Toyo R888 Wear?

[Dan Friel]

I had a Panda 100HP until a couple of months ago, and it did go on track over the five years I had it.. plenty of fun and highly recommended. For the last year of ownership i fitted Nankang RS-R tyres. Cheap and enough tread to be used on road. They were also very good on track (but took a lap or so to warm). They did affect the ride and I wouldn't have used them in the winter (had another set of rims).

That said, the Vredestein Sportrac 3s, that I used before, were perfectly adequate.

[JamesHayward]

I run R888's all year round with no issues and do probably 10,000 miles and 8 track days on them. Some circuits are more abrasive than others though. I pretty much killed my left hand tyres at Llandow last year. Obviously I don't drive in the depths of winter on them but they are fine from say March - November.

The only thing is you can't get their full potential on the road as you can't really heat them up enough and in standing water you really need to keep your wits about you. When driving the MX5 in the rain I am the first to admit I'm a middle lane moron because the tyres don't respond well to the truck ruts in the left hand lane...

[boxsey]

QBee said:

I wouldn't use 888s for road use - and I DO have a TVR. They are a track tyre and only suitable for dry use. Get caught by a summer thunderstorm 100 miles from home (as I did, returning from a track day) and you will find out just how badly they handle. Also, at 2mm they will have gone through quite a lot of heat cycles and the grip will be well less than 50% of new tyres.

I think that must be a TVR issue in the wet because I've always found the 888s to perform well on my 911 on both wet tracks and wet roads. However, I agree that at 2 mm and lots of heat cycles that they're ready for the bin but you can say that for most track tyres (and even road tyres).

[QBee]

The above two posts probably cover it re R888s. Ok on a somewhat heavier Porsche, trickier in the wet on a lighter weight car.

I drive mine all year round, using Federals in the summer and some decent wet weather Bridgestones (and a more cautious right foot) in winter. Having said which, Christmas morning it was cold dry and sunny, and I took myself off on a spirited drive around the local (and empty) country roads on the summer Federals and thoroughly enjoyed it.

[HustleRussell]

OP has already said he's not going on a track.