Budget TD tyres

[E-bmw]

So, as the title implies, has anyone tried both the Federal RSR595s and the Nankang NS 2Rs on a medium weight car (mine is an e36) and which is best/fastest/better feedback etc.

Any opinions out there in t'interweb-land?

Thanks for any input guys as I am considering both & help would be appreciated.

[Oilchange]

595s are ok, they need dry tarmac to get some heat into them otherwise they don't grip very well at all. I under steered everywhere, it was scary sometimes.
NS2r come in different compounds. 180 is a 'Street' or medium compound.
I use the 120, a softer compound which I find are good especially in the wet or cold (much).
They do an 80 (race compound) apparently but I haven't seen these or a price for them.

[g40steve]

The federals are excellent in the dry & possibly give a quicker lap.
I have been on the NS2R soft for past year & seem better for those days when the weather has not got a clue.
Wear rate is very good, slightly noisy on the road though.

[CABC]

from reading about track tyres i'm thinking my next set will be Nankangs too.
One experienced guy tells me that there isn't a big difference between soft and medium and that some internet nonsense is spoken... ie "ensure you get the soft as that's the only compound for track..." i trust him as he fits lots of tyres to lots of cars. I have no experience myself.
I'm currently running Hankook Ventus which have served me well, long lasting, durable over long sessions, predictable etc. Not the last word in grip but a great season track tyre.
My view is that i need a tyre to do well in the wet, that's when the track empties and you can have fun!!

[E-bmw]

Oilchange said:

595s are ok, they need dry tarmac to get some heat into them otherwise they don't grip very well at all. I under steered everywhere, it was scary sometimes.
NS2r come in different compounds. 180 is a 'Street' or medium compound.
I use the 120, a softer compound which I find are good especially in the wet or cold (much).
They do an 80 (race compound) apparently but I haven't seen these or a price for them.

Sorry, yes, I should have been more specific, it is the medium 120s that I was considering as a compromise, they will only be used on track, as I have a second set of wheels for the track.

[Neil - YVM]

E-bmw said:

Oilchange said:

595s are ok, they need dry tarmac to get some heat into them otherwise they don't grip very well at all. I under steered everywhere, it was scary sometimes.
NS2r come in different compounds. 180 is a 'Street' or medium compound.
I use the 120, a softer compound which I find are good especially in the wet or cold (much).
They do an 80 (race compound) apparently but I haven't seen these or a price for them.

Sorry, yes, I should have been more specific, it is the medium 120s that I was considering as a compromise, they will only be used on track, as I have a second set of wheels for the track.

I have been out on track with several friends running NS2R's from MX5 to 500+ bhp Scoob, all are happy with them, only slightly off 888 pace and feel, for much less money.

[E-bmw]

That is a good comparison then, as I have used 888s when I was able to run 15" wheels.

One other question on them, I believe they are actually wider size for size, anyone know more?

If so I currently run 245/45/17, so 235/40/17 would probably be the charm.

[eldavo]

I had RSRs on when we were last at Blyton together - they're great in the dry, not so great in the cold and damp and chuffing scary in the very wet!

When they're up for replacement I'll be going Nankang 120s or Yokohama AD08Rs.

[Chr1sch]

I have run 595's in a 205/45/16 for a little over a year now, for the money they are brilliant without a doubt and gave me a huge grip advantage over many other cars

Unlike others I didn't find them too bad in the wet, and good in the dry, that said they do have very soft tyre walls which led to this after 3 td's



You can see how soft they are here:



I've just had a set of Yokohama AD08R's fitted for about £50 more than the 595's so I'm really excited to see what they are like (Ben Patey on Facebook offers some great deals through the TrackTime group)

All in all I would absolutely recommend and buy again...

[E-bmw]

eldavo said:

I had RSRs on when we were last at Blyton together - they're great in the dry, not so great in the cold and damp and chuffing scary in the very wet!

When they're up for replacement I'll be going Nankang 120s or Yokohama AD08Rs.

Good to know LD, I forgot you had them on then.

[nickfrog]

The NS2-R are forging themselves a serious reputation for becoming the default choice for VFM TD tyres or even hybrid road/TD tyre if you don't run 2 sets of wheels.

I will be fitting them in 180 on my forthcoming Megane RS from the off.

[Chr1sch]

There's a new Nankang coming too, the ar1 which looks very cool indeed but very little availability as yet in the UK

[E-bmw]

To add another part to the question, has anyone tried both 120/180 compounds yet?

[Tommo Two]

Another option on the NS-2R is the 100 compound, I dont think the 80 compound are available in E36 size.

I've been emailing Nankang abit regarding them, see below:


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]

[E-bmw]

TT, thanks for adding that, really good info that I will have to digest it fully in time to make my decision, initial thinking is either 120/100.

My size is actually currently 245/45/17 but with the 13% alleged bigger contact patch, that means I slip right between the 225/45 and 235/40 so have more compounds to chose from with that range of sizes.

[MG CHRIS]

Chr1sch said:

There's a new Nankang coming too, the ar1 which looks very cool indeed but very little availability as yet in the UK

Yep the ar1 soft compound semi slick tyre rivial to the r888r and the likes for in 15inch size anyway £70 per set cheaper.
I managed to order a set 195/50/15 on the first batch to the uk which arrived Monday to go onto my mev exocet turbo kit car.

Should find out how they perform next month.

[Oilchange]

Keep us up to date would yer?

[CABC]

wow, the AR-1 barely has a tread pattern. Maybe time to consider two sets of wheels...
MG, do come back and post your feedback.

[Neil - YVM]

MG CHRIS said:

Yep the ar1 soft compound semi slick tyre rivial to the r888r and the likes for in 15inch size anyway £70 per set cheaper.
I managed to order a set 195/50/15 on the first batch to the uk which arrived Monday to go onto my mev exocet turbo kit car.

Should find out how they perform next month.

As others have said, please give some feedback on these.

I have one, maybe 2 days left on my 888's , then will be needing a new set.

If you don't mind, how much were they a set, I run the same size tyre.?

[e21Mark]

I ran 595's at Castle Combe last Saturday (e30 BMW) and they were pretty good. I've been looking for alternatives in 17" although would prefer Yokohama.

Any suggestions for 245 and either 215 or 225 sections?