RA-1 as daily driver?

[CL65 Captain]

They rub at full lock. The only time I had them rub is one day when I was turning around in a cul-de-sac, otherwise they don't - ie backing out of the driveway, driving around town, parking, etc. Just have to be aware that you will rub at full lock, but not 3 deg off of full lock.

 

[WOODY]

They rub at full lock. The only time I had them rub is one day when I was turning around in a cul-de-sac, otherwise they don't - ie backing out of the driveway, driving around town, parking, etc. Just have to be aware that you will rub at full lock, but not 3 deg off of full lock.

is your car lowered? do you know your offsets?
thanks

 

[CL65 Captain]

Lowered about 1-1/2" Enkei RFP01 17x8 +45

Something to consider though.... both the Toyo R888 and the Nitto NT01 are very wide tires. Wish I had taken pictures but I didn't. SourceNSX and I had our cars parked side by side and we both were running the exact same wheels but I had my 235/40 888s and he had 215/40 Falken 615s and my wheels "looked" much, much wider as not only were my tires 235 vs 215 but the tires bow out from the rim and the Falkens go slightly inward and vertical. The difference was dramatic. My car also had about the same space between the wheel well and the tire but my car sat much higher as the diameter of the 235/40 (24.6") vs the 214/40 (23.9). I know that 0.7" diameter doesn't seem like much but my roofline was sitting much higher.

 

[rasir_x]

You may want to check out the Yokohoma ADVAN Neova AD07. From what the reviews read, it's about as close to an R-compound and still be a street tire as you can get.

That's what i'm running and they are great.

 

[angus]

Here is what I have run on NSX , front tire is R888 205/40/17 , this tire is wider than some 215/40/17's that i have compared it to (maybe that's why they did'n't make a 215?)it fits an 8" wheel no problem , it doesn't even look really stretched.

In the rear is 285/30/18 , you could run a 255/35 0r 265/35 - they make both but unless you are tracking your car ,I would assume you are looking for more traction out back so go 285 , keep in mind on the street with RA-1 or 888 you want to run pretty low pressure , it's what I've found works best for ride comfort and still outperforms any street tire by a mile.

I would avoid a 235 in front especially in a 888 since this tire is way wider , size for size (as stated by the capt.) , you would end up with a huge tire in front!

I have found that the 888 is less prone to hydroplaning in the wet ,but what the hell are you doing driving your 500hp nsx fast in the rain anyways???

 

[WOODY]

Here is what I have run on NSX , front tire is R888 205/40/17 , this tire is wider than some 215/40/17's that i have compared it to (maybe that's why they did'n't make a 215?)it fits an 8" wheel no problem , it doesn't even look really stretched.

In the rear is 285/30/18 , you could run a 255/35 0r 265/35 - they make both but unless you are tracking your car ,I would assume you are looking for more traction out back so go 285 , keep in mind on the street with RA-1 or 888 you want to run pretty low pressure , it's what I've found works best for ride comfort and still outperforms any street tire by a mile.

I would avoid a 235 in front especially in a 888 since this tire is way wider , size for size (as stated by the capt.) , you would end up with a huge tire in front!

I have found that the 888 is less prone to hydroplaning in the wet ,but what the hell are you doing driving your 500hp nsx fast in the rain anyways???

I am thinking :

TOYO Proxes R888 305 35ZR18 101Y
Item #162810
Your Price: $347.75
and
TOYO Proxes R888 235 40ZR17 90W
Item #156650
Your Price: $209.00
or
TOYO Proxes R888 225 45ZR17 94W RD
Item #168170
Your Price: $197.00
or
TOYO Proxes R888 205 40ZR17 84W RD
Item #168180
Your Price: $187.00

I definately want the additional rubber on the road in back. The front I am not so concerned with. Is there any advantage of the 235 over the 225 or 205 for handling? I am not sure if the 225/45/17 will work with the TCS having the 305/35/18 on the rear

 

[NSXDreamer2]

I am thinking :

TOYO Proxes R888 305 35ZR18 101Y
Item #162810
Your Price: $347.75
and
TOYO Proxes R888 235 40ZR17 90W
Item #156650
Your Price: $209.00
or
TOYO Proxes R888 225 45ZR17 94W RD
Item #168170
Your Price: $197.00
or
TOYO Proxes R888 205 40ZR17 84W RD
Item #168180
Your Price: $187.00

I definately want the additional rubber on the road in back. The front I am not so concerned with. Is there any advantage of the 235 over the 225 or 205 for handling? I am not sure if the 225/45/17 will work with the TCS having the 305/35/18 on the rear

With 500+whp, does TCS had any use at all?? I hate them so much I switched them off all the time. 235 is your best bet.

205 may not provide the traction you need... 225/45 is actually good choice but not for a stock body nsx. In fact I have a pair of 225/45/17 NT01 (only 1 track day), if you want to try it, I could let go of them.

 

[WOODY]

Given my current lack of traction the TCS is a great way to keep the car from going sideways. I think for street driving the nsx TCS system is a fairly smooth power controller when the tires crack loose. I turn it off when I feel like it but for the most part I leave it on.
Why is 225/45 bad choice for stock body nsx? I believe it will fit under my stock height fender wells.

 

[angus]

I would not recommend a tire which rubs on a street nsx , too annoying , way more so than a noisy tire, also you run the risk of damaging a fender while going up a driveway (done it!) this is not such a concern on a race car
I think you will find that (A) the 205 is as wide or wider than most 215's
and(B) the 888 is so sticky that you will not EVER need more traction in the front on the street , the 205/40 and 285/30 doesn't pose a problem for TCS
Also keep in mind with 888's you won't spin as much or at all , also it's very hard to engage the ABS due to sticky rubber!

Go with 205/285 - It seems to be what you are after , the 305 will be too tall! and the additional width won't add much IMO

all other front tire sizes for the 888 will rub like crazy on nsx , and quite possibly damage the fenders too.

 

[WOODY]

Is the 305 too tall for my stock height fenders or the TCS ? I love the look of super wide rear tires and it would fit on my 10" rims. Also I would like all the wheel protection I can get from a higher sidewall.


any feedback on these yet?
http://nittotire.com/#index.tire.nt05.sizes

 

[docjohn]

305 on a 10 in rim Woody for tire diameter just google any tire size calculater and make sure the diameter is similar to oem and the difference from front to back does not exceed 5%

 

[WOODY]

Cant do 305 on 10"? I thought that was the max you could do..... but then I think alot of things...

the 305 and 225 combo is very close to 5%

 

[docjohn]

I thought 285 was about as big as is recomended for a 10 in rim.

 

[WOODY]

TIRE SIZE: TIRE DIAMETER; WHEEL WIDTH

................
255/40-18: 26.0” diameter; 8.5” – 10.0” wide wheel
265/35-18: 25.3” diameter; 9.0” – 10.5” wide wheel
275/35-18: 25.5” diameter; 9.0” – 11.0” wide wheel
285/35-18: 25.9” diameter; 9.5” – 11.0” wide wheel
295/35-18: 26.2” diameter; 10.0” – 10.5” wide wheel
315/30-18: 25.5” diameter; 10.5” – 11.5” wide wheel
335/30-18: 26.1” diameter; 12.0” – 13.0” wide wheel

A 295 can fit on a 10 and a 315 on a 10.5 so maybe it will work? It would be a waste to pinch the footprint with a grossly narrow wheel though

 

[angus]

just as I was saying with the 205's in front , the 285 888's are huge , they bulge out even on a 10" rim , so , although you could do a 305 it would be useless as you said , since it would be squeezed on , not to mention look rediculous! The 285 888's hook up great with 470whp , so I think you should be fine , a heck of a lot better than now , that's for sure!

 

[Vega$ NSX]

Here are Toyo RA1's 305 wide on a 10.5" wheel with a 5 mm spacer in the rear. IMHO, I like the way it looks and I have no rubbing. For as much HP as you have, this is really the only way you'll be able to get it to the ground and you'll be able to turn TCS off (mine is permanently disabled).

FYI I have 235 wide in the front and I get slight rubbing but only on full lock.

 

[angus]

I discussed this before , with a 30 series tire you don't have much sidewall so mounting a 305 on a 10" rim will distort the whole tire , don't get me wrong , I would do it in a instant - IF THE TIRES WERE FREE or just lying around . You can see that vegas' tires ,even on a 10.5 rim are not completely touching the ground , effectively giving him a smaller contact patch ,yours will be worse on a 10" rim , a lot of people don't realize this is what happens when you go beyond recommended sizing , so , actually you may get better performance from a 285 on a 10" rim , I am willing to bet that 285 vs. 305 on 10" rims , would 60' exactly the same due to contact patch, you can see it in the pics , the tire no longer works as intended .

Vegas please understand ,I'm not flaming you at all , just stating my observations and sharing my experience! As i I said , I would do it too , just not if I was specifically ordering expensive tires!

I would like to add another note on using R-compounds:
I have noticed over the years that a great number of people come in with sports cars and their tires are still something like 75% - but they are 4+ years old , hard and dried out , so I'm thinking if you run the r888 then you wouldn't need to worry!

Also , you should think about installing some clear-bra material behind the wheel wells (a lot of cars come from the factory this way)

 

[WOODY]

A couple things...
Vega$-do you have a better pic from behind the rear tire? The shadow of the the car and garage prevent me from seeing the tire vs the fenderwell and the concrete.

Angus- The added tire sidewall height provided by the 305 over the 285 would give me added protection on crappy chicago streets. A 30 wall is a rubber band and would probably cost me a wheel. The cost difference between the 285 and 305 is negligable, so if the performance is the same(and it doesnt look too stupid pinched on a 10" rim) Wouldnt I be wiser to take the extra protection of a higher side wall? I expect to wear out these tires long before they die of old age. My new faulken 615's did no last the season.
I really appreciate the experience and input. Thank you very much!

 

[Cody@LoveFab]

I think it's time for a WideBody Glenn 365's will hook nicely.


Or hey, you could widen your current wheels once you free up some more inboard room with coilovers...

http://www.weldcraftwheels.com/

$250.00/wheel at .5" increments! I'm considering this service in conjunction with a spacer. I know of a well respected NSX'r that's had this done with a set of stock wheels and the results were awesome!

 

[WOODY]

The contact/dust mark on those rear wheels does look like an inch of contact is lost on each side of the tire or is it actually the natural upturn of the tire ? Seems like any rounded corner tire would have a none contact portion on the edge. It may may alot of sense to try the service Cody recommends and add 1 1/2 inches to the rear wheel to get the footprint larger and maximize traction. A new volk in that size would run prob $700. If not I still think the 305 is the way to go just for the increased wall height/wheel protection. I wish they made a 295/35

 

[angus]

A 295/35 would be huge! way too tall ,are you trying to make your car look like a top fuel dragster? Keep in mind that the 285 has almost the same sidewall as the 255/35 , its not really that short, it's a fatter sidewall than my 265/30/19's (a popular size for nsx) Yes the r888 has a rounded shoulder already but putting a 305 on a 10" rim is gonna make it way worse . Keep in mind vegas has 305 on a 10.5 , if you go 305 on a 10" it will be even more "pinched" than his , The other problem is , I have tried to put a 285 r888 on a 9.5 rim and It was a REAL pain , I couldn't initially get it to air up due to the side wall being distorted , and I had to do some crazy stuff to get it to inflate (ether , youtube it if you want) the 285 on a 9.5 is about as far off as a 305 on a 10.5 , you could do it but I just don't recommend it (at the risk of sounding like I'm trying to talk you out of it)

Yes , you could also widen the rims but as cody said you may need to buy some crazy coilover setup to gain inboard space, also you can only widen the wheel based on the design of the barrel.

What tire sizes are you currently running?

 

[angus]

WHOA! HOLD ON !

I just realized the 305 you are talking about is a 305/35/18!!! this tire is 26.3 tall! That is almost 2" taller than stock , I think you should stick to 285/30 or you could go 295/30 , you never want to use the tcs?

I think the 285 or 295 should hook up just great. and they should have adequate rim protection too , it would be a shame to order tires , then find out they won't fit your rims.

 

[WOODY]

That is the tire vega$ is showing in the pics (305/18). I guess I dont see the harm with a tall tire as long as the diameter ratio with the fronts is ~ 5% the tcs will work. Again the height may save my rim. The bilsteins I have must be replaced with a coil over regardless because the perch is so wide I cant go over 285's. I currently have 275/18 and 205/17

 

[Vega$ NSX]

A couple of things:

1) I'll snap some better pictures this weekend for you and how the tire meets the road. Please note that the pictures above are on a sloped driveway, so the tire you see pictured has the driveway slope away from it on the outside part of the wheel. That's probably giving you the appearance that it's not getting full contact. Also note that alignment had not been done at that time. The pictures I take this weekend should look a lot better.

2) Yes, I am running 305/35/18 in the back (I am dropped abut 1/2" in the back with a 5mm spacer on the rear). I had the same concerns as you. How will that affect my balance? How will it affect my spedometer? Will it rub? etc. etc. So I tried the tires out first to see and I was very surprised how little affect the size of the tires had, other than a massive increase in grip. The balance of the car did not change that much. In fact, the car felt more balanced and stable because the rear would actually hold traction, whereas before, the back end just felt skittish all the time. I even tested my spedometer with a GPS unit and a G-meter. The MPH was off about .7 mph tops. I don't know how it affected TCS since mine is permanently turned off and as I mentioned above I don't have rubbing in the rear. The only other change I noticed was huge amounts of grip which way outweighs all of negatives I've experienced thus far.

3) I agree that a 10" wheel seems a bit too small for a 305 wheel. My tire sticks out quite a bit from my 10.5" wheel so I can't imagine what it would look like on a 10" wheel. Back when I had my 10" wide SSR GT3's I was considering the 295/35-18 R888's. Have you considered those? Seems like it would be a nice compromise. I believe it is the size Danny (Mr. 1,000 hp NSX) is running (though he's running Yoks).

 

[WOODY]

I dont see that they make a 295/35 in the 888's. maybe just not at aimtires.com
I appreciate the pics. I am very tempted to have my rims widened to 11 1/2 and have it all put on the inside. I think I am getting the JIC coilovers from sos so I will have to see how much clearance I get.