Track day tyres Toyo R888-R, Federal FZ-202, FZ-201, Nankang, DMACK reviews

[teo_parvu]

LE: I've changed the title to invite everyone who has used semislicks to review them here so we can get some ideas.


Hi all,

I need your help to decide what track day tyres should I buy for my newly ordered TD Pro Race 1.2 8x18 wheels.
I have to move from 17" to 18" wheel after I've order big AP Racing brakes.

This set of Toyos has been in my apartment for 1 day, and I thought I was done searching:



Until I looked under the transport papers carefully taped over each tyres and see the "dot" 1609. 
So they were 6 years old, no wonder they were cheap, at about 120 pounds.

Today I returned them to the shop. They were willing to let me have all 4 of them for about 220 pounds.
They were also SOFT compound and I used to overheat my last medium track tyres (Federal FZ-201) in 4-5 laps, so I got my money back.

Now I have to look again for tires, this time more carefully.
I will have to decide beetween Dunlop's DZ03G, Federal FZ-201, Kuhmo V70A and the newcomers Toyo R888-R and Federal FZ-202.

My car is heavy at around 1450 Kg and has around 360 bhp and the next trackday will be in June so I will have to look for hard or at least medium compound.

What's your experience with these candidates? Anyone has tried the new FZ-202 or R888-R?

[bigeyd]

I rate Nankang NS2R's,I know their usual tyres aren't the best but these were an equal cheaper alternative to the 888's

[Orc]

I have the rsr absolutely amazing, I go through tyres as I have a couple of track cars, I'll buy your r888 of ya for that price if ya like buddy

[teo_parvu]

I would sell them to you but they are back to the shop now. They have this website: anvelope-autobon.ro and they speak english too. You should tell them about the '09 dot, and I think you will get a good deal.

I don't know about the Nankang's, I have to read some review, the price is amazing. Need to check if they are R compound or extreme performance summer tyre.
I have tried the RSR's, they are great road/track tyres, they do both jobs very well. I think they will be my next choice for my everyday wheels. But for track days FZ-201 are superior.

Because I will not use this set on the road apart for the 30 miles trip home from the track, I will buy one set of R compound tyres.

[Tfsi_Mike]

I rate the RSR Federals too. I Would be up for trying the Nankang R tyre as they come in XL rating too.

[teo_parvu]

How are they as an everyday summer tyre?

[Tfsi_Mike]

I only really use my car to do Trackdays as I have another car but in the dry they are superb (on track)

For the road I imagine they would be a little noisier than a normal road tyre but have superior dry grip.

Id be inclined to use a premium/sports road tyre for daily / road use incase the weather is poor.  The semi slicks would be great in a nice summer though. We don't get the best summers here lol.

[PT82]

When I used to go to Oulton Park there were tyre guys selling used Carrera Cup slicks in 18" for peanuts. Maybe worth checking out if this still happens at track days?

[teo_parvu]

Unfortunately near Bucharest there's no chance to find used racing tyres, so I'll have to buy new ones.
In summer we get about 35 degrees C (95F) so i think it is a good idea to look for hard compound. What do you think?

[teo_parvu]

I'm now looking at DMACK DMT1 and DMACK DMT-RC, anyone has experienced them?

[teo_parvu]

After reading some reviews I decided to gamble:



Here they are, DMack Trackday tyre. It was an offer I couldn't refuse.
All I can say right now is that they have the hardest sidewall I've ever seen.

Anyway, if anyone is interested in Toyo R888R , this is what i got from their motorsport director (I was asking if R888R is harder than R888 which I find to be too soft):

"The R888R has the same GG compound as the R888 did, but we have improved the casing which has improved the longevity before the tyre goes off."

[teo_parvu]

I forgot to come back with the review of DMACK's. Better late than never...so you know.

First of all I should tell you about Federal FZ-201 225/44/17 Medium, the track day tyres I used until DMACK.
I was extremely pleased with these tyres, the grip they generated was phenomenal, they give a very good feedback, immediately get into the working temperature and seriously resisting abuse. At Hungaroring I did not feel any overheating whatsoever in exchange at Adancata (Motorpark Romania), where it was 10 degrees Celsius warmer, I felt a little performance degradation towards the end of the session. Unfortunately there is no hard version. They had a fantastic price of around 150 euros for 225/45/17 when I bought them. Now the price has raised drastically. They resisted well overall so I can say now they were the best tyres I ever had.

DMACK Trackday 225/40/18 Medium - Because of the BBK upgrade I had to go for 18" wheels and tyres. I first looked at some Federals FZ but the price of well over 1000 euros per set made me choose DMACK Trackday. The price was excellent, around 175 euros per tyre. At first I had the impression that the Federal are from another movie. ABS kicked in so annoying because the brakes far exceeded these tyres. However, after a 200 km trip they became much better. At the track I think they reached the same level of grip as the Feds but I think they get into the optimal temperature later. Towards the end they were overheated, but outside was over 30 degrees in the shade. And now the "beautiful" part: after a less than 200 km trip and six sessions of Adancata (3,3 km track), the front tyres are gone: