Alfa Romeo ONLY please!
la_strega_nera
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Post by la_strega_nera »

I've also heard a bit of negative press on A032Rs from the US, but have heard all good stuff locally.... however, i've heard from the states that the A032 needs heat cycling before hard work?
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Post by Jim K »

Good! This is turning out like most opinion sessions, everybody confusing everybody else!! :? I will add to it: like Zamani, I'm out for track-day tires (DOT) and for 15 and 16" both. I have a choice of A048,AO32,Toyo888,BS540S. I presently run BS540S which are good but not as good as the A038 (yes A038) I once had but can't get anymore. All the others are about the same price (about 600-630Euros/set)so gimme a lead! It has to be MH/H compound on account of weight, track temps and prolonged use every time.
Gentlemen, cast your votes!
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Post by Mats »

Kumho V70A (as another choise)

No, these are not the same as the Victorarcaers or MX in the US. :wink:


Make sure you get the HARD compound though as they will shed rubber fast if you overheat them.

Or Michelin Pilot Sport Cup as a FAST alternative, difficult to get and wears pretty fast (I'm told) but definetly fast or even the fastest tire around.
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Post by Zamani »

K70A is the ECSTA V700 over here. Had serious problems in the early releases. I think they sold the wrong compound for hot weather. Tire just shredded itself.

Well I ordered the A048 Medium and they should be here tomorrow. 225/45/16. Will be mounted on Kosei K1 16 X 7.5 et 30.
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Post by Daniel »

Z, Let me know what you think of the A048Rs when you get them. They are what I was looking at (in that size as well) to replace my Falken RT215 Azenis 215/45R16s.
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Post by Andrew.b »

JimGreek wrote:Good! This is turning out like most opinion sessions, everybody confusing everybody else!! :? I will add to it: like Zamani, I'm out for track-day tires (DOT) and for 15 and 16" both. I have a choice of A048,AO32,Toyo888,BS540S. I presently run BS540S which are good but not as good as the A038 (yes A038) I once had but can't get anymore. All the others are about the same price (about 600-630Euros/set)so gimme a lead! It has to be MH/H compound on account of weight, track temps and prolonged use every time.
Gentlemen, cast your votes!
Jim K.
Jim, Ive tested the A048 and the AO32, against the Toyo888, and the Toyo's were much much better!

How come NO-ONE ever tries the Dunlop D01j or the new D02j......????? There awsome, and I think the best cut slick tire on the market today. (with the '888's a close second)

There is also the very good Avon ZZR cut slicks too.

Zamani, why not just get a good set of 16" slicks on a spare set of rims????? once you try them, you'll never go back! Soooooo much better, and your lap times will show major change.
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Post by Maurizio »

Toyo888 I've been running on the ring TS and they do just fine. Did about 100 rounds (2270 km) ring and 5000 km street traffic (hard driving)on them.
Cornering was at the max 1.3G!

Was tempted to go Indy sport (cheap) but will stay with what is proven to be good and use the toyo again.

Have had pilot cup sport on my daily driver (V6), came with the rims.
Very nice, but gone after 5000 km only daily traffic even without hard driving :twisted:
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Post by Zamani »

Andrew,

This is the US, we have way less tire choices than the rest of the world. I'm just grateful that there is a 225/45/16 race tire available. I had to run 225/50/16 semi-slicks (Kumho Victoracer) and acceleration just went down hill.

I could use Hoosier 215/40/16 but it has poor longevity, can't afford a new set every other event.

The A-048 should give me a good compromise between performance and longevity. And mind you these are not my street tires.

As for Toyos, we only have the RA-1. No Trampios or R-888s. No Dunlop D01J or Bridgestones 540 etc. Nada.

For street I'm going to get the Azenis RT-615, should be good for non-competitive lapping days and general street use.
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Post by Mats »

Toyo R888? Slow... (Yes, very much so compared to Yoko and co. only Pirellis are slower.)
Dunlop? Try getting a set without ordering in January... (I'm talking here now) But they seem very interesting, I'd like to try them. :)

Stick with the Bridgestones, that's my best bet for a somewhat heavy car with some muscle.
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Post by Jim K »

Like I said, confusion rules!! Andrew is the only one so far who tested the 888's and recommends them openly over the Yokos, while Mats says they're inferior to the very types Andrew 'rejects'in Toyo's favor! :? You guys wanna retire to chambers and agree on a verdict?? Kuhmos, RA's, Dunlops are not available here. Happily enough, 15" 888's cost ~420Euros/set! I'd hate to buy them and find them inferior in lap times to BS540's!! :roll:
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Post by Maurizio »

German magazine AutoBild test&tuning tested a year ago
these 18" road legal tires I believe on a porsche gt3:
-Michellin Sport Cup
-Toyo Proxes R888
-Yokohama Advan A048
-Kuhmo Ecsta V70A
-Pirelli P Zero Corsa

Can't find the article itself :x but found this
http://www.neuereifenzeitung.de/CDML007 ... Rennreifen
(in German) the results:
1 Kuhmo (best and cheapest?)
2 Michelin
3 Toyo
4 Yokohama
5 Pirelli

Have not back tested myself, so I crowl under my stone :lol:
ps the toyo's are well spread here in Holland used in several low budget racing classes.
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Post by Mats »

I'm not at all confused by Andrews opinion as he drives a completely different rig compared to me. Also, different sizes of different types of tires can have very different construction (yes the same brand/model). For instance the Pirelli PZero Corsa have the same carcass as the street tire PZero Rosso in some sizes and other sizes have the carcass from the PZero C. :?
Since Andrew drives a car that produces way more power then mine he needs a tire that is much more resistent to heat buildup and possibly a heavier car. The Toyos worked VERY well on a high power Endurance racer I worked on a season but that car weighed in at 1200Kg and had maybe 300 turbo rwhp + aero download, friends that have tried them on their Alfas struggle to get them to grip like they want and show a very weird wear pattern just like they are being ground down rather then the regular heat-smear-deposit-worn look.

What I'm trying to say with this rambling post is that you should not draw conclusions from a magazine test that Kumhos will always be better because that may be the case in that test but maybe the car happened to be setup correctly for the tires or was a good match weight/power wise or fitted the track/driver/car profile...
May not work equally well on a light Alfa with no chassiswork (slignment/spring/damper) and no power or aero on an oval track in Texas... ;)

Go to the track and check out what the fast guys are using, even if they are driving a Ford or a BMW. :wink:
Talk to people in the pits and try to get a grip on what they thoink of their current tires compared to what they have previously used. Local knowledge is King.
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Post by Jim K »

Now we're getting somewhere, I may not have 300hp but 1400kg is heavy! Not many people run DOT tires here on big cars on the track, mostly you will see fast little 205's and 106's (Peugeots) usually with A032's. But its starting to look like 888 are a reasonable choice after I wear down the 2 new 540's my tire guy owes me. Thanks guys.
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Post by Maurizio »

So true mats, only real way to figure it out, is back to back testing.

My reference is the E30 325i class running the toyo's, and the old alfa romeo challenge/squadra biance (guilia racers). And a datalog run in my car with Micke on the ring. So for me, good value for money!

Jim, the 888 are here about E500/set 205/50-15 last time I checked, so you get a good price. :wink:
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Post by Micke »

Sport Auto also did a tire test last summer. I don't have it here but I'll try to dig it out.

The tires Maurizio has felt pretty good on the butt dyno and the objective figures said the same. However, this again emphasizes how important it is to know the conditions. The ring is not very hard on the tires (lots of straights to cool them) and the TS was uhh.. hmmm.. well.... not a monster engine precisely.

For them with decent power and heavy cars I'd recommend trying slightly bigger tires than the usual ~59 cm. The GTV can easily fit bigger OD tires and the 75 also with some reservations. Both can directly take 63 cm tires in the rear. Only disadvantage is longer gear ratio for the powerless cars. Abuse resistance will increase a lot. Especially for 1400 kg hogs in +50 deg Greecy conditions :roll:
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