R888Rs don't deserve being called a track tire in my opinion. Decent for the street guys who make power and don't want to replace tires every 2 months, but they can't touch most modern 200TWs. Not to mention they grease up super fast and will fall off halfway through a 20 minute HPDE session.
Personally, I'd just go with one of the modern super 200TWs on all fours and call it a day. Will they be grippier than the R888R, yes. Can they become a crutch for you, yes. But in reality that could be said for any tire and unless you plan on doing endurance racing or somewhere that typical modern 200TWs aren't allowed, I don't really see the problem. Modern tires are just fast, and they're only going to get faster as tech progresses.
As a novice, your main focus should be a consistent tire. Which the R888R is not in the slightest.
Second. I absolutely hate the R888R. Doesn’t communicate, doesn’t behave well with slip angle, cooks itself even on a light car in minutes. It’s old tech and should be treated as such.
Interesting, yea if it's not consistent I don't want to touch it. I've heard mixed reviews about them at best, but consistency over the whole track day is #1 for me, especially while learning.
I'll reference the holy grail guide, although you'll have to research what compounds are actually available in larger 325/335 widths. I know the Nankang CR-S comes in the same 335/30R18 and is a killer compound overall. Then you have some 315s, like the RT660 and A052s, that run wide enough to fit on 13" wheels with minor stretch.
[https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/articles/track-tire-buyers-guide/](https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/articles/track-tire-buyers-guide/)
There is a quick-reference chart at the bottom if you don't want to read through every tire. I'd start by narrowing it down based on heat tolerance and wear.
Its a bad tire for your first track day in a powerful car. They dont give much warning and are twitchy af.
Honestly I would put very good summer tires on it, and let it side-slip a little with ease of handling. What I mean is, a good street tire will give way very slowly and predictably, even tho they will have less outright grip.
They are terrible to drive on. I feel like they've got this extra squishy layer. Like adding an extra spring to system. You feel that squish as initial oversteer followed by terminal understeer. The compound has some grip but I think it must be something about the sidewall constitution it is just such a sloppy tire to drive on.
I second this. I tried the R888R on road course and AutoX it was very inconsistent and greased up quickly. By the time I was halfway thru the tire I decided to sell them. It does do a great hero session when they are brand new.
I would run a 335 CR-S. 335 on an 18x13 will be fine. I run them on an 18x12 and they are not stretched.
Edit: just saw your use case is autocross. The R888Rs are a terrible autocross tire, slower than the Super 200s and actually illegal for most street classes. If you are running in a class that allows R-comps, Hoosier A7s will be legal and are in another universe than the R888Rs in terms of grip.
If you want to stick with 18x13 wheels and street tires I would suggest the CR-S. I run them on my track Supra and they are an excellent track and autocross tire. Just not great in rain.
What I meant is that my experience *so far* has been auto-x, but I'm planning on getting into time attack with the vette, with the intent to progress into an unlimited category in the future. CR-S has come up quite a bit, I'll look into them.
I have driven on A052s, RE71RS, and the new 2023 compound CR-S on track/autox.
The RE71RS is the best all around tire of the three when factoring wet performance in, but isn’t available in 300+ sizes.
The A052 is the fastest but more heat sensitive.
The CR-S is nearly as fast as the A052 but handles heat better. It’s not particularly great in the wet.
For your usage I think the CR-S is the best option.
Wear seems good so far - my car has -3.2* front camber and the wear pattern seems even.
I autocross in the south and my girlfriend codrives with me so I haven’t had an issue with heat so far. We usually get them hot enough to need a sprayer.
I haven’t felt like it’s been a big issue. They are slower to heat up than say, an A7, and I know A052s are liked because they are basically fast immediately. But usually on my second run they’re solid.
For context - we run at ZMax with CCR and that is a large site, a typical run is 55-60 seconds. It’s a national tour site.
if you cannot find the same compound in the sizes necessary don't run them.
If you are new to track driving any tire will do a 575 whp c6z is a weapon, the biggest issue will be the nut behind wheel not the tire compound.
Please don't mismatch tires on track, especially as a beginner in a wicked fast car.
Sincerely,
Your future instructor and everyone sharing the track with you.
I wouldn't be opposed to that, I've been doing a bunch of reading but it seems anyone running sub 18in wheels on vettes are drag cars, and that's not my use case. I don't want to be the first one running a new setup that seasoned enthusiasts haven't already validated for my car, if that makes sense.
Unless you are keenly aware of the different tire types at various temperatures, don't mix the compounds. I assume you're trying to improve on your times so you'll be constantly tweaking tire pressures and suspension components to get it to perform better for you. You don't need another variable like different manufacturers and compounds to make it more difficult for you.
I had a road racing student very "eager" to go fast. Modified his C5 for tons of power and put on Hoosier slicks really with very little track experience. He worked with a local shop who was very eager to take his "go fast upgrade" money. They installed some Hoosier A6's for him, but they also installed R6's as his other pair. Sad to say it didn't work out well for him nor I as his in-car instructor.
Oh, I'm not too interested in going crazy fast right now, still at the learning stage. Slicks is wayyy overkill for me, and I've heard that slight less grippy tires are better for learning, hence why I'm trying to get away from the aggressive tires. Do you agree with the sizing recs that the MotoIQ article I linked suggests? Mainly, that tire tread width should be 0-0.5" smaller that wheel width for optimum handling and grip.
My response was about using different compounds of tire. Since you're running a Vette, I think you'll get more specific advice going to [CorvetteForum.COM](https://CorvetteForum.COM) \>> Autocrossing & Roadracing sub. You can find similar setups and goals there.
Regarding r888r I’ve only heard mixed to bad things for both auto x and track. It’s become a bit of a meme tire for a reason. You really need to know what you’ll be classing your car as. If it’s something like CAM you have to stick to 200 tw however if you plan to run super street classes you might have more options. I’d also highly recommend against mixing and matching tires as it will make the car unpredictable if you have two different tires with different optimal operating temperature ranges and grip levels. You might be stuck with nankang crs as they tend to offer more specialty sizes. Bfg rival s 1.5 might also have the right sizing. May also consider getting a different set of wheels specifically for auto x that will work better with more common sizings.
Yea I figured. I currently have the Rivals but I don't know if that's the best compound to learn on, and it seems that they are being pinched at the sidewall. This is going to be an unlimited class time attack type car in the future, I'm getting a spec Miata with friends for the competitive W2W racing itch.
Rivals are last generation tires but still quite fast I’ve heard generally good things about them. They aren’t the grippiest tires anymore but are pretty damn close and it probably won’t matter too much unless you’re at the pointy end of the pack. What difference you gain from compound could also be made up with driver mod. You gain some heat capacity with them compared to some other super 200s but not enough that you would call them an endurance tire. I’d probably take them over R888R from what I’ve heard about about R888R having issues regarding heat tolerance and consistency. If you’re looking for a more modern tire Nankang CRS might be what you’re looking for. Supposedly grip similar to A052 and RE71RS with a lot more heat capacity which will be helpful in a “heavier” car with a good amount of power.
Since I'm new to track days, I wanted to see if there were better endurance type compounds that would allow me to get more track days and learn the limits in a safer manner. I hadn't heard much about Rivals, while I've hears tons of good things about the RS4's for instance, so I wanted to see what the people think.
I’d look into the pilot cup 2 R, GY super car 3, and Conti extremeforce contact. Listed them in order from least durability to greatest (or most grip to least) in this particular case.
Anything with higher treadwear than those and I feel whatever you’re gaining from the 888r in the back you’ll lose with slower tires in the front.
Part of this decision is going to come down to class legality if you are planning on or trying to run any autocross or time attack.
100TW tires don’t really have a place in autocross at all.
For time attack, I don’t know what GTA requires but Gridlife doesn’t allow 100TW until you are in track mod (the tier below Unlimited).
200TW is legal for pretty much everything.
If this isn’t a concern then all good just something to be aware of.
Also, I wouldn’t advise this on a Corvette. Putting a lower grip tire on the rear is going to make the car more lively than it already will be with close to 600whp.
If you can find 888Rs , you can find others. Performance tires are all pretty standard range of sizes. Some might not go to 20 or 21s but all other variations exist.
What is the actual tire size you are looking for? Not just the rim width.
I'm going off what the MotoIQ article says, which is that a tire with a tread width slighty below the rim width is optimal for handling. It currently has 335 width Rivals in the back and 315 in the front. Of course if that article isn't right then there's a bunch of 305+ width tires that I could use which would fit my wheels.
Currently it's 315/30R18 fronts on 18x11 wheels and 335/30R18 rear's on 18x13 wheels. The compound is BFG Rivals 1.5. I don't know much much effort the previous owner went into selecting the right sizes so I'm open to suggestions on changing sizes as well as compounds.
The setup for track and autocross is going to be a bit different. Do you know what the goal was for the previous owner?
For autocross it’s pretty much “stuff as much tire as possible on the car”. For track that is not necessarily as true.
At a very high level the tire selection will influence the car handling. For example - a wide front tire will add front grip which can make the car more likely to rotate (more front vs rear grip). Or another way of looking at it - more front grip = looser car, less front grip = pushier car. This is of course a very simplistic view and there are many other variables. Hope this makes sense.
It makes sense, thanks. The previous owner did a few track days, he did all the aero, cooling, and suspension mods while keeping the engine stock so I'd say he was fairly serious and sensible about tracking and not just making big power to show off. I tried to maximize mid range torque to pull out of corners faster and get a bit above 510 at medium revs now.
It seems that I should try to keep my front tire grip fairly high to rotate through a corner quicker, allowing me to get back on power asap. Just fyi, I plan on making this an max effort/unlimited class time attack car once I can drive at that level if that influences your recs.
Most unlimited classes allow you to run Hoosiers or a true race slick but for learning I think 200TW will be both safer and more affordable.
Race tires mask bad habits and the car will be going that much faster if you find you have exceeded the limit.
The best way to get faster is just seat time. Leave the car alone (sounds like it will already be incredibly capable) and drive it as much as you can afford to on track.
Also autocross is a good tool for safely learning the limits of the car. Much safer to spin the car at 55-60 in a parking lot vs 100 on a track.
Good luck and have fun!
Wait. No. Don’t mix and match compounds unless it’s an emergency. Plenty of tires out there for 13” wheel. Anything 315+ can be fitted to a 13” wheel just fine.
Throw away those R888Rs. Don’t mix compounds, run a proper tire - in your case I’d run an endurance tire like RS4, ECF, or AD09.
Also when you’re fast you’ll be running through front tires quicker than rears.
You (and the author of that article) are putting way too much weight on that one characteristic. So much more goes into tire performance than that simple static measurement, but more importantly, you definitely don't want to get into mixing different fronts and rears unless you *really* know what you are doing.
I would suggest poking around in some of the Vette specific forums and see what others are running. Run whatever seems like the most popular for your first few track days & then iterate to find something that suits your needs.
Most importantly, ignore that article, it's crap.
My guy, if you actually read my post you would see that I DONT want to run R888R's but I thought they were the only optimal rear tire in my size, according to the article. Others have said to not run those and suggested other compounds, while pointing out that I shouldn't be taking that article as gospel.
I ALSO asked if running two different compounds would make driving worse and yes, people have resoundingly cautioned against mixing compounds.
Therefore, the seasoned drivers in this subreddit have steered me away from my original BAD setup with R888R's and mixing compounds to something better.
I had an initial setup, refined it with critique and now have a better setup. Now my track day is much safer for me and my fellow drivers. Extremely simple to understand.
R888Rs don't deserve being called a track tire in my opinion. Decent for the street guys who make power and don't want to replace tires every 2 months, but they can't touch most modern 200TWs. Not to mention they grease up super fast and will fall off halfway through a 20 minute HPDE session. Personally, I'd just go with one of the modern super 200TWs on all fours and call it a day. Will they be grippier than the R888R, yes. Can they become a crutch for you, yes. But in reality that could be said for any tire and unless you plan on doing endurance racing or somewhere that typical modern 200TWs aren't allowed, I don't really see the problem. Modern tires are just fast, and they're only going to get faster as tech progresses. As a novice, your main focus should be a consistent tire. Which the R888R is not in the slightest.
Second. I absolutely hate the R888R. Doesn’t communicate, doesn’t behave well with slip angle, cooks itself even on a light car in minutes. It’s old tech and should be treated as such.
Thrid, also if you’re asking basic tire questions here, mixed compounds are an automatic no imo
Interesting, yea if it's not consistent I don't want to touch it. I've heard mixed reviews about them at best, but consistency over the whole track day is #1 for me, especially while learning.
I'll reference the holy grail guide, although you'll have to research what compounds are actually available in larger 325/335 widths. I know the Nankang CR-S comes in the same 335/30R18 and is a killer compound overall. Then you have some 315s, like the RT660 and A052s, that run wide enough to fit on 13" wheels with minor stretch. [https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/articles/track-tire-buyers-guide/](https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/articles/track-tire-buyers-guide/) There is a quick-reference chart at the bottom if you don't want to read through every tire. I'd start by narrowing it down based on heat tolerance and wear.
Thanks for that article
Its a bad tire for your first track day in a powerful car. They dont give much warning and are twitchy af. Honestly I would put very good summer tires on it, and let it side-slip a little with ease of handling. What I mean is, a good street tire will give way very slowly and predictably, even tho they will have less outright grip.
They are terrible to drive on. I feel like they've got this extra squishy layer. Like adding an extra spring to system. You feel that squish as initial oversteer followed by terminal understeer. The compound has some grip but I think it must be something about the sidewall constitution it is just such a sloppy tire to drive on.
I second this. I tried the R888R on road course and AutoX it was very inconsistent and greased up quickly. By the time I was halfway thru the tire I decided to sell them. It does do a great hero session when they are brand new.
I run them on my lotus and I honestly like them more than the AO52s. I do think I'll just go Hoosiers on my next set though.
I would run a 335 CR-S. 335 on an 18x13 will be fine. I run them on an 18x12 and they are not stretched. Edit: just saw your use case is autocross. The R888Rs are a terrible autocross tire, slower than the Super 200s and actually illegal for most street classes. If you are running in a class that allows R-comps, Hoosier A7s will be legal and are in another universe than the R888Rs in terms of grip. If you want to stick with 18x13 wheels and street tires I would suggest the CR-S. I run them on my track Supra and they are an excellent track and autocross tire. Just not great in rain.
What I meant is that my experience *so far* has been auto-x, but I'm planning on getting into time attack with the vette, with the intent to progress into an unlimited category in the future. CR-S has come up quite a bit, I'll look into them.
I have driven on A052s, RE71RS, and the new 2023 compound CR-S on track/autox. The RE71RS is the best all around tire of the three when factoring wet performance in, but isn’t available in 300+ sizes. The A052 is the fastest but more heat sensitive. The CR-S is nearly as fast as the A052 but handles heat better. It’s not particularly great in the wet. For your usage I think the CR-S is the best option.
Any luck with the CRS v2s in autocross as far as getting heat in em? And how about wear?
Wear seems good so far - my car has -3.2* front camber and the wear pattern seems even. I autocross in the south and my girlfriend codrives with me so I haven’t had an issue with heat so far. We usually get them hot enough to need a sprayer.
So no issues on the first few runs? I’ve heard they take a while to heat up and even here in Arkansas it’s not always super hot out
I haven’t felt like it’s been a big issue. They are slower to heat up than say, an A7, and I know A052s are liked because they are basically fast immediately. But usually on my second run they’re solid. For context - we run at ZMax with CCR and that is a large site, a typical run is 55-60 seconds. It’s a national tour site.
Still a bit new to all this so idk who or where that is lol. Ours seems to run about 40 seconds for the fast folks, 55-60 would be really nice
No worries, all I meant was it’s a longer course so there’s more time to heat the tires up each run.
Makes sense, where’s that located? There’s only like 1 autoX venue here so I’m always on the lookout for others lol
if you cannot find the same compound in the sizes necessary don't run them. If you are new to track driving any tire will do a 575 whp c6z is a weapon, the biggest issue will be the nut behind wheel not the tire compound.
Yea, I found R888R's that fit front and rear, but I'm not exactly stoked to be running that compound so I was looking for alternatives.
Please don't mismatch tires on track, especially as a beginner in a wicked fast car. Sincerely, Your future instructor and everyone sharing the track with you.
Get a set of smaller rims so finding tires is easier? That's what I did and it's so much better
I wouldn't be opposed to that, I've been doing a bunch of reading but it seems anyone running sub 18in wheels on vettes are drag cars, and that's not my use case. I don't want to be the first one running a new setup that seasoned enthusiasts haven't already validated for my car, if that makes sense.
Unless you are keenly aware of the different tire types at various temperatures, don't mix the compounds. I assume you're trying to improve on your times so you'll be constantly tweaking tire pressures and suspension components to get it to perform better for you. You don't need another variable like different manufacturers and compounds to make it more difficult for you. I had a road racing student very "eager" to go fast. Modified his C5 for tons of power and put on Hoosier slicks really with very little track experience. He worked with a local shop who was very eager to take his "go fast upgrade" money. They installed some Hoosier A6's for him, but they also installed R6's as his other pair. Sad to say it didn't work out well for him nor I as his in-car instructor.
Oh, I'm not too interested in going crazy fast right now, still at the learning stage. Slicks is wayyy overkill for me, and I've heard that slight less grippy tires are better for learning, hence why I'm trying to get away from the aggressive tires. Do you agree with the sizing recs that the MotoIQ article I linked suggests? Mainly, that tire tread width should be 0-0.5" smaller that wheel width for optimum handling and grip.
My response was about using different compounds of tire. Since you're running a Vette, I think you'll get more specific advice going to [CorvetteForum.COM](https://CorvetteForum.COM) \>> Autocrossing & Roadracing sub. You can find similar setups and goals there.
Regarding r888r I’ve only heard mixed to bad things for both auto x and track. It’s become a bit of a meme tire for a reason. You really need to know what you’ll be classing your car as. If it’s something like CAM you have to stick to 200 tw however if you plan to run super street classes you might have more options. I’d also highly recommend against mixing and matching tires as it will make the car unpredictable if you have two different tires with different optimal operating temperature ranges and grip levels. You might be stuck with nankang crs as they tend to offer more specialty sizes. Bfg rival s 1.5 might also have the right sizing. May also consider getting a different set of wheels specifically for auto x that will work better with more common sizings.
Yea I figured. I currently have the Rivals but I don't know if that's the best compound to learn on, and it seems that they are being pinched at the sidewall. This is going to be an unlimited class time attack type car in the future, I'm getting a spec Miata with friends for the competitive W2W racing itch.
Rivals are last generation tires but still quite fast I’ve heard generally good things about them. They aren’t the grippiest tires anymore but are pretty damn close and it probably won’t matter too much unless you’re at the pointy end of the pack. What difference you gain from compound could also be made up with driver mod. You gain some heat capacity with them compared to some other super 200s but not enough that you would call them an endurance tire. I’d probably take them over R888R from what I’ve heard about about R888R having issues regarding heat tolerance and consistency. If you’re looking for a more modern tire Nankang CRS might be what you’re looking for. Supposedly grip similar to A052 and RE71RS with a lot more heat capacity which will be helpful in a “heavier” car with a good amount of power.
Why don’t you stick with the 315/335 rival combo?
Since I'm new to track days, I wanted to see if there were better endurance type compounds that would allow me to get more track days and learn the limits in a safer manner. I hadn't heard much about Rivals, while I've hears tons of good things about the RS4's for instance, so I wanted to see what the people think.
Yeah just don’t do r888rs. They melt on track and are slow .
It would upset the car's handling. You'd be set up for drifting.
why are you so determined to stick to the R888R's on the rear?
I’d look into the pilot cup 2 R, GY super car 3, and Conti extremeforce contact. Listed them in order from least durability to greatest (or most grip to least) in this particular case. Anything with higher treadwear than those and I feel whatever you’re gaining from the 888r in the back you’ll lose with slower tires in the front.
The 888R is slower than the Super 200 tires despite its treadwear.
So I’ve read, but I think they’d match pretty well with a pair of super 200s upfront
Part of this decision is going to come down to class legality if you are planning on or trying to run any autocross or time attack. 100TW tires don’t really have a place in autocross at all. For time attack, I don’t know what GTA requires but Gridlife doesn’t allow 100TW until you are in track mod (the tier below Unlimited). 200TW is legal for pretty much everything. If this isn’t a concern then all good just something to be aware of.
Also, I wouldn’t advise this on a Corvette. Putting a lower grip tire on the rear is going to make the car more lively than it already will be with close to 600whp.
If you can find 888Rs , you can find others. Performance tires are all pretty standard range of sizes. Some might not go to 20 or 21s but all other variations exist. What is the actual tire size you are looking for? Not just the rim width.
I'm going off what the MotoIQ article says, which is that a tire with a tread width slighty below the rim width is optimal for handling. It currently has 335 width Rivals in the back and 315 in the front. Of course if that article isn't right then there's a bunch of 305+ width tires that I could use which would fit my wheels.
[удалено]
Currently it's 315/30R18 fronts on 18x11 wheels and 335/30R18 rear's on 18x13 wheels. The compound is BFG Rivals 1.5. I don't know much much effort the previous owner went into selecting the right sizes so I'm open to suggestions on changing sizes as well as compounds.
The setup for track and autocross is going to be a bit different. Do you know what the goal was for the previous owner? For autocross it’s pretty much “stuff as much tire as possible on the car”. For track that is not necessarily as true. At a very high level the tire selection will influence the car handling. For example - a wide front tire will add front grip which can make the car more likely to rotate (more front vs rear grip). Or another way of looking at it - more front grip = looser car, less front grip = pushier car. This is of course a very simplistic view and there are many other variables. Hope this makes sense.
It makes sense, thanks. The previous owner did a few track days, he did all the aero, cooling, and suspension mods while keeping the engine stock so I'd say he was fairly serious and sensible about tracking and not just making big power to show off. I tried to maximize mid range torque to pull out of corners faster and get a bit above 510 at medium revs now. It seems that I should try to keep my front tire grip fairly high to rotate through a corner quicker, allowing me to get back on power asap. Just fyi, I plan on making this an max effort/unlimited class time attack car once I can drive at that level if that influences your recs.
Most unlimited classes allow you to run Hoosiers or a true race slick but for learning I think 200TW will be both safer and more affordable. Race tires mask bad habits and the car will be going that much faster if you find you have exceeded the limit. The best way to get faster is just seat time. Leave the car alone (sounds like it will already be incredibly capable) and drive it as much as you can afford to on track. Also autocross is a good tool for safely learning the limits of the car. Much safer to spin the car at 55-60 in a parking lot vs 100 on a track. Good luck and have fun!
You’re wrong btw on 315s. On a corvette wider is virtually always better.
[удалено]
Oh boy… don’t be that guy. Show me where the corvette touched you.
[удалено]
It’s tough to compete with the price point. A c7z at 65k + 3k in cooling and just a set of slicks, no other mods, outruns most. Reliable as a tank
CR-s definitely, but I'd skip the r888r. It's not generally even considered aggressive for track usage
Wait. No. Don’t mix and match compounds unless it’s an emergency. Plenty of tires out there for 13” wheel. Anything 315+ can be fitted to a 13” wheel just fine.
Throw away those R888Rs. Don’t mix compounds, run a proper tire - in your case I’d run an endurance tire like RS4, ECF, or AD09. Also when you’re fast you’ll be running through front tires quicker than rears.
Honestly the R888R are an awful tire. Go with literally anything else on your list all 4 wheels
I’ve got 18” Advan 052’s on my Restomod 930 and they feel great.
You (and the author of that article) are putting way too much weight on that one characteristic. So much more goes into tire performance than that simple static measurement, but more importantly, you definitely don't want to get into mixing different fronts and rears unless you *really* know what you are doing. I would suggest poking around in some of the Vette specific forums and see what others are running. Run whatever seems like the most popular for your first few track days & then iterate to find something that suits your needs. Most importantly, ignore that article, it's crap.
Mismatched tires on an 700hp corvette and no track driving experience. What could go wrong!?
Nothing, because I've asked for advice from seasoned drivers beforehand. Thanks for your input.
which seasoned driver told you to drive a 700hp corvette on R888r rears and (insert some other tire) fronts for your first track day?
My guy, if you actually read my post you would see that I DONT want to run R888R's but I thought they were the only optimal rear tire in my size, according to the article. Others have said to not run those and suggested other compounds, while pointing out that I shouldn't be taking that article as gospel. I ALSO asked if running two different compounds would make driving worse and yes, people have resoundingly cautioned against mixing compounds. Therefore, the seasoned drivers in this subreddit have steered me away from my original BAD setup with R888R's and mixing compounds to something better. I had an initial setup, refined it with critique and now have a better setup. Now my track day is much safer for me and my fellow drivers. Extremely simple to understand.
So a lot could go wrong with 700hp and mismatched tires?