Buying tires today or tomorrow. I am trying to decide if the RA1's are worth the extra $300 bucks over the Azena RT615's.

I am not going for a national title, just some fun in East Coast TT's. I will have a set of R Compounds to use (V710's or Victoracers), but I want to have a set as a back up and to drive up and on if needed.

Thoughts?

 

Get the BFG KD's. A far better tire than the others IMO.

 

at $100 bucks more a tire than the 615's, they should be.

I have ad a few say they like the steady wear and heat response of the RA-1's over the KD's.

 

While the 615's are one of the stickiest street tires, the RA1's are a true "R" compound. In terms of lap times the toyos would be at least 2 seconds a lap faster. But since you already have track tires not sure what you're priorities are.

 

The Toyo is about equal to the Victoracer. They are both about 1 sec faster than the 615 but also atleast 1 sec slower than the V710. Get the 615 as a backup/street/rain tire and the V710 for the serious stuff.

 

The 615 is a great tire. It is really sticky and a good tire that you can drive to the track with and then drive on the track with. The toyos will depend on whether you get them shaved or not. They are 100 treadwear vs the 615's 200 treadwear. Also the Toyos are a true R-Compound tire which is stickier, but it won't talk to you as much as the 615's. You'll hear the 615's more before they let loose, the RA-1's will let loose. Plus, you'll be going faster with the RA-1's when they do (if they do, depends on how hard you push) so the situation might be a little more hairy.

If you don't shave the Toyos, they will last a long time and make an excellent rain tire. I wouldnt' recommend driving to the event with the Toyos. If you really want to do that, get the 615's.

 

It comes down to what type of racing you are doing:
AutoX - the 615's would be a better choice
Road - The RA1's are the better choice.

 

If you're just going to have some fun doing track days and time trials, why don't you get a lightly used set of R-compounds? They are a hell of a lot cheaper. There are several ads at the back of grassroots motorsports magazine. These are usually people who get tires from sponsored teams which have one race on them. You can get 90% RA-1's, Hoosiers, and Kuhmos for $75 each. For 18" tires, that's almost 75% off. Also Grand Am Cup teams like Turner Motorsports also sells them, usually with a couple hours of practice or something like that on them. If you've never run on R-compounds before, it's a good choice. Hell, I'm going to buy my 3rd set of R-compound track tires in 2 years. It can add up if you go tracking a lot.

 

Good Idea, I look at all the race cars for sale in the back of Grassroots, but not tires. I will.
You going to Bainbridge the weekend after next? If so, let's meet up on Sunday morning to drive to the event.

 

I am going to still have the V710's for the full R tires. I had Hoosiers last season,. and they just went away too quickly.

 

WOW random Bainbridge plug! Go Dixie. And Go for the RT-615s if you plan on driving on them to the event. The RA-1s are a spec tire made for road racing not highway driving.

 

Yes, I'll be going. Give me a call beforehand and we'll find a spot to meet up.

 

Treadwear ratings are not standardized and all vary based on the manufacturer. A 200 treadwear tire with one manufacurer will not be the same as the next.

Have you driven with RA1s? Contrary to the old stereotypical Hoosiers (the staple R for years), the RA1s are very communicative and do not "let loose" without ample notice / feel.

The issue with used tires such as those slicks is that they have very few heat cycles left in them at all. By the time you ship and mount, it's simply not cost-effective.

I'd stick with the RA1s... with full-tread RA1s, I can get 30+ heat-cycles out of them before they get real unpredictable - you simply won't find that with any other R-compound out there.

 

I have the 615's all around on my z and I must say its a great tire. For the street and the track, you really cant beat the price.

 

The RT-615s stick very well for a street tire, but only for a few laps, then they get greasy. But they give pretty good feedback - you can tell when you are at their limit. Mine are wearing well too, good for both street and track.

 

Think I am going to get the 615s and use the savings on a new set of V710

 

Smart move. Once you run on the V710 anything else is a let down.

 

I have tried all kinds of tires from new to used. From my experience, a set of Yokohama Advan A005 slicks at the end of their life will have a more grip than a new set of Toyo RA1s. Plus for me the life of the Yokohama A005 slicks is about the same as a set of unshaven RA1s.

 

V710 is a great AutoX tire, but like the 615's are not a good road racing tire. You need a tire that is designed to operate under high heat, like the RA1's. Also, the V710's are known to have a very short wear life (barely one AutoX season), and the performance to go down each heat cycle (a direct quote from Tirerack). I have not driven on RA1's yet, but all I have heard great things about them, and I will not shave them when I get them next month, since the dry performance will get better as they wear.

 

Righttttt. That is why the V710 had the pole in T1 and T2 on big heavy high HP car the SCCA runoffs. They also finished 2nd in T1, could have won if not for a missed shift. In T2 the pole winning car had a bad 3rd gear and finished 8th with a rookie driver. That T2 rookie also won the sopac championship and reset 6 sopac track records in his 3600lbs Camaro on the V710.
Drivers that dont over drive the tires wll have no problem with the V710 on the track.

The Toyo is a joke not even in the same class as the V710.