There is an incredible driver in my region named Mark S. The guy is just phenomenal to the point of making the rest of us want to give it up. I'm not exaggerating. He really is that good.

During a casual conversation one day, he recommended I try the Maxxis semi-slick tire. His reasoning was that it enjoys similar levels of grip as the Nitto NT01 tire I normally run, but lasts up to 24 track days(!) and is cheaper. I'm all about saving money on consumables, so I was sold.

The reality is a bit different. The sticker price is cheaper, but the tire shops I called all wanted to charge me full price to mount and balance this unknown tire. I normally buy my Nittos from Discount Tire, and the manager at my location always gives me some serious discounts. He could not do that on these tires, since they are not in the DT catalog. All in, I paid about the same amount as I normally do for a set of Nittos.

Grip is also a bit of a let-down. This is supposed to be a slick, right?! Looking over past data, I would put the grip level of this tire somewhere near the Potenza RE-11. Grip is OK, but not R comp level, and disappointing for a semi-slick. Comparing this tire to the RE-11R, I lost nearly 2 seconds per lap. Comparing it to the NT01, I lost more than 1 second per lap.

So, what is good about these tires? The Nittos are durable tires that last me about 12 track days if I am good to them. They have above average grip compared to most high performance summer tires. And, they power through 30 minute track sessions without falling off. RE-71s exhibit monster grip for laps 2 through 5. Then, they fall off and get extremely greasy. They only last about 7 track days if I am very careful not to over-drive them and flip them on their rims repeatedly (which isn't cheap to do). These Maxxis tires have less grip than both of the other examples, but do not fade on the track, and look as though they will last a very long time. I am 4 track days into these tires, and I cannot measure much wear at all. They truly are durable.

They also require very precise driving to get the most speed out of them, as they do not respond well to slip angle. Their operating temperature is relatively high, so it takes extra time to bring them up to temperature, which can be good or bad, depending.

Last track day, Mark S. had swapped in his RE71 loaded wheels and remarked, "Wow! These tires have sooooo much more grip!" Go figure. The thing is, Mark is such a good driver, he could kick all of our asses driving on Prius tires.

Back to Nittos for me. Maybe one day, I will finally learn to drive.

.

 

From what I've read, the RC1's are faster than the NT01 only in lower temperatures, once it gets warmer out, the NT01 is better, so Texas might not be the best place to be using them. The durability does sound good though.

Also, wow, "street" tires have sure gotten fast lately.

 

hahaha!
What have you said before.... 80% driver, 15% grip, 5% everything else? something like that
Mark S must be a very good driver!

 

Hmm interesting. I've heard good things about the RC-1s, with this being the first bad review. What tire pressures were you runing?Maybe play with the tire pressures a little bit to see how they hold up?

 

I wonder how they compare to the Hankook RS3v2.

 

I adjust tire pressures methodically and keep detailed records. I find lower pressures work better with these tires, but they still do not exhibit the grip and feel of the competition.

Did I write a bad review? I don't think I said they are bad. I just pointed out the pros and cons as I see them. I prefer the grip and drive-ability of NT01s (and Toyo R888s) on my home track in recent conditions, but the wear characteristics of the RC-1s. How does that constitute a bad review?

I have driven on those tires extensively. The Maxxis tire is in the same ballpark, depending upon the track and conditions. Obviously, the Hankook is better in wet conditions.

One thing that may benefit these tires is heat cycling. I say that, because, the first time I took them out, they made a "wool" sound when approaching the limit of grip. Hearing "woo" was fine, but as soon as I heard the "l" sound, I knew it was time to back off. Since that track day, they have sounded like most extreme performance summer tires with typical higher pitched squeal sounds. Controlled heat cycling may keep them softer longer.

 

I didn't mean bad review as in you did a horrible job with describing how the tires are. I just meant I haven't heard a bad thing about them until now. Didn't mean to offend you. If anything, I'm glad that you did the review you did. I now have my mind set on getting the NT01s

 

Thank you for the review
I was looking at these lately
Could you share some informations of you car setting as :
1) tire dimension
2) suspension and spring rate
3) alignment camber and toe
Regards

 

Yes, I have heard that these things wear like Iron with decent grip characteristics.

 

1. 255 40 17
2. Ohlins DFV 460F with Progress MX-5 front sway bar and OEM MX-5 11mm rear sway bar
3. F: -2.4 camber, 0.0 toe | R: -2.0 camber, 0.15 toe in

.

 

Since you have already discovered the truth of fast drivers being fast no matter what...
Have you considered adding a bit more toe out at the front of your car?
I'd also experiment with 0 or positive toe at the back if you only use the car on narrow autox tracks. It doesn't work well for everybody but some really find it advantageous on heavy cars driven on narrow, quick input layouts.

 

Autocross? Isn't that something like kissing your sister?

 

Good boy!

 

I have tried a little toe out in the front before. It makes turn-in quicker, but track-out suffers. Tire wear is also too much to be worth it. I have the front -camber maxed out without the addition of offset bushings.

[BTW, I edited my alignment settings above, as I had gone by memory before. I just checked the spec sheet, and I was a little off.]

As you can tell by my earlier response, I don't autocross. These tires are not a good choice for autoX anyway, as the operating temperature range is too high for such short runs. It takes 4 or more miles on a road course to bring them up to temperature.

.

 

Track wise you're a bit too conservative on the alignment but there's not much you can do if you're already maxed out.
I like some toe out at the front and a neutral to "very little" toe in alignment at the rear. Some folks prefer less camber and more toe, i'm all for a lot of camber and little toe in\out at the track instead. The only reason why I told you to try that stuff was because i thought you were autofagging.

 

I used many sets of Nitto NT01 (besides other DOT-Rs) on my FC and then switched to Maxxis RC-1 when they came out (which I have also run on my RX-8).

The RC-1 has more grip at a lower temperature (tire literature says is comes on 20deg sooner than Toyo RA compound which I believe is same as NT01).

The RC-1 has an awesome sidewall/carcass that is very precise and as you say makes peak grip at a low slip angle. I happen to love this- the NT01 by comparison are sloppy puppies.

The RC-1 has a substantial advantage acceleration traction over the NT01. Not something I ever noticed on my RX-8, but on the FC with 420rwhp/420ftlbs torque it was the deal maker at some venues.

RC-1 have a bit less peak grip cornering than NT01.

My FC was faster on RC-1 at hillclimb (like drag racing between corners), but slower on the Kart track than NT01 (cornering cornering cornering).

RC-1 were much more streetable despite looking more like slicks.
Lower noise, better cold grip, longer life.

I can see how the NT01 would be better on the track where you pretty much set and forget on the corners instead of all the quick transitions and precision driving of auto-x.

 

I have found the nitto nt01 and maxxis rc1 lap times to be very close (within about 1 second) at a 2+ minute track (VIR). The maxxis runs a little narrower, but has a stiffer sidewall. The maxxis works great in hot temperatures and wears very well and has excellent steering response and feedback. However, after a full season and many (dozens) of heat cycles, they loose some peak grip and take a very long time to warm up in cold temperatures. overall, they are a great value.


is it me, or has the price on NT01s gone up quite a bit over the last 2 years? Where are you guys getting yours?

 

I remember the 255/40-17 being around $180 and free shipping from Discount Tire Direct back when I used them 2008-2013.

Now, DTD lists 225 for $230, so yeah- something is up with DTD at least.

Google shopping search shows-

Jegs with 255/40-17 for $192 no tax, free shipping.

Amazon Prime (if you have Prime for free shipping). 255/40-17 for $193. But not all sizes available.

Then Ebay with 255/40-17 for $195 no tax, free shipping.

AmericanMuscle.com 255/40-17 for $196 no tax, free shipping.

So, prices don't seem to have gone up too much if at all on NT01, just DTD that used to have the best price by far has gone a bit crazy with the price recently.

I would be tempted to try the new Toyo R888R if I was shopping for a tire in this performance category at this time. 255/40-17 $181 but plus tax & shipping from tire rack.

I forget who had the best Toyo prices, but you can usually beat the Tire Rack by a wide margin unless they have Monopolized on a particular tire and no one else is selling it.

 

Yeah. Discount tire is now sky high on NT01s. I just google the part number and find the lowest price, which is usually within the ballpark of the RC-1.

 

hm I paid 650 for set of 4 (NT-01) at DTD around presidents day when they had bunch a rebates, also bought set of wheels as well.

like this, just have to buy them when they have sales
http://www.discounttiredirect.com/pd...ateFormDTD.pdf

also open DTD credit card, that gets you another $60 off

talk to matt (800-589-6789 ext 51827) from DTD he hooked me up last time