toyo r888 dont bother with anything else it's a compromise. they last alot longer than you'd expect because they rarely spin or lose traction. 3-4kmi. which is what any of those other tires will get you if you drive hard, except with those you'll be spinning and sliding not hookin and bookin.

end thread.

 

Except the R888's don't come in the right sizes for most of us, or in the right weight rating. Otherwise, you're right - pretty much any r-compound tire will have better traction and handling than any 'normal' summer street tire (except in rain or sub-freezing temps). Like I said, the Dunlop r-comps are awesome tires, have the right weight rating, come in the right sizes, and are standard on BS.

 

the dunlop r-comps arent by any means bad, they are much better than conti p5's or the pirelli pzero corsa system on the clk black but in my opinion they arent even on the same level as the r888's. I'll look at what sizes im running when i get back in town. They've held up great for me but im not slammed either. As for the rain they feel like any other tire in the rain. It maybe because my car has the blower on it but it's not an issue and i can easily go 80mph down the highway unless its a serious texas down poor which incase you cant physically see 10ft ahead of the car so traction still isnt an issue. Sure when they get past the wear bars they get alittle sketchy in the rain but thats all tires. As for sub freezing or snow/ice ya i cant vouch for any of that. Why would you run any summer tire in those conditions? Most of those people whip out their winter beaters. As for the weight rating how far off is it?

 

Have you even driven the Dunlop Sport Maxx Race r-comps? Are you thinking about the same tire, not their regular old street tire? Because they are sticky as hell and absolutely on the same level. I had R888's on my 996TT and loved them, but our cars are far too heavy for what they're rated at in anything in or around the right sizes (pretty far off to answer your question - 93Y in OE spec). Not something I want to risk on track - might be fine for road or drag use, but not for turning. Anyway, they don't even make a 255, 275, or 285 in a 19" tire, so they're just not an option for me. Truth be told, even if they were available in the right size, and even if the weight rating were sufficient, I'd stick with the Dunlops or MPSC2, and then the R888's would be my third choice probably.

 

The Toyo R888 is a poor tire choice for the C63.

 

^ This all day long and twice on Sundays.

 

yes i have driven on them. I got to drive the c63bs press car after it got a fresh set of rotors, pads and tires on all 4 corners, brake flush, service and alignment. They are a fine tire - ive never tracked with them but i can tell you on the street even once warmed up the grip is not as good. The load rating is definitely higher on them 235 are 91-1356lbs , 245 are 93-1433lbs, 255 are 96-1565lbs and - 1650lbs + for 265 or larger. Doesnt look like dunlops offers any 18" tires for that model. They also appear to be a few pounds lighter than the r888s too.

As for my setup pretty sure i'm running the 245/35zr19 and 265/30zr19. the 265 is an xl load rating - 93y - 1433lbs . the 245 is an 89y 1279lbs. Looks like to be considered load rating 91 is lowest recommended so im about 80lbs too low on load. yes both tires are slightly taller.... .3" which wont matter unless you're slammed - which in point you screw up the factory suspension geometry. Whats the 275 obsession anyways, if anything id want to try a wider tire up front- which i may have to test fit. These 265's in the rear do not have any traction issues what so ever. r888's also sit alot wider than other tires in the same width size. looks like r888 do have the stock sizing 235/255 setup for 18" wheels.

Any how figured id throw up some info. It's interesting the difference in load rating and the actual weight of the tire itself. I may have to see if a 265 would work up front maybe then I wont under steer as much - its hard to rotate a 3900lb boat on the track without using the throttle to steer

 

I would add Toyo R888s to Wobble64's list of streetable R compound tires. I have used them as DD tire in the past. Currently running PSS as my street tire. Love those things.

 

Mazspeed --what is your thinking on this and do you mean for the street, the track or both? Wear? Noise? Grip? I've had good success with them although they are noisy as hell for street/highway driving. Also a good variety of sizes that fit our cars.

 

Weight rating insufficient

 

I have/had a group of guys who like me have/had custom 1st gen Camaros built up and a lot of us used the R888 tire. While it worked well on those cars, my car and others were at 3200-3500 lbs.
That seems to be the max weight for the tire as far as "giving us it's best" under that weight.
The sidewall doesn't seem to be very strong on the R888's for heavy cars either. Many of our cars had 275-315's in the back, but again the difference in weight between a 67 Camaro and a C63 is a lot.
The heaver the car the worse the road noise gets on the R888's and less grip.
Myself and others felt that our Camaros were at the limit of weight the R888's could take before becoming a disadvantage on the track.
My feeling is that the tire was almost as good as the Cup 2's on light cars, but on anything over 3500lbs the Cup 2's were much better. They are quieter, longer lasting, more dry grip, and much more wet grip.
In fact I would never buy the R888's as long as I had access to Trofeo R's and Cup 2's and many others that are available. But those 2 tires are really damn good tires. The Trofeo R is a very good tire, but with a TW of 40, it won't last very long on a street car, but if it's your weekend car and occasional track day fun car, there is no better tire that can do both on the market.
The Cup 2's are right behind the Trofeo R in grip and have a mixed compound but it rated at a 180 TW, so it will last longer. If you are just street driving and some light weekend track driving and need a full depth tire with more longevity , the Cup2 is your tire.

 

Michelin Pilot Super Sport is the best all around high performance street tire. You have more aggressive street-legal tires from Bridgestone (RE-11) and Toyo (R888), but they sacrifice something else like wet grip and handling.

I had Yokohama's AD08, but since I tried Michelin's PSS I prefer the PSS.

If you drive in freezing temperatures all the above mentioned tires are irrelevant. But I know in Canada it's popular to have a summer and winter wheelset.

 

No, it's not. It is the best all around tire, but not best all around performance tire.
It has a 15k mile warranty which also means it has a higher TW number. It's a great tire for our cars if you are street driving and some performance driving, but it is by far not the best gripping tire or performance tire at all.
Having said that, the Cup2's are a far better performance tire in every category. Other than wear and wet traction, there is no better all around (performance) tire than the Cup2's. Only the Trofeo R will out perform it but you give up tread depth, wear and wet driving capability's.

 

^ Listen to this man he knows what he's talking about

 

Forgot about the Cup 2, good point.

 

Im using re71r and they were really good on the st until i lowered the car. With the kw v3's either the negative camber or degredation from use has made them really noisy. Maybe pilot ss next. But first i need to get my camber in check.
Seems k mac is the only way to go.

 

Thanks guys good info. Have not run the Trofeo Rs. You've got me thinking I can pick up a second or two with them.

Did a quick TireRack price check against the R888s:

Trofeo R 245/40/18 $305, 265/35/18 $356 (no 275s for sale)
R888 245/40/18 $228, 265/35/18 $271, (275/35/18 $256)

To save you the math that's a $324 difference for the set for additional performance.

 

Crap, I had written a long drawn out response and took to long to post it and the internet gobbled it up.

 

I will post tomorrow, but for the price, the difference is worth it. To me at least.