Does budget = rubbish?

[e21Mark]

I had to buy a couple of 235/50x14 last weekend and whilst I would have liked Toyo 888's I simply couldn't afford them right now, at £199 each. I didn't want to go down the route of the Ling-Long or Sunny but I did notice there is now a trackday Nangkang available. If honest, I simply couldn't get my head around the idea of fitting a Nangkang to an M3! Instead, I opted for a pair of Toyo R1R and I am told they are the same compound as 888's but with a better wet weather tread pattern. The certainly look nice enough but having only done a few miles, I can't comment on performance yet.

So I just wondered if anyone else was running Toyo R1R? Also, was I foolish to discount the new Nangkang? I mean, we used to bin Yoyohama for being absolute rubbish back in the day.

What are the best of what might be called budget tyres?

[tbc]

Putting budget tyres on a performance car like an M3 is a bit ridiculous.

[Liquid Tuna]

Ideally you'd buy the best you can for your car from every aspect, but that's either not always possible or even necessary, so where do you draw the line? It's only ridiculous fitting budget tyres to a performance (or any) car if you're expecting them to behave like the items it came with from the factory.

[e21Mark]

Isn't it fair to assume that tyres have moved on somewhat since 1990 though?

I'm not talking about £29.99 tyres from China but the less expensive options from major manufacturers. Nangkang get slated by most (apart from stretch tyre or drifters) but now make an NS2R which is supposedly pretty good. They've got to overcome the brand snobbery before people will take them seriously.

[poing]

e21Mark said:

Isn't it fair to assume that tyres have moved on somewhat since 1990 though?

Yup they are now all made from solid plastic to give minimum rolling resistance and improve fuel economy, nobody wants grip any more.

You'll be perfectly fine with the tyres you've picked, they can be a bit slippy when greasy (can't all tyres?) and have a tendency to fall off a cliff when in the last 15% or so of their life.

[Jenny19]

Go on YouTube and type in "350z crash castle Combe". Told my mate that putting budget tyres on a car, especially one going out on track is the worst thing you can do! Did he listen? No! He crashed instead, nothing serious but enough to damage his pride and need a new bumper!

[Mound Dawg]

I've run R1Rs, in fact one of the first sets in the country went on my car and Toto were actually interested in my comments. Unfortunately they were fitted in November so my first report was "They're st on snow".

Subsequent track use showed that they worked really well although like the previously fitted R888s they like a lot more negative camber than my Alfa 75 is happy with so the outside edge of the tread tore up a bit.

Good grip though, Nurburgring track times about the same as the R888 although better track knowledge/bravery may have helped here.

What surprises me is your reference to cost. The R1R 205/50 15 cost me more than the R888s they replaced????

Using Yoko AD08 now, actually usable on the road and don't blow chunks like the Toyos.

[J4CKO]

My 350Z has "Jinyu" tyres courtesy of the Previous owner, have had worse tyres from the premium brands to be fair and dont give a toss about killing them, that said have had some cheapos that seemed absolutely unfit for purpose, these seem fine.

[e21Mark]

Mound Dawg said:

I've run R1Rs, in fact one of the first sets in the country went on my car and Toto were actually interested in my comments. Unfortunately they were fitted in November so my first report was "They're st on snow".

Subsequent track use showed that they worked really well although like the previously fitted R888s they like a lot more negative camber than my Alfa 75 is happy with so the outside edge of the tread tore up a bit.

Good grip though, Nurburgring track times about the same as the R888 although better track knowledge/bravery may have helped here.

What surprises me is your reference to cost. The R1R 205/50 15 cost me more than the R888s they replaced????

Using Yoko AD08 now, actually usable on the road and don't blow chunks like the Toyos.

I bought a Yoko A529 as a spare and it certainly feels like much harder rubber than the Toyo to the touch. I bought the R1R from EARs Motorsport although a few suppliers list them at about £100. They jump to £150 for the 245's I'll need for the rears though, or £199 each for r888's.

[s m]

e21Mark said:

I had to buy a couple of 235/50x14 last weekend and whilst I would have liked Toyo 888's I simply couldn't afford them right now, at £199 each. I didn't want to go down the route of the Ling-Long or Sunny but I did notice there is now a trackday Nangkang available. If honest, I simply couldn't get my head around the idea of fitting a Nangkang to an M3! Instead, I opted for a pair of Toyo R1R and I am told they are the same compound as 888's but with a better wet weather tread pattern. The certainly look nice enough but having only done a few miles, I can't comment on performance yet.

So I just wondered if anyone else was running Toyo R1R? Also, was I foolish to discount the new Nangkang? I mean, we used to bin Yoyohama for being absolute rubbish back in the day.

What are the best of what might be called budget tyres?

I've tried the old T1R ( far too soft a sidewall for my liking ) so only had one set, R888s in the medium compound and am on my 3rd set of R1Rs



The 888s I found were pretty noisy for road use, great grip but tugged at cambers and longitudinal ridges and could be slightly hairy with big puddles in wet conditions.
The R1Rs are still pretty grippy but much more civilised for road use. Less pulling at road imperfections and a lot quieter than 888s.
I've got a set of Advan AD08s waiting to go on when the current set of R1Rs are finished. They were cheaper than the Toyos ( which seem to have gone up in price a lot )

I'll let you know how I get on with the AD08s
All in 205/50 size though

[Renovation]

e21Mark said:

Nangkang get slated by most but now make an NS2R which is supposedly pretty good.

They've got to overcome the brand snobbery before people will take them seriously.

No they have to overcome their history - they've made st tyres for years

[BritishRacinGrin]

So none of the contributors in this thread have tried them but we have several people dismissing them as st.

We've a couple of contributors who clearly have no idea what sort of tyre an R888, T1R, NS2R etc is and is going on about 'rubber like plastic' for 'durability' and 'fuel economy' (even though the economical tyres tend to be softer in construction)

OP, search for reviews for this tyre elsewhere. You aren't going to get an objective opinion here.

Personally if the tyres are well reviewed elsewhere I wouldn't be put off by the fact they're Nankangs.

[kambites]

BritishRacinGrin said:

Personally if the tyres are well reviewed elsewhere I wouldn't be put off by the fact they're Nankangs.

PH is the epitome of all things badge snobbish. Read objective reviews, there are plenty out there.

[Qwert1e]

e21Mark said:

They certainly look nice enough

1. I'm not aware that "looks" are particularly relevant to tyre performance
2. M3 - with all the obvious costs - and then skimping on tyres seems a bit of a waste.

[Renovation]

BritishRacinGrin said:

So none of the contributors in this thread have tried them but we have several people dismissing them as st.

I've just re read the thread and can't find a single post saying that.

[e21Mark]

Qwert1e said:

e21Mark said:

They certainly look nice enough

1. I'm not aware that "looks" are particularly relevant to tyre performance
2. M3 - with all the obvious costs - and then skimping on tyres seems a bit of a waste.

It's not a case of skimping on tyres though. It's simply that I only had a certain budget and was trying to get the best tyre for my money. I also looked at the tyre to compare tread pattern, the look of the shoulder of the tyre and to feel the compound of the rubber. I found looking helped me evaluate potential purchases and their potential performance.

Having looked for more objective views re the Nangkang track day tyre, it appears that they are actually pretty good and have held their own in direct comparison with 888's, Yoko etc. hopefully someone who's actually used them can volunteer an opinion?

[s m]

BritishRacinGrin said:

So none of the contributors in this thread have tried them but we have several people dismissing them as st.

We've a couple of contributors who clearly have no idea what sort of tyre an R888, T1R, NS2R etc

I've tried all the Toyos - see post above yours

[AdamGP]

I'm running Federal RSRs, a competitor of the Nankang, I've been blow away by the grip they provide in the dry, very confidence inspiring, though this is purely road driving for me.

I would of had the Nankangs, but people say the Federal's suit everyday driving better

[e21Mark]

s m said:

BritishRacinGrin said:

So none of the contributors in this thread have tried them but we have several people dismissing them as st.

We've a couple of contributors who clearly have no idea what sort of tyre an R888, T1R, NS2R etc

I've tried all the Toyos - see post above yours

Meant to thank you for that. The sun is finally out here, so plan to see how the R1R feel when pushing on a bit?

Also been reading several good reviews on the Nangkang NS-2R and they certainly seem popular amongst people that have used them. Maybe they've upped their game? Yokohama used to be absolute dross back in the late 80's and early 90's!

[Renovation]

AdamGP said:

I'm running Federal RSRs, a competitor of the Nankang, I've been blow away by the grip they provide in the dry, very confidence inspiring, though this is purely road driving for me.

I would of had the Nankangs, but people say the Federal's suit everyday driving better

They are good on track compared to road tyres - nothing like 888's though.

They are terrifying in the cold / wet and that was with only 240bhp going through them.