best wet/dry tyres for new series.

[LeeBarton]

Has anyone been fortunate enough to do back to back track testing of the various tyres available for the 750M/C Roadsports series, which are basically, lists 1A and 1B of the MSA Blue Book permitted tyres?????

I am preparing a MK1 MR2 for the series (class C with 140bhp/ton) and am seeking the best tyre, both in the dry and the wet. For dry only, Toyo R888's would be favourite, but they are lethal in the wet (I can personally vouch for that following a huge off at Brands in heavy rain, sustaining 3 broken ribs and huge concussion). Cost has to be considered and Toyo R1R's or T1R's seem to be good value. Michelin Sports and Yoko Advan 048's too, but there are a huge range to chose from.

Any feedback would be most gratefully received.

Lee Barton

[kaiowas]

I've found R888s surprisingly competent on a track which is just 'wet' and they are commonly used as a wet tyre in series that allow slicks.

We sprint so our requirements are slightly different (we want a tyre to heat up ASAP and don't really have to worry about overheating them) but at Snetterton this year (our only wet round) I tried to start the day on a proper wet tyre (Goodyear Hydragrips) and was miles off the pace, stuck the R888s back on and it was much better.

If it's wet enough for standing water however it's a totally different matter and you'll probably want a proper treaded tyre of some kind.

Oh and you might get more replies if you have this moved to the motorsport/trackday forum

[tonigmr2]

I've raced in the MR2 Championship (also 750mc) on R888s and have also found them to be a lot better than I expected in the wet!!

I personally would go with them over T1Rs which are much inferior in terms of grip IMHO (I have these currently on my MK2 MR2).

[cartledge_uk]

There are much better tyres out there than the R888's but it depends on your budget.

Avon ACB10's were so good in the sprinting world regs were changed to ban them although the yoko A048 and A032 are also faster than the R888

And for wet tyres, AVON CR28 sports are a very competent wet tyre.

[AdamP]

The Avon ZZR would appear to be the current 1B top choice for speed events in the softest compound (A24). Not sure about the other compounds, but I'd give them a try over R888s.

[aw11rally]

I wouldn't even put T1-Rs on a road car anymore. I always thought they were good in the dry and ok in the wet until I had a set of them on the front of my 190e and put a set of Hankook something or other (standard road tyre) on the back.

The Hankooks out performed the T1-Rs by such a margin that it turned the merc from a competent and chuckable drifter when wet into an understeery monster.

Well worth a look at rain/wet biased road tyres from the major manufacturers.

Toyo R888s always used to be a sensible choice because they were cheap and easy to get although performance is only average, they are no longer cheap so not even worth considering in my opinion. Yoko and Avon seem to get much better write-ups.

[synXero]

I wouldn't even put T1-Rs on a road car anymore. I always thought they were good in the dry and ok in the wet until I had a set of them on the front of my 190e and put a set of Hankook something or other (standard road tyre) on the back.

The Hankooks out performed the T1-Rs by such a margin that it turned the merc from a competent and chuckable drifter when wet into an understeery monster.

Well worth a look at rain/wet biased road tyres from the major manufacturers.

Toyo R888s always used to be a sensible choice because they were cheap and easy to get although performance is only average, they are no longer cheap so not even worth considering in my opinion. Yoko and Avon seem to get much better write-ups.

Betting it was V12 Evo Hankooks.

I accidentally ended up with 225 T1R on the rear and 205 Evos on the front on my old 2 (16x7, 16x8). It was the best set up I've ever had. The grip from those Hankooks combined with the mediocrity of the T1R made the car balance so beautifully I could slide it without being afraid it would spin out, just bit back in when you needed it.

Now I'm running monster bridgestones and michelins and the overall feel isn't as good as it was then. More grip but less fun.