Nankang NS2R as a wet tyre option

[lol1]

I need a set of wet tyres for this season and my first choice was the R1R's but as they have stopped producing them and nobody has stock in my size I am a bit stuck.

I'm running R88R in damp/wet (no standing water) as they have a wet rating of E where as the Nankang NS2R has a wet rating of B.

Has anyone had experience of the Nankang NS2R in the wet (standing water)? Any thoughts please as I need to try to get something before this weekend.

Edited by lol1 on Wednesday 6th April 14:17

[stevieturbo]

And are there any restrictions as to what you can or cannot use ?

This thread was interesting and if the test is to be believed, also surprising.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[lol1]

We can use 1a/1b/1c tyres

[df76]

I used nankangs on my road car for a year, and they were pretty decent in the wet. However, not as good as a decent road tyre in standing water..

[teamHOLDENracing]

The NS2R is pretty awful in the wet - especially in cross over conditions between wet and dry. Very unpredictable. Used them for a couple of years in Fun Fup and they were great in the dry but hated them in the wet. The series is now on GiTi tyres which I'm told are a big improvement

[stevieturbo]

teamHOLDENracing said:

The NS2R is pretty awful in the wet - especially in cross over conditions between wet and dry. Very unpredictable. Used them for a couple of years in Fun Fup and they were great in the dry but hated them in the wet. The series is now on GiTi tyres which I'm told are a big improvement

Never heard of them, but sounds like they wont be on the silly MSA lists mentioned, which means no matter how good/legal they are, they wont be allowed in those MSA events.

[Tommo Two]

I'm in the same boat as you OP, I've been emailing Nankang about there NS-2R wet & damp suitability:

QUESTION:

I'm looking to purchase a set of your NS-2R tyres, I'll be using them
specifically as a wet / damp option for my race car. Looking at compound
options available is my understanding correct:

180: Hard - street use
120: Medium - Race use / trackday
New compounds:
100: Soft - Race use
80: not available in my size range 225/45/17

I currently use a hard compound for dry use, but
want a soft option that performs well in the wet?


REPLY

Thank you for your email.

The NS-2R is designed to be a fast road / track tyre so wet capabilities
were priority when designing the tyre.


The compound differences and characteristics are as below:

180 - a very compliant compound that works well in dry / wet etc, It can
take a lap or so to warm up however will provide grip needed for the
endurance of your race


120 - the compound is no 'softer' than the 180 however characteristics are
very different. It warms up very fast from the get go, built for sprint
racing more than endurance


100 - the newest compound in the NS-2R range, softer than the other
compounds. Designed to give you optimum grip from the get go however still
provide the longevity needed to finish a race


The number relates to the tread wear rating, the 80 / 100 ratings are the
same compound however they work out at different tread wear ratings because
of the sizes.

I hope the information above helps, let me know if I can help with
anything else at all.


Regards,

Ben
Nankang Tyre UK
Tel: [phone]

MY REPLY

Hi Ben,

The 100 sounds like what I'm after: grip from the off, and a softer compound
that's easier to get heat into when it's wet / damp.

The races are 40 mins long so its entirety possible that a wet start could
lead to a drying track and a dry line by the end of the race, so it's good
to hear that the 100 compound will have the legs to finish the race.

Thanks


REPLY

I would also go for the 100 compound myself, we used the tyre at Anglesey in
November on a wet and cold track and it worked well, I am sure this will
tick the boxes for you.

If I can be of any assistance at all, don't hesitate to get in touch.

Regards,

Ben

Nankang Tyre UK
Tel: [phone]

TeamHOLDENRacing:
What compound did you run in the fun cup?
I currently run Kumho V70a (Hard) and they are great in the dry useless in the wet, REALLY USELESS. however the soft and super soft V70a are really good in the wet, but bit expensive.

I'm hoping your reply will be you were using the 180 compound and from Nankangs advice the softer 100 compound is more suited to the wet.

I'll be getting a set of 120 compounds for my daily (E36 328 - same as the race car) to see how they cope on an cold wet day.

[teamHOLDENracing]

Fun Cup used the harder compound. After complaints about the predictability in the wet the softer tyres were tested but were not significantly better. Personally I would not use them if I had a choice. The Uniroyal Rainsport was significantly better as a wet tyre (but much worse in the dry).

[lol1]

@ stevieturbo, they are on the MSA Tyre list so can be used.

@ Tommo, Thanks for that. If the reply is to be believed then the 100 rate tyre would be the one to go for. Not sure I can get any before Snet this weekend though.

[Tommo Two]

teamHOLDENracing said:

Fun Cup used the harder compound. After complaints about the predictability in the wet the softer tyres were tested but were not significantly better. Personally I would not use them if I had a choice. The Uniroyal Rainsport was significantly better as a wet tyre (but much worse in the dry).

Out and out wet tyre 100% Uniroyal Rainsport 3, but you are correct much worse in the dry, the problem is its a road tyre, so 8mm tread, so if a drying line starts to apear you are going to be very disadvantaged.

My thoughts are the 100 compound, so going to be able to cope with rain, damp and drying track. Everything is a compromise on one aspect and price is obviously a big selling point of the NS2Rs. Hence F1 use Wet, Inter, and 4 compounds of dry, no one tyre does everything.

[Tommo Two]

lol1 said:

@ stevieturbo, they are on the MSA Tyre list so can be used.

@ Tommo, Thanks for that. If the reply is to be believed then the 100 rate tyre would be the one to go for. Not sure I can get any before Snet this weekend though.

Snet this weekend you say...... that must be CSCC, in that case all of the above info I have given you is false and fabricated, if its wet the best form of tyre is no tyre, the rims cut through the water and gaurentee against aquaplaning

[xjay1337]

Or, you can buy something like an Eagle F1 Assy3 or Pilot Super Sport which will be just as good in the wet as the rainsport 3 but much better in the dry.
I really don't get why the Rainsport 3 has such a huge following... usually from people who have cheap tyres and go to this and think it's AMAZING.

[Tommo Two]

xjay1337 said:

Or, you can buy something like an Eagle F1 Assy3 or Pilot Super Sport which will be just as good in the wet as the rainsport 3 but much better in the dry.
I really don't get why the Rainsport 3 has such a huge following... usually from people who have cheap tyres and go to this and think it's AMAZING.

But it wont be just as good in the wet, based on industry reviews the uniroyal rainsport 3 is pretty much the best performing wet road tyre.

The Eagle F1 / Pilot sport, will be much better in the dry for a couple of laps till it overheats, no road tyre is close to a track trye in the dry if used for correct application.

I'm personally trying to find a track tyre that is suited to the wet / damp that wont fall over when a dry line apears in the last 20 mins of a race. for that application a road tyre isn't even a consideration.

I'm guessing they have a huge following because when its wet they give better grip than tyres that are far more expensive. I'm assuming the people that think this tyre is 'AMAZING' have a track tyre that they use for drier trackday sessions / races

[lol1]

Tommo what CSCC series are you in?

[stevieturbo]

lol1 said:

@ stevieturbo, they are on the MSA Tyre list so can be used.

@ Tommo, Thanks for that. If the reply is to be believed then the 100 rate tyre would be the one to go for. Not sure I can get any before Snet this weekend though.

I was referring to Holden's comment about GiTi or whatever they are.

Whilst they arent on the list, I recently switched from 888's to Westlake Sport RS ( drifters like them ) and have been more than pleasantly surprised how good they are, at least for straight line traction. havent tried them hard elsewhere yet.
And they're a fraction of the price of most other stuff.

Despite being fully road legal and E-marked....the plonkers at MSA dont have them on their lists so as with many other fully road legal tyres...they dont allow people to use them
They have half decent tread but no idea how they'd be in hard wet use.

http://westlaketiremotorsportseurope.com/

[Tommo Two]

lol1 said:

Tommo what CSCC series are you in?

What makes you say that???

Not saying

















New Millennium, Class C

E36 328:

[lol1]

[quote=stevieturbo]

I was referring to Holden's comment about GiTi or whatever they are.

Sorry Stevie I thought you where talking about the Nankang

[lol1]

Tommo Two said:

lol1 said:

Tommo what CSCC series are you in?

What makes you say that???

Not saying


Ah so your racing on the Sunday as well. Modern classic class A for me.
















New Millennium, Class C

E36 328:

Edited by lol1 on Thursday 7th April 11:03

[xjay1337]

Tommo Two said:

But it wont be just as good in the wet, based on industry reviews the uniroyal rainsport 3 is pretty much the best performing wet road tyre.

The Eagle F1 / Pilot sport, will be much better in the dry for a couple of laps till it overheats, no road tyre is close to a track trye in the dry if used for correct application.

I'm personally trying to find a track tyre that is suited to the wet / damp that wont fall over when a dry line apears in the last 20 mins of a race. for that application a road tyre isn't even a consideration.

I'm guessing they have a huge following because when its wet they give better grip than tyres that are far more expensive. I'm assuming the people that think this tyre is 'AMAZING' have a track tyre that they use for drier trackday sessions / races

Is it?
I have not seen any tyre reviews comparing the Rainsport 3 to Goodyear Eagle F1 Asy2/3 , Michelin Pilot Sport 2/3/4 or Super Sport.
The only one I have seen was this one -
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2015-AMS-Perf...

Where it scored a wet test score of 8.6 which was 4 out of 9, and it scored behind
Conti Sport 5
Dunlop Sport Blueresponse
Bridgestone Turanza T001

Hardly known for their outright performance. The Sport 5 Conti would also be suitable as a light track day tyre.
The rainsport fan club is because people who have historically had Nankang NS2 or WANLI or TRIANGLE tyres have been able to get a "branded" tyre for not much more.
Often young-ish people who have heavily tuned cars

Unfortunately regarding RACE use I am not sure what tyres are allowed / certified by your specific race team so can't advise too much. I would avoid Nankang NS2Rs in the wet personally unless you're on lightweight car like an MX5 or something. The heavier the car the more it needs that extra grip.

Edited by xjay1337 on Thursday 7th April 11:06

[geeks]

Want to see how good an NS2R is in the wet?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Lg-vt4ezn0 (lad here uses hand controls, he is amazing!)

Suffice to say we run a grid of 50 odd cars on them and they love them in the wet!

Have a look here, skip to 10:50 there will also be onboards of the front runners

https://vimeo.com/138082365

I challenge anyone who says that it isn't a great wet tyre!