Yet another which 225/45/15 tire thread
 

These will be for 15x9's. So what's the darling combo track/street tire these days? My list of priorities are:

1) Good life on the track, won't chunk when new
2) Good resistance to overheating on the track, won't get greasy
3) Fun predictable talkative handling, won't suddenly let go
4) Won't kill me if I hit a puddle
5) Wear longer than RA1's on the street
6) Less expensive than RA1's
7) Ride better than RA1's on the street

RS3 v2

what he said

+1

BFG Rival S. It's a street tire so it should last a long time.






(trolling)

RS3 is out of stock, IIRC. Maybe the Toyo R1R

Coolio.
How are the RS3 v2's in the predictability/communicativeness department?

Once you have met your other criteria, does it matter?

Yes because if they suck big time I may split track and street into 2 separate sets.

I've had a set of regular Rivals for that. 225's on 9's. They've worked well. They squeal on track before breaking away. I would think they'd last longer on the street than the Rival S or R1R. I had RS3 (v1) before that. They were fine, probably a better AutoX tire when it's hot than the Rival.
RS3's aren't always available. I had some issues getting a single Rival to replace one I flat spotted too. The 225 Rival is not quite as wide as the 225 RS3.

My only complaint about my RS3v2's is that they don't make much noise. My old Rivals were a lot noisier.

That's probably just me driving like a bitch though...

To me the slip angle buildup is more important for "communication" than the noise/squeal.
Less noise is good for hooning around on the street! :)

How're the RS3v2's in the slip angle buildup department?

The RS3s are fun and predictable with no nasty breakaway characteristics, just like your original criteria requested. The Rival is slightly better under braking and the larger tread blocks improve communication at the limit, but they are not going to be as good in the rain.

.. and substantially cheaper, right?

Looks like RS3v2's are it.

Thanks all.

If you want I've got 6 mostly new 140TW RS3s, stored in doors since they were new, made the last year that 140TW RS3s were a thing. These are the ones that last forever (probably should be makred 400TW) because they get literally no wear driving on the street. I have spun the car in the rain on an onramp on them before getting a little too aggressive with that huge stock 1.8 power, but as long as you're not trying to drive hard in the wet they have amazing hydroplaning resistance. Just make literally no grip when they're cold, worse than slicks. I could be convinced to removed them off my 15x9 6uls and ship them.

+1 RS3. They were surprisingly good in the rain. They work great when warm. Terrible when cold. Sidewalls are a little soft; a good compromise street & HPDE tire.

For customers that are just driving the car on the street, the Rival S is what I've been suggesting. If you approach it from the standpoint of someone whose car is 100% street driven, the Rival S is the perfect street tire: quiet, relatively long-wearing, competent in the rain, and unbelievably sticky. If you need to make the tire work on track, then the Rival is what you want, but for street-only toys, the Rival S is the unobtanium of street tires.

As always, "street use" can mean many things. You can drive most race tires gently to/from work for a rather stunning amount of mileage without wearing through them. I don't have direct experience with the Rival S, but have heard that it is very similar in characteristics to the RE71R - which I do have direct experience with, and while freeway driving doesn't wear the tire prematurely, as soon as you take it to any sort of performance driving event you're scrubbing rubber off at about the same rate as a Hoosier. I stopped hooning on the street years ago, but many people's versions of spirited driving on backroads could warm the tire enough to get it sticky and dramatically shave lifespan down.

This is, again, based on my experience with the RE71R. We're looking forward to using the Rival S this coming season for a Street class time attack build. If it has significantly different wear characteristics than the RE71R, that's a pleasant surprise for me.

Side-note: AFAIK the non-S Rival is no longer available in NA/NB-relevant sizes?

Available in 205, but I haven't seen any new 225s since the S came out. Bummer because I have 2 225 Rivals at about 60% that need companions.

I've been using a set of RS3V2s this year as rain tires and have been happy with them. They need quite a bit of pressure to avoid chunking when temperatures get warm, so keep an eye on that. I find them a fun, predictable tire at the track.

Rival cycled out over 1 second @80 sec./lap at about half life. Rs3 v1andv2 did not. Lap time about 3 tenths gap between all v1 slowest and v2 fastest. About 15 days life for all. V2 better on everything except 20 minutes plus stints, it does fade a bit. The hankook is an excellent choice.