I have a nail in my Dunlop 9000 run flats (less than 5000mi) and every tire shop that I called said that it is not recommended to repair run flats, they said that I shoud replace the tire. I don't want to go back with run flats. I found a local shop that has Toyo Proxies T1Rs for $153 each, mounted, balanced and with road hazzard.

I used to have a Miata and Toyo Proxies are a favorite amongst Miata owners, but how are they liked by MINI owners?

 

I've got them on a spare set of stock wheels for summer street use (and wet autocross use) on my Mini. I've been very happy with them for a street tire. Lightweight, good in the rain, and not bad in the dry (on the street anyways). Not the best tire for dry autocross or track use, but otherwise I'm pleased with them, and will probably buy another set eventually. FWIW I ran them on my Miata for awhile this past summer since my Miata and Mini share the same wheel bolt pattern.

-Keith

 

What would be a good tire for the street and the track?

 

I have them and like them mounted on BBS RV-Fs

 

Depends whether or not the emphasis is on "street" or "track". Tires like the Toyo RA1 allow you to get a few thousand moiles out of them on the street, but are an "R" compound meant primarily for track use. Tires like the Falken Azenis and Hankook RS212 are street tires that do very well for autocrossing (in street tire classes) and many people use them for track use also.

-Keith

 

I have the T1R on my other set of wheel and it is way better than the dunlop 901 I am currently running.

Good price, good grip.

Excellent street tires.

 

I have been running the T1R for about 9 months and have been very happy with them. Good dry and wet grip. Not the BEST of either, but they make a good comprimise between the two and work well for a combination street and autocross tire.

 

My 215/35/18 work great and I've been running them for 2 seasons now, highly recommended!

I wanna get some nice Toyo R888 though. :drool:

 

I have the last gen Toyo T1s. I think they are T1S. I got them near the end of fall in 05. They were not as good on dry pavement as the last gen Azenis they replaced but much better in the wet. Ride comfort, overall wheel/tire weight and road noise were improved when compared against the Goodyear Runflats and Azenis. I have theToyos mounted on 16" AK MONZA wheels. I live in Washington DC and have them mounted on the car spring summer and fall. I took them off the car two weeks ago. The performance of the tire drops off quickly in the cold. I'm very happy with the tries and will likely go with the T1Rs sometime next year when this set gets down to the ware bars.
I hope this helps some.
John

 

I have BFGoodrich G-Force Sports, and I would recommend them highly. Very good grip both dry/wet and track/street... probably not as stiff a sidewall as a true R-compound, but very good considering the price ($78/ea from tire rack).

I run 225/50/R15, but they are also available in the more popular 205/55/R15 as well.

All the reviews are VERY positive FWIW...

RM2k5

 

I have T1Rs for the street. I personally don't like them and won't buy again.
On the other hand, I have some RA1s for the track and they are great.

 

I agree. I am amazed that no one has mentioned that they just aren't that good of an all-around tire.

I bought them because a local Scooby shop raved about them and they seemed like a compromise between a pure street tire and the RA1s. After about 4 months and two track days I offloaded them. I was a little off put by their lack of grip and thought that they felt mushy in transitions. They were also a bit sketchy in the cold. I dunno, I just never had felt settled with them.

Wasn't it Car and Driver (December 2005) that placed this tire 8th out of a field of 11 in a recent performance tire comparison? In the autocross and on the skidpad, it ranked last among the 11 competitors, trailing the top rated tires considerably.

 

I can understand not liking them if you tried them on the track or for dry autocross use. They are good street tire IMO, but when pushed hard in the dry, their shortcomings start to show up. Also, they are a summer performance tire, tires of this type as a general rule don't do well in the cold. The Toyos did do better in the cold than the Azenis I used to have, but the Toyos started to to lose grip below 30° or so. If you intend to use your tires for autocross or open track use, look elsewhere, the Toyo T1R's aren't for you.

-Keith

 

I think we are in agreement.

 

If you're going to track the car the optimal tire would be either slicks or more likely, r-compounds like the Toyo R888.

 

Unfortunately we can't get that gem of a tire over here in the US, but I do keep hearing good things about it from different car owners outside the US. You are right, the best choice for track or autocross use is a set of R-compounds on a set of separate wheels, dedicated to track use. Sometimes the tires are even acceptable to drive to and from the track on, like the Toyo RA1's and Kumho Victoracers, but for one reason or another, some people can't or won't spend the money for a dedicated set of wheels and tires for the track, and try to get by with one set of tires for everything. Doing so always suffers compromises in one way or another.

-Keith

 

True true.

My rims got stolen this summer and when I got new ones I seriously thought about running R888's on the street, they have alot of disadvantages but one very good advantage and that is they are awesome when its dry and hot outside! The biggest breaker for me was the price, since they wear much faster I'd probably need like 2 sets a season and that's a bit harsh. :(