just curious if anyone has any feedback. I know there's stickier tires out there and that the AO48's last around 5k miles etc, but does anyone have any comments about them or experience with them?

 

i've driven on them in a supra tt. well, the tires just don't get enough heat in them quick enough for auto-x. they feel loose and just don't hook up to the pavement (could also be because i'm driving a 400hp supra, there were the hard compound). the steering response and turn in was above average though. i do not have any experience with them on the track however, but i assume it would take a few more laps to get them up to operating range compared to the other r-comps. it's a pretty liberal r-comp as you said... i mean, the tire does come stock on the elises i believe.

 

garbage for auto-x.

 

yeah I've heard they gotta warm up a bit before they really start gripping, but are they really that bad? I mean Lotus uses them with the sport package for the elise and last I heard it gets 1.01-1.05 lateral G's. Even the Axis 350Z with them did 1.01 G's with them, but we don't know all the details about how they were warmed up or not. There's a version now of them with softer compound out now for them that's supposed to be as grippy as hoosiers, but they're all smaller sizes

Most everyone on the elise forums say the AO48's are noticably better at handling than the AD07's. And all the benchmark reviews I've read that tested cars with them were cranking out pretty high handling numbers than other cars with similar setups, but different tires

Would they just suck for the street? One elise guy did a back to back comparison with them and the AD07's and said the AO48's turn in and response was way crisper than the AD07's.

 

my main question is what you plan on doing with them

street tire?
auto-x?
track?

that's one hell of an expensive set of street tires if that's what you are asking.

 

little bit of everything, but probably mostly street and autox with occasional drag strip and road courses

They're still cheaper than my PS2's
I'm just wanting more dry traction

 

for a multiple use street tire, i see no problems with running them on the street. might be overkill though... why do you need so much dry traction? driving at 10/10ths daily?

 

my car is easier to drive with more traction.

 

but given how they last vs PS2, they are hardly worth it for daily use

 

I've got A032R's on my Z right now, the soft compound. They're similiar to the A048. I think they have done well for track tires that can be driven to and from events, and hold up well enough that I don't mind taking the Z out for an occasional mountain drive on them, but would not use them as daily drivers. I don't have seperate wheels for track use and have a beater for daily driving, so for good grip and track life that is still safe for the street and light rain, I am satisfied with them.
Will

 

yeah my Z isn't my daily driver and I do have a 2nd set of wheels that these would be used for. The idea was that I'd use the AO48's during the summer time when it's hotter and my PS2's in the winter. And also use the AO48's for drag racing and autox. I don't race often enough to want to buy kumho V710's otherwise I'd think about getting some of those

Overall I'll probably end up putting 5000 miles on the Z a year total so roughly 2500 miles on the AO48's a year. So they'd last me 2 years or so. I'm wanting wider sizes than my PS2's

I'm currently running 265 and 295 PS2's
I'm thinking I'd go with 285 and 315 AO48