Last year I went through two sets of 235/45/17 advans and same size Kumho MX.
For street tires I thought they were pretty good but I was definately out gunned by people running R compounds.

For brakes I went through a set of Porterfield R4S and a set of Porterfield R4 pads. I was disappointed with the performance of both. I run ATF Superblue brake fluid.

Now that we are less than 3 months away from the race season starting up again I want to purchase a new set of tires and pads. Keep in mind I have an extra set of factory rims for race only tires and I switch my pads before each event.

I normally have to drive the car 100 miles to and from each event and in most cases I switch rubber at home but if required I could haul the race tires to the event then switch.

Most of my events are on 2 mile tracks where speeds rarely exceed 110mph.

I am considering Toyo RA1 255/45/17 tires and Carbotech XP9 (F) XP8 (R) pads.

Any reviews, suggestions, or objections would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
JJ

 

I love RA1's.

I get around 5 to 6 events (approx 150 on track miles per event) on them. The key is not to overdrive them and make sure the pressure is correct.

I drove them to and from events before they became slicks, now I swap them out at the track.


I run 255/40/17 RA1's. They can be a little squirmey if you get them full tread unshaved. IMHO, they work about as well as the best street tires at full tread but once shaven or worn right they stick like glue for being a street legal tire.

They stick better and better the more you use them, again, unless you overdrive and overheat them a bunch.

 

Razor what are you using for pads?

 

Performance friction pads and 2-piece rotors with Motul 600 fluid.

I'm moving to Stoptech BBK soon and will most likely move to a hawk blue or a carbotech XP series

 

ra-1's and endless ccr's on stock replacement rotors.

Ran them twice so far, loved it both times, runnin the short course next weekend at sebring, so everything will get hotter, etc, so we'll see how they fare for that.

i love my ra-1's. Only ever had them squirm on me a time or two, and thats because of the immediate bite of the pads, it lets you know that the car wasn't 100% square when you stepped on it, nothing bad, but gets your blood flowin a bit

 

I ran the XP-10/9 combo at my last event, I was definitely happy with them. I ran them on the street for probably 200 miles before, heading to/from, and after the event. Other than squealing like STUCK PIGS, they werent that bad. I run Motul RBF600 fluid. I *think* the -8s are little weak for track duty but I havent tried them.

I hear nothing but praise for the RA-1's which is why Im going to order some soon!

 

I agree with the Ra-1 recommendation, although I'm currently running A032r's which are very similar in grip and wear. For the last 3 years I ran Ferodo 2500's all the way around with ATE Super Blue, but I will be running Ferodo 3000's on the front after finding the limit of the 2500's last fall (finally getting faster!). I have yet to buy a new set of r compounds, so I don't know offhand the price difference between the Toyo and the Yok. I'd imagine it is sizeable though.

 

255/40/17 Toyo RA1's are approx $165 unshaved through normal vendors. Not a bad price at all.

 

Tires -- Toyo RA1s. That's the biggest no-brainer in the world.

Brake pads -- I use Performance Friction in front and Project mU in the rear.

HAVE FUN OUT THERE!!!

 

Last season I was running Ferodo ds2500, they are good for street and light track, however, they start to fade in a 2 days event at Watkins with ATE blue. This season I will be running RA1, XP9 carbotech pads, motul 600 and blank oem disc.

 

I just got some Performance Friction front pads and Hawk HP Plus rear pads

has anyone tried this combo?

I keep reading about the PF fronts and Project MU rears so i'm thinking of returning those Hawk HP Plus for the Project Mus

 

you will love ra-1 due to their longer life than similar tires, and i like the ds 2500s or the 3000s. although the 3000s are way too noisy for street use.
i had issues with teh super blue my self, after i switched to motul 600 it got much better.

 

do you guys remove the dust shields for better cooling maybe? or is that to be done after ducting?

 

Wow, 3 sets of tires in one year. You must be hitting up a lot of events! I got a year out of the Advans after finding that if you use enough camber they'll last a lot longer. I'm switching to the Toyo's this year.

Been using Hawk Blues in front and Ferodo 2500's in the rear with success. The 3000 is an excellent pad, but just didn't work out for me.

If you're having troubles transporting wheels/tires there is a trailor hitch you can get for your Evo. I've been using one without problems.

Good luck!

 

For the first two sets of advans I didn't have an aggressive alignment. I ate up the outside edge fairly quick. The combination of understeer and me overdriving the car definately took its toll on tires. I'm still working on the overdriving thing.

Looks like I'm sold on the RA1's. I have another can of ATF but once I bleed that out I'll try some 600. Brake pads are still up in the air. Not many people using the XPs on here?