R888 in IT7

[dickita15]

I am not looking to start a political fire storm about spec tires but I would like to learn about the Toyo R888 on a 1st gen Rx7 and those of you running in the SE Div would seem to have some knowledge.
I am curious as to how the R888s hold up.
How many cycles can you run them before they start to go off?
Do they have drop off toward the end of a race?
I assume most people have them shaved, is there a consensus at to the best starting tread depth?
Do you need to heat cycle them like Hoosiers to get decent life out of them?
Any other thoughts?

[Andy Bettencourt]

Dick - the guys are down at Sebring right now and like the tire on the new SM's we built this winter. Word is no drop off during a race and it needs less camber than the RA-1 according to the pyrometer.

[ddewhurst]

Dick, do a search on the SM site for R888 feed back.

[tnord]

Dick - the guys are down at Sebring right now and like the tire on the new SM's we built this winter. Word is no drop off during a race and it needs less camber than the RA-1 according to the pyrometer.

i've heard they're noticeably faster wearing from one of the fast guys at sebring.

[quadzjr]

Dick - the guys are down at Sebring right now and like the tire on the new SM's we built this winter. Word is no drop off during a race and it needs less camber than the RA-1 according to the pyrometer.

Thats interesting.. The Toyo Rep at the PRI show said that the R888 requires a bit more camber than the setup for an RA-1.

[andrew240z]

We have noticed less camber is working better on the BMW's. They dont last as long as the RA-1 and they do seem to drop off as well....

[dickita15]

So nobody has any experience with these tires on an IT7 car? I would really like some idea of how many cycles you can get on these tires before they start to drop off.
In the old days of SM Toyo’s had a reputation for having very long life in terms of number of races you could be competitive. I am really curious if this is the case with the R888’s

[andrew240z]

stick with the Ra1s as long as you can. they are a better tire