Tyres, Tyres, Tyres. Damn tyres, R888 or Federal RSRs

[phazed]

My rear 265/35/18s are due for renewal on my TVR that gets used for a lot of track days and friendly sprints.

Hunting on the the web, it seems that my usual R888s are a minimum of £220 each.

Now, I'm not a person to pennypinch but the Federals are less than £100 each.

Will I notice much difference if I fit federals. I have a pair of Federal fronts already that I can fit to match up.

I am open to suggestions for another make.

Consider the car only weighs one ton.

What's the consensus of opinion on this?

[phazed]

iguana said:

PS I have a pair of used but still lots life left (4mm) direzza 03g in H1 245/40/18 if any good, for peanuts £

Thank you but no thanks I will stick to my sizes.

So, Is the general consensus that the R888s are the best tyres?

Trouble is if you want the best then it seems,(unless anyone recommends another tyre) that I'll have to shell out.

I set my best time at Curborough last year when the tyres were pretty new, 1.25.6. Since then I have done about 7-8 TDs and sprints and the tyres are down to 1mm!

The best time I could manage last week was a 1.28, (which was the fastest road car there).

I put this down to a lack of grip caused by the tyres being worn and the fact that they have been through scores of heat cycles.

If I get a slightly less grippy tyre then I take a small step back in times but still get a hoot fom loosing the back end!

Edited by phazed on Saturday 29th August 13:42

[phazed]

DeaconFrost said:

I was at Curborough when you were there in my gt86 and got a 1.30.1 on the Federals and I must be way down on power to you. Chris got a 1.28.8 in his tuned MCS also on the Federals. I don't think the Federals would be too bad at all!

If you were watching then you may have noticed my lack of grip!

[phazed]

grahamn said:

You could try these, I use them on the cerb.

Hi Graham, is that the secret weapon ?

What are they?

[phazed]

iguana said:

phazed said:

So, Is the general consensus that the R888s are the best tyres?

Of the 2 you have mentioned yes, otherwise no, not close to the best.

Edited by iguana on Saturday 29th August 18:20

And?

[phazed]

QBee said:

phazed said:

grahamn said:

You could try these, I use them on the cerb.

Hi Graham, is that the secret weapon ?

What are they?

Federal 201s. Take about 5 laps to warm up, but then are superb.....
So no use for sprints

Ah!

[phazed]

QBee said:

BTW, as a man who has more than one set of wheels and an interest in sprinting, have you considered going for two separate sets of tyres, a set of medium compound for track days and a set of much softer compound tyres for sprinting? IMH,APQW,O, sprinting needs a tyre that works 10/10ths straight from cold, whereas on a track day you can run a few laps at 6-8/10 to get the tyres and brakes warmed up.

Good point, so what is the 10/10ths?

[phazed]

git-r said:

Not sure if your car would suffer oil surge with the more grippy tyres, worth keeping in mind.

Got that covered. Fitted baffled sump and a SPA digital pressure/temp oil gauge that flashes like mad when pressure drops!

[phazed]

I see that you have your sensible head on.

Probably a good idea to buy a pair of Federal rears now to match my unused Federal fronts that I have.
Use these for the rest of the year and then put on a stickier set for next year.

Broomer said:

As you've already got a pair of Federals that you can fit on the front then why not buy some rears to match? You'll only end up never using the front if you don't.

[phazed]

Just had a budget price for Triple 8s in my sizes,…….exactly £800.00!

[phazed]

gruffalo said:

Peter, take a look at the Kumho V70's they were a revelation to me when I tried them, I am about to buy my 6th set.

Had a brief look.

Camskills were slightly more expensive than Triple 8s!