R comps

[MrSparkle]

Hey guys need some street legal R comps for my dads lotus 7 replica.

We can run either 195/60r14's or 205/50r15's


Where is a good place to go get some prices?

Im hearing good things about the kumho range of KU36's. Any other suggestions/opinions etc???

Understand they dont last more than 4-5000 km's but the car is for track days and hill climbs and stuff mostly and the occasional sunday drive.

Perhaps a really good quality street tyre is a better option??

Thanks in advance for the help

[mitchy]

Federal 595RS?

[MrSparkle]

Federal 595RS?


I just googled those and they are in the same basket as the ku36's so ill get a price on those too.

Thanks

[Lump]

try kerry wade at bridgestone welshpool for rcomps & go for the 205 x 15's.
dont bother with 'street tires'

[ChrisGTR]

If you do a bit of a search you will find that most people go for the Kumho KU36s for a good street and occasional track setup without breaking the bank. I run these and although i'm not 100% happy with them on the track, for the price you pay for a set it's well worth the money.
For a more track orientated setup have a look into the Toyo R888 or Bridgestone RE55. These offer excellent grip on the track whilst still remaining street legal. I wil be going the R888s for my next set of tyres as i'm getting into more track work and only use my car on weekends. They are not cheap though. :(

[MrSparkle]

405atw , cheers mate ill get onto him in the morning.


HecticGTR , Thanks for the extra info mate. We had pretty much decided that we didnt want to go all out on a race only tyre so this might be a good compromise.

[mitchy]

without having used either... i've heard of a few people disliking the KU36's, whilst i've never heard a bad thing about 595RS'

[SEXUAL TYRANNOSAURUS]

without having used either... i've heard of a few people disliking the KU36's, whilst i've never heard a bad thing about 595RS'

is that you dufus??

[mitchy]

lol! eat a dick. :p

[RK 86 WA]

ku36 is hardly a r comp and neither are the federals.

for a light car you want something that can get heat in easily.

my recommendations are toyo r888 (bayswater tyres) or a yoko a050 (wheels world) or a dunlop dz03 (i think exelys tires and brakes sell those)

they are also in order of price and quality imho although the latter can be arguable.

it also depends on what type of use they are going to see.

[MrSparkle]

Yeah i see what you mean.

I should point out that we are on a budget here and $350 a tyre just isnt going to happen, at this stage anyway. The track events the car is involved in are all part of the sports car builders club so its hardly competitive racing. But having said that we want a decent set of tyres. I have no experience with track work other than drag racing so any and all info you guys can give me is appreciated.

This car is street legal and since its only been on the road a short time it will spend plenty of km's on the road as well as the racetrack (weather permitting).

[Lump]

last time i spoke to kerry he said that he can supply/fit good used rcomps so ask him about that if you're on a tight budget.

also ive run rcomps on the road & plenty of kays is not an issue- on the track is where the real wear happens.
cheers

[RK 86 WA]

^ exactly, a lot of people are under the impression that r comps will melt away under daily driving.

granted that they are still going to wear faster than a road tire, its not as quick as you would assume.

also note that there are different compounds for the same tire, i.e a soft and a medium a050 is available for sale.

if you are going to be stuck on a budget, dont hesitate to jump on car forums and look for second hand semis.

judging by the tire sizes that you require, go to manufacturer forums where cars are likely to run similar sizes i.e maxda forums (look for used mx5 tires), honda forums (used eg,ek,dc tires) and many possible others.

Also remember that if you go an uncommon tire size, you will be getting shafted hard.

if you are going to be buying brand new and dont want to break the bank, look at the more common sizes i.e 195 50 r15 rather than a 205 50 r15 (sorry not sure of what the equivalent 14 inch rim size is) as they are generally readily available and cheaper due to popularity.

To be totally honest (although i may be talking shit as i havent had much experience in those sizes) a new set of 195 50 r15 r888 shouldnt be as exy as 350 a corner?

Phone around, and dont be shy trying over east and factoring over shipping, it could very well potentially be much cheaper.

Another alternative that i forgot to mention above, (ive seen a few people in exiges/mx5's run them) are the kumho ventus v700.

Tires that are going to see any track life, are possibly the most important factor ( in my opinion ) not to skimp out on.

Also remember that once you have chosen a tire and are going to track it, regardless of if its for a couple of club events etc. you want to get your sussy dialed in to suit otherwise you wont be getting the full benefits of the tire and it is also likely that you will cause excessive premature wear.

sorry about the long morning rant btw haha, but good luck and let us know how you go

[dattoman]

For a low weight car I've run Yoko 032's and 048's in the past
Never had any real issues with them
RA1's are used on alot of Westfields on sprint days too
Talk to Shane at Wheels World
He used to be at Exleys
He'll get you what you need
Nice guy despite driving a hairdressers car on track days

[RK 86 WA]

^ agreed, shane is a top bloke.

haha hair dressers car with a bit of a suprise under the hood :)

[Lonewolf]

Things to remember
a) you might not want to go too sticky, or you'll go fast but lose some of the fun...
b) being a light car it will not be as hard on tires as a heavier car, so you get longer out of a set
c) yes go see Shane, he's a champ.

[MrSparkle]

Ok bit of an update

Went to a few local places first havent been to wheels world but i think ill call him up after this.

Going to stick with the 14s because the wheels we have fit the car better and they are cheaper to buy tyres for.

195/60r14 re55 $295

195/60r14 ao48 $265 (Looks like this will be the go for our car.)

The prices for the 15s went like this

re55:

195/50r15 $310
205/50r15 $330

a048

205/50r15 $330


Thanks for all the extra info and ill update with more info when i get it.

[RK 86 WA]

both those tires can be arguable 'circuit tires' i.e a harder compound which has a specific heat capacity suited to continual heat cycles. this means that they will require warming up but on the other hand will last longer, rather than say a 'sprint' semi which is would be in simple terms, the opposite.

This also means that the optimal grip will come within a certain temp range, and if you arent reaching that temp range until mid way through a run, than there is no point lol.

To be honest I would HIGHLY recommend the r888 as the best entry level semi, just based on how user friendly they are to drive on, price and availability.

One more thing just be wary if you are entering sprint events, (when i say sprint events i mean, hill climbs/motorkhanas/etc etc) with 55s or 48s as you dont get a warm up lap and a friends evo running re55s and a pretty agressive warm up lap, still requires the best of one lap to heat them up to temp on barbagellos.

[bjohnson]

I just got a price from Taleb Tyres over east.
$300 shipped for a 205/40/17 R888 (Australian retail is $450).

Might be worth an ask to see what they can supply your sizes for..

[Lonewolf]

I would also look at Toyo R1R's
WHen I had them on the pulsar they were the closest thing i've used to a semislick, without the heat cycle downsides.

[MrSparkle]

If i was looking for a tyre that was still an R comp and not effected by heat cycles what would i be looking for?


So something that sticks straight off the bat for a hillclimb event or a timed carpark circuit thing.

[RK 86 WA]

a050 no questions.

or an r888 pending how much money you have lol.

[Brockas]

A050 apparently heat up really quick. Have a set I'll be trying out (at some stage).

R888's are quite good, last a long time, but don't have the same grip levels as RE55's IMO.

[MrSparkle]

Ok so i need some advise again. I ordered and paid for a set of re55 sr2's about two weeks ago and due to some communication break down it turns out that the tyres are not in supply and im looking at another two weeks wait minimum. However i have been told that they can get a set of a048's in the start of next week.

Should i just wait for the re55's? or are the a048s just as good? Price difference in almost non existant and since ive paid for the more expensive ones already it doesnt really matter either way now.

Thanks again guys

[Lonewolf]

Re55 have been proven to be quicker around wanneroo

[Tocchi]

have a look here too.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/types/comp.jsp

few differnet types, no R888s or RE55s though

[JME]

Wait for the 55's

[j3rk]

On the topic of R-Comps, since running them on the street is not advisable (heat cycles and what not(?)) what do most people do in terms of fitting / re-fitting for track days? Multiple sets of rims or is there a tyre change machine at barbs and just do the changing there?

[RK 86 WA]

Best bet is to buy multiple sets of rims. the problem does emerge however when you are heading out of perth to a race event and your car physically cannot fit 4 rims with tires inside. For something like that just go with a mate who has a bigger car or get it trailered down I guess.

I dont think there is anywhere (trackwise) that will have facilities to swap tires onto rims.

[Lonewolf]

yeah you'll need a 2nd set of rims to make life much easier.
Depending on the tyre, some arent so bad with heat cycles, but the softer/faster/more expensive stuff its not a good idea.