Toyo Proxes R888 vs Proxes RA1 experiences?

[Littleguy]

I'm wondering if anyone has experience with both of these tires? I am going to be needing a new set soon and was thinking about the RA1's. I've been running the R888's currently and they have performed way better than the Faulken Azenis that I ran before. I have researched on Tire Rack, but I am coming up short on what exactly the differences are between the R888 and the RA1 and why I would pick one over the other. The tires will be used mostly on the street.

[Cordell]

I have used the R888s before and thought they were great until I heat cycled them too many times. The RA1s don't come in many sizes.

[POS VETT]

I don't have a personal experience with them to say one is better than the other. All I know is RA1 is a very old line, R888 is a lot newer. RA1 was unpopular when I started autoxing.

[Smokey]

I'd think that either one would be a bit loud and annoying on the street. You need the 888 to put down that big LS power?

 

For street work I'd look at something like RE71-R as a sticky option but still having it behave with more street manners.

 

For track tires the 888s stick well but heat cycle out where the older RA-1s were good all the way to the cords. The RA-1s had a better tread profile for rain but the new R888 tread profile is supposed to be better in the rain as well.

[Draco-REX]

Toyo just came out with the R888R. From what few reviews I've seen so far, the new tire has more grip and is supposed to improve upon the shortcomings of the R888. It also seems to come in some hard to find sizes too.

[Littleguy]

Thanks for the help guys, I think I can knock out the RA1 from contention. I have been reading so much the last couple of days and I am leaning towards just doing the R888 again but I am curious about something more streatable like the RE71-R.

 

I'd think that either one would be a bit loud and annoying on the street. You need the 888 to put down that big LS power?

 

For street work I'd look at something like RE71-R as a sticky option but still having it behave with more street manners.

 

For track tires the 888s stick well but heat cycle out where the older RA-1s were good all the way to the cords. The RA-1s had a better tread profile for rain but the new R888 tread profile is supposed to be better in the rain as well.

 

So much right in your post. Yes, I want to be able to put the power down and actually get some grip in second gear. The noise doesn't really bother me just because my car is already loud and annoying, lol.

 

One issue I have ran into with my tires is that I think I am at the place where the tires have heat cycle'd out before the tread, but this was my first set of r compounds and I don't think I broke them in properly from the beginning (this time I would just use the Tire Rack heat cycling service to make sure they do it correctly). My default is to stick with an R compound for grip but I would love a regular summer tire that could put down the power.

[Littleguy]

Toyo just came out with the R888R. From what few reviews I've seen so far, the new tire has more grip and is supposed to improve upon the shortcomings of the R888. It also seems to come in some hard to find sizes too.

 

Unfortunately I run kind of a strange rear tire size, 275/40-17, and these don't come in it so my choices are a little limited.

[Cordell]

275-40-17 is fairly common. Have you considered like a Nitto NT05? Certainly not as sticky but a good tire, or their NT01 (R comp). Personally I could see why you'd go back with the R888

[BStowers023]

If you aren't worried about how long they'll last and more for performance, I'd just go with Mickey Thompson ET Streets...

[Littleguy]

275-40-17 is fairly common. Have you considered like a Nitto NT05? Certainly not as sticky but a good tire, or their NT01 (R comp). Personally I could see why you'd go back with the R888

 

Thanks for the suggestions, after reading a ton I think you may be right about just doing the R888's again. They seem like they will be more streetable than the NT01's from what I have read. Hopefully having Tire Rack properly heat cycle them for me before I put them on will help.

 

If you aren't worried about how long they'll last and more for performance, I'd just go with Mickey Thompson ET Streets...

 

I wish, but I am a lowly LS1 and these may disturb all of my Starbucks runs. Eventually I do need to buck up and get an extra set of wheels and run something like these.

 

 

Thanks a ton for the help guys!

[Robochan]

Im so confused with the what youre trying to achive with these tires.

[Littleguy]

I really just want the most traction I can get with streetability (is this even a word?). Some things are more important than others, wet traction is more important than how quickly it wears or noise, for example. I am pretty sure that I will see less track time than a lot of you guys with more experience.

[Robochan]

Are you drag racing, roll racing, autoX, track days? Which tire has been your favorite so far and why?

 

R888 and NT01 are going to be terrible in the rain.

The R888 seems to be terrible at everything except roll racing and some autoX. Its major perk is its size availability.

The NT01 is a terrible street tire.

RA1 is awesome in the rain full tread and very sticky.

All these tires will last less than 10k miles and heat cycle out way before that. Buying a set of R comps for the street seems like crazy pills to me.

 

I would recommend a 200tw tire such as a RE71R, RS3, Z2 star spec, NT05, Maxxis, etc. They will be very very similar on the street traction wise imo and last a wee bit longer but wont heat cycle out.

[Littleguy]

Mostly roll racing and the occasional track day, I've only used the Faulken Azenis and the R888's, but like the R888 much more.

 

Thanks! Now I have a ton more reading to do.

[BStowers023]

Nitto NT555R's are good for 40 rolls as long as it's not super cold out and you're not making ridiculous power. Mickey Thompson also makes a more streetable version similar to their ET Streets you could look into. I can't remember the name though

[Cordell]

If by track day you mean quarter mile, NT05R or the Mickey ET Street SS. (Mickey doesn't make the old ET Street anymore) If not drag racing then I stand by my above suggestions.

[greg1647545532]

All these tires will last less than 10k miles and heat cycle out way before that. Buying a set of R comps for the street seems like crazy pills to me.

 

So much this. The "200" tw tire range has improved so much that I'm considering not wasting time with baby r-comps anymore.

 

Fun story, last spring I decided to be a lazy fuck and not swap out my wheels between days 1 and 2 at mid-ohio. No rain and daytime temps were in the 60s so I didn't think anything of it. Well, early morning driving to the track, temp was around 40, my NT01s were hard as rock and the ass end came around on the 270 - 71N ramp. Point being that even a summer car might accidentally see temperatures that r-comps just weren't designed to operate in.

[Littleguy]

If by track day you mean quarter mile, NT05R or the Mickey ET Street SS. (Mickey doesn't make the old ET Street anymore) If not drag racing then I stand by my above suggestions.

 

The car has never seen a 1/4 mile and probably never will. This way I can just pull out the calculator in a parking lot and assume it would be faster than other people's cars, hahaha. Track days for this car means going to the road course at MSR Houston or another local track 2 - 3 times per year, and the roll racing is nothing serious, just farting around with Corvette and Supra guys mostly while we are cruising around Houston. And yes, I think I am going to go with the R888's again, this time having tire rack do the break in heat cycling.

 

I know winter is starting in Ohio so I won't rub it in that we almost never see temps below 40 here in Houston and half the winters we never even get an overnight low below freezing.

[greg1647545532]

I know winter is starting in Ohio so I won't rub it in that we almost never see temps below 40 here in Houston and half the winters we never even get an overnight low below freezing.

 

:mad:

[ImUrOBGYN]

The car has never seen a 1/4 mile and probably never will. This way I can just pull out the calculator in a parking lot and assume it would be faster than other people's cars, hahaha. Track days for this car means going to the road course at MSR Houston or another local track 2 - 3 times per year, and the roll racing is nothing serious, just farting around with Corvette and Supra guys mostly while we are cruising around Houston. And yes, I think I am going to go with the R888's again, this time having tire rack do the break in heat cycling.

 

I know winter is starting in Ohio so I won't rub it in that we almost never see temps below 40 here in Houston and half the winters we never even get an overnight low below freezing.

Really? Going with the same tire? Why don't you get a tire that will at least let you keep up with the Vibe on the twisties without having to have that 1% chance perfect weather condition you'll need otherwise? Remember "...any given day..."? :burn:

Or, you know, to at least keep you from sliding off the road when the redneck in front of you empties out his spit cup.

[Littleguy]

Really? Going with the same tire? Why don't you get a tire that will at least let you keep up with the Vibe on the twisties without having to have that 1% chance perfect weather condition you'll need otherwise? Remember "...any given day..."? :burn:

Or, you know, to at least keep you from sliding off the road when the redneck in front of you empties out his spit cup.

 

Hahahahaha, once I stopped having an awd turbo car I realized that the "any given day" argument sucks, hahahaha.

[Smokey]

Came across this article comparing the NT-01 to the RE71 and shows that the new sticky street tires have just as much grip as the "lower" end r-comps (NT-01, RA1, R888).

 

http://www.prima-racing.com/bridgestones-new-re-71r-the-new-street-tire-track-day-king-part-two/

 

I haven't driven on the RE71 but I'd have to think it has better road manners than a R888.

[Miller]

Wish I could tell you. I have ra1 waiting to mount on the porsche and buying R888 in the spring for the viper

[Littleguy]

Thanks for the link, I would say I learned more about tire differences, and settings during use researching tires this time than I knew before. That being said I went ahead and ordered the R888's heat cycled by tire rack, now that I will have them setup better (been messing with / researching tire pressure) they should be better than ever.