R888 vs R888R?

[jid]

I’m due for some tires. Didn’t love the R888’s on my setup due to them struggling to ever get enough heat in them. I currently run 275/40/17’s in the rear and 225/50/16’s in the front.

Was pondering moving to the R888R’s but that would mean I need to drop to a 225/45/16 in the front.

Good idea? Bad idea? Anyone run the R888R’s at all?

[jid]

Haven’t pulled the trigger yet. Any thoughts before I do?

[argonaut]

I only run on race tracks in a Spec Atom - but this may still have some relevance: even running Hoosier's it takes some hard driving to get and keep heat in the front tires. So its not surprising you have frustration with the R888's (nowhere near as sticky as a Hoosier). I have used R888's on a Miata but have no experience with the 'R' version. However, in your shoes I'd give them a try.

Changing tire size is probably not a big deal but it will change the rake a bit - i.e. the shorter tire in front will lead to more rake (front lower than rear). Technically this will make the car's front end bite more and rear end looser (oversteer). But realistically any change would only be noticed at the limits of grip. After more than a decade of track driving I've concluded that you can drive around (compensate for) just about any change in car behavior (oversteer, understeer, etc) - it may feel different at first but you quickly get use to it.

Hope that helps a little.

[sector: 4]

Haven’t pulled the trigger yet. Any thoughts before I do?

I've heard that the R888R's have a lot more grip than the R888's, I imagine due to a softer compound, though it's possible that the R888's they were comparing them to were old and hard.

The R888R's have a funny tread pattern. The tread pattern is asymmetric, they only make them for the left side of the car, and the inside grooves aren't going in the proper direction to move water away fron the center of the tire as it rolls. In the dry you're OK, but in the wet you may want to take it easy on left-hand corners, lol.

The drop from 50 to 45 section should lower the front of the car about 1/2" at the front axle (and a bit more at the nose), which should be fine if you're not scraping. If you are, you can easily raise the front by adjusting the pushrods, or even the spring seats. This will change the suspension geometry slightly.

The lower-profile 45 section tires should be a bit lighter and you should get less side-wall flex. The ride may be a bit harsher at the front and the car may tend to skip a bit when cornering hard on rough surfaces because you're losing a bit of sidewall compliance which is helping to keep the tire in contact with the road.

If you're looking to improve lap times, from what I've heard, I'd go with the newer R888R's.