Rule of thumb for moving to R-comps?

sounds like you're ready to move up to r-comp's. They will stand up to the beating better, so that will even out the cost some.
Caveats: brakes will be working harder with the stickier rubber, so make sure they are up to the task. Street tires are safer since you are not going as fast and also tend to break away slower than r's when they lose grip.

 

X2 I had the RE 1's on My GP and they were very sticky.

 

^^^^Yes! I upgraded my brakes (not my fluid :mad2 and I was amazed how well the two worked together. At least until I boiled the OEM fluid.

If you are good with swapping wheels at the track go NT-01s. Get them heat cycled (of course). They will live a good long while. The breakaway on these is actually nice and progessive. They won't spring any suprises on you at speed. How long they live is dependant on the tracks you goto and how you drive. The set I used made it through: 3 track days on an SVT Focus, 2 track days on my R56, and 5 Las Vegas region SCCA autocrosses on a Sentra SE-R SpecV. In MINI math that's about 6-7 track days.

The R-S3s are nice. (You know the rest :cornut These should live 7-8 track days on my car at the tracks I go to.

I will point out the fact if you are tight on cash and seat time is really important that Tire Rack has the Starspecs in 215/45/17 in stock with an $80 rebate off thier $139 sticker. So they are 119/tire. Helluva deal.

All that being said, I have to agree. Sounds like you are ready for R-comps. I know that NONE of us are made of money but autosport is a "Pay-to-Play" kinda activity. I think you'll get over the extra $$ you spent as soon as you take your first full temp lap on them and realize how much extra speed you've just opened-up. :biggrin5: :ihih:

 

You will love the grip. I am not familiar with the specific tires being discussed, but in general race tires have better brake away characteristics than street tires. They have no pretence of being comfortable to drive on. The biggest bad habit about race tires is no directional response. If you are up on the wheel it doesn’t matter.

 

Tire choice depends on the ratio of speed vs fun. The extra speed does not necessarily correlate to more fun. More speed means more concentration and a smaller mistake window. If you find yourself really not liking the fact that you are getting passed, then by all means go for more speed. But if you find yourself only getting passed by a handful of drivers per session I would suggest you think hard about the cost vs fun factor.

I go to track days to have fun, not to see how many folks pass me or whom I have passed.

 

Ben,

I don't think this is a question for a forum. I'd take this to the instructors you've been working with at the events you've participated. I'd think their opinion would carry a little more weight

I agree that it *sounds* like your ready but thats the thing I think is safe to say for the vast majority of us on MA is that we are not experienced enough to make that call for you

I've heard the same thing that R Comps cover allot of mistakes. I have also heard that they give very little warning when they go

Congratulations that your at the point where your asking these questions!

 

Ben, your ready...just my 2 cents.

 

Ben, you're more than ready for R-comps.

Nitto-01's are what I run--225/45/15, huge footprint, they stick like glue. They're not a top tier R-comp like Hoosiers, but they last longer. The compound is good out of the box--no need to shave, and the compound isn't really as touchy as others--heat cycling is never a bad idea, but these aren't as finicky as other, softer tires, you're not going to kill them if you don't get them heat cycled.

Bang for the buck with fun factor--hard to beat Nitto's. R888's don't need to be shaved, have a nice stiff sidewall, but the compound heat cycles out quickly, and they don't appear to last as long as the Nitto's from what I've read on the Mazda boards. Nitto-01's is basically a Toyo RA-1 compound with a different tread pattern, and slightly softer sidewall, but at a lower tread depth, so they're good right out of the box (the RA's really need to shaved unless you're using them as a rain tire).

The Nitto's are somewhere in between a Hoosier and Ultra performance summer tire--they don't stick quite as well as Hoosier's, but they're still progressive enough that you'll feel and hear it when they start to give--not as loud as a street tire, but loud enough that you'll notice it. The post above that R-comps give without warning isn't true for all R-comps. Nitto's definitely break progressively, and you've got enough time in the seat to feel it.

As for covering mistakes, you're past that. What an R-comp will allow you to do is get back on line quicker if you screw up, or even hit an apex that you otherwise would have missed if you came in too hot with street tires. The problem is you'll be slower using the tires to correct for speed/line errors (you can use an r-comp to slow down in ways you can't with a street tire--it's usually not the fastest way around the track though running r-comps), but you'll recognize it when it happens, and change accordingly next lap, and be faster for it.

Really, they're pretty much the perfect HPDE tire. Once you try them, you're done with street tires on the track...

I still use a street tire on rainy days on the track though. The Nitto's are SLICK in the wet, especially when you wear down the grooves, almost like running slicks.

 

^^^ :yesnod:

 

Sounds like you're ready for R-Comps. Highly recommend the Nittto NT01. I've been running them since they were first available only in Ca. If you have Discount Tire in your area, they have the Nittos and will usually price match or beat on-line prices (at least for me they do). In Tx, Discount can also Heat Cycle for you before delivery for a fee.

 

Ben, one thing I forgot, but I'm sure you probably already thought of--R-comps (and the suspension mods you're contemplating) are going to put the stress on your brakes/pads to another level. That stuff is going to generating quite a bit more heat. Your pad choice is probably going to change to something that can handle the heat....