R compound tires on OEM wheels

[GOT TOYS]

Does anyone run R compound tires on '91 OEM wheels ? if so what kind of tire, and the size? Now a little background i'm doing my 3rd HPDE event 2nd at VIR. My car has Comptech lowering springs, a little worried about clearance on a track with elevation changes. I have Volk RE30 with Dunlop z1 17-18. DC headers and Cantral Concepts exaust, stock callipars with Hawk HP+ pads drilled and slotted rotors. Also wondering if current tire setup is good for my driving experience, or would a R tire pay some benifits? Thanks Guys

 

[TURBO2GO]

You are an at HPDE to learn. I don't know what R compounds would do to help one learn any faster.

 

[jtower]

the chin folks run (or used to run) r-comps on 15/16 oem wheels quite successfully. if you can get them in the right sizes toyo ra1/888 or nitto nt01 would be good choices for a second set of track wheels, they won't make you a better driver but it'll save your street tires. as long as the rolling diameter is the same as what you have now the track elevation change won't be an issue (you didn't bottom out at cmp right?)

which event will you be doing at vir?

 

[GOT TOYS]

the chin folks run (or used to run) r-comps on 15/16 oem wheels quite successfully. if you can get them in the right sizes toyo ra1/888 or nitto nt01 would be good choices for a second set of track wheels, they won't make you a better driver but it'll save your street tires. as long as the rolling diameter is the same as what you have now the track elevation change won't be an issue (you didn't bottom out at cmp right?)

which event will you be doing at vir?

i'll be at September 9-11 THSSC event. No problem at CMP. I think it was 7 and 18a ( the bottom of the hill) had some tire rub in Aplil but 7 will not be a problem in September. If I can get my Wife to let me buy a trialer I'll be camping too. lol

 

[nsxtasy]

I think 3 events is too soon to be switching to R compound tires. I'd wait until at least 10-12 events.

I always ran the '91 stock size R compounds, on the '91 OEM wheels. There are several advantages to those sizes (205/50-15 and 225/50-16). One, there are a lot of R compound tires available in those sizes. Two, they're relatively inexpensive. Three, you can fit the set of track tires inside the car and drive to the track on your street tires.

 

[Track Addict]

I will voice the popular opinion that three events is too few to "need" R compounds. There is a lot more to be learned when you've reached the limit of adhesion, drive track in the rain when you get a chance. Typically there are less cars attending rain events and you'll learn a TON more about "limit" driving at slower/safer speeds. I have a lot of fun in the rain...but I am one of the crazies on the board. :biggrin:


Edit: I track on my stock 15/16" wheels all the time...I should probably pick up a spare set now that I think about it.

 

[jtower]

no one "needs" r-comps (unless mandated by race rules), nor did the OP ever suggest it. but if you're going to get a second set of track wheels and you live in a hot climate where street tires can get overheated and greasy then there's absolutely nothing wrong with running them, beginner or not. i don't ever recommend that beginning drivers start out with Rs but neither do i get my panties in a wad if my novice student shows up with 888s mounted.

 

[RSO 34]

PM Larry Bastanza because I think he has an extra set of Toyo's that he was going to use on his 15/16 OEMs. I was actually going to take them and drop down from my 17/18 only because I can't get RA-1s at this time due to an indefinite backlog in my sizes, but I went with a set of Dunlop Direzzas instead as a compromise.

p.s. However, personally I think you are a little "green" to be using R compound tires but that was just my choice. I did 35 days on OEMs before switching to RA-1s.

 

[Honcho]

Another thing to consider is that your stock oil pan is rated at 0.8 sustained lateral g and 1.2 peak lateral g. If you show up with super sticky R-comps or slicks at the track and start throwing side loads greater than these values without a pan baffle, you might end up with an expensive and frustrating day.

I don't understand why people spend thousands of dollars on tires, suspension, FI, etc, but never seem to have the budget for things like track instruction or safety items like a harness, fire extinguisher, or SFI fire suit. I say save your money on the R-comps and spend it on a good track day with a certified instructor. I bet you will pick up more time than with the tires, and have more fun too.

 

[jtower]

Another thing to consider is that your stock oil pan is rated at 0.8 sustained lateral g and 1.2 peak lateral g. If you show up with super sticky R-comps or slicks at the track and start throwing side loads greater than these values without a pan baffle, you might end up with an expensive and frustrating day.

I don't understand why people spend thousands of dollars on tires, suspension, FI, etc, but never seem to have the budget for things like track instruction or safety items like a harness, fire extinguisher, or SFI fire suit. I say save your money on the R-comps and spend it on a good track day with a certified instructor. I bet you will pick up more time than with the tires, and have more fun too.

if he's running with thscc he will have an instructor, and installing harnesses and/or race seats in a street car is both expensive and non-trivial. however i will say this - if you show up with a nsx on r-comps and still drive slow you're opening the door to large amounts of taunting

 

[NSXDreamer2]

I'm with Jtower in terms of saving cost of running R comp tires. I too, were on Kumho Mx and stock suspension in my first year tracking which I had about 8 events that summer.

you can't appreciate more of the benefit of fitting all 4 tires in a car as nsxtasy suggests, while you could do that by removing the seat(depends on how wide your street tire/wheels are, it's extremely tight), it's not an option if you need instructions.

However, I have to say the Dunlop Z1 is already some sort of cheating street tires(they are only 2 seconds off my NT01 set up, and my R tire set up is 20mm wider in front and 30mm in back), and the fact that these tires warm up quite fast, chasing right pressure could be tricky for novice, as well.

If I can have people helping me transporting tires easily, and I could find a good deal, it's not really that bad of an idea of running R comp tires. You might even accelerate your learning curve by going back and forth your setups...:wink:

BTW, I do have some RA1 mounted on oem 15/16 that I can let go for particularly nothing. So if you interested, and if you have means of get cheap shipping, PM me.