks on my car so 9 and 10j wheels

[mrspiller]

I have 595rsr's and think they are great, I used to always use ad08r's but buffet was not there for them. They are great, they are more than good enough for my ability and the car. I am running 245/35/18 and 255/35/18.

Sorry to butt in here - Eddie , how do you find the 255 on standard rims ? I've just bought 4 888,s but look huge compared to the 245
Thanks
Wayne


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I'm running volks on my car so 9 and 10j wheels

Please enlighten me which ones your using ?? I need a spare set and you could well make my day
Cheers - Wayne


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[Dr. FrankenRex]

It says Volk Racing Challenges in his sig

[Eddie_r32]

It says Volk Racing Challenges in his sig

Yup the most underrated wheel ever!

[SeriousSam]

To add to the above, is there anyone running 255s on standard 18" rims? I believe they will fit the rim, although I can't be bothered to dig up the spreadsheet that proves it, but how does the wheel and tyre combo fit inside the rear arches? I've got a set of tyres currently for sale that I may keep if the standard wheels will allow them to fit without scrubbing, and I only need to know about the rears. I may have to just give it a shot, because I'm also lowered on Eibach springs, so if I get back from the AGM with enough shredded tyres I may just give it a shot.

Back on topic, I was considering a set of Nankang's new AR-1 tyres, until I found out that my local tyre shop can't get them yet. Once I've burnt through my current 'track' tyres (part worn road tyres with melted bits all over them) then I'm looking at some Nankang track rubber, mostly because it's well reviewed and I can get it cheaply from my local reliable tyre centre.

[Dr. FrankenRex]

With regards to the 255 questions Sam, I'm running 255/35R19s on the standard R3 rims. I *believe* that this is the same physical size as the 18s running 255/40R18s.

Bashed them in a calculator to confirm this:

Untitled.png (14.63 KiB) Viewed 3976 times

Happy for you to have a gander as I'm at Rockingham on Saturday.

[SeriousSam]

I might well do, and that calculator shows quite an interesting result. I wish I knew what the full wheel specs for the R3 rims is - I could really use knowing the width and offset of the rims themselves. I've got a set of Ultralite 18" wheels that will look the business once they're refurbed, but they sit flush to the arches. Looks the business on standard tyres, but load the car up on the 255s and you get some nasty grating noises, pretty much all of the time. I did a 4-mile journey like that and decided I'd probably best try a different tyre size with those rims!

[Dr. FrankenRex]

Hmm... Yeah, probably not best!

AFAIK the R3 rims are 19x8J ET50, but would need to check the actual wheel to confirm this. As I said, I'm about on Saturday, so come poke me and have a look. I've been running 255s for quite some time with no issues, track days, country lane blasts, motorways and all points in between with no rubbing or anything.

With regards to the actual topic, I'm still undecided between the RS-Rs and the NS2-Rs... I can't afford the AZ-1s sadly.

[SeriousSam]

I'll definitely come and have a nose on the day, I'll have my standard rims with me so it should be easy enough to see where the two sit relative to each other. Could even go for a test fit, I'll be bringing my impact wrench so swapping wheels is a breeze.

[Dr. FrankenRex]

Fine by me

[warpc0il]

255 shouldn't be a clearance issue on the standard S1 rims, unless you're also running 20mm spacers.

Will They Fit?

[warpc0il]

Going back to the OP question, I'd be talking to Nick the Mazda On Tracks tyre guy, as they have so much experience with track tyres on the 8.

They provide track-side support at many locations and can match tyres to your budget, driving style/capability and the setup of the car.

[SeriousSam]

Won't Nick also be at the AGM? MoT are certainly running the sprint event jobbie, and Nick tends to take the tyre truck to quite a few track days.

[mrspiller]

It says Volk Racing Challenges in his sig

Yup the most underrated wheel ever!

My bad - I never seen that , only volk ...


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[Ainmhidh]

Hmm... Yeah, probably not best!

AFAIK the R3 rims are 19x8J ET50, but would need to check the actual wheel to confirm this. As I said, I'm about on Saturday, so come poke me and have a look. I've been running 255s for quite some time with no issues, track days, country lane blasts, motorways and all points in between with no rubbing or anything.

With regards to the actual topic, I'm still undecided between the RS-Rs and the NS2-Rs... I can't afford the AZ-1s sadly.

Having just replaced the front rubber and had the wheels off again at the weekend to do the brakes I can tell you the 19" R3 rims are stamped ET47 so pretty close.
The manual and tech specs say they are 8J although the guy at the fitting station measured them with his big plastic calipers and proclaimed them to be 8.5 - Not entirely confidence inspiring but at least I'd supplied both the rims and the rubber so I know they're okay, and they asked what pressure I wanted them doing rahter than the usual garage guesswork!

[mrspiller]

It says Volk Racing Challenges in his sig

Yup the most underrated wheel ever!

I've had a good look at the volk wheels today but can't seem to find a uk outlet- where did you get yours ?
I lust admit I initially thought you meant VAG wheels


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[ChrisHolmes]

I run 245/35x18 with 20mm spacers and Meister coil overs with no rubbing.