X-post from Tires Forum - Do's and Don'ts going from street to R-compounds?
 

I've searched the archives and haven't really found the answers I was looking for.

I have no R-compound experience and all of my track time has been on some form of a treaded street tire. What are the main things to know when driving on R-compounds versus street tires on the track? Handling differences? Do they communicate with sound and feel similar to a street tire or totally different? How long do they last in comparison? Any good rule of thumb to know if I'm even driving at R-compound grip levels or are the street tires good enough?

Whatever you guys can help me with, I'd appreciate the education before I start shopping 'round. Thanks!

If you are ready to move to R comps, then the improved grip will put a smile on your face.

The improved grip all allow you to take corners faster, however when you lose grip it will be with a lot less communication and loss of grip could be without warning.

R comps will last longer then street tires when pushed to higher limits, however if you drive at a moderate level they will wear faster. In other words when pushed hard, the street tires will melt and wear out quicker then the R Comps.

What R comps were you thinking of getting?

That's what I've heard and that got me thinking about asking questions here.

At this point, I have no idea other than I'd like to go down a wheel size to 18" with some lightweight and strong wheels. I've perused Tire Rack's website since that's where I get all my tires from but that's about it. Any rec's based on your experience?

R-Comps will not squeal nd howl like street tires will so you will lose that feedback. I run 18's on my 997S and have been useing Toyo RA1 and R888 for the last 2 years.

If you can get -2 camber up front minium (need GT3 lower control arms...great mod too!) R-Comps will really come alive and last longer. Different R-Comps require different degrees of camber but the Toyo's work best out of all the R-Comps on less camber.

Thanks for the info guys. Appreciate it.

As others have pointed out, it's not just the tires, but wheels, alignment, brakes, etc. Stock fluid and pads (or Porsche Sport pads - basically Pagid 4-2-1) can work fine with street tires, but once you move up to the higher grip characteristics of R-comps, now your pads and fluid have more work to do. Also, you won't be getting the most out of either street or track tires with stock alignment.

White this is a big move, I think if you are going to move to R-comps, you need to do the following:

GT3 Cup control arms - should be about $1200 including installation and alignment (street / track combo, about -2.1 degrees of camber up front).

Castrol SRF fluid - same BP wet or dry, so I have it flushed once in the spring and it's good all season (April to November).

Pagid Yellow 29s or PFC 97s for pads, swap out before / after each event.

Wheels and R-comps. I've tried many and really like the "all around" characteristics of the Volk TE37 from Tire Rack and Toyo RA1s, 245/305 shaved to 5/32. If you don't get them shaved, they will be squirmy for the first several events.

The RA1s really are a wunder-tyre. Last a very long time, great in the dry, wet, cold.

This is the kind of stuff I was looking for. Thanks for posting! I'll take a closer look at adjusting my suspension setup and at the Toyo's. I figured if I do any mods with this car the brakes would be the first on the list. I just didn't think about the R-compound grip vs. brake ability. These brakes are good for spirited driving on back roads, I guess, but I used to run ALCON's on my Audi and I miss the fade free pedal and reduced unsprung mass.

Again, thanks a lot. And, thanks to mdrums and north van, too.