I am at the point where the SE-R only comes out for track days and meets. Last year I only put about 6000 miles on her. It is out of the garage for the first time this year. I am wondering if I could get away with running RA-1s as the "regular" tires and running the set of NT01's I have for track days. Also, if I do this should I have the NT01's shaved since I would always run the RA1's if it is raining at the track.

I posted here because you guys should be able to answer based on experience as opposed to hearsay.

RA-1s for the street suck, since you'll never get them warm enough to truly be sticky. Just run some Direzza star specs and call it a day.

Thanks, that was the kind of information I was looking for.

Would there still be an advantage to shaving the NT01's for dry days and using the RA-1s at full tread for rainy days?

Always an advantage in shaving tires, but unless you're going to enter it in a Time Attack, I'd just leave them both at full depth. Toyos are pretty resistant to chunking. If you chunk Toyos, you're doing it wrong... :D

Yeah definitely don't run your toyos on the street. Some people will tell you that shaved tires last longer somehow. I can't verify this. I bought mine at full tread depth non - heat cycled and they wore very nicely and kept getting faster as they wore. Supposedly it is typical of that tire to keep getting faster where a Hoosier keeps getting slower. I was very happy with the RA-1. I have seen a lot of people use full depth toyos as rain tires. I think the Hoosier wet is probably the fastest wet tire but the toyo should work great for you.

Thanks guys :biggthump

I wouldn't shave the Nittos either.

The toyos don't tend to chunck but they do 'feather' and shaved tires will grant you faster lap times...

With regard to RA1's for street use, shaving, chunking, etc, Rockwood, Blair, Scarpulla and DarksideSE-R, provided sound advice.

If you need rains, why not sell the RA1's since you already have track rubber and get a set of Hoosier wets. Since you don't do much road work, they can be your transit tires and when you go to the track you'll have your wets already with you.

Phil

If you need rains, why not sell the RA1's since you already have track rubber and get a set of Hoosier wets. Since you don't do much road work, they can be your transit tires and when you go to the track you'll have your wets already with you.

Phil

Dry road heat cycles will kill Hoosier wets faster than anything.

I yield to Blair as I didn't run my Hoosier wets on the street long enough to see if and how they degraded.

Furthermore, since most of the manufacturers of DOT track tires warn against using them on the street, (say what?) I shouldn't be telling anyone to do what I shouldn't have been doing myself. My bad!

Well, there you go.

Phil

food for thought:

My Ra1 full tread depth rains from last year are worthy of maybe one more rain race and then need to retire/move over to regular RA1 duty (even in rain they still wear out to little tread showing!)

I'd hate to see how quickly the hoosier wets wear out (I've been told by some they last them 2 weekends of races and others said they dry rot crack before being used up so I don't know what to believe!)