Can someone tell me their experience in both tires, as well as the major difference between 16' and 17s?

I am at a point in time where im getting new street wheels, and thus trying to sell my discontinued rota subzero begins.. but i do like my rotas, and here i hit my dilemma
1) sell the 17x7.5 rotas and continue using my 16' for track, i need to get A048s, and they are pricey at over 200 each on tirerack with 195/50-16
2) sell my track 16x7 wheels, and use RA1s 205/40-17 on the Rota wheels i used on the street

bottom line i want to know is whether the A048 is really worth the 50 buck difference, considering i only do track days and driving schools with them

 

You mention "street wheels"

What are you going to use these tires for?
Street only?
Some track or a lot of track?
Any autocross?

Toyo Ra1 can be run on the street but are not street tires for daily use- we have some MINIs in my area that have used them for daily use and found they easily hydroplane on wet surfaces- very dangerous. On dry they are fine and will wear OK but not as well as the A048.

A048 are good for wet track and can be used on the street but they are not cheap and will wear faster than other street tires.

Why not Bridgestone Potenza RE-01R in
205/45-17 or
215/45-17
Good for street and track and can autocross but they do start from $155 each but wears faster with treadwear about 140-180 depending on size.
Does very well in dry or wet.

Both Ra1 and A048 are good for track.

You can also check your weights and see which combo of tire and wheel may weight more vs the effective tread width for each (much wider with 17" but likely heavier)

 

the wheels in question will be track only, i am looking for more tire life than ultimate grip, as i only do hpde and open track days only... its a question more for cost over long term, i cannot afford to replace r-comps every single year

 

I can say that the RA-1's are daggone impressive in terms of life - we normally get ~100 AX runs and 3-4 DE's per year out of a set. If you're only doing a few DE's a year, they'll get hard before you wear them out.

I have no experience on the A048 - but it's hard to beat the bang-for-the-buck of the RA-1's!

 

For track use only and for price the Toyo Ra1 are quite good.

Key for wear is your front camber.
What are your alignment settings now?
You have front adjustable camber plates? If not then that would be a priority along with about -2.5 degrees negative camber in front and about -1.3 degrees in back (not too much negative). Toe settings maybe 1/16" toe out in front and 1/16" toe in for the rears.

For Ra1
17x7.5 wheels
205/40-17 $152 each,fits rims 7-8" perfect for 7.5", 19 lbs, 23.4" tire diam.
235/40-17 $183, fits rims 8-9.5" perfect for 8.5", 24 lbs, 24.4" tire diam. (it's a bit wide for 7.5" rims but should fit- depends on your suspension and wheel offset/ camber settings)

16x7 wheels (not as good sizes)
205/55-16 $148, fits rims 5.5-7.5" perfect for 6.5", 23 lbs, 24.8" tire diam.
225/50-16 $150, fits rims 7-9" perfect for 8", 27 lbs, 24.8" tire diam.

Another idea is instead of Yokohama A048,
In my area a popular new tire for track is
BF Goodrich g-Force R1 (not as low priced though)
225/50-16
245/45-16
235/40-17
245/40-17

 

I've been able to get 7,000 to 8,000 street miles out of the RA'1s just stay out of the rain

 

im about -2.0 in the front, and about -1.5 in the rear, i know i plan to go slightly lower still on the H&R coilovers, from the sound of things sound like the RA1 are the ones to go for

i have street tires for rain!

 

Your alignment is good. Too much negative will wear out the inner front edges when run on the street. Too much negative in the rear increases understeer. About +1 degree difference front to rear generally works well.

 

thanks! its been working well for my existing setup (now corded, which is partly why i am asking which is better in the first place), RA1 it is then!

 

yeah, but im still going to beat you kyriian. hahah. You know your not going to live that one down right? We missed you at dunville the other week man, it was a blast. I learned i need more horsepower tho, cant keep up with daniel on the straight, i can about corner with him tho.

i would run the ra-1 myself, i almost bought them, but ended up with nt01's cause they went on sale. They are the same compound as the ra1s, and i love them. Daniel loves his ra1s as well.

Talk to you later

Beecher

 

i still got alot of setup stuff gotta figure out, but for now, gotta get the car as close to 100% again, i need new brakes bad, new street tires are on order, and my r-comps again i need new

 

you should see Daniels brake pads, wow, not much left in there. Street tires? naw, come on man, r comps and and snows the only tires you should need, since you actually have to drive your car in the winter. I have basically retired mine for the year due to r comps only tho. Might buy street tires next year, but i figure the rt615s are pretty soft, and dont have much tread anyway, so they probably wouldnt be that much better this time of the year anyway. Talk to you later herman

Beecher

 

I also own an Elise (A048s are stock on some models) and the consensus among my track day friends is the RA wins hands down. A048s are great the first track day, but degrade quickly and don't last long at all in every day use. The Toyos wear much better in their opinion and seem to get grippier with age.

My instructor for Chin Motorsports said he would never go back to A048s.

I'd love to get a set of Toyos for my 15" MINI wheels.

.02
Tony

 

Why not use the new R888 Toyos. Motorn uses them and loves them. Check them out also.