Toyo R888s on Enkei RP-F1s
11-13-2007, 08:17 PM
#1
Toyo R888s on Enkei RP-F1s
I purchased a set of Toyo R888s on Enkei RP-F1s for track days about 2 months ago and wanted to post some pictures and thoughts on them for the group. Beautiful tires on the track -- they make the Bridgestone S-03 Pole Positions I run between track days seem like all-season tires. Sticky as snot, give plenty of warning when they are going to let go, and are very controllable at the limit (though much of this is due to the excellent weight balance and suspension on the car).
I have the Mazdaspeed suspension setup (shocks/springs/bars) on the car, which lowers the car slightly. The front tires are fine, but I had some rubbing in the back when going on/off driveways, and when there are more than 2 people in the car. The rubbing is really on the sidewall and not the tread, but I ended up rolling the fenders in the rear to prevent screwing up the tires at the track and having to walk home. I'm doing the track days for fun, not SCCA/NASA, so I'm not worried about getting bumped in class for this. If you are running SCCA/NASA, you can probably get by without the rolled fenders.
Tread wear has been lower than expected. I typically go through a half of a set of "Max Performance" summer tires such as the Pole Positions on a track day, but the R888s show very little wear.
Weight was very suprising. My half-worn set of Pole Positions in 225/45-R18 on the stock rims weigh in at 46.5#. The brand-new R888s in 275/35-R18 on Enkei RP-F1s weight in LESS that this, at 45#. I figured I was going to sacrifice weight for the wider tires, but apparently the rims more than make up for the tires.
I have the Mazdaspeed suspension setup (shocks/springs/bars) on the car, which lowers the car slightly. The front tires are fine, but I had some rubbing in the back when going on/off driveways, and when there are more than 2 people in the car. The rubbing is really on the sidewall and not the tread, but I ended up rolling the fenders in the rear to prevent screwing up the tires at the track and having to walk home. I'm doing the track days for fun, not SCCA/NASA, so I'm not worried about getting bumped in class for this. If you are running SCCA/NASA, you can probably get by without the rolled fenders.
Tread wear has been lower than expected. I typically go through a half of a set of "Max Performance" summer tires such as the Pole Positions on a track day, but the R888s show very little wear.
Weight was very suprising. My half-worn set of Pole Positions in 225/45-R18 on the stock rims weigh in at 46.5#. The brand-new R888s in 275/35-R18 on Enkei RP-F1s weight in LESS that this, at 45#. I figured I was going to sacrifice weight for the wider tires, but apparently the rims more than make up for the tires.
Last edited by Joe RX-8; 11-13-2007 at 08:21 PM.
11-13-2007, 08:19 PM
#2
Comparison showing the width difference between the R888s in 275 and the Pole Positions in 225. 2 inches looks huge.
From the front and rear angle pictures, you can get an idea of how close to the edge these tires are. The rears are within a half inch of the outer edge of the fender.
From the front and rear angle pictures, you can get an idea of how close to the edge these tires are. The rears are within a half inch of the outer edge of the fender.
11-13-2007, 09:13 PM
#4
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Looks good! And, as an S-03 user, I have much higher limits to look forward to in tires like R888's.
But, 1/2 set per track day? I see nowhere near that level of wear on the Bridgestones.
But, 1/2 set per track day? I see nowhere near that level of wear on the Bridgestones.
11-14-2007, 03:00 PM
#6
Offset
Enkeis are 18x9.5 with 45 mm offset.
At a track day at Gingerman Raceway (road course) with 90-120 minutes of track time and little traffic, I burned through half of the Pole Positions. Did the same thing at Gingerman last year with the stock Potenzas. Ran up at Waterford Hills (WHRRI) with the R888s for a day (probably 60 minutes of track time with heavier traffic), but they show little wear.
At a track day at Gingerman Raceway (road course) with 90-120 minutes of track time and little traffic, I burned through half of the Pole Positions. Did the same thing at Gingerman last year with the stock Potenzas. Ran up at Waterford Hills (WHRRI) with the R888s for a day (probably 60 minutes of track time with heavier traffic), but they show little wear.
11-15-2007, 09:10 AM
#9
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I've been in a MS equipped RX-8 on the track numerous times and it caught me off guard how greatly that 1K improved the car.
11-15-2007, 05:19 PM
#10
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I purchased a set of Toyo R888s on Enkei RP-F1s for track days about 2 months ago and wanted to post some pictures and thoughts on them for the group. Beautiful tires on the track -- they make the Bridgestone S-03 Pole Positions I run between track days seem like all-season tires. Sticky as snot, give plenty of warning when they are going to let go, and are very controllable at the limit (though much of this is due to the excellent weight balance and suspension on the car).
I have the Mazdaspeed suspension setup (shocks/springs/bars) on the car, which lowers the car slightly. The front tires are fine, but I had some rubbing in the back when going on/off driveways, and when there are more than 2 people in the car. The rubbing is really on the sidewall and not the tread, but I ended up rolling the fenders in the rear to prevent screwing up the tires at the track and having to walk home. I'm doing the track days for fun, not SCCA/NASA, so I'm not worried about getting bumped in class for this. If you are running SCCA/NASA, you can probably get by without the rolled fenders.
Tread wear has been lower than expected. I typically go through a half of a set of "Max Performance" summer tires such as the Pole Positions on a track day, but the R888s show very little wear.
Weight was very suprising. My half-worn set of Pole Positions in 225/45-R18 on the stock rims weigh in at 46.5#. The brand-new R888s in 275/35-R18 on Enkei RP-F1s weight in LESS that this, at 45#. I figured I was going to sacrifice weight for the wider tires, but apparently the rims more than make up for the tires.
I have the Mazdaspeed suspension setup (shocks/springs/bars) on the car, which lowers the car slightly. The front tires are fine, but I had some rubbing in the back when going on/off driveways, and when there are more than 2 people in the car. The rubbing is really on the sidewall and not the tread, but I ended up rolling the fenders in the rear to prevent screwing up the tires at the track and having to walk home. I'm doing the track days for fun, not SCCA/NASA, so I'm not worried about getting bumped in class for this. If you are running SCCA/NASA, you can probably get by without the rolled fenders.
Tread wear has been lower than expected. I typically go through a half of a set of "Max Performance" summer tires such as the Pole Positions on a track day, but the R888s show very little wear.
Weight was very suprising. My half-worn set of Pole Positions in 225/45-R18 on the stock rims weigh in at 46.5#. The brand-new R888s in 275/35-R18 on Enkei RP-F1s weight in LESS that this, at 45#. I figured I was going to sacrifice weight for the wider tires, but apparently the rims more than make up for the tires.
11-16-2007, 11:44 AM
#11
My biggest complaint in going with something like KW or Zeal is that they do not address all three components of the suspension in a balanced manner. I've done shock-only/coilover-only/swaybar-only "upgrades" on other cars, but have never been happy with the outcome. The cars get twitchy or lose their balance at the handling limits. I don't have the money to try large combinations of parts from various vendors to find some optimal combination, so going with a "system" that someone else has already vetted (whether a corporation like Mazda, or an individual in their personal car) has always made me happier.
11-16-2007, 12:53 PM
#12
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Razz1,
What makes a good suspension? For a daily driver and track car the MS works great. I know it's not the best set up out there but I do like the fact that all the parts were meant to work together. There is no playing around with it, Mazda did their math before selling these parts. All the tinkering has already been taken care of, though for some people the tinkering around is part of the fun. For me it's not. Once you graduate from HPDE's to actual competition then I can see going for the more expensive and better setups. The OP said he tracks just for fun so for now he has a good suspension for that job.
On a side note has anyone tried the MS member brace? I was thinking of getting it or the AutoExe one. Both cost about the same, but the AutoExe requires drilling holes while the MS does not.
11-16-2007, 02:03 PM
#13
The Professor
My biggest complaint in going with something like KW or Zeal is that they do not address all three components of the suspension in a balanced manner. I've done shock-only/coilover-only/swaybar-only "upgrades" on other cars, but have never been happy with the outcome. The cars get twitchy or lose their balance at the handling limits. I don't have the money to try large combinations of parts from various vendors to find some optimal combination, so going with a "system" that someone else has already vetted (whether a corporation like Mazda, or an individual in their personal car) has always made me happier.
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