Trackday tyres - Alternatives to AD08R?
Discussion
jon- said:
Based on my testing, of the road tyres, the Goodyear Eagle F1 SS has the best heat resistance, however it's still a road tyre.
What about in a 17" wheel size? Im torn between GY Eagle F1 5s, Bridgestone potenza sports or nankang ns2rs. Car is a 986 boxster s, driven 5% wet road, 85% dry road, 10% track.brillomaster said:
What about in a 17" wheel size? Im torn between GY Eagle F1 5s, Bridgestone potenza sports or nankang ns2rs. Car is a 986 boxster s, driven 5% wet road, 85% dry road, 10% track.
If the car is a weekend toy, I assume that from the 5% wet ( either that or you live towards the equator) then I'd take the Nankang. That's exactly what I did with my weekend car. Far more sporty tyre than than the Goodyear. Pass on the Potenza, no experience of that but it is rated by Jon as almost track day esk so it is a contender. Suffice to say, I'm quite happy with the Nankang. If it does rain it certainly wont kill you. Will also stand up to track work just fine. Chuck328 said:
If the car is a weekend toy, I assume that from the 5% wet ( either that or you live towards the equator) then I'd take the Nankang. That's exactly what I did with my weekend car. Far more sporty tyre than than the Goodyear. Pass on the Potenza, no experience of that but it is rated by Jon as almost track day esk so it is a contender. Suffice to say, I'm quite happy with the Nankang. If it does rain it certainly wont kill you. Will also stand up to track work just fine.
I think Jon is talking about the SS for its (surprising) heat resilience for a road car. I have them at the front on a heavy car and they're surprisingly good. I would favour them vs the NS2r for the driving profile in question. nickfrog said:
I think Jon is talking about the SS for its (surprising) heat resilience for a road car. I have them at the front on a heavy car and they're surprisingly good. I would favour them vs the NS2r for the driving profile in question.
I have the SS on the family car to. I’d take the NS over the SS for summer spirited road fun all day long. Different strokes and all that though. SS is a very good tyre. Will buy again
If you haven’t already, check out Jon’s 225/18 reviews recently. Pretty sure he sited the Bridgestone as the track like tyre.
Problem with the Supersport, is that it is not available in 17”. The Assymetric 5 is. It’s a great all round tyre on the road and would probably handle the odd track day. The NS2R, in my opinion is to stiff and noisy for the road, It is a good dry weather track day tyre. Ideally I would use Assymetric 5 on the road and for wet tracks and NS2R for dry track use. The Michelin PS4S is also available in 17”. Never used it but could be a good option.
Chuck328 said:
nickfrog said:
I think Jon is talking about the SS for its (surprising) heat resilience for a road car. I have them at the front on a heavy car and they're surprisingly good. I would favour them vs the NS2r for the driving profile in question.
I have the SS on the family car to. I’d take the NS over the SS for summer spirited road fun all day long. Different strokes and all that though. SS is a very good tyre. Will buy again
If you haven’t already, check out Jon’s 225/18 reviews recently. Pretty sure he sited the Bridgestone as the track like tyre.
Elatino1 said:
I have used AD08R on my car previously and went for the AD08RS despite many reviews saying they are not as good. I honestly haven't found any of the negative characteristics that people talk about and after 2 track days they still have plenty of tread left (70%) whilst being grippy and predictable.
I have used NS2R, R888R and Cup 2s on this car and can't fault the new Yoko AD08RS. The R888Rs were worn out in just over 2 track days, Cup 2s lethal in the wet and no better than Yokos in the dry although decent on the road and the NS2R were poor in the wet and Ok on track but nothing to write home about and wore out quickly too.
Edit: also had a set of AR1s, for me they also wore out really quickly and were pointless on a damp track.
I concur on the AD08R/RS - they make different 'noises' but they perform very similar. Dale from 'bridgetogantry' mentioned the same thing on facebook - they are running them on a number of 'ring cars and he found the laptimes are identical.I have used NS2R, R888R and Cup 2s on this car and can't fault the new Yoko AD08RS. The R888Rs were worn out in just over 2 track days, Cup 2s lethal in the wet and no better than Yokos in the dry although decent on the road and the NS2R were poor in the wet and Ok on track but nothing to write home about and wore out quickly too.
Edit: also had a set of AR1s, for me they also wore out really quickly and were pointless on a damp track.
The AD08 is a pretty decent all-rounder... they aren't as grippy as AD048/32s I used for racing, but they last well and manage heat so seem to lap pretty consistently
AD08RS on a std MX5 were an absolute hoot today at Combe. lots of grip, very predictable and nicely progressive. I just don’t get the hate unless you’re driving like a ham fisted gorilla in a 500 bhp monster. They may not be as good as the AD08R but I’m sure all the hate is from people who have never used them on track.
I agree, very little difference between the R and RS IME. I wondered if it all started when someone posted a very early review of the RS immediately after launch and everyone has repeated it.
Those Yoki remain a fantastically versatile solution to the old "all in one" needs for a road tyre than can cope with decent amounts of track heat.
Those Yoki remain a fantastically versatile solution to the old "all in one" needs for a road tyre than can cope with decent amounts of track heat.
pablo said:
AD08RS on a std MX5 were an absolute hoot today at Combe. lots of grip, very predictable and nicely progressive. I just don’t get the hate unless you’re driving like a ham fisted gorilla in a 500 bhp monster. They may not be as good as the AD08R but I’m sure all the hate is from people who have never used them on track.
I was also at Combe today in the RX-8, also running a set of AD08RS. My experience was similar, I couldn't really fault them and provided what I was looking for in the tyre - supportive, resistent to overheating, good grip levels plus they don't seem to have worn too much. I would recommend them as an AD08R replacement without question.If you guys want to spread the good experiences, there's another way of doing it 
https://www.tyrereviews.com/submit.htm?match=Yokoh...
https://www.tyrereviews.com/submit.htm?match=Yokoh...jon- said:
If you guys want to spread the good experiences, there's another way of doing it https://www.tyrereviews.com/submit.htm?match=Yokoh...
Yep, planning on adding a review there too https://www.tyrereviews.com/submit.htm?match=Yokoh...
I'm happy you all guys have had good experiences with the RS version. But it's rather different than my own experience, which is based in track time too. When I bought them I didn't know about any bad internet reviews, so I wasn't influenced by internet comments.
Couple of months ago I had a puncture in the rear right, and I changed both rears for the RS version while keeping the worn R at the front. It completely transformed the car from slightly understeer to massive oversteer, which caught me completely off guard during my first trackday with them.
After a couple of warm-up laps, when I started pushing the car, I lost the rear under braking. (sorry for the awful quality) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smWTMUkBY_E
Probably it's a massive lack of talent, but it had never happened to me before.
Based on the comments on this thread, I will give the Nankangs a go.
Couple of months ago I had a puncture in the rear right, and I changed both rears for the RS version while keeping the worn R at the front. It completely transformed the car from slightly understeer to massive oversteer, which caught me completely off guard during my first trackday with them.
After a couple of warm-up laps, when I started pushing the car, I lost the rear under braking. (sorry for the awful quality) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smWTMUkBY_E
Probably it's a massive lack of talent, but it had never happened to me before.
Based on the comments on this thread, I will give the Nankangs a go.
Edited by osdecar on Thursday 27th May 09:43
osdecar said:
I'm happy you all guys have had good experiences with the RS version. But it's rather different than my own experience, which is based in track time and not internet comments.
You think you are the only one here that plays on tracks? I was at Donington on the Yokos in my Impreza yesterday and all of the other tyres I mentioned earlier were mainly obliterated on various tracks.Pretty sure all comments here are from people relaying their track experience. What everyone heard on the internet was how bad they are.
osdecar said:
I'm happy you all guys have had good experiences with the RS version. But it's rather different than my own experience, which is based in track time and not internet comments.
Mine is based on running both versions on track, albeit one on a Meg RS3 275, the other on a Meg RS4 280. The only internet comment at the time was a negative review within a matter of weeks of the launch of the AD08RS. I really think this is what set the tone for the tyre, rather than direct on track experience although I can't explain your experience, which sounds a little scary.
- it is entirely possible that they warm up at different rates and that the RS would have taken longer then the front R to get to optimum plateau temperature. Basically, don't mix and a match would be my advice.Edited by nickfrog on Thursday 27th May 09:38
Elatino1 said:
You think you are the only one here that plays on tracks? I was at Donington on the Yokos in my Impreza yesterday and all of the other tyres I mentioned earlier were mainly obliterated on various tracks.
Pretty sure all comments here are from people relaying their track experience. What everyone heard on the internet was how bad they are.
I don't doubt for a moment that all people posting good experiences with the RS version are legit and based on track experience too. Pretty sure all comments here are from people relaying their track experience. What everyone heard on the internet was how bad they are.
My mention of internet comments is on reference to nickfrog previous post:
nickfrog said:
I agree, very little difference between the R and RS IME. I wondered if it all started when someone posted a very early review of the RS immediately after launch and everyone has repeated it.
I understand that my initial words can be misinterpreted, so I have edited the text to be more clear and sound less arrogant.Edited by osdecar on Thursday 27th May 09:45
Edited by osdecar on Thursday 27th May 09:45
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