17/17 and 17/18 Tire Choices - not much left.

Just my experience here, but i came from F 215/45/R16 Bridgestone RE040 + R 255/40/R17 Bridgestone RE050A to F 205/40/R17 Toyo R888+ R 255/35/R18 Toyo R888, and let me say that the grip of the R888, even before they warm up, is higher. When they get warm... well they are from another league!

This combination has zero rubbing problems with 17x7.5 ET34 + 18x9.5 ET36, so just another option here... of course you won't have the same grip as with 235/40 R888 front but you will have zero rubbing issues...

And don't be fooled by the fact that they are only 205 wide, they are wider than my previous 215 RE040.

Here is a side by side comparison with 215-45-R16 Bridgestone RE040 (first pic) and 255-40-R17 Bridgestone RE050 (2nd pic):

R888_4_zps908f83e6.jpg


R888_3_zps4ef75ee1.jpg


The R888 tire is quite light too!

Of course i wouldn't recomend those tires for DD as they are really noisy and not appropriated for heavy rain conditions or sub zero temps!



P.S. - If i were seriously tracking my car, then i would listen to Billy! he is the man! and would go with 235/275 combo!
 
Last edited:
BBVNSX said:
And don't be fooled by the fact that they are only 205 wide, they are wider than my previous 215 RE040.

Here is a side by side comparison with 215-45-R16 Bridgestone RE040 (first pic) and 255-40-R17 Bridgestone RE050 (2nd pic):
Click to expand...
Not a surprise. The 215/45-16 RE040 has a 7.4" treadwidth while the treadwidth on the 205/40-17 R888 is 7.8" wide.

On the rear, your 255/40-17 RE050As are 8.8" wide while the 255/35-18 R888 is 9.5" wide!

If you haven't read it, this is a must read (and explains how you need to look at the tread widths and NOT the labeled "255" width):

http://www.motoiq.com/MagazineArtic...LY-select-and-size-TIRES-for-PERFORMANCE.aspx


-B
 
Yes thanks Billy! i made my homework before opting to go with the R888!

For me it was treadwidth/weight what lead me to decide on the R888! treadwear or confort were low on my list! :wink:

Thanks a lot for the link! good reading!


stuntman said:
Not a surprise. The 215/45-16 RE040 has a 7.4" treadwidth while the treadwidth on the 205/40-17 R888 is 7.8" wide.

On the rear, your 255/40-17 RE050As are 8.8" wide while the 255/35-18 R888 is 9.5" wide!

If you haven't read it, this is a must read (and explains how you need to look at the tread widths and NOT the labeled "255" width):

http://www.motoiq.com/MagazineArtic...LY-select-and-size-TIRES-for-PERFORMANCE.aspx


-B
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
RIM WIDTH RANGE for 205/40/17 R888 is 7-8" so you'll be fine!

but please don't forget: they are really noisy :biggrin:

P.S. - I think Toyo is replacing R888 with R888R here in Europe so it should be the same in the US... those should be an evolution over the R888!

R888R:

5727.png


Sduff@Composites said:
Thanks for posting that picture. I may switch from my z2's to toyo 888 now. Although I have an 8 inch wheel I don't think it'll be an issue.
Click to expand...
 
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stuntman said:
This increase will make the tires last longer before they overheat, which becomes more important the fast you are as a driver, the more prone your tires are to overheating (Dunlop ZII, Sumitomo HTR ZII, Yoko S.Drive), and the hotter the track conditions.
Click to expand...
One point to add. I would not recommend the S.drive or the HTR ZII for track use, at least not for anyone who has driven in more than a couple of track events. They are really not very good.

BBVNSX said:
Just my experience here, but i came from F 215/45/R16 Bridgestone RE040 + R 255/40/R17 Bridgestone RE050A to F 205/40/R17 Toyo R888+ R 255/35/R18 Toyo R888, and let me say that the grip of the R888, even before they warm up, is higher. When they get warm... well they are from another league!
Click to expand...
That's not surprising at all. The R888 is an R compound track tire. The RE040 and RE050A are street tires, and they are not even in the stickiest category of street tire (i.e. they are "maximum performance" tires, not "extreme performance" tires). What you describe is exactly what you should expect from an R compound track tire. As usual, stickier tires are more important than wider tires.
 
I did some comparison today with some tires I have at home. I measured the total wide of 4 different 255/40/17 tires and the Federal and Potenza RE050 was the widest tires. The treadwhith is at the Potenza and the Federal about the same. What I can not confirm is that the Toyo R888 is that wide. It is smaler than my 215/40 RE050A, at least about 8mm, also the treadwith is a bit smaller than on the Potenza. Sure, we all know the contact area has nothing to do how sticky the tire is.

reifenvergleich_mmujs2u.jpg



reifenvergleich_215_2aasrb.jpg


215/40/17 Pozenza RE050A vs 205/40/17 Toyo R888 and the Toyo is mounted on a 8inch rim too! The treadwith is more on the Potenza than on the Toyo. I do not see here a 230mm wide tire some people a telling.


reifenvergleich_255n6sg0.jpg


Both 255/40/17 tires have nearly exact the same contact area. On the Federals I can see where the outer tire area has rubbed on the asphalt, so this is in my opinion where the treadwith is ending.


p1100295cxqnu.jpg



Difference in Diameter of all the 255/40/17 tires. All tires are used but the Potenza (2nd from right) is new. So the 40% worn Federals and 40% worn Pirellis has still the most diameter then the new RE050A and the 50% worn Yoko AVS sport. The Federal is mounted on a rim with 1,5 bar cold pressure.
 
I would suggest reading the link in post #152 .

You can't really measure a mounted tire to an unmounted tire. TireRack.com has an involved standardized procedure of measuring treadwidths, mounted on a standard rim width at a given pressure. They really do a fantastic job at providing all of this data under the 'specs' section of a given tire model which is key when sizing tires.

Having said that, the tread & section widths of the 215 RE050A & 205 R888 look pretty similar even though the RE050A was unmounted. It would likely narrow up when mounted to a wheel.
 
No love for the 285 width size? Actually, I think only a few will match with the 235s.

TireRack lists:

- Bridgestone Potenza RE-11 (extreme)
- Dunlop Direzza Star Spec (extreme)
- Yokohama ADVAN AD08 R (extreme)
- BFG G-Force R1 and R1 S (ax & track)

Wouldn't mind trying out a set of the RE-11s once the Yokohamas wear out. Have heard good things about the RE-11s.
 
I am running Kumho's LE's and fronts are still ok but the rears are about done.

I know tirerack no longer carries them but I just found and ordered a pair of rears in 255/40/17 on 1010tires.com. Hope their inventory system is real-time.
 
Bad news first - heard back from 1010tires.com that they can't get them anymore.

Good news - I called Kumho corporate and found there are still <s>51</s> 49 tires left in the Cali warehouse. 255/40/17, Kumho p/n 2127043.

I called my local tires hop and was able to find a pair. There are still hope for the folks running the LE sport. :)<s></s>
 
tire guru's any reviews on the bfgoodrich g force ta KDW2's? 215/40-17, 265/35-18...I saw it on the comprehensive that is on the thread and was wonder if those tires are the ones recommended. I dont plan on tracking the car, just street driving. thanks.
 
I currently have a set of Kumho Ecsta LE's on my 17/18 set up and need new rears in 265/35 18. It appears that finding these is a bit hard? Or if you can find them the date codes that I found are 2 years old now. What's the closest tire to this in terms of performance and price? My car is street driven at this point, not doing any tracking. Any suggestions?
 
comquat1 said:
I currently have a set of Kumho Ecsta LE's on my 17/18 set up and need new rears in 265/35 18. It appears that finding these is a bit hard? Or if you can find them the date codes that I found are 2 years old now. What's the closest tire to this in terms of performance and price? My car is street driven at this point, not doing any tracking. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

The Yoko ADVAN Neova AD08 R would be a good choice. I have a set on my car and they are great. Unfortunately much pricier than your Kumhos.
 
mwagner10702 said:
The Yoko ADVAN Neova AD08 R would be a good choice. I have a set on my car and they are great. Unfortunately much pricier than your Kumhos.
Click to expand...

For street driving I'm trying to keep the costs down. My current date codes are 2012 so I guess it's not too big a deal if I got the 2015 date code ones...
 
I use r888r on my Civic track car. I’ve never heard a louder tire; sounds like a bad bearing. Lots of grip though. I imagine they are pretty bad in the rain but I have limited experience with that.
 
I rum R888R on my NSX, 205/40/17 front and 255/35/18 on the rear, love the dry grip and how the car handles with them, but would not go with those tires for DD.

Here my review on the R888 that I used before, the review on R888R would be very close, with a bit less noise and stiffer side wall!:

http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showthread.php/170650-BBVNSX-93-EDM-NSX-From-Portugal!/page3?p=1900783&viewfull=1#post1900783

Other tire I might consider in the future is yokohama A052

Regards
Bruno

Onsoku said:
Anyone running the R888R? Thoughts?
Click to expand...


jwmelvin said:
I use r888r on my Civic track car. I’ve never heard a louder tire; sounds like a bad bearing. Lots of grip though. I imagine they are pretty bad in the rain but I have limited experience with that.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
BBVNSX said:
I rum R888R on my NSX, 205/40/17 front and 255/35/18 on the rear, love the dry grip and how the car handles with them, but would not go with those tires for DD.

Here my review on the R888 that I used before, the review on R888R would be very close, with a bit less noite and stiffer side wall!:

http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showt...tugal!/page3?p=1900783&viewfull=1#post1900783

Other tire I might consider in the future is yokohama A052

Regards
Bruno
Click to expand...

What tire pressure is everyone using with the R888Rs? Not track, but DD and spirited drives on Angeles Crest Highway or the Snake?
 

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