dmiz0420

Any one want to weigh in on their experience?

I've never gotten an RA1 or this sort of compound before. Should I have them shaved to 5/32's from the original 8/32's?


This is for VIR, I have been an advanced student for a couple of seasons now on stockers and want to move up, but I'm certainly not racing....yet. Is it worth sacrificing tread life at this level?

Thanks

davidfarmer

8/32's make good rain tires...not much else. Treads get too hot, and therefor get slippery very fast.

5/32's is a good comprimise. 3/32 is better, but then they only last around 4 sessions.

dmiz0420

thanks,


Any one else?

did these chunk for anyone at full tread depth?

gkmccready

I've never chunked them at full depth, but they used to feel real greasy at full depth for the first session or two (or autocross _event_ or two) even if I drove the 200km from Montreal to Ottawa on them and then drove them around another hundred or so before the event.

rcr162

What he said. RA1s are very slippery/greasy unshaved. You will slide a lot until they wear down. Might as well shave off a little.
I like the Nitto NT01 much better but it may not be available in the size you need.

ajderzie

Run them at full tread depth and get the most use out of them. I've had great experiences with them and have run some very fast times at pocono and limerock. They are miles ahead of street tires and you will absolutely love them. The treadlife is already short enough. Don't make it any shorter unless you are racing in a sanctioned series. Of course, it that were the case you should probably be using Hosiers, Khumos, or slicks.

Here is a pic of what the tire looked like after the morning session with full tread. Notice all the brake dust (the centers are usually silver).

larryfs

I run my kumho victors at full tread. never a problem. just run higher pressures.

DREGSZ

Always full tread.
Only shave if you need a set to put on for true racing, like a qualifying set, and then I'd still get full tread and start them off in practice sessions until they were ready to qualify.
This of course implys that you have about 12 rims worth of rubber to work with.

dmiz0420

Awsome!! Thats what I was thinking, but forgeline only had shaved sets available.

I was also contemplating running the Nitto 01's in the front at 275 40 17 and running the 305/35 18 RA1's @ 5/32's (great deal on them) in the rear.

The tread wear on both tires is 100, so I can only speculate that the compound is about the same, but the massive amount of material on the outside shoulder of the NT 01's looks like it would be better for a vette and hold up a little longer.

Thanks so much for your response. So now I guess I need to figure out if I want to run Nitto 01's or Toyo Ra1's on the front.

davidfarmer

While I agree about "getting your moneys worth", running them down to "qualifying level" by heat cycling them will certainly cause them to lose a good bit of grip compared to a freshly shaved set. Not saying not to do it, but buy the time you WEAR them down to 3/32", much of their stickyness will be gone.

dmiz0420

Good points on both sides.

I guess its looking like the 5/32's is a good compromise.

Either that or just go with the nt 01s new.

Thanks I really appreciat every one weighing in, feel free to keep er comin, I would love to know the difference in experiences between the RA1 and NT 01.

rbeckham

I can't be sure that it is true, but while awaiting perhaps the first available set of NT-01s in the 315/17 size earlier this year (Nitto started advertising them only in Feb/March) the guy at Discount Tire swore to me that the carcass and compound of the NT-01 is the same as the Toyo RA1. Just a different tread pattern, and that they are the same company (I have not attempted to confirm any of this).

I wanted to try the Nittos, so ordered from Discount, since Tire Rack for whatever reason does not sell them. They worked OK at Watkins Glen for a few sessions, but I had an emergency at home involving basement flooding, so left the first afternoon.

RE tire shaving - chunking, etc. isn't the issue. It's what Dave says. On the track, the full treads squirm around and the surface of the tire gets so hot that it quickly hardens up and begin to feel greasy. In a short to medium session, this is not necessarily reflected in tire temps/pressures. Rather, the surface of the tire "glazes" and loses its grip. Anyone who has experienced this know how it feels. Maybe for AX this would not be a problem, but for track use shaving beyond a doubt increases both performance and useful track life.

fcarga

What dave and rbeckham say, unless you drive real slow. Full tread for rain/wet and/or highway.

dmiz0420

Thanks again for the responses

so thats and "ok" for the NT 01....
pending any more info, I'm leaning toward the 5/32 RA1.

bobmoore2

I heard this from somewhere also.

Quoting from someone else on the forum (I forget where I got it from):
"How To Setup Your Toyo Proxes RA-1s
The Toyo Proxes RA-1 comes molded at 8/32" of rubber, which is quite a bit of rubber for a race tire. There are two reasons for shaving:
- Shaving makes the treadblocks shorter. This keeps the tread from rolling over during cornering and prevents building up excessive heat - two factors which can lead to chunking and thus premature wear. Shaved tires will ultimately last longer for track use!
- Shaving makes the tire faster sooner. Excessive tread block movement makes the car feel unstable and loose. By shaving the tire, it will be immediately more responsive and strangely enough also makes the tire last longer."

I'm sure this also applies to the Nittos.

outnumbered

I have the Nitto Nt01's and ran them at Pocono full course and was very pleased. I had them heat cycled but not shaved. They didn't seem to get too greasy. Nothing like the F1 emt's. But that's all I can compare them to.
They also seemed to wear pretty good.
I will buy them again.


Dan

dmwhite

agreed, full depth ra1's suck on a dry track...

JohnD60

You can buy RA1 scrubs already shaved and with only a few laps on them for $75-80 each. My last set lasted 3 or may be even 4 DE weekends (24-36 sessions). I believe you're limited to only 18" size but running 18" wheels on all corners is common. I run 305/35/18 on all four wheels which gives me the ability to rotate tires to maximize their life.

I believe RA1's are the World Challenge tire and suspect the scrubs I'm buying come from that series.

John

Red Gump

longevity on track is not dictated by tread depth. I run mine shaved to 4 or 5/32. I get about 10 good cycles out of them and then they start to let go.

I ran my rains once in the dry and it felt like a dirty track.

johnd60, WOW! 24-36 sessions on scrubs??? holy cow! guess I'll start keeping mine longer, lol.

DREGSZ

Sounds like John Briget Tires in WI, advertises in the back of "The Wheel" SCCA Mag.
Good Guy, good service.
E