Not to get everyone to excited but....

http://www.supertouringracing.com/fo...read.php?p=996

http://www.aimtire.com/typ_category.asp?ObjectID=6651

http://www.toyo.co.uk/tire/pattern/proxes-rs1

http://www.toyojapan.com/tires/patte...n/pxrs1_01.jpg

I know someone who has beta tested these new slicks. They are awesome! Will they be available in a 245/40/15? I think yes but not for the first round of production. Looks like they are first going after the Porsche and spec Miata markets.

 

No D.O.T. no care.

 

"The Proxes RS1 and the Proxes R888 street-legal motor sport tyre share the “GG” tread compound, that has proven to be highly competitive in a wide range of Australian motor sport events, providing competitive performance, fast warm-up and exceptional wear resistance."

I don't know if it will be DOT approved but sharing the same compound as the R888 but in a full slick design is a winner in my book. That should mean long cycle life and great grip.

 

If it's a full slick, it won't be DOT. From what I understand it needs two grooves. The photos posted and one blurb made on one of the links you posted makes me belive it will be a race only slick.

 

No 245 580 15 size, at least this year.

 

If they use the r888 compound then it will be a garbage tire. R888s are total trash.

 

It's strange that r888 is so highly favoured in many classes down here in NZ and Aus.

Even as a targa tyre from what I can tell....

 

R888 compound IMO is not trash. I used them for a few years on various cars and have a great opinion of them. They aren't quite as fast as an NT01 in the same size but a better balance of a tire overall for dry/wet, last a looong time and don't fall much.

 

Maybe it's the wet dry thing, especially in NZ. That and the NT01 is not readily available here.

 

I don't know of any serious racer who was happy with the r888, at least not here in the US of A.

Not being D.O.T. really limits their market.

 

It's not as fast as an NT-01, no faster than an RA-1, wears out faster than a shaved RA-1, it's HIGHLY pressure sensitive, wears unevenly on Spec Miatas (they wear a stripe into the tire just offset from the centerline - very irregular), they are incredibly intolerant of high slip angles (and thus hard to drive).

I was offered multiple sets of 205/50 R888s for $200/set a couple of months ago. I declined the offer.

 

Us Americans arey typical more virile, stronger, faster, and better drivers than the rest of the world. Its not a surprise that we ask more from our tires.

Oh I wish I was in the land of cotton
Old times there are not forgotten
Look away, look away, look away Dixieland
Oh I wish I was in Dixie, away, away
In Dixieland I take my stand to live and die in Dixie
For Dixieland, that's where I was born frosty morn
Look away, look away, look away Dixieland

 

I will buy these if they're cheap.

 

THe problem with the R888 is weak sidewalls so everyone has to overinflate them to make them not roll over. They then wear down the center. Most would agree the R888 was a shitty tire.

My friend who tested this new RS1 also hates the R888 yet he loves this slick. While it shares the same compound it does not remotely behave the same. The stiffer sidewalls seems to have cured the overheating problem that caused the tire to get greasy.

There is also another Toyo DOT-R being tested that has two strips down the middle like the R6/A6. No further info on that at this time.

It appears that Toyo is stepping up their game and plans to release at least 2 new tires. Obviously they need to cycle out like the RA1/NT01 to be a hit. I think that is what they are going for while eliminating thread (except 2 groves for DOT version). So far I like what I am hearing.

 

There is nothing wrong with R888, as long as you don't overload them (2000lbs for 205/50-15, about 1800lbs for 195/50-15). There are faster tires of course...
I like them overloaded in the wet, they are able to keep some heat at least.

The compound is one thing, the construction another and the thread design a third factor to consider. Change one and the predictions of the other two are shaky at best.

If the construction have stiffer sidewalls and there is no thread to squirm who knows what it will do (hopefully handle the higher loads the increased grip will generate). If the compound is identical the cycle-behavior would be the same at least, I guess.

But it will not be a hot slick with 3-5 usable cycles and the first one being the best by far.
There will be faster options out there, but TOYO are maybe shooting for spec series and track rats that have moved beyond DOT.

 

If it was a +7 tire for NASA (yeah right ) and available in 205/50/15, Id be interested in trying it.

 

Is this the rumored 245 width track compound tire Emilio has spoken of?

 

Not sure but I am hoping so.

I would be even more interested in a 245 RS1 slick.